Updated Waiver Wire Rankings for Week 5 (2025): Fantasy Football Pickups for Rachaad White, Michael Carter, Emari Demercado, Kendre Miller, Sean Tucker

October 2, 2025

Updated mid-week fantasy football waiver wire rankings for Week 5 of the 2025 NFL season. Top fantasy football free agents and streamers to add off waivers.

Well the injuries have officially started piling up -- fantasy managers will be making roster tweaks with a lot of injury news starting to roll in (along with Week 5 byes arriving). And we're here to help sort through it all. Welcome to our updated waiver wire rankings for fantasy football Week 5 of the 2025 season to help fantasy managers find those injury replacements.

The Cardinals have now lost both James Conner and Trey Benson -- will Michael Carter or Emari Demercado emerge as a viable fantasy asset? Bucky Irving is also banged up, leaving Rachaad White and Sean Tucker as the next men up -- which is the player to prioritize on the waiver wire? Our waiver wire rankings help prioritize these types of decisions. As the week proceeds and more injury reports are confirmed, we tweak and adjust our waiver wire rankings for all positions.

These Week 5 waiver wire rankings are updated by Nick Mariano, RotoBaller's lead fantasy football analyst and forecaster. For those who are not familiar, he brings you his weekly waiver wire rankings and priority adds for the top 85 options to consider across various positions and league sizes. Good luck in Week 5 on the waiver wire!

Who To Pick Up for Fantasy Football Week 5?

Quarterbacks (QB) and Defenses (D/ST) are grouped together at the bottom of the list:

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Outlooks

Some of the top names include Rachaad White, Michael Carter, Emari Demercado, Kendre Miller, Sean Tucker. We recap why these players should be on your waiver wire radar for Week 5.

Rachaad White, RB, Buccaneers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White could be in line for an expanded workload in Week 5 against the Seattle Seahawks. White has been efficient to start the 2025 season, totaling 142 yards on 32 touches, including the game-winning touchdown in Week 2 against Houston.

His 4.7 yards per carry mark is a career high and currently ranks 18th in the NFL. With starter Bucky Irving dealing with an injury from the Week 4 loss to Philadelphia, White may be asked to step back into a featured role. If Irving sits, White projects as a strong RB2 option and is a must-own in all fantasy leagues.

Michael Carter, RB, Cardinals

According to Theo Mackie of AZCentral Sports, Cardinals running back Michael Carter was seen taking first-team reps during Wednesday's practice. This is important to note as the team placed starting running back Trey Benson (knee) on the injured reserve on Wednesday.

Carter figures to split work with Emari Demercado. However, seeing that Carter is already taking first-team reps, the coaching staff may favor him as their primary back. The 26-year-old logged just one carry during their Week 4 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, while Demercado was given a slightly more prominent role.

Fantasy managers should continue to closely monitor this backfield leading up to their contest against the Tennessee Titans this weekend. Fantasy managers should look to add Carter to their roster in all standard formats ahead of their Week 5 matchup.

Emari Demercado, RB, Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals running back Emari Demercado is set to handle feature-back duties following the loss of Trey Benson (knee) and James Conner (foot). While his 2025 numbers are modest so far--just four carries for eight yards and two receptions for 13 yards--Demercado flashed last season with 223 yards on only 24 attempts, showing the ability to pick up chunk plays when given steady work.

With Arizona's backfield depth depleted, the "next man up" approach leaves Demercado as the clear option to shoulder the load, and Kyler Murray's mobility should create additional running lanes to aid his efficiency. Fantasy managers should consider Demercado a must-add in all formats, as he projects for both volume and opportunity in an offense desperate for balance.

Kendre Miller, RB, Saints

New Orleans Saints running back Kendre Miller rushed for 65 yards on 11 carries and scored a touchdown in Sunday's 31- 19 loss to the Buffalo Bills. He failed to command a target in the passing game. Alvin Kamara predictably led this backfield in touches. Still, for the second straight game, Miller garnered a larger snap share, and he's looked much better off this season when given the opportunity.

Kamara played an absurdly high rate of snaps in Weeks 1 and 2, but his rushing volume has tapered off since, while Miller is on the field for roughly a third of the team's snaps. It's a little too early to trust the TCU product to provide standalone value.

However, if he continues stealing work from Kamara, this could become more of a 1A/1B situation than we anticipated. Miller will have a good chance to set career highs in rushing yards and touchdowns in Week 5 when New Orleans hosts the New York Giants at home.

Sean Tucker, RB, Buccaneers

With the news that Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving (foot) is battling a foot sprain, fellow Bucs back Sean Tucker could be in line for a significant workload increase. Tucker has just one carry so far in 2025, but he was extremely efficient when given the opportunity in 2024, rushing for 308 yards and two touchdowns on 50 carries for Tampa Bay.

Veteran running back Rachaad White would likely be given the first opportunity in Week 5 against the Seattle Seahawks if Irving misses time. Still, White has proven to be a more efficient receiving back than an early-down rusher over the course of his career.

In fantasy leagues where both White and Tucker are available, White should be the waiver-wire priority. However, in deeper leagues where White is already rostered, Tucker should be added in case Irving misses time and Tucker works his way into the early-down role.

Running Backs - Week 5 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Wide Receivers - Week 5 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Tight Ends- Week 5 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Quarterbacks - Week 5 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order, with emphasis on Week 5:

Defenses (D/ST) - Week 5 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order, with emphasis on Week 5:

Week 5 Waiver Wire Articles

In addition to the Week 5 waiver wire rankings, here's a look at some other free waiver wire resources available at RotoBaller. Each week, our NFL team puts out a complete array of fantasy football waiver wire articles to compliment our slick new Who Should I Pickup? Waiver wire player comparison tool - bookmark that! Here are more detailed Week 5 waiver wire articles:

• Week 5 waiver wire pickups (all positions)
• Week 5 FAAB waiver wire bids
• Week 5 running back waiver wire pickups
• Week 5 wide receiver waiver wire pickups
• Week 5 tight end waiver wire pickups
• Week 5 quarterback waiver wire pickups
• Week 5 defense (D/ST) streamers and pickups
• Week 5 kicker streamers and pickups

Who Should I Pickup Tool

Trying to decide who to pick up off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool here:

Who Should I Pickup for Week 5?

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Who Should I Pickup? Some common 2025 fantasy football waiver wire decisions are regarding players like Rachaad White, Michael Carter, Emari Demercado, Kendre Miller, Sean Tucker. But not to worry, we are here to help make these waiver wire decisions and build winning teams in 2025. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups in 2025. Our free Who Should I Pickup? tool will help make your fantasy football waiver wire decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to pick up... all free! Make the right decisions.

2025 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Rachaad White, Michael Carter, Emari Demercado, Kendre Miller, Sean Tucker. These are some common searches for 2025 fantasy football waiver wire pickups.

Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Pickup? button to see who the recommended waiver wire pickups are based on fantasy football rankings, projections, and more.

Recent Improvements For Who Should I Pickup? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Pickup? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win on the waiver wire in 2025. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!

How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football waiver wire rankings and projections based on their research, and updates them constantly throughout the week. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked.

Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup

Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2025 for Rachaad White, Michael Carter, Emari Demercado, Kendre Miller, Sean Tucker:

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