RADIO
Fantasy football waiver wire pickups analysis for Kaleb Johnson, MarShawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks in Week 5 (2026). Read their waiver wire outlooks for fantasy football.
The Green Bay Packers narrowly beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to move to 2-2 for the 2026 NFL season. With running back Josh Jacobs still on the NFL Commissioner's Exempt List and mired in a legal situation of his own doing, the Packers have looked to their backup running backs to carry the load on the ground through four games.
Jacobs doesn't appear to be anywhere near being removed from the list and allowed to return to play. He could also face a suspension, meaning that there's still significant time that we should expect the backups to be potentially fantasy-relevant.
There are three worth discussing -- Kaleb Johnson, who came from the Pittsburgh Steelers, MarShawn Lloyd, playing in his first healthy season, and Chris Brooks, who's backed up Jacobs in previous seasons. So should you pick up any off the waiver wire ahead of Week 5?
Bookmark our updated and revamped fantasy football rankings portal for all league formats!- PPR rankings
- Half-PPR rankings
- Non-PPR (Standard) rankings
- Rookie rankings
- Superflex rankings
- Best Ball rankings
- Underdog rankings
- Dynasty rankings
- IDP rankings
Kaleb Johnson Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups
Rostered in 6% of leagues
Johnson is a player I've long been incredibly low on. My analysis indicated he was a bust waiting to happen, that he wouldn't win a starting job in the NFL, and that he wouldn't be productive or fantasy relevant as a pro.
He was one of three running backs to handle carries for the Packers in Week 4. He rushed eight times for 42 yards in Week 4, averaging just under 5.3 yards per carry. He lost any momentum he had when he fumbled the ball.
FUMBLE! Bucs Ball 🏈
@GBvsTB on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/qGdaMniTQH— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2026
Nothing has changed about that analysis. His YPC average wasn't bad, but it was on a small sample size against one of the NFL's worst defenses and a team that's now 0-4 and collapsing before our eyes.
Don't Add in Standard Leagues
MarShawn Lloyd Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups
Rostered in 59% of leagues
Lloyd as a rusher is pretty much dead in the water. He's been completely ineffective running the ball, averaging just 2.7 yards per carry on 30 rushes this year. He's still a solid weapon at RB in open space, but no RB can rely only on receiving production to be a weekly fantasy football starter.
He caught all five of his targets for 36 yards and rushed seven times for 13 yards in Week 4. Like Johnson, he fumbled the ball, but a teammate recovered it instead of the defense. Still, Lloyd's production is miserable for fantasy football, and he's not worthy of starting.
MarShawn Lloyd with an INSANE hurdle
📺: FOX/FOX One https://t.co/WWDsYOLtMI
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 4, 2026
When a defense expects the Packers to run, their defensive line has an easy time dominating the Packers' offensive line, meaning Lloyd hasn't had much space to run this year. The situation is bad, which greatly hinders his potential. For now, he remains a deep-league bench stash with minimal standalone upside.
Add in deep 14-team leagues
Chris Brooks Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups
Rostered in 2% of leagues
Interestingly, Brooks was easily the most efficient of these three backs, though he had just four carries. He gained 30 rushing yards, averaging 7.5 yards per carry, and caught his only target for five yards. It seems like he has the best chance of taking on a large rushing role, as both Lloyd and Johnson haven't been inspiring.
WHAT A PLAY BY THE ROOKIE
📺: FOX https://t.co/pOm1FRlvWO
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) November 16, 2025
Brooks is also a great pass-blocker. He's a speculative add right now, but perhaps the Packers will give up on the Lloyd and Johnson rushing experiments at some point. Hard to count on, though in most formats.
Managers should keep an eye on his status as he did exit Sunday's contest with an ankle injury.
Add in 12+ Team Leagues
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 Kaleb Johnson, MarShawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks. 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 - Kaleb Johnson, MarShawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks. 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 2026? 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 Kaleb Johnson, MarShawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks:
More Fantasy Football Analysis
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
