Fantasy Football Breakout Candidates for Week 5

October 9, 2026

Kipp's fantasy football breakouts, sleepers, must-starts for Week 5 of 2026. You should target these emerging players with big upside and start them with confidence.

Welcome to Week 5 of our fantasy football breakout candidate piece for the 2026 NFL season. Each week, we will do our best to point you in the direction of the emerging players who are not only top pickups but could see their fantasy values surge by the end of the weekend.

All players listed in this article are rostered in less than 50% of fantasy football leagues, as I try to find players who are more widely available when I can. Therefore, some of the guys on this list may be lesser-known, but that does not mean they cannot have an impact for your squad in future weeks.

As this article is published each and every Friday, this list should be helpful for additions in the current week as well as ones to consider for the following week. Let's dive in!

Week 5 Waiver Wire Running Backs

Will Shipley, Philadelphia Eagles - 21% rostered

I am really surprised to see that Will Shipley is still rostered in just 21% of leagues given what we know about the Philadelphia Eagles' backfield situation. As it currently stands, Tank Bigsby has been placed on IR with an abdominal injury; meanwhile, Saquon Barkley is week-to-week with a hamstring injury and did not practice on Wednesday.

This leaves Will Shipley as the lead back in Philly, yet here he is just rostered in 21% of leagues. Shipley saw 13 carries combined in Weeks 2 and 4 and managed to average just 3.6 yards per carry, but given that he is likely to be the lead back this week against Jacksonville, he should be rostered in more leagues.

He is also an option in the passing game, as he has seen four targets in limited action. This skill set could come in handy this weekend against Jacksonville, as they are currently allowing nearly seven receptions per game to the running back position, which ranks second-worst in the league.

He should be added in all leagues given how much flux this Eagles backfield has been in during 2026.

Will Shipley gets the first points of the game 🦅

PHIvsNE on @nflnetwork
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/KR7HkyFlq4

— NFL (@NFL) August 22, 2026

Justice Hill, Baltimore Ravens - 3% rostered

Justice Hill is more of a dart throw and someone you really want as a handcuff to Derrick Henry. That being said, I do think he has some value in emergency situations this week. Overall, Hill has carried the ball 14 times for 60 rushing yards and hauled in five receptions for 44 receiving yards.

I want to highlight his pass-catching ability here, as that is where he is likely to have the most success against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night. Overall, Atlanta is allowing running backs to catch just under six receptions per game, which ranks fifth-worst in the league.

Given that the Ravens could be without Lamar Jackson this week, it would not surprise me to see Tyler Huntley use Hill as a safety valve in third-down situations. If you are in need of a deep option at the running back position in Week 5, Hill could return some solid value in this matchup.

More RB Options:

• Jaylen Wright, Miami Dolphins - 23% rostered

Week 5 Waiver Wire Wide Receivers

Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens - 22% rostered

Rashod Bateman is making another appearance in this article despite the return of Zay Flowers, as Bateman has still been involved in this offense. Last week, he hauled in two receptions for 46 receiving yards against the Tennessee Titans. I especially like him in this matchup against Atlanta.

As aforementioned, the Falcons struggle against pass-catching running backs, but they are absolutely awful against wide receivers. Overall, they rank fourth-worst in the league by allowing an average of over 14 receptions per game to the position. They also rank fourth-worst in the league by allowing over 195 receiving yards per game to wide receivers.

It should also come as no surprise that they rank seventh-worst in the league by allowing an average of 23.5 fantasy points per game to wide receivers.

Yes, it is not as great a spot for Bateman with Jackson possibly missing this game, but he should still be involved against this Falcons defense, especially when you consider the Falcons have shut down opposing running backs this season.

Lamar Jackson 🎯 Rashod Bateman for the TD

NOvsBAL on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/RwqbUrIoEP

— NFL (@NFL) September 20, 2026

Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills - 17% rostered

Keon Coleman has really started to pick up the pace recently, as he has seen 15 targets over the previous three weeks, and has turned those targets into 13 receptions for 216 receiving yards and one touchdown. Coleman has also seen 160 snaps thus far, which leads all Bills' wide receivers.

Yes, D.J. Moore got injured and had to leave last week, but it is still a good sign that Coleman has been this heavily involved in the offense and is producing. Moore's injury is not expected to be long-term, but if he misses even a game or two, Coleman's value rises significantly in this offense.

The Bills will be facing the Los Angeles Rams this week in a game that has one of the highest totals on the board, so we should expect to see some offensive production. Additionally, the Rams are allowing nine receptions, over 106 receiving yards, and 20 fantasy points per game to wide receivers.

While these numbers are not horrid, they are weak enough that we could reasonably expect some production from Coleman. He makes for a solid addition if you need some depth at the wide receiver position.

KEON COLEMAN, WHAT A CATCH.

@NEvsBUF on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/3bBuzPuyAf

— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2026

Tre' Harris, Los Angeles Chargers - 10% rostered

Tre' Harris might be my favorite player on this list for Week 5. A lot of folks were very high on the other Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver, Quentin Johnston, but Harris has actually outperformed him in every meaningful category except total snaps.

Overall, Harris has been on the field for 202 snaps, which is eight fewer than Johnston, but what he has done with those snaps is quite meaningful. He has hauled in 13 of 21 targets for 209 receiving yards. He has also seen five or more targets in three of the Chargers' first four games.

Harris has also picked it up more recently, having gone for 50 or more receiving yards in each of the previous three games. While the touchdowns have not quite been there, it is reassuring that he saw three red zone targets in Week 3 at the Buffalo Bills.

Harris is young, as this is only his second season in the NFL, so we may be seeing the beginning of a solid rapport with quarterback Justin Herbert. I do like Harris' long-term potential for 2026 and feel like he should be added in most leagues, especially if you are still holding onto Johnston.

The Chargers have started the season 0-4 and will be looking to rebound this week at Kansas City. The Chargers then have matchups against the Los Angeles Rams and Houston Texans, both of which have struggled a bit against the pass, with Houston allowing the most fantasy points per game to wide receivers thus far in 2026.

Tre' Harris with a big 53-yard catch and run!

LVvsLAC on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/gah6WnUCSe

— NFL (@NFL) September 20, 2026

More WR Options:

• Tre Tucker, Las Vegas Raiders - 39% rostered
• Kalif Raymond, Chicago Bears - 31% rostered

More Fantasy Football Analysis