Fantasy Football Week 5 Waiver Wire Debate: Emanuel Wilson vs. Keon Coleman
In Week 4 of fantasy football, breakouts were galore. At running back, Emanuel Wilson surged to victory with two touchdowns and ranked RB5. At wide receiver, Keon Coleman broke out for 6 receptions, 116 yards, and a touchdown. Both players are in high demand for Tuesday's waiver wire. However, one might be the better addition. Shall we crunch some data?
The Case of Emanuel Wilson
The Seahawks ran past the Chargers with a deceptive 30-23 win. The Seahawks were up by multiple scores for much of the game. In doing so, Wilson indulged in a high Seattle run rate of about 55%.
In the afternoon, Wilson had 21 of 28 rushing attempts. He ran for 81 yards and a touchdown. While 3.9 yards per attempt was nothing stellar, it was better than the undesirable 2.1 yards per attempt that George Holani put out.
The afternoon really proved how the running back split will be. Wilson owns the majority, which I project at over 70%, with Holani at ~30%.
An interesting tidbit did pop up on Monday evening. The Seattle have inked a deal with veteran running back Joe Mixon, who is returning from a short retirement. However, the team did so to add depth. "We're down runners," Mike MacDonald told reporters regarding the signing.
The reality is that Mixon is unlikely to play much in the short term. Instead, he joins in search of piggybacking his way to a Super Bowl title.
Mixon has not played NFL football since 2024. He dealt with a foot and ankle injury that was never confirmed in detail, but it appeared to be a factor in his then-retirement.
Jadarian Price, the Seahawks real RB1, was added to the IR this past weekend with a chest injury. That means at least three more games for Wilson as the starter.
The Case of Keon Coleman
Josh Allen targeted a pass-catcher 30 times in Week 4. Seven of those instances went to Coleman. Of those, he caught 6 passes for 116 yards and 1 touchdown. Season-to-date, Coleman has the second most routes run of any Bill.
Now that Coleman appears to be a solidified starter, he has proven to be a weekly WR2 option in fantasy football. Through four games, Coleman is the WR35 in fantasy football and is trending higher as the weeks go on.
DJ Moore is dealing with an AC joint sprain in his left shoulder. It is an injury endured during Week 2 and was aggravated during Week 4. Moore is expected to miss at least one game, and it could extend to multiple games, pending further details.
With Moore out, I project Coleman will get about 20% of the Bills' passing offense. To near a 25% share would not surprise me. In translation, Coleman can expect about 50 receiving yards per game. He has two red zone targets through four games, but that should also increase to supplement and add to Moore's three red zone targets.
Waiver Wire Debate: Emanuel Wilson vs. Keon Coleman
I would not worry about long-term value with either player. They will both be viable for at least two weeks, and perhaps much longer. As fantasy football is four weeks deep, managers must focus on the postseason.
For those playing the short-term calendar, Wilson is absolutely the better pickup. My estimation finds the below-average Standard and PPR projections:
- Emanuel Wilson: 14.4 (Std) | 15.4 (PPR)
- Keon Coleman: 7.3 (Std) | 11.2 (PPR)
If playing for depth, Coleman could be more desirable. Coleman's season-long role is solidified by his route rate and usage. Wilson will fall off once Price is expected back in early November. As we know, with the Bills, Coleman can breakout any given week.
For the most part, Wilson is the clear better pickup. Submit that bid as he will be a shoo-in RB2.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.