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Fantasy football drop candidates and cut list rankings before Week 5 of 2026. Is it already time to drop fantasy football players from rosters including Kalif Raymond, Jaylen Wright, and more?
Welcome back, RotoBallers, to our Cut List Rankings for fantasy football Week 5 of the 2026 NFL season. With another full slate of NFL action behind us, it's time to turn our attention to the waiver wire. Like last week, many injuries still plague the headlines, as Saquon Barkley exited early with a hamstring injury.
In addition, many players continued to struggle and saw their fantasy value plummet, like Courtland Sutton and Makai Lemon.
So, which injured or disappointing players is it time to get rid of for fantasy football lineups? Read about our top players to cut for Week 5 of the 2026 NFL season. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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Who To Drop for Fantasy Football Week 5?
The top players to consider cutting for fantasy football, in priority order. Players at the top of the list should be dropped first and replaced on the waiver wire:
| Rank | Player Name | Position | Ros% | Baller Move |
| 1 | De'Von Achane | RB | 43 | Drop in All Leagues |
| 2 | Jayden Reed | WR | 36 | Drop in All Leagues |
| 3 | Tyquan Thornton | WR | 3 | Drop in All Leagues |
| 4 | Marcus Mariota | QB | 10 | Drop in All Leagues |
| 5 | Jauan Jennings | WR | 14 | Drop in All Leagues |
| 6 | George Holani | RB | 15 | Drop in All Leagues |
| 7 | Buffalo Bills | DEF | 51 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 8 | Green Bay Packers | DEF | 52 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 9 | Kansas City Chiefs | DEF | 49 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 10 | Pittsburgh Steelers | DEF | 84 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 11 | Jaylen Wright | RB | 31 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 12 | Makai Lemon | WR | 49 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 13 | Kalif Raymond | WR | 37 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 14 | Quentin Johnston | WR | 63 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 15 | Kyler Murray | QB | 67 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 16 | Baker Mayfield | QB | 35 | IR / Injury Stash in Deep Leagues |
| 17 | Keenan Allen | WR | 37 | IR / Injury Stash in Deep Leagues |
| 18 | Mike Washington Jr. | RB | 35 | Hold in 12+Team Leagues / Upside Handcuff |
| 19 | Emmett Johnson | RB | 31 | Hold in 12+Team Leagues / Upside Handcuff |
| 20 | Kaelon Black | RB | 42 | Hold in 12+Team Leagues / Upside Handcuff |
| 21 | Rachaad White | RB | 58 | IR / Injury Stash in 12-Team Leagues |
| 22 | Jadarian Price | RB | 85 | IR / Injury Stash in 12-Team Leagues |
| 23 | Travis Etienne Jr. | RB | 91 | IR / Injury Stash in 12-Team Leagues |
| 24 | Courtland Sutton | WR | 78 | Hold and Bench / Drop in Shallow Leagues |
| 25 | Justin Herbert | QB | 80 | Hold and Bench / Drop in Shallow Leagues |
| 26 | Dontayvion Wicks | WR | 60 | Hold and Bench / Drop in Shallow Leagues |
| 27 | Darren Waller | TE | 33 | Hold and Bench / Drop in Shallow Leagues |
| 28 | Kenyon Sadiq | TE | 56 | Hold and Bench / Drop in Shallow Leagues |
| 29 | Dalton Schultz | TE | 72 | Hold in All Leagues |
| 30 | Braelon Allen | RB | 81 | Hold in All Leagues |
| 31 | Jalen Coker | WR | 90 | Hold in All Leagues |
| 32 | Blake Corum | RB | 83 | Hold in All Leagues |
Fantasy Football Drop Candidates
Read the recent news and fantasy outlooks of some of the top cut candidates:
Dontayvion Wicks, WR, Philadelphia Eagles (Cut List Ranking No. 27)
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks recorded three catches and 18 yards on five targets in the team's 24-20 home loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Philly's offense struggled on Sunday, totaling 172 yards. It's no surprise, really, considering they were down four starters before the game began.
Still, the attack couldn't get anything going after halftime, and no Eagles pass catcher recorded more than three receptions or 33 yards. Wicks' target share has been favorable -- acting as the second option at worst behind teammate DeVonta Smith (hamstring).
Moreover, he'll get plenty of opportunities while Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert (knee) are shelved. However, with quarterback Jalen Hurts' erratic play, it's challenging to project Wicks for a reliable weekly floor. He'll get a dream matchup in a porous Jaguars pass defense next weekend in London.
Darren Waller, TE, Carolina Panthers (Cut List Ranking No. 21)
Carolina Panthers tight end Darren Waller had a favorable setup Sunday night and did very little with it. Waller caught three of six targets for 36 yards in the 32-26 win over Detroit, a disappointing result against a defense that had already allowed six touchdowns to tight ends through three games. The opportunity was there, too. Carolina played without Jalen Coker and Xavier Legette, while Bryce Young threw 41 passes for 329 yards.
Waller still finished well behind Tetairoa McMillan, who dominated the passing game with 14 catches for 192 yards and two touchdowns. The veteran also played only 53% of the offensive snaps as Mitchell Evans and Tommy Tremble remained heavily involved. Waller has now gone two straight games without a touchdown after scoring twice in Week 2. With Carolina heading into its bye, his fantasy stock has cooled considerably.
Makai Lemon, WR, Philadelphia Eagles (Cut List Ranking No. 12)
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Makai Lemon had a much cleaner path to targets Sunday, but it did not lead to a breakout. With DeVonta Smith, Hollywood Brown and Dallas Goedert all inactive, Lemon drew a season-high six targets and finished with three catches for 27 yards in the 24-20 loss to the Rams. Philadelphia's offense was a mess overall, managing only 172 total yards, so Lemon was hardly alone. Still, Darius Cooper caught both of Jalen Hurts' touchdown passes while Lemon was held below 30 receiving yards for the fourth straight game.
He now has 10 catches for 65 yards without a touchdown this season. The increased targets were at least something to build on, but this was the kind of opening Lemon needed to turn into more. Instead, his fantasy value remains stuck after another quiet afternoon.
Jaylen Wright, RB, Miami Dolphins (Cut List Ranking No. 11)
Miami Dolphins running back Jaylen Wright rushed for seven yards on five carries during Sunday's Week 4 loss against the Minnesota Vikings, and he wasn't targeted in the passing game. Entering this week, it seemed like there was a chance Wright could take on a larger role after De'Von Achane (knee) was ruled out for the season. If that was the case, he wasted the opportunity by averaging just 1.4 yards per carry.
Meanwhile, teammate Ollie Gordon II exploded for nine carries, 100 rushing yards, and one touchdown (plus two catches), proving that he deserves to be the featured ball-carrier going forward. There may still be some weeks going forward where Wright plays better than Gordon or even logs a couple more touches, but Week 4 showed that Gordon is the running back to roster after Achane's injury.
Wright will rank outside the top 36 running backs heading into Week 5 against Cincinnati.
Tyquan Thornton, WR, Kansas City Chiefs (Cut List Ranking No. 3)
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyquan Thornton (ankle) suffered a dislocated ankle during Sunday's Week 4 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Thornton hauled in a deep pass, and the initial celebration quickly turned to extreme concern once the severity of his injury became evident. He was quickly taken to the hospital, where doctors fixed his dislocated ankle and gave him permission to fly back to Kansas City with the team.
It was encouraging to see the quick turnaround to get him back in Kansas City, but it won't mean much this year. After all, the ankle injury is most likely going to be season-ending. Between the injuries to Thornton and Rashee Rice (hamstring), Kansas City's receiver room is suddenly shorthanded and may look to bolster the position group via free agency or trade.
Week 5 Waiver Wire Articles
After diving into the Week 5 rankings, read about some other free waiver wire resources available at RotoBaller:
- 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
Each week, our NFL team puts out a complete array of fantasy football waiver wire articles to compliment our slick Who Should I Pickup? Waiver wire player comparison tool. Bookmark it!
Who Should I Pickup Tool
Trying to decide who to pickup off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool here:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to pickup...
Who Should I Pickup? Some common 2026 fantasy football waiver wire decisions are regarding players like Ollie Gordon II, Emanuel Wilson, Tyreek Hill, Tank Bigsby. We are here to help make these waiver wire decisions and build winning teams in 2026. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups in 2026. 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.
2026 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Ollie Gordon II, Emanuel Wilson, Tyreek HIll, Tank Bigsby. These are some common searches for 2026 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 name. In the second box, search for the second player 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 2026. 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 Waiver Wire Searches. Curious to see some tough waiver wire decisions for 2025? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Pickup? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2026 for Ollie Gordon II, Emanuel Wilson, Tyreek HIll, Tank Bigsby:
More Waiver Wire Analysis
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