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The Week 5 waiver wire adds lightning round for 2026 fantasy football. Our free agent list includes Emanuel Wilson, Tank Bigsby, Keon Coleman, Dohnte Meyers, Darius Cooper, Brenton Strange, Mike Gesicki, Jameis Winston, Jacoby Brissett, and more.
It's once again time to huddle up and collect ourselves after another chaotic week of pro football, which brought another truckload of surprises, heartbreak, and injuries. While we await more specific intel surrounding injury timelines to assess the ripple effects, it never hurts to peek ahead! Let's poke around some early adds with our fantasy football waiver wire pickups lightning round heading into Week 5 of the 2026 NFL season, which sees the Chiefs and Panthers start the bye weeks.
This quick reaction is for fantasy-relevant players going into Week 5. Key injuries to monitor are Ja'Marr Chase (concussion), Saquon Barkley (hamstring), Lamar Jackson (ankle), Tee Higgins (adductor), DJ Moore (shoulder), Rashee Rice (hamstring), Ladd McConkey (foot), Tyquan Thornton (ankle), Mack Hollins (calf), Marcus Mariota (knee), as well as late injuries to Kyle Monangai (thumb) and a key waiver hinge in Tank Bigsby (undisclosed). Bookmark our league-leading news feed and set up app alerts for the best and most accurate information available.
This column will be published early in the week and updated daily as the site brings you in-depth waiver wire analysis for all positions. Waiver pickups are listed in priority order and broken down by position, covering those rostered in roughly 70% or fewer of Yahoo! leagues, from shallow standard options to deep PPR options. Whether you're making adds from a position of strength (4-0 or 3-1), middle ground (2-2), or desperation (1-3 or 0-4), we've got you covered!
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Week 5 Running Backs To Add
Pickups are in priority order
Alvin Kamara
Emanuel Wilson (for immediate help, but long-term outlook is low when others are healthy)
Tank Bigsby (monitor his status; would be top pickup if healthy with Barkley's hamstring injury)
Ollie Gordon II (don't always trust the depth charts, eh?)
Zach Charbonnet
Keaton Mitchell
Mike Washington Jr.
Emmett Johnson
Kaelon Black
Will Shipley (could vault up if Bigsby is also out/limited)
Kendre Miller
Chris Rodriguez Jr.
Brian Robinson
MarShawn Lloyd (O-line situation in shambles, Josh Jacobs' potential return looms)
Jaylen Wright
Tyler Allgeier
Austin Ekeler (ran well and Jacory Croskey-Merritt is not doing well)
Joe Mixon (visiting with Seattle, posting on socials that he's gearing up)
Najee Harris
Kaleb Johnson
Seth McGowan
Sean Tucker
Tyler Goodson
Week 5 Wide Receivers To Add
Pickups are in priority order:
Xavier Worthy (They're on bye, but surrounding potential long-term injuries have mounted)
Romeo Doubs
Jordyn Tyson (must stash if possible)
Jakobi Meyers
Devaughn Vele
Keon Coleman (monitor Moore's status)
Dontayvion Wicks
Tre Tucker
Khalil Shakir
Makai Lemon
Dohnte Meyers (monitor statuses of both Chase and Higgins)
Tre' Harris
Wan'Dale Robinson
Malik Washington
Antonio Williams
Kalif Raymond
Chris Bell
Adonai Mitchell
Malachi Fields
Roman Wilson
Jaylin Noel
Darius Cooper
Jauan Jennings
Mitch Tinsley
Cody White
Ted Hurst III
Jalen Royals
Cyrus Allen
Tyreek Hill (posting on socials about returning like Mixon, could be a fit with KC's Week 5 injuries)
Efton Chism III
Treylon Burks
Isaiah Williams
Josh Cameron
Week 5 Tight Ends To Add
Pickups are in priority order:
Kenyon Sadiq (Still immense upside, but no clear No. 1 add at position -- must live with NYJ volatility)
Brenton Strange
Tyler Higbee
Hunter Henry
Mike Gesicki
Darren Waller
T.J. Hockenson
Pat Freiermuth
Michael Mayer
Darnell Washington
Week 5 Quarterbacks To Add
Pickups are in priority order, with emphasis on Week 5:
Jacoby Brissett
Kirk Cousins
Kyler Murray
Sam Darnold
C.J. Stroud
Aaron Rodgers
Deshaun Watson
Michael Penix Jr.
Jameis Winston
Malik Willis
Geno Smith
Daniel Jones
Tyler Huntley (monitor Jackson's status)
Jalon Daniels
Tyson Bagent
Week 5 Defenses To Add
Pickups are in priority order, with emphasis on Week 5:
Chicago Bears D/ST
Jacksonville Jaguars D/ST
Cincinnati Bengals D/ST
Cleveland Browns D/ST
Dallas Cowboys D/ST
Las Vegas Raiders D/ST
New York Giants D/ST
Who Should I Pickup Tool
Trying to decide who to pick up 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 Emanuel Wilson, Tank Bigsby, Keon Coleman, Dohnte Meyers, Darius Cooper, Brenton Strange, Mike Gesicki, Jameis Winston, and Jacoby Brissett. But not to worry, 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 - Emanuel Wilson, Tank Bigsby, Keon Coleman, Dohnte Meyers, Darius Cooper, Brenton Strange, Mike Gesicki, Jameis Winston, and Jacoby Brissett. 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 Emanuel Wilson, Tank Bigsby, Keon Coleman, Dohnte Meyers, Darius Cooper, Brenton Strange, Mike Gesicki, Jameis Winston, Jacoby Brissett:
More Waiver Wire Analysis
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