Andy’s Week 5 Waiver Wire Pick-ups:

By Andrew Miley:

There is nothing more important to keeping yourself connected to a fantasy league than by working the waiver wire every week. Inseason management is crucial to fantasy football success. Keep those juices flowing by reading this column every week as it will provide you with a few players that might be available to improve your team. I only play in point per reception leagues (sorry for the last five years and my mindset makes it too difficult to go back for standard scoring), so consider that when reviewing my advice.

WR Marvin Jones, Bengals

The fourth year receiver spent last season on injured reserve, and had a quiet week four with only two targets (one catch for four yards) and one carry for six yards against the Chiefs. He is only 25 years old and is fully recovered from last season’s foot injury. Jones is averaging 16.5 yards a catch and is a deep threat guy. The target he didn’t grab was about 30 yards down the field. Don’t be discouraged with his moderate success to date of only ten catches and two touchdowns. AJ Green demands the double teams while Mohamed Sanu is merely a possession guy, so the former California wide out can run wild down the gridiron.

The Bengals seem committed to throwing the ball more this season. In games where Cincinnati is behind, Jones will get used more often. Their schedule gets much harder down the stretch against better opponents who also happen to have favorable passing matchups (Steelers, Browns, 49ers, and Ravens). Because it was such a quiet week, Jones should be available for one percent of your blind bidding funds. Sometimes it is best to buy low.

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TE Maxx Williams, Ravens

Most fantasy owners were looking for the rookie to expose a susceptible Steelers defense with second year Crockett Gillmore out due to injury. Williams disappointed his owners with a two reception for 17 yard performance on this past Thursday night on four targets. The tight end has soft hands and catches the ball well in traffic while shielding the pigskin away from defenders. He got targeted deep on a 35 yard pattern that the rookie just missed the reception on. Williams fights for extra yardage and does not go down easy. It was a bit concerning to see him splitting time with fellow rookie tight end Nick Boyle. Boyle got used more on five receiver sets than the former Badger. Gillmore and Boyle are better run blockers, so they might see the field more often if the Ravens get better at running the ball.

Williams has a lot of Jeremy Shockey-like traits: big play ability, attitude, catch radius, and overall athleticism. He needs to be a smoother route runner, but can be a featured top-notch offensive weapon as Steve Smith has broken bones in his back and rookie wide out Breshad Perriman is still not practicing . The Ravens might be better off using Gillmore and Williams on the field at the same time. If he is still on waivers, his price point won’t increase (1% to 2%), but you might be able to acquire him via a trade. Try to buy low.

QB Michael Vick, Steelers

This is not a typical fantasy situation with Vick coming in for the injured Ben Roethlisberger. The signal caller completed 73% of his passes for a dismal 4.76 yards per attempt, but did throw for one touchdown. He also ran for 33 yards on nine carries (looking good on designed rollouts). There was plenty of rust to shake off, but Vick has value in two quarterback leagues and might be an average starter for more desperate teams, His effort could not be questioned with a block that helped Le’Veon Bell get into the endzone. With a short week (two practices) to gain chemistry with the starting offense, it wasn’t pretty as he missed Antonio Brown on multiple occasions.

The run-first player surprised me with his commitment to look to throw before darting out of the pocket, but then again the signal caller can’t outrun the entire league any more. Perhaps with ten days of practice to the next game, Vick can turn back time for the next month or so. There are some good matchups against the Chargers and Bengals in the next few weeks that could help you thru a bye week or sudden injury. I think he could surprise as a bye week filler and be worth 1% to 2% of your waiver funds.