Waiver Wire: Week 5 scouting report

There are still talented players sitting on waivers, but maybe you're just not sure how to make sense of it all. Mario Puig breaks it down in his Week 5 scouting report.

ACC

Chris Thompson, RB, Florida State: It appears the Florida State running game is so dominant this year that there is enough room for both Thompson and James Wilder to be Fantasy factors. The duo has absolutely pulverized opponents through four weeks, combining for 642 yards and 11 touchdowns on 74 carries. Thompson accounted for 357 yards and five touchdowns, but he ranks above Wilder since he's also a factor as a receiver and gets more touches as the games are more competitive. Wilder tends to get his carries once there's a blowout, whereas Thompson is the reason for the blowout happens in the first place.

Jamison Crowder, WR, Duke: If you're looking for a spot starter at receiver, Crowder could make for a nice option for at least the next two weeks. With at least six catches in every game so far, Crowder's particularly valuable in PPR leagues. Crowder has emerged as Duke's clear second receiver behind Conner Vernon, catching 29 passes for 367 yards and two touchdowns through four games. The next two weeks he faces Wake Forest and Virginia, teams that have struggled against the pass.

BIG 12

Brandon Carter, WR, TCU: Josh Boyce was easily the most established TCU receiver heading into this year, but it looks as if Carter might steal that role from Boyce. Not only does Carter have one more catch (14) than Boyce (13) through three games, but he also has one more touchdown (four) and 100 more yards (290). The TCU passing game is running at a fast pace at the moment, averaging more than 300 yards and three touchdowns per game, and it looks like there aren't really any serious contenders for targets other than Carter and Boyce, making both starting options in most formats.

Matthew Tucker, RB, TCU: Although his numbers have been poor to this point, Tucker is a justifiable pickup in most formats as a result of his workload alone. With Ed Wesley leaving the team before this season and Waymon James out for 2012 with a knee issue, Tucker is the only remotely experienced running back left on the TCU roster. His 152 yards rushing (4.5 YPC) and no touchdowns through three games aren't useful, but he touched the ball 16 times (15 carries) with James out against Virginia on Saturday, and Tucker is historically a very good source of touchdowns (27 from 2009 to 2011).

BIG EAST

George Winn, RB, Cincinnati: Winn is probably only available in fairly shallow leagues after his strong start to the year, but if he's a forgotten man in your league after Cincinnati's Week 4 bye, go pick him up. Cincinnati takes on a struggling Virginia Tech defense next, and Winn looks like a powerful between-the-tackles presence for the Bearcats, totaling 242 yards and two touchdowns on 35 carries (6.9 YPC). The Hokies gave up big games to both Ray Graham and Rushel Shell in Week 3.

Lindsey Lamar, RB, South Florida: Lamar is probably only a Big East and deep-league consideration, particularly with Florida State up this week, but his stock is clearly going up in the South Florida backfield. The former receiver has shown a lot of explosiveness for the Bulls, and with starter Demetris Murray proving a liability (3.7 YPC), Lamar could emerge as the team's top runner in the near future. The speedster ran for 55 yards on 11 carries against Ball State on Saturday and added 80 yards and two touchdowns on five catches.

BIG TEN

Mark Weisman, RB, Iowa: If there was any doubt before, it's gone now: Weisman is the man at running back for Iowa. The former fullback and walk-on has emerged as a highly promising bruiser in the backfield for the Hawkeyes, and although the level of competition he has played (Northern Iowa and Central Michigan) is far from Big Ten quality, Weisman still should be owned in most leagues. The last two weeks he has 330 yards and six touchdowns on 51 carries, and he should post another nice box score against Minnesota this week before heading into the bye.

Dion Sims, TE, Michigan State: The Michigan State passing game is a wreck, but Sims is a standout talent at tight end and has produced despite the lack of opportunity. He's easily the team's leading receiver, in fact, with his 22 receptions for 277 yards and two scores all giving a big lead over the competition. With six or more catches in three of his four games, Sims should be owned in all formats - especially PPR leagues.

CONFERENCE USA

Kevin Grooms, RB, Marshall: The Marshall backfield looks incredibly deep - Steward Butler (242 yards, two touchdowns) and Remi Watson (143 yards, three touchdown) are also look like potential starters for Marshall - but Grooms has a slight lead on the competition. He scored the first, third, fourth and sixth touchdowns for Marshall in its shootout against Rice on Saturday, finishing with 103 yards rushing and the five-yard touchdown reception. He should be owned in C-USA-only leagues and is worth a speculative add in plenty of other formats.

Rannell Hall, WR, UCF: Hall probably isn't more than a spot start this week outside of C-USA-only leagues, but the Golden Knights figure to throw more than usual as they face Missouri, which could result in more opportunities for Hall. Hall is doing fine as it is - he has 11 catches for 197 yards and three scores after three games, but the threat posed by Missouri's offense could give UCF a reason to raise Hall's reception count to five or six rather than the three or four he usually sees.

INDEPENDENTS

Larry Dixon, RB, Army: Raymond Maples is the big-play threat in the backfield for Army, racking up 406 yards on just 57 carries, but it's Dixon who has emerged as the team's favorite red-zone option at the position. He's a justifiable pickup in all formats, as the big back enters Week 5 with 282 yards (5.0 YPC) and four touchdowns in three games, including 248 yards and all four scores in the last two games. With Stony Brook up next, another big game should be in store for Dixon.

MAC

Titus Davis, WR, Central Michigan: If anyone in your league grew impatient with the Central Michigan passing game as it struggled the first two weeks and dropped Davis, go pick him up. The Chippewas finally found their rhythm as they played Iowa on the road Saturday, throwing for 283 yards and two scores. Davis was predictably the best Fantasy producer among the team's receivers, catching five passes for 74 yards and both scores. Davis is one of the nation's more underrated talents at receiver and figures to catch fire as Central Michigan starts its conference schedule. Cody Wilson and Courtney Williams will have their moments, too.

Derrius Vick, QB, Ohio: If Tyler Tettleton (hand) is out again this week, then Vick could be worth a spot start in many formats. Norfolk State is no more than a warmup for a program of Ohio's quality, but Vick deserves credit for playing almost flawlessly in Tettleton's place, completing 14-of-20 passes for 199 yards and four touchdowns. Ohio may choose to keep Tettleton out again as the Bobcats face a weak Massachusetts squad, in which case Vick would likely be in for another strong game.

MOUNTAIN WEST

Adam Muema, RB, San Diego State: He's in a rotation with Walter Kazee (332 yards, five touchdowns), but it looks as if there's more than enough room for both Muema and Kazee in the San Diego State running game. The duo averages nearly a combined 29 carries per game, with Muema taking 64 over the first four weeks. That includes a 202-yard eruption against San Jose State on Saturday, giving Muema 456 yards and four touchdowns on the year. He's worth owning in most formats.

Connor Dietz, QB, Air Force: With running back Cody Getz (461 yards and seven touchdowns on 8.0 yards per carry) terrifying defenses as the pitch recipient on the outside in Air Force's option offense, the middle is predictably opening up for Dietz, allowing him to get some numbers of his own. After running just seven times in Week 1, Dietz totaled 29 carries the last two games, totaling 129 yards and two scores on the ground. That included a road game against Michigan - a defense far better than the one Dietz will typically face. With Colorado State, Navy, Wyoming and New Mexico up next, there's really no reason for Dietz to slow down. He'll probably pick up the pace, in fact.

PAC-12

Chris Coyle, TE, Arizona State: Although he's eligible at tight end in most formats, Coyle is a former wide receiver with a receiver's skill set, and it shows in that he's easily Arizona State's leading pass catcher. He leads the team in all receiving categories with 22 catches for 301 yards and two touchdowns in four games. The next closest figures are 11 catches, 163 yards and one touchdown. That sort of prominence in this year's shallow tight-end class makes Coyle close to a must-own in all formats.

Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon State: Markus Wheaton is a very good receiver for Oregon State, but the speedy Cooks might be even better. The Beavers shook off a slow Week 1 game and exploded for 379 passing yards against UCLA on Saturday, and Cooks played the lead role at receiver, snagging six passes for 175 yards and a touchdown. Cooks is exceedingly elusive and can make an impact on both short and deep routes. When you combine his skill set with Oregon State's pass-happy offense (82 passes for 655 yards through two weeks), there's no reason to think that Cooks can't establish himself as a starting option in all formats this year.

SEC

Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M: Evans' lack of big plays (zero touchdowns) primarily makes him a PPR and SEC-only league consideration, but he could pay off as a spot start in other formats this week. For the first time this year, Texas A&M and the team's new high-flying offense figures to get into a shootout, as Tyler Wilson and Arkansas come to town. Evans is easily the team's leading receiver with 18 catches in three games and figures to find the end zone for the first time against an Arkansas defense that looks like a mess.

T.J. Yeldon, RB, Alabama: It's hard to get carries when Eddie Lacy is ahead of you and your team has the third-stringers playing by halftime, but Yeldon could get a bit more exposure this week than he did against Florida Atlantic. The Crimson Tide takes on a Mississippi squad this week that figures to produce just enough on offense to keep Yeldon playing through the third quarter, a scenario in which he's very likely to score at least once. Yeldon is a strong SEC-only league start and a good spot start in other deeper formats.

SUN BELT

Antonio Andrews, RB, Western Kentucky: With enormous numbers the last two weeks, Andrews needs to be owned in all formats and is quickly approaching must-start status, too. The new star of the Hilltoppers backfield isn't the between-the-tackles bowling ball that Bobby Rainey was, but he brings a much more explosive element as a receiver. In addition to 266 yards and four touchdowns on the ground in his last two games, the former wideout has 17 catches for 221 yards and a touchdown receiving on the year. He figures to capitalize on his Sun Belt schedule in a big way.

Kolton Browning, QB, Louisiana-Monroe: Monroe's matchups and the shootouts they've entailed have forced Browning to take up a more active role than usual, but his numbers are too huge to ignore. He needs to be owned in all formats after his blazing start to the year, as he heads into Week 4 with 921 yards and eight touchdowns passing with 176 yards and three scores on the ground. The third-year starter is clearly in full control of his offense, and he should keep rolling as Monroe takes on Tulane and other Sun Belt squads in the upcoming weeks.

WAC

Andrew Manley, QB, New Mexico State: Although Manley had an unremarkable game against New Mexico on Saturday, he's set for a bounce back as New Mexico State takes on the University of Texas-San Antonio at home this week. UTSA has only played South Alabama and Georgia State, and the Aggies will give the Roadrunners their first taste of Division I speed. New Mexico State's potent passing game of Manley (261.3 YPG) and wideouts Austin Franklin (522 yards, six touchdowns) and Kemonte' Bateman (252 yards, one touchdown) will prove too much.

Marcus Curry, RB, Texas State: Curry is primarily a deep-league option due to Texas State's tendency to be a bit unpredictable with how it distributes its carries, but the former Navy star generally appears to be the team's top runner and could have some big days as a result. Curry showed a lot of big-play ability in his days at Navy, running for 585 yards and five touchdowns on 80 carries while catching 10 passes for 287 yards and three scores, and his WAC schedule should help him display that explosiveness again this year.