Top Players to Add in Week 5
A great draft can make a great team, but leagues are won on the waiver wire. Injuries happen, top draft picks become busts, and no names become household names. Successfully navigating the waiver wire will lead to a winning season.
As a reminder, I’ll be covering Waivers every Tuesday morning right here on QBList.com. You can also catch me and Brian Hartman (aka @TooMuch_Brian) on the Waiver podcast every Tuesday morning and the Start/Sit podcast every Thursday morning, wherever you listen to podcasts. If you like my work, give me a follow on Twitter @marioadamojr. With that out of the way, let’s dive into it.
Here are my top five targets, as well as some honorable mentions, to help you win through the wire this week.
An important thing to consider: this article focuses on players who are rostered in 50% or fewer of leagues. There could be players rostered in over 50% of leagues that are available in your league. Be vigilant; watch your league’s Free Agency pool and look for players who were given up on too early.
| Player | Position | Team | Roster % | Week 5 Opponent | |
| 1 | Tyler Allgeier | RB | ARI | 42% | v DET |
| 2 | Keaton Mitchell | RB | LAC | 31% | v DEN |
| 3 | Darius Cooper | WR | PHI | 1% | @ JAX (London) |
| 4 | Tyler Higbee | TE | LAR | 3% | v BUF |
| 5 | Woody Marks | RB | HOU | 54% | @ TEN |
1. Tyler Allgeier – You never want to hear your team’s first-round, third-overall pick mention they were out of shape. Though that is some slight paraphrasing, the exact quote from Jeremiyah Love was that he is “not able to go out there and do spectacular plays every single time” and even asked, “why not put somebody else out there that’s playing better?” Sounds like Arizona’s coaching staff listened, as Tyler Allgeier saw his highest usage since Week 1. Allgeier made the most of his opportunities, rushing 8 times and averaging 5.3 yards per carry to go along with his touchdown. Allgeier is someone mentioned often in this piece and in the Waiver Wire Podcast, and rightfully so. Allgeier is a premium handcuff in a high-scoring offense that sees some play now, even as the understudy.
Allgeier is my top waiver target heading into Week 5.
2. Keaton Mitchell – What is going on in Los Angeles? Everyone expected Omarion Hampton to dominate this backfield given his promising 2025 season, especially with the exciting hire of Mike McDaniel as OC. Instead, Los Angeles has morphed into the three-headed monster of a backfield. While Keaton Mitchell scored the fewest between him, Kimani Vidal, and Omarion Hampton, Mitchell saw the most opportunities. His ten carries were the most of any running back for the team, and his 6 targets are as many as either Vidal or Hampton have seen all season! We know what a Mike McDaniel running back that’s being fed targets can produce (ahem, De’Von Achane), so that’s exactly where I am looking to bolster my roster.
3. Darius Cooper – The Philadelphia Eagles are down bad. Everyone is hurt: Saquon Barkley, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert, to name a few. Not only are they hurt, but they’re bad. Jalen Hurts had fewer than 100 passing yards in their loss to the Rams, and the team went 0-12 on third downs. That is not a winning formula for them or your fantasy team. So what are we doing looking at their players?! Bad teams have fantasy players too, and Darius Cooper is getting the most important looks of them all: the red zone looks. Cooper had the second most red zone opportunities of all wide receivers last week, bringing in two of three for a touchdown. With all skill positions banged up, I expect Cooper to continue to get the money targets, especially because he’s the last one standing.
Cooper is my top wide receiver waiver target this week.
4. Tyler Higbee – Speaking of last player standing, remember in Week 2 when three different tight ends caught a pass for the Rams? Two of them, Terrance Ferguson and Colby Parkinson, missed Week 4, and Davis Allen failed to bring in any of his two targets. That leaves us with Tyler Higbee, the longest-tenured Los Angeles Ram. Higbee caught 5 of his 6 of his targets, continuing his hot streak after catching 8 of 11 last week. This Rams offense loves their tight ends, and this is another classic case of finding the last warm body in the room. With Ferguson on IR and Parkinson’s health in question, Higbee should continue to see heavy volume.
Higbee is my top tight end target this week.
5. Woody Marks – I am ready to call it; David Montgomery has lost this backfield. Yes, he has still had more carries in three out of four games this season than Woody Marks, but Marks has outscored Montgomery in three straight games. Montgomery hasn’t found the end zone since Week 1; Marks has a touchdown in two straight games. Since Week 2, Marks has 6 red zone opportunities to Montgomery’s 3. Things are not trending in the right direction for Montgomery. I believe from this point forward Marks will continue to outperform Montgomery more often than not. That means a starting running back is available on waivers; let’s go get them.
Others Receiving Votes
Ollie Gordon, MIA (67% Rostered) – As if his Week 4 performance wasn’t convincing enough, Ollie Gordon was my top waiver target last week, and he paid off in spades. Let’s see if he can repeat this week as the Dolphins host the Bengals.
Jaylen Wright, MIA (31%) – While Ollie Gordon had the more successful day, let’s not forget that Jaylen Wright was higher on the Dolphins’ depth chart. Wright is worth the roster spot in deeper leagues.
Will Shipley, PHI (1%) – This is another Hunger Games situation; Will Shipley appears to be the last healthy running back for the Eagles. With Tank Bigsby heading to IR and Saquon Barkley’s status up in the air, Shipley is slated to get all the work. Whether there’s any value to be had behind that Eagles’ offensive line? To be determined.
Emanuel Wilson, SEA (54%) – Another Waiver Wire darling, Emanuel Wilson handled the bulk of the running back duties and looked great doing it. While we’re not sure what this backfield looks like when Zach Charbonnet eventually returns, for now we ride the hot hand.
Joe Mixon, SEA (1%) – Speaking of the Seattle backfield, the Seahawks recently signed veteran back Joe Mixon. While Mixon took a year off of football, let’s not forget he averaged 23.3 points per game from Weeks 6-11 in 2024. Mixon is worth a speculative add if you have the roster space.
Keon Coleman, BUF (8%) – When DJ Moore got banged up, yet again, Keon Coleman was the one to step up. After Moore left the game, Coleman saw 5 targets for 103 yards and a touchdown. While predicting which Bills pass-catcher will be the hot hand is like predicting the weather, signs are pointing towards it being Cole-dy with a chance of meatballs.
Roman Wilson, PIT (5%) – Did we stumble upon Aaron Rodgers‘ favorite pass catcher? Roman Wilson led all Pittsburgh wide receivers in red zone targets. We’ve seen Michael Pittman is not the same guy he was years ago with the Colts. DK Metcalf continues to be the target hog, but in deeper leagues I can see value in Wilson as a bye-week filler.
Mike Gesicki, CIN (11%) – With Ja’Marr Chase likely to miss this week with a concussion and Tee Higgins listed as day-to-day, I’m looking at Mike Gesicki to get an extra share of this high-passing offense. In his last three games without Chase, Gesicki averages 5 targets a game. That’s a shot I’m taking in this wasteland we call tight end.
Michael Mayer, LV (8%) – Las Vegas has not one, not two, but three tight ends in the Top 10 (before Monday Night Football – just kidding; we know Kyle Pitts didn’t change that). While I don’t have an argument for Ian Thomas, I think Michael Mayer has some value. Mayer had 10 targets in Week 4, even with Brock Bowers still getting his 11. The Raiders face a tough New England defense this week that I expect to swarm Bowers, giving Mayer a chance to repeat and replace your Travis Kelce or Darren Waller.
Kirk Cousins, LV (26%) – We are a quarter of the way through fantasy football season, and Kirk Cousins is QB6. That was not on my Bingo card, and I know it wasn’t on yours either. Cousins is a great bye-week option for those that have been riding with Patrick Mahomes or Bryce Young.
Defense Wins Championships
The Cincinnati Bengals (15%) are coming off of two rough performances after starting the season as the number 1 and number 5 fantasy defense. I’m expecting a bounce back as the Bengals travel to Miami to take on the Dolphins, who continue to be an offense we target.
We just saw how the Chicago Bears (44%) handled the New York Jets. Maybe that was just the Jets being the Jets? Either way, I like the Bears as they face off against longtime rival Green Bay. The Packers have looked like a mess on offense, and the Bears are coming off of two hot defensive performances.
This last one is for the deeper leagues out there, the ones where teams horde defenses leaving you to search through the scraps. The Dallas Cowboys (18%) are a team with two straight D/ST29 performances. I know, not great. This week they are lucky enough to host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels. This is a great offense to target until Baker Mayfield returns.
Photo by Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Aaron Polcare