Sep 20, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Tre’ Harris (9) runs after a catch against the Las Vegas Raiders during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The injury bug has hit many wide receivers, including Justin Jefferson, Ladd McConkey, Terry McLaurin, and Jalen Coker. That means that new wide receivers have a chance to step into bigger roles. Meanwhile, another bunch of pass-catchers seems to have found relevance. The rankings are changing, and after analyzing a ton of data, I list the following eight wide receivers as potential starters in Week 5.
Fantasy Points Allowed to Wide Receivers from FootballDB.com Defensive EPA Stats from Draftwithdoug.com
Stefon Diggs
With McLaurin expected out in Week 5, Diggs’ projected usage rate comes to about 35% of both targets and yards. I would not weigh Diggs Week 4 production less than Diggs’ route rate, given that Athan Kaliakmanis was throwing the ball. In said game, Diggs led the team in routes run. He is the No. 1 pass-catcher, and Jayden Daniels hopes to maximize his ceiling as he returns in Week 5.
Jordan Addison
Justin Jefferson will remain out through Week 5. That makes Addison to No. 1 wide receiver. He acted the same in Week 4, tying Jauan Jennings for the team lead in routes run. Addison had 6 targets, or a 19% target share. The catch rate was 67% on 52 yards.
That came while facing a Dolphins defense that ranks 2nd in fantasy points allowed at the position. Minnesota gets a mid-tier defensive unit in the Saints, who allowed 45 points on Monday Night Football.
Tre’ Harris
Ladd McConkey is expected to miss time, and Harris is expected to step in as the WR1. Technically, the role is split between Harris and Quentin Johnston. However, production shows that Harris is the better player.
On nearly the same number of routes, Harris has 7 more receptions, 101 more yards, a 25.1% higher catch rate, and 3 more red zone targets than Johnston. Without McConkey in the lineup, I project Harris to command just over 25% of the passing offense.
Carnell Tate
Carnell Tate was running some of the NASTIEST ROUTES against the Giants.
Tate finished the game with 9 targets, 6 receptions, and 58 receiving yards.
The Titans rookie WR could’ve had 120+ receiving yards and 2 TD’s pic.twitter.com/rmVs6Wb2HQ
– Rookie Watch (@RookieWatxh) September 30, 2026
The Texans defense, which opposes Tate’s Titans this Sunday, has been a head-scratcher. One of the best defenses in 2025 now ranks 31st in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers and 8th-worst in Defensive Pass EPA Allowed per Play. The sample size, four games deep, is large enough to deem it legitimately bad. I don’t know what gives, but it gives.
Tate has about a 31% target share this season, or 8.0 per game. His catch rate is 69% with 12.2 yards per reception. Tate is as good as advertised; it is up to Cam Ward to make sure he gets fed, and he has done that well.
Rome Odunze
Maybe it’s Caleb Williams? That may be partly the reason why Odunze had suffered through two games. Whether or not that’s true, Odunze has 6 targets in each of his last two games, once with Case Keenum and once with Tyson Bagent.
Odunze is a good player. He is averaging 16.6 yards per reception. He is in the top third of wide receivers in Yards per Route Run and 15th overall in EPA per Target. Even without Williams, the Bears are projected to score about 24 points per game, which accounts for nearly 225 passing yards per game.
DK Metcalf
Deemed good or bad, it doesn’t matter. Metcalf is getting targeted, and his usage far exceeds that of any other Steeler pass-catcher. Metcalf is averaging about 13 more routes run per game than anyone else. He has 8 more targets than the next-best, and 13 more than the third-best. Metcalf averages 8.0 targets per game, and that is enough volume to ensure his start.
Need a bonus to that argument? The Steelers have the Colts in Week 5. They rank 9th-worst in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers.
Jameson Williams
Matchup, matchup, matchup. The Lions will score a lot of points each week. The more they can score, the better. In Week 5, the Lions get the Cardinals. They rank the worst in the NFL in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers. They are 31st in Defensive Pass EPA Allowed per Play.
Malik Washington
I loved Washington in Week 4 given his volume projection. He ended up with just 5 targets, but that was not due to a lack of target share. It was due to the very difficult matchup against the Vikings, which allowed only 17 total passing attempts.
In total, Washington had a 30% target share, and each time he saw the ball, he caught it.
Washington has a 28% target share on 12.9 yards per reception this season. Cincinnati ranks toward the middle of the NFL in all key metrics against wide receivers. In fact, the Bengals are projected to be without both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, which could make this a ballgame favoring the Dolphins.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/onsi/fantasy as Tre’ Harris, Jameson Williams, and 6 More Fantasy Football Must-Start Wide Receivers in Week 5.