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Fantasy football waiver wire pickups analysis for Kaelon Black, Mike Washington Jr., Emmett Johnson in Week 5 (2026). Read their waiver wire outlooks for fantasy football.
The pick-up-high-upside-backup-running-backs-in-good-offenses strategy in fantasy football is one of the best ways of securing a lottery ticket that could pay off in the long run. RB is such a scarce position in fantasy football -- it's incredibly difficult to find productive RBs on the waiver wire at any point in the season.
The one exception is when a starting RB gets hurt and goes down for a significant amount of time.
A better environment is usually needed for a backup RB to be successful. The San Francisco 49ers, Las Vegas Raiders, and Kansas City Chiefs all have good offenses, so let's dive into their backup RBs as waiver wire pickups for Week 5!
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Kaelon Black Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups
Rostered in 42% of leagues
Black's Week 1 game was clearly an aberration, as we've seen through the next three games. 49ers lead running back Christian McCaffrey has lost much of the explosiveness that made him an elite rusher earlier in his career -- last year, he thrived mostly as a receiver, and this year, his volume and production are both down.
That doesn't mean Black has had many opportunities, though. In Weeks 2-4, he's managed a total of 5.5 PPR fantasy points. He has essentially zero value as the backup, and is there to help relieve some of the workload from CMC in games in which the 49ers build a safe lead... sometimes.
Heads up play by Kaelon Black. Unreal lucky first down on 4&1 https://t.co/y30AKLMHFE
— Christian (@ChristianR_Vill) October 4, 2026
He's a solid running back from what we've seen so far -- an instinctive and intelligent runner that would have great upside in a leading role. It's not a fair competition against McCaffrey, though. Black is a bench stash with a high ceiling.
Add in 12-team leagues
Mike Washington Jr. Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups
Rostered in 35% of leagues
Washington has shown flashes in limited action as the RB2 behind starting tailback Ashton Jeanty. In Week 4, Washington turned in a lackluster performance, rushing nine times for just 18 yards and catching one of his two targets for a loss of one yard.
He's been boom or bust so far, which isn't a surprise, considering he wasn't drafted early in the 2026 NFL Draft and has elite athletic traits but lacks vision, good decision-making, contact balance, and elusiveness. In an offense run by Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak, though, he could have big games in a leading role.
Mike Washington Jr. with a 36-yard run for his first career TD 🏃
@LVvsNO on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/zVykOmNftw— NFL (@NFL) September 27, 2026
When Kubiak's scheme works and the offensive line opens big holes for the RB to run through, Washington's elite speed and acceleration make him a real big-play threat. For his ceiling and upside in case of a Jeanty injury, Washington should be added in all leagues.
His standalone role at least proves he's the clear RB2, even if it's not enough to make him a weekly starter in fantasy leagues.
Add in 12-team leagues
Emmett Johnson Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups
Rostered in 31% of leagues
You'll probably start to notice a pattern here -- multiple solid running backs that have flashed upside in good offensive environments will be good waiver adds in fantasy football. Johnson hasn't done much fantasy-wise this season, as he's playing behind the fantasy RB1.
Emmett Johnson DANCIN' out there
INDvsKC on NBC/Peacock
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/X7YXNw6QVs— NFL (@NFL) September 21, 2026
He should be rostered in all leagues that have enough bench space for backup RBs, which would be the majority of them. He's a big and elusive RB that could have league-winning upside if Kenneth Walker III misses time.
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 Kaelon Black, Mike Washington Jr., Emmett Johnson. 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 - Kaelon Black, Mike Washington Jr., Emmett Johnson. 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 Kaelon Black, Mike Washington Jr., Emmett Johnson:
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