Five Best Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 5

Welcome to The Big Lead's weekly fantasy football waiver wire column. It pairs wonderfully with our weekly start 'em, sit 'em columns. Just in case you wanted to satisfy the fantasy itch to the fullest extent possible.

Here are the best five waiver wire pickups for Week 4. (All stats via ESPN PPR Leagues)

Tyler Allgeier, RB, Atlanta Falcons (Available in 83 Percent of ESPN Leagues)

Cordarrelle Patterson is heading for the IR and Allgeier is the man in line to benefit the most. The Falcons have been fairly competent offensively and a surprisingly-improved offensive line has given Atlanta's running backs a lot of room to work. Allgeier was already eating into Patterson's snaps in the first four games of the year and will get the first opportunity to claim the No. 1 spot on the depth chart. The matchup this week against Tampa Bay isn't very favorable but Allgeier is still worth the pickup for the long-term benefit.

George Pickens, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers (Available in 66 Percent of ESPN Leagues)

Pickens may very well be the biggest winner of the Kenny Pickett-for-Mitchell-Trubisky swap. After Trubisky got benched and Pickett entered the game, Pickens was targeted five times and caught four of those passes for 73 yards. It's unclear how much of a difference Pickett will make on the overall production of the offense but the early returns suggest he knows to get the ball to Pickens above all else, which is tremendous news in fantasyland. Pickens is a good short and long-term pickup.

Raheem Mostert, RB, Miami Dolphins (Available in 47 Percent of ESPN Leagues)

Mostert was seen as the No. 2 back entering the season but has quickly gained the trust of Mike McDaniel. He's even earned more touches than Chase Edmonds, the assumed No. 1, in the last three weeks. A lot of it is matchup-dependent since Mostert is the more traditional between-the-tackles guy, but that plays into his fantasy potential this week as the Dolphins travel to New York and take on a weak Jets defensive line. Mostert is far from a secret at this point and his production will vary, but for this week he's a quality pickup.

Michael Gallup, WR, Dallas Cowboys (Available in 55 Percent of ESPN Leagues)

Gallup stayed broadly untouched during fantasy drafts because no one knew when he'd be back and then he stayed a free agent once Dak Prescott got hurt. Gallup is back now, though, and the time is now to grab him up for the rest of the year. He looked great against Washington for a guy who hadn't played a game since January and his stock is only set to go up once Prescott comes back. Maybe stash him instead of starting him immediately, but Gallup will be gone quite soon if you don't act now.

Jared Goff, QB, Detroit Lions (Available in 65 Percent of ESPN Leagues)

You read that correctly. Goff has been hit or miss in fantasy this year but his big weeks are big, as evidenced by a 33-point outing against the Seahawks on Sunday. But the reason to grab Goff off the waiver wire is not based in any sort of faith in the quarterback. It's based off the recognition that the Lions' defense is absolutely, undeniably atrocious. Goff will have to play more games like the 48-45 barnburner he just lost rather than low-scoring, grind-em-out affairs. If you have been disappointed by your QB play this year (shoutout fellow Kyler Murray drafters), Goff is worth a flier if only because at this point it seems his baseline is one of the higher points in the league.