Week five of the National Football League is officially in the books. And with that, fantasy football fans are still looking towards the waiver wire to see if their team can be improved in any way. Some fantasy footballers will continue to react — or, overreact — to their players performances unjustly during this period with panic beginning to set in.

Plenty of buzz and player recommendations will surface in preparation of your league’s waiver period causing owners to make rash decisions and drop players they spent months researching, so let’s make sure to do a full complement of research before making your moves.

Before we get to this week’s potential waiver wire pickups, it’s important to note that I WOULD NOT spend my first waiver priority on a player from the list below. Also, players listed below are in no particular order

Teams on a bye in week four: Vikings, Buccaneers

Recently Graduated: Sammie Coates, Jamison Crowder, Hunter Henry and Brian Hoyer have all recently graduated from this very waiver wire column, but that doesn’t mean they should be ignored if still available in your league. Sammie Coates hit quite the home run for the Steelers and daily players in week four against the Jets — he hauled in six passes on 11 targets for 128 yards and two scores. Following a 397 yard, two touchdown performance, Brian Hoyer has a couple of favorable upcoming matchups against the Jaguars and Packers, the seventh and 13th-most generous teams to opposing fantasy gunslingers.

Cameron Meredith | Bears and Chris Hogan | Patriots

Cameron Meredith — the daily fantasy sports industry’s week five sweetheart — is on the heels of a career effort with nine receptions for 136 yards and a touchdown on 12 targets. He’s tied with Eddie Royal for the team lead in targets (17) and the team lead in PPR fantasy points (35) over the past two weeks. Also in week five, Meredith was targeted in the red zone the second-most of any wide receiver (3) and hauled in each of his three targets — one for a score. Things between Cam and Brian Hoyer seem to be heating up and with a few decent matchups on the horizon, Meredith figures to be a nice FLEX option in 12-teamers (and deeper) until further notice.

After the Sammie Coates and Cam Meredith’s of the fake football world are off the board, Chris Hogan should definitely demand your attention. Hogan is a home run threat cut from a similar cloth as Coates — he owns a team high 236 yards receiving, 19.7 yards per reception and an 18.3 yard average depth of target (PFF$). A healthy Rob Gronkowski could eat into Hogan’s targets, but he seems to be the best bet for a deep threat for Tom Brady and the Patriots, so he figures to still get a handful of chances per game going forward.

Consider in leagues: All
Waiver Priority Worthy: 3 and lower
Spend this much FAAB to acquire: 10-15%
Players I’d drop for him: Sammy Watkins, Kevin White, Tajae Sharpe

Bilal Powell | Jets and Bobby Rainey | Giants

These pair of backs should be considered as potential FLEX options in teams with at least 12 teams. First, Bilal Powell can be a PPR boost for your squad — he’s reeled in 21 receptions on 26 targets for 144 yards. He hasn’t found the end zone just yet, but Powell has received targets (5) and rushing attempts (2) when the Jets are in the red zone, so the pay dirt will be reached soon.

Orleans Darkwa averaged just 1.6 yards per carry and didn’t factor into the pass game with the Giants down to the Packers in week five. This lead to Bobby Rainey getting in a lot of work — he hauled in 100% of his six targets for 52 yards, carried five times for 22 yards — making him an excellent option in PPR formats, especially if the Giants continue to play from behind. In total, Rainey is responsible for over 9% of Eli Manning’s targets, so he should be a fine FLEX option in deeper formats, especially during the bye weeks.

Consider in leagues: All
Waiver Priority Worthy: 3 and lower
Spend this much FAAB to acquire: 10-15%
Players I’d drop for him: Charles Sims, Orleans Darkwa, Wendell Smallwood

Jeremy Kerley | 49ers

When Blaine Gabbert was under center for San Francisco, Jeremy Kerley earned close to 31% of the team’s total targets (45) and hauled in 26 of those targets for 304 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Colin Kaepernick will be back under center for week six’s contest so things could change a bit going forward. Kerley would come right after Sammie Coates on my wish list for this week.

Consider in leagues: 12+ teams
Waiver Priority Worthy: 6 and lower
Spend this much FAAB to acquire: 10-15%
Players I’d drop for him: Sammy Watkins, Kevin White, Tajae Sharpe

Data courtesy of the fine folks at PFF, NFLSavant and PFR.