Week 5 Waiver Wire | Top Fantasy Football Pickups (2026)

by Wolf Trelles-Heard · Featured

Each week throughout the 2026 season, Wolf Trelles-Heard brings you the “must-adds” every Tuesday. In this week’s Week 5 edition, he highlights players who are worth rostering from the waiver wire if you’ve got the room.

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Week 5 Shallow League Waiver Wire Targets

Note: This range will primarily apply to most home leagues and those with shorter benches, with players available in at least 25% of leagues. Each player is listed with their current rostered percentage and a recommended FAAB bid range for a $100 budget. All values are in reference to six-point per passing touchdown leagues with PPR scoring unless otherwise noted.

Quarterback

C.J. Stroud, Texans (42% rostered) | $2-3

The Texans might be 0-4, but it’s hard to blame their offensive leader. C.J. Stroud did everything he could to help Houston earn its first win against Dallas last week, finishing 21-of-31 for 347 yards and two touchdowns. Stroud’s big outing gave him his first QB1 finish of the 2026 season.

Next up is a date with the Tennessee Titans, another winless team. It should be another productive day for Stroud, who has seven TD passes with zero interceptions through a quarter of the season. He’s cleaned up the turnovers, raising his fantasy floor in the process. That’s impressive, considering Stroud has the highest aDOT (10.7) in the league, per Fantasy Points data. If you’re looking for a streamer in Week 5, Stroud has low-end QB1 appeal against a hapless Titans team.

Other options: Sam Darnold, Seahawks (52%)

Running Back

Emanuel Wilson, Seahawks (53% rostered) | $12-15

It looks like Emanuel Wilson is going to be a thing, at least while rookie Jadarian Price is on short-term IR. Wilson logged his second 21-carry game of the season against the Chargers last week, running for 81 yards and a touchdown. He also reeled in three catches for 39 yards and added another score through the air. The monster day produced 27 fantasy points, giving Wilson his first RB1 finish since Week 12 of last year.


The efficiency metrics aren’t great. Wilson is averaging just 3.6 yards per carry with -0.2 EPA per rush and a 39.6% success rate, according to Dynatyze data. But the volume is there, with Wilson owning a 25.4% opportunity share.

Wilson could be used as an RB2 this week against San Francisco. Just know he has some tougher matchups after that, with Denver and Kansas City looming. Still, Wilson appears to be the guy in the interim and can be plugged into fantasy lineups. And no, I’m not worried about the Joe Mixon signing — at least in the short term.

Other options: Kenneth Gainwell, Buccaneers (60%), Woody Marks, Texans (53%)

Wide Receiver

Xavier Worthy, Chiefs (67% rostered) | $5-7

Xavier Worthy, you are the last man standing in Kansas City’s receiver room. At least it feels that way after Rashee Rice left Sunday’s game early with a non-contact injury and Tyquan Thornton suffered a broken ankle late in the contest.

Worthy had 25 yards or less in each of the first three games, so there’s a chance he was dropped in your league. If so, he’s a priority add. Against the Raiders, Worthy saw seven targets and caught four of them for a season-high 70 yards — the most receiving yards in a game since Week 4 of last season.

The Chiefs have a bye this week, so Worthy won’t provide immediate help to your lineup. However, injuries to his teammates have created a path to more volume going forward. That puts Worthy back on the menu as a high-upside flex play.

Other options: Romeo Doubs, Patriots (62%), Khalil Shakir, Bills (53%)

Tight End

Brenton Strange, Jaguars (33%) | $2-3

Cincinnati has been a smash-start matchup for tight ends for years, and this season has been no different. Going into Week 4, Brenton Strange had only seven receptions for 72 yards. Against the Bengals, he matched his catch total in one game and surpassed the yardage, finishing with 95 yards. No touchdown, but it’s hard to argue with a 34.8% target share and the second-most receiving yards among all tight ends on the week.

A much tougher contest against Philadelphia awaits Strange. Going into Week 4, the Eagles were allowing just 5.9 fantasy points to the position. Now, Tyler Higbee did catch five passes for 67 yards against Philadelphia last week, but it’s still not a secondary you want to actively target in fantasy. That said, among all TEs with at least five targets, Strange ranks 11th in yards per route run (2.04), which keeps him in the high-end TE2 conversation even in a rough matchup on paper.

Other options: Hunter Henry, Patriots (53%)

Week 5 Standard Bench Waiver Wire Targets

Note: This range will primarily apply to most leagues with standard benches, with players available in at least 50% of leagues. Each player is listed with their current rostered percentage and a recommended FAAB bid range for a $100 budget. All values are in reference to six-point per passing touchdown leagues with PPR scoring unless otherwise noted.

Quarterback

Kirk Cousins, Raiders (26% rostered) | $1-2

The Raiders are no longer undefeated, but they gave the Chiefs all they could handle last Sunday. That includes Kirk Cousins, who threw it 57 times for a season-high 365 yards and two touchdowns. The two scores were actually a season low for Cousins, but he still sits tied with Brock Purdy atop the league with 11 TD passes.

This week, Cousins draws a Patriots defense that just slowed down Josh Allen in Week 4, but no matchup seems too intimidating for the 38-year-old right now. He’s playing at a high level and leaning heavily on Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer. Scoop up Cousins and keep playing him for as long as he’s tossing touchdowns at this rate.

Other options: Jacoby Brissett, Cardinals (14%)

Running Back

Keaton Mitchell, Chargers (31% rostered) | $6-8

We officially have a three-headed committee in the Chargers backfield, folks. Not good if you spent a second-round pick on Omarion Hampton. He was largely useless last week vs. the Seahawks, with a late-game touchdown salvaging his fantasy day.

Meanwhile, Keaton Mitchell led the backfield in snaps and usage. He got 10 carries for 39 yards and saw six targets, catching five for 24 yards. It wasn’t a massive fantasy outing, but he’s now seen 26 opportunities over the past two games and appears to be Mike McDaniel’s preferred option currently.

The Chargers offense is a dumpster fire right now, but it’s hard to ignore a player with Mitchell’s explosiveness getting double-digit touches. For now, he remains a boom-or-bust RB3 or flex play; just keep that volatility in mind when filling out your lineup.

Other options: Tyler Allgeier, Cardinals (42%), Chris Rodriguez Jr., Jaguars (30%)

Wide Receiver

Tyreek Hill, Free Agent (23% rostered) | $4-6

I don’t really have a lot to say about Tyreek Hill until we know where he lands, but it appears we might see “Cheetah” sooner rather than later. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, says he’s talking with multiple teams about finding a home for the 32-year-old.


We’ll see how much Hill has left in the tank after tearing ligaments and dislocating his knee in Week 4 last season. Up until that point, he had 21 catches for 265 yards and a touchdown.

The landing spot will determine a lot of his fantasy value, but we all know what a difference-maker Hill can be. Don’t be afraid to throw a few FAAB dollars chasing his upside. If healthy, he could be a legitimate league-winner down the stretch.

Other options: Malik Washington, Dolphins (36%), Dontayvion Wicks, Eagles (43%), Adonai Mitchell, Jets (32%)

Tight End

Mike Gesicki, Bengals (11% rostered) | $2-3

Believe it or not, Mike Gesicki has finished as a TE1 every game in which he’s caught a pass this season. He was shut out in Week 2, but otherwise he’s been awesome, totaling 11 receptions for 155 yards and three scores.

With Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins both dealing with injuries that could force them to miss Week 5 — especially with Cincinnati’s bye week looming in Week 6 — Gesicki could be in line for a substantial bump in volume. He gets a dream matchup against Miami, which just got abused by T.J. Hockenson to the tune of 13 receptions for 119 yards. Hockenson nearly added a TD late, too, before kneeling at the 1-yard line to seal the win.

If Chase or Higgins sit, Gesicki becomes a must-start option against his former team and would land inside my top 10 TEs for the week.

Other options: T.J. Hockenson, Vikings (43%)

Week 5 Deep League Waiver Wire Targets

Note: This range will apply to leagues with deeper benches and more experienced managers, with players available in at least 75% of leagues. Each player is listed with their current rostered percentage and a recommended FAAB bid range for a $100 budget. All values are in reference to six-point per passing touchdown leagues with PPR scoring unless otherwise noted.

Quarterback

Jameis Winston, Giants (5% rostered) | $1-2

The NFL is just more fun when Jameis Winston is out there playing YOLO ball. After throwing for only 118 yards in his first start, Winston got back to his downfield ways last week against Arizona. He completed 18 passes for 250 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Those numbers were good enough for a top-10 finish at the position.

Looking ahead, Winston has two straight juicy matchups against Washington and New Orleans. If he’s back to uncorking deep balls and slinging it all over the field, he needs to be started in superflex formats. In deeper single-QB leagues, Winston should at least be picked up and played when the matchup is right.

Other options: Aaron Rodgers, Steelers (10%), Deshaun Watson, Browns (9%)

Running Back

Will Shipley, Eagles (1% rostered) | $6-8

The Eagles offense is back to looking like a mess. They went 0-12 on third down against the Rams and finished with just 172 yards of total offense, their lowest output in 12 years.

To make matters worse, Saquon Barkley injured his hamstring early, and his backup, Tank Bigsby, suffered a core injury late in the contest and will miss roughly six weeks. That means Will Shipley could be the last healthy body remaining in this backfield. In Week 4, he had six carries for 23 yards and failed to catch his lone target.

Philadelphia plays a physical Jacksonville defense in Week 5. This could be a game where the Eagles are trailing. If Barkley misses the game, Shipley would have some fantasy utility as a receiver out of the backfield, possibly as a flex option in PPR leagues. Managers just need to keep an eye on injury reports before sticking Shipley into any lineups.

Other options: Kaleb Johnson, Packers (8%), Najee Harris, Giants (8%), Joe Mixon, Seahawks (3%)

Wide Receiver

Keon Coleman, Bills (8% rostered) | $4-6

It’s been hit or miss for Keon Coleman so far this season. He’s alternated good and bad games, but he’s coming off arguably his best game as a pro. Stepping up after D.J. Moore left with a shoulder injury, Coleman made some impactful plays against New England and finished the day catching six of seven targets for 116 yards and a touchdown. His 23.6 fantasy points were the second-highest total of his young career, behind only his 25.2-point outing in Week 1 last season.


Coleman won’t find yardage as easy to come by this week against a Rams defense that just limited Jalen Hurts to 93 passing yards last week. I’m not rushing to stick him into any lineups unless I’m truly desperate. Still, he’s fresh off a WR1 finish, is rocking a robust 2.65 yards per route run, and may see more targets come his way if Moore is sidelined. At the very least, stash Coleman and see if he can put together another positive performance. If so, he might be worth starting in deeper formats.

Other options: Tre’ Harris, Chargers (10%), Cyrus Allen, Chiefs (11%), Antonio Williams, Commanders (9%), Chris Bell, Dolphins (9%), Roman Wilson, Steelers (5%)

Tight End

Michael Mayer, Raiders (8% rostered) | $1-3

It seems like Michael Mayer is going to have some staying power, even with Brock Bowers back in the lineup. He scored a touchdown in Week 3 and followed that up with eight catches for 82 yards in Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs. The 16.2 fantasy points were a season high and good enough for a TE1 finish.

As long as Kirk Cousins is starting and targeting his tight ends at such a high clip, Mayer is probably a fringe TE1. His expected fantasy points per game sit at 9.4, but he’s outperforming that and averaging 10.7 fantasy points.

This week, Mayer has a tough matchup against the Patriots, who are giving up the fewest fantasy points to tight ends so far this year. Still, if they decide to focus on stopping Bowers, Mayer could be in for a decent day as Cousins’ secondary option.

Other options: Tyler Higbee, Rams (3%), Pat Freiermuth, Steelers (18%)

Wolf Trelles-Heard is a fantasy football analyst for PlayerProfiler.

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