Fantasy Football Week 5 Waiver: 5 players must be waived

The first month of the fantasy football season comes to a close in Week 4 and fantasy managers now know exactly what kind of teams they have.

They also know who separated from their teams during the biggest disappointments. And while it may have been too soon to cut them in the first few weeks, teams desperate for change or adding impact players at certain positions will look to move on from these non-producers.

It’s not always easy to go from well-known players to a lesser-known player, but sometimes that’s all it takes to turn a season around. Here are five of the easiest candidates to cut as we look ahead to the Week 5 waiver wire.

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Wire Player Elimination Waiver: Week 5

Aaron Rodgers, QB, New York Jets

Rodgers sparked hope among quarterback-needy fantasy owners after his 281-yard, two-touchdown performance against the New England Patriots in Week 3. In Week 4, he played in significantly less favorable conditions and was unable to do much on the rainy day at MetLife Stadium.

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Rodgers had 225 passing yards in Week 4 but failed to record a touchdown. He’s only scored five points in four weeks, and it doesn’t look like the Jets are excelling on offense against a stout defense. With games against the Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers coming up, now is the time to turn off Rodgers and get a better streaming option.

Carson Steele, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

Steele appeared to be the leader in Kansas City’s backcourt after handling much of the team’s workload in Week 3 against the Atlanta Falcons. However, Steele fumbled against the Los Angeles Chargers after also putting the ball on the ground in Week 2 against the Cincinnati Bengals. That prompted Andy Reid to reduce the undrafted rookie role, and he finished the day with just six yards on two carries.

Steele could regain a role in the Chiefs’ running back rotation, but his ball security issues could leave him behind veterans Kareem Hunt (16 touchdowns, 85 yards) and Samaje Perine (five touchdowns, 14 yards, one touchdown) in the short term carry on. The team’s normal replacement for Isiah Pacheco, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, could also return from the NFI list in Week 5, so Steele suddenly faces a lot of uncertainty about his role in Kansas City’s offense.

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Cam Akers, RB, Houston Texans

Akers served as the Texans’ top running back in Weeks 3 and 4 while both Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce were out of action. Mixon returned to practice on the Friday before Week 4 and was questionable before being ruled out, so he expects to be back in Houston’s lineup soon, perhaps even in Week 5.

Even with Mixon not back, Akers saw modest production without the veteran. Akers recorded 22 carries for 74 yards (3.4 yards per carry) and only had one catch for 8 yards, although that was a touchdown. He largely left the passing work to Dare Ogunbowale and didn’t take advantage of the favorable matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 4.

Akers is nothing more than a mediocre handcuff at this point, so it’s best to give another fantasy owner a roster spot for him.

Rome Odunze, WR, Chicago Bears

Odunze was a first-round pick by the Bears and certainly has a bright future, but it doesn’t look like he’ll be a key part of Chicago’s offense early in the season as long as Keenan Allen is healthy.

In two games with Allen, Odunze has been targeted seven times and has only two catches for 21 yards in those contests. Without Allen, Odunze has eight catches for 145 yards and one touchdown on 16 targets.

Odunze may eventually overtake the veteran Allen for Chicago’s No. 2 receiver position, but Caleb Williams appears to be more focused on targeting Allen and DJ Moore as Odunze adjusts to the NFL. That could change in the second half of the season, but if you can’t wait that long to make a move, feel free to part ways with Odunze.

Kyle Pitts, TE, Atlanta Falcons

Pitts was a top-five pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and rushed for 1,026 yards as a rookie, but those memories are now a distant memory. In 2024, Pitts has only eight catches for 105 yards and a touchdown in four games and was targeted just 15 times by Kirk Cousins.

Pitts didn’t make a catch in Week 4 against the New Orleans Saints, which was the first time in his career that such a thing happened. His coach Raheem Morris didn’t seem too worried about Pitts’ lack of participation, as Atlanta still won, so it doesn’t look like there was a concerted effort to get the 23-year-old the ball.

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