Week five of the NFL was an exciting one, with some outstanding performances, and with the season in full swing, some fantasy teams have seen some struggles. The best way to improve a struggling team is from the waiver wire.

The best waiver pickup of the week five was Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle. Dowdle totaled 206 yards on the ground for 32.4 fantasy points.

Dowdle filled in for an injured Chuba Hubbard and shined in the starting role. This could spell trouble for Hubbard owners as Hubbard only has 217 yards on the season. In just one game, Dowdle almost matched that.

Dowdle will continue to produce as long as Hubbard is out.

Next is Emeka Egbuka. Egbuka continues his stellar rookie season with 31.3 points. Egbuka had his second straight game with over 100 receiving yards. Egbuka is shining in the wide receiver one role for Tampa.

On the other hand, Derrick Henry struggled once again. He finished with less than 10 points for the third time this season. Henry hasn’t gotten close to his week one total of 29 points.

With Lamar expected to miss multiple weeks, expect Henry to continue struggling as defenses no longer have to gameplan for Jackson.

James Cook did not have a great game, but I am not worried about him. Cook finished with 4.9 points, but he went against the Patriots who allow the fifth fewest rushing yards per game. This was also Cook’s first game under 100 yards from scrimmage since last season.

He gets the Falcons defense next week who allow the 16th most rushing yards per game. Expect Cook to have a bounceback game next week.

Finally, the top waiver add this week is Theo Johnson. The tight end for the Giants had 21.3 points with two touchdowns.

He is developing great chemistry with rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, and since tight ends are normally favorites amongst rookie quarterbacks, expect Johnson to continue producing.

The newest impact injury is Omarion Hampton who lands on the IR with an ankle injury, look for his backup Hassan Haskins to replace an injured Hampton.