Fantasy Football Week 5 Waiver Wire: Deeper League Pickups (QB, RB, WR, TE)

October 6, 2026

Dan's top fantasy football Week 5 waiver wire pickups, sleepers, stashes for deeper leagues for 2026. His waiver targets include Kirk Cousins, Will Shipley, Keon Coleman, and more

Week 4 was filled with memorable performances across all fantasy positions. However, it also served as a brutal reminder of how quickly injuries can change the outlooks for teams and fantasy managers.

Things will get even more complicated in Week 5 now that bye weeks are starting. Only two teams are on bye in Week 5, but both (Kansas City and Carolina) feature numerous fantasy-relevant pieces.

Now is the time to target solutions on the waiver wire. Below you will find deep league waiver wire options. All players listed below are available in 30% or more of leagues based on Yahoo’s fantasy football platform.

Quarterback Fantasy Football Waiver Wire

All QBs are rostered in 30% of leagues or less

Kirk Cousins, Las Vegas Raiders- 22% rostered

Kirk Cousins has quickly morphed from a placeholder quarterback for 2026 first-overall pick Fernando Mendoza to a legitimate starting quarterback in both real life and fantasy football.

Cousins has scored at least 13.8 points in all four games this season, but is on a stretch of three straight 22-point efforts for the Raiders. The veteran quarterback has at least 29 pass attempts in every game and is coming off a 52-attempt performance in a 30-27 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4.

KIRK COUSINS MAGIC FOR THE TOUCHDOWN!

@KCvsLV on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/ADaylXSjLZ

— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2026

The Raiders have some difficult defensive matchups on the horizon, but Cousins is seemingly entrenched as the starting quarterback on a team with solid pass-catching weapons and an above-average offense.

Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers- 10% rostered

The vintage version of Aaron Rodgers doesn’t exist anymore, but the current version has proven to be capable when he’s getting the ball out to his playmakers quickly.

Rodgers is averaging 38.2 pass attempts per game over the first four weeks but has taken a step up over the last two games. During that stretch, Rodgers has completed 41 of 74 passes for 591 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions. The veteran quarterback has back-to-back weeks with 21.9+ fantasy points.

The Steelers get an excellent matchup in Week 5 against a Colts defense that entered Week 4 allowing the fifth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks before injuries to Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota led them to a matchup against a UDFA in Week 4.

Running Back Fantasy Football Waiver Wire

All RBs are rostered in 30% of leagues or less

Austin Ekeler, Washington Commanders- 3% rostered

The Washington Commanders signed Austin Ekeler after veteran Rachaad White missed practice all week with a shoulder injury. It didn’t take Ekeler long to make an impact and further muddy the backfield distribution.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt played nine of Washington’s first 10 snaps but struggled with efficiency on the ground. That led the Commanders to start mixing in Ekeler, Kaytron Allen, and Craig Reynolds throughout the game.

Realistically, this is a bad rushing offense with a bad offensive line. But Ekeler has value as a pass catcher and was clearly trusted in his first game of the season after being signed off the street (his familiarity with offensive coordinator David Blough from last season certainly helped).

His role could grow beyond the six opportunities he had in Week 4, especially with so many inconsistent options surrounding him on the depth chart.

Will Shipley, Philadelphia Eagles- 1% rostered

Saquon Barkley left Week 4’s matchup against the Los Angeles Rams with a hamstring injury. Backup Tank Bigsby filled in with 14 carries for 55 yards, but suffered a core injury that will require surgery and land him on the injured reserve.

That leaves 2024 fourth-round pick Will Shipley as the lone running back on the active roster. Shipley has never been able to earn a consistent role for the Eagles in his three NFL seasons, but he was a high-volume, three-down running back during his college career at Clemson.

The Eagles have veteran options on the practice squad in Dameon Pierce, Carson Steele, and Jaydon Blue that can provide some depth and handle carries. But for now, it’s safe to assume that Shipley will be the lead back for an Eagles offense that is looking for some consistency to build upon after another disappointing loss.

Wide Receiver Fantasy Football Waiver Wire

All WRs are rostered in 30% of leagues or less

Tre' Harris, Los Angeles Chargers- 9% rostered

Tre' Harris’ role in the Los Angeles Chargers’ offense is solidifying. Harris couldn’t replicate his strong Week 3 (seven targets, six receptions, and 76 yards with 13.6 PPR points), but he still scored 9.0 points by catching three of five passes for 60 yards.

Harris has at least five targets, three receptions, and 50 receiving yards in three of four games this season, leading the team in receiving for two straight weeks. More importantly, he’s proven to be more reliable than Quentin Johnston.

Harris could see his role grow even more in Week 5 if Ladd McConkey is unable to play with a foot injury. McConkey was limited throughout the week and left Week 4’s matchup against the Seahawks early. His injury has been described as a "week-to-week" issue.

He will have a much easier matchup against the Denver Broncos in Week 5 if both Pat Surtain II and Riley Moss are limited or unable to play after suffering injuries in Week 4.

Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills- 4% rostered

Keon Coleman has never quite developed into the player that the Buffalo Bills thought they were drafting in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. In his first two seasons, Coleman struggled with consistency, producing just 67 receptions on 116 targets for 960 yards and eight touchdowns in 26 games.

Coleman has yet to carve out a significant role in 2026 after the Bills acquired D.J. Moore this offseason, but the times when he has been called upon, he has answered. In two games where Coleman has played more than 50% of the Bills’ offensive snaps this season, he’s totaled 13 targets, 12 receptions, 179 yards and a touchdown.

JOSH THROWS A ROPE TO KEON COLEMAN AND THE BILLS HAVE THE LEAD

@NEvsBUF on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/LMFJVKt5gT

— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2026

Both times the Bills have leaned on Coleman more this season have come at the expense of a shoulder injury to D.J. Moore. Moore aggravated the injury in Week 4, which means the team should consider resting him to make sure that the issue doesn’t linger (or worsen) throughout the season.

That will give Coleman a chance to expand his role in the short term and potentially earn a more consistent role going forward.

Jaylin Noel, Houston Texans- 2% rostered

Jaylin Noel continues to make the most of his opportunities, even if he is still struggling to find a consistent role in the Houston Texans’ passing attack.

Noel finished tied for second in receptions (three) and receiving yards (85), but was fourth on the team in targets (three) in Week 4 against the Dallas Cowboys. More importantly, his role on the offense was not diminished by the return of Nico Collins to the starting lineup.

The second-year wide receiver finished second among Houston’s wide receivers in snaps (34) and third in routes run (24). Unfortunately, 71.4% of his routes came from the slot. Houston has run 11 personnel (three wide receivers on the field) the sixth most in 2026 (66.9%), but that role does limit the opportunities Noel sees.

There is a lot of boom or bust in Noel’s role and game. But outside of Collins, he’s shown to be the most explosive downfield weapon for a Houston team that needs to get their season back on track quickly.

Tight End Fantasy Football Waiver Wire

All TEs are rostered in 30% of leagues or less

Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers- 15% rostered

Pat Freiermuth isn’t the flashiest tight end in fantasy football, but he has an established role for the Pittsburgh Steelers that gives him a respectable weekly floor.

Freiermuth has been targeted five times or had three receptions in three of four games this season. He has at least 30 receiving yards in three straight games and has scored two touchdowns.

The veteran tight end isn’t running a ton of routes, but he is earning targets when he’s on the field. If he can maintain his consistent role, then he will have some streaming appeal with bye weeks starting in Week 5.

Michael Mayer, Las Vegas Raiders- 7% rostered

Many expected that the return of Brock Bowers would push Michael Mayer into the background of the Las Vegas Raiders’ passing attack. So far, that hasn’t happened.

Brock Bowers is dominating the opportunities in the Raiders’ offense since returning in Week 3, leading the team in targets (23), targets per route run (0.29), receptions (16), and receiving yards (202). Surprisingly, Mayer isn’t far behind.

Over the last two games, Mayer is second on the team in targets (12), receptions (11), and receiving yards (114). The Raiders are currently third in the NFL in 12 personnel rate (36.2%), which is helping Mayer remain fantasy-relevant (14.2 PPR points per game, TE8) over the last two weeks.

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