8 Fantasy Football Stash Candidates Ahead of Week 5

What makes a player stash-worthy? These are guys who may be potential league-winners at some point in the future, whether that’s next week or a handful of weeks down the road. They may make this list if the player above them on the depth chart is on shaky ground or might be nursing an injury, or possibly a matchup-based situation in the weeks ahead.

I’ve had some really great hits so far this season in this article like Cordarrelle Patterson and Kenneth Gainwell after Week 1, Teddy Bridgewater after Week 2 and Michael Carter last week.

Clear out those benches (check out my Dead Weight Report on who to drop) and make room for this week’s crop of emerging fantasy assets.

Tua Tagovailoa, QB – Dolphins

I was surprised to see only 16% of Yahoo! managers held onto the Tua Tagovailoa, but he is set to return in Week 6, so if you’re struggling at the QB position, now is the perfect time to grab the Miami QB.

He’ll face the Jaguars, Falcons, Bills and Texans in his first four contests back on the field, with only the Bills presenting a difficult matchup. The return of Tagovailoa should provide a boost to the Miami offense and your fantasy team if you're in need.

Curtis Samuel, WR – Football Team

Back from a groin injury that derailed the start to his first season with the Football Team, Curtis Samuel was eased back on the field in Week 4, with just 16 routes run. He did catch all four of his targets for 19 yards and should see an increase as the season moves along.

Both Dyami Brown and Logan Thomas sustained injuries last week, which could open the usage door sooner than later. Only 40% of Yahoo! players either held onto or grabbed Samuel last week, so he could be there for you to add some firepower to your roster for the upcoming bye weeks.

Marlon Mack, RB – Colts

Rumors were swirling as recently as last week about a possible trade involving Marlon Mack, who played in the first two games but was then a surprise inactive for Week 3 before producing 10 carries against Miami last week.

With so many injuries to backfields around the NFL, stowing Mack may be a great move now before he’s dealt to an RB-desperate team down the road. The fifth-year back is only currently on 13% of Yahoo! rosters, so there’s a solid chance he’s there for the stashing.

DeVante Parker, WR – Dolphins

As the forgotten WR in Miami, DeVante Parker has put up an average of 9.7 half-PPR points per contest (WR36). He had a solid outing in Week 4—77 yards and a touchdown on nine targets, but most of that came in fourth-quarter garbage time.

What is appealing about the 28-year-old’s potential moving forward is the return of QB Tua Tagovailoa, along with teammate Will Fuller’s injury issues that seem to be plaguing the WR this season. Fuller has played one full game for the Dolphins in 2021, and he is now dealing with a broken finger that has him on a week-to-week watch. Next up for Parker is a Bucs defense ranked dead-last in aFPA to WRs in 2021, yielding a hefty 47.3 half-PPR points to opposing wideouts through four contests.

Alex Collins, RB – Seahawks

It’s tough to decipher exactly what Alex Collins’s usage will be moving forward, but he saw 12 touches to Chris Carson’s 14 in Week 4, producing a healthy 78 combined yards with a score against the 49ers.

Carson tends to get banged up and plays through it so he may have an injury that hasn’t been made public, or the volume could have been game-scripted in, but we can’t ignore this usage in the event this becomes a regular thing for the Seattle offense. Collins is only on 1% of Yahoo! rosters but I suspect that number will rise after this week’s waiver run.

Tre'Quan Smith, WR – Saints

The Saints' passing game sure needs a shot in the arm, and Tre'Quan Smith’s impending return could be just what they need. The highest producing WR in New Orleans is currently Deonte Harris (WR68 in half-PPR points per game), followed by Marquez Callaway, whose 6.1 points per game in that category ranks 79th.

Smith has been on the shelf with a hamstring injury but could be back as early as Week 5, but most likely it will be after their Week 6 bye. Opponents on the docket in Weeks 7-9 include the Seahawks, Buccaneers and Falcons, who are all in the bottom half of the league at defending WRs this season.

Malcolm Brown, RB – Dolphins

Yes, I am aware Malcolm Brown is the third Miami player on this list but he qualifies as stash-worthy so he made the cut. Brown himself hasn’t really done much this season, but he did lead the Dolphins in rush attempts and yards last week, and Myles Gaskin looks like he’s being phased out of this backfield, with just two touches against Indy in Week 4.

As a whole, the Miami run game hasn’t been very appealing so far this season, but some encouraging news is that once we start byes next week, Brown gets back-to-back contests against defensive units ranked 29th and 28th in opposing RB aFPA, so if he continues to lead in usage, Brown could be a sneaky fill-in those weeks.

Josh Gordon, WR – Chiefs

I can’t believe I am typing this entire blurb because I’m usually firmly in the don’t-fall-for-Josh-Gordon camp, but I have somehow convinced myself to switch my stance. Josh Gordon is certainly not a must-add by any means, but if you have the bench room and he’s available it may not be the worst idea.

Kansas City coaching staff is allowing Gordon time to learn the playbook and it appears they are eager to get him involved. Whether his first game is this week or Week 6, the 30-year-old Gordon has never been short on talent. With Patrick Mahomes tossing him the ball, Gordon could be a really nice addition to your rosters if he pans out. Of course, we’ve been down this road before and it’s a big if.