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Week 5 fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Bhayshul Tuten, Justice Hill, Emari Demercado in 2025. Read their waiver wire outlooks for fantasy football.
In Week 4 of the NFL season, fantasy managers saw many No. 2 running backs emerge as potential starting options in the fantasy landscape.
With many starting options, either underperforming or recently hitting the injured reserve, many backup options could find themselves in a lead role in the near future.
So, should you pick up Tuten, Hill, or Demercado in your fantasy football leagues for Week 5 of 2025? Let's dive in.
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Bhayshul Tuten Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups
Rostered: 50% of Leagues
Baller Move: Add in all leagues
The Jaguars selected Bhayshul Tuten in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Virginia Tech. While his early-season outlook looked quite cloudy, given that Travis Etienne Jr. and Tank Bigsby both appeared set for a prominent role in the backfield, Tuten was best left as a deep league stash option.
However, following their Week 1 victory, the Jaguars opted to trade Bigsby to the Eagles, which pushed Tuten up to the No. 2 spot on the depth chart. Since sliding into that role, Tuten has produced solid fantasy numbers, despite being the clear backup to Etienne.
In Weeks 2 and 3, Tuten found the back of the end zone in each game and averaged a solid 11.8 PPR points per game. During this stretch, Tuten showed immense upside, averaging 4.5 YPC and 16.0 YPC. However, despite his strong play, his upside remained limited with Etienne taking the majority of the touches.
In Week 4, Etienne enjoyed a monster game, tallying over 100 yards on the ground, while Tuten was given only four rushing attempts. As a result, some managers may begin to lose patience with the rookie and opt to cut him from their team.
However, sharper managers should look to check their waiver wire for Tuten in case he is released. Among handcuff running backs, Tuten carries immense upside given the potential he has flashed in the No. 2 role. If he were to take over for an injured Etienne, Tuten could carry top-12 upside given his elite speed and effectiveness.
While his standalone value is relatively low and places him in RB4 territory, he should continue to be viewed as a must-stash option in all leagues. He could be a league-winner if Etienne were to miss time.
Bhayshul Tuten: An Emerging Piece in Jaguars' Offense? https://t.co/2AdlItexgL
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) September 16, 2025
Justice Hill Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups
Rostered: 15% of Leagues
Baller Move: Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues
Justice Hill has typically served as the primary pass-catching option in the Baltimore backfield throughout his career. However, workhorse Derrick Henry generally has dominated the workload, which has left Hill with no more than a low-end RB3 with PPR upside. However, the pass-catcher enjoyed an impressive outing in Week 4 and is making a case to be rostered in more leagues this week.
During their loss to the Chiefs, Hill led the way on offense, taking three carries for 76 yards and a score, and bringing in five of his six targets for 41 yards and an additional touchdown. In Week 3, Hill caught three passes for 45 but was not given a carry.
Overall, in his first three games, Hill took just five offensive attempts for -7 yards. However, as a pass catcher, Hill caught seven of his nine targets for 66 yards.
While managers should not expect him to tally a 70+ yard TD run in each game, he will continue to have a prominent role in passing touchdowns. In addition, given Derrick Henry's slow start to this season, the Ravens may look to provide Hill with more opportunities gradually.
While managers in half-PPR and standard leagues should not look to target Hill this week, managers in deeper PPR formats should consider placing a waiver claim on the 27-year-old as he could be a serviceable bye-week replacement, especially in favorable matchups.
Given that the Baltimore defense has struggled during the opening month, the Ravens could find themselves trailing in most games, which would set up Hill for a positive game script.
Justice Hill Carries Ravens Offense With Two Scores in Otherwise Gloomy Loss https://t.co/bkeWIJ8vOT
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) September 29, 2025
Emari Demercado Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups
Rostered: 5% of Leagues
Baller Move: Add In 12-14-team PPR leagues
The final running back we will look at in this piece is Emari Demercado of the Arizona Cardinals. While Tuten was able to move up the depth chart due to a trade, and Hill was able to earn opportunities due to a struggling starter, Demercado earned more opportunities due to an injury. Their top running back, James Conner (foot), suffered a season-ending injury, which allowed Trey Benson to slot in as the No. 1 option, and for Demercado to move up to the backup role.
In his first game as the No. 2 option, Demercado immediately made an impact, catching both of his targets for 13 yards and a touchdown. He also took two rushing attempts for eight yards. While Benson dominated the overall snap share, logging 55% of the total snaps, Demercado had a larger role as a pass catcher.
While Benson was also productive in the receiving game, the Cardinals appear to favor Demercado in two-minute drills and even near the red zone, which is where he caught his TD reception.
However, given that Benson will continue to dominate most of the opportunities, Demercado's upside will be limited, especially in non-PPR formats. As a result, managers should only target the 26-year-old in deeper 14+ PPR formats this season, as he will not carry much standalone upside, except in potentially high-scoring affairs like their Thursday night loss to the Seahawks.
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