Week 5 Waiver Wire Rankings - Fantasy Football Pickups Include Bucky Irving, Dontayvion Wicks, Xavier Legette, Trey Sermon, Tre Tucker, Josh Downs

October 2, 2024

Fantasy football waiver wire rankings for Week 5 of the 2024 NFL season. Top free agent options to add off waivers, and our rankings will help you prioritize.

After an exciting NFL action for Week 4, we are back with another edition of waiver wire rankings. Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving has carved out a role in Tampa Bay's backfield and was impressive in Sunday's win over the Philadelphia Eagles. There were some critical injuries to monitor in heading into Week 5. The Chiefs fear star second-year wide receiver Rashee Rice tore his ACL while Indianapolis star running back Jonathan Taylor suffered a mild high-ankle sprain. We break down the waiver wire for this week once again with our Week 5 fantasy football waiver wire rankings for 2024.

The fantasy football season is flying by, and the window is slowly closing to turn things around if your team's record is under .500. Although some burning questions need to be answered after Sunday's games. Is Trey Sermon the Colts lead back if Jonathan Taylor misses time? Which Kanas City Chiefs wide receiver will see the biggest boost if Rashee Rice is out for the year? Is Kareem Hunt Kansas City's No. 1 running back after leading the team's backfield in snaps and carries in the Week 4 win over the Los Angeles Chargers?

Our waiver wire rankings will help answer these questions -- they've been a staple in the fantasy industry for years, providing a quick-hit list of player names that goes deep into the free agent options each week. For those unfamiliar, one of the industry's sharpest fantasy football minds, Nick Mariano, brings you his weekly waiver wire rankings and priority adds for the top 60 potential options.

Week 5 Waiver Wire Articles

Before diving into the Week 5 rankings, let's look at some other free waiver wire resources available at RotoBaller.

Each week, our NFL team puts out a complete array of fantasy football waiver wire articles to compliment our slick new Who Should I Pickup? Waiver wire player comparison tool - bookmark that! Here are more detailed Week 4 waiver wire articles:

• FAAB waiver wire bidding for Week 5
• Week 5 waiver wire pickups (all positions)
• Running back waiver wire pickups for Week 5
• Wide receiver waiver wire pickups for Week 5
• Tight end waiver wire pickups for Week 5
• Quarterback waiver wire pickups for Week 5
• Defense (D/ST) streamers, waiver wire for Week 5
• Kicker streamers, waiver wire for Week 5

Who To Pick Up for Fantasy Football Week 5?

Finally, below, you'll see our weekly rankings for the relevant waiver wire pickup options, including how to prioritize them for your league (depending on the league size). Quarterbacks and Defenses (D/ST) are grouped together at the bottom of the list:

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Outlooks

Some of the top names include DeAndre Hopkins, Jauan Jennings, Sam Darnold, Bucky Irving, and Cole Kmet. We recap why these players rostered under 55% in Yahoo! leagues should be on your radar when scrolling through the waiver wire for Week 5:

Kareem Hunt, RB, Kansas City Chiefs (35% Rostered)
Week 5 Waiver Wire Ranking: 7

Kareem Hunt was signed to Kansas City’s active roster one week after he had originally been signed to the Chiefs’ practice squad. This provided an indication that he could quickly be infused into the team’s backfield rotation with Carson Steele and Samaje Perine.

Dontayvion Wicks, WR, Green Bay Packers (14% Rostered)
Week 5 Waiver Wire Ranking: 3

Christian Watson suffered a high ankle sprain this past weekend. Watson has a history of lower body injuries, and Green Bay is conservative regarding their player's injuries. Fantasy managers shouldn't be surprised if Watson misses next week or more than one game.

Doubs has done very little this season. If Watson is out, Wicks will become Love's No. 2 pass-catcher behind Jayden Reed, and that would be enough to put him in the top 30 of receivers for Week 5. With bye weeks approaching, Wicks could give fantasy managers a 1-3 week boost.

Trey Sermon, RB, Indianapolis Colts (1% Rostered)
Week 5 Waiver Wire Ranking: 15

Trey Sermon accumulated 25 snaps, four attempts, and 16 rushing yards prior to the Colts’ Week 4 matchup with Pittsburgh. He is now primed to become a popular roster addition due to the high ankle sprain that has been sustained by Jonathan Taylor .

That injury occurred in the fourth quarter after Taylor had accumulated 48 snaps, 21 attempts, and 88 rushing yards. Taylor also ran 17 routes, captured three of his four targets, and produced 20 receiving yards.

Sermon played on 17 snaps, carried five times, and manufactured eight rushing yards. While those numbers are uninspiring, Sermon is positioned to function with a massive workload if Taylor is unavailable when Indianapolis travels to Jacksonville on Sunday.

Taylor’s status should be monitored. However, Sermon should provide the remedy for any potential roster crisis for fantasy managers who have Taylor contained on their rosters. All other managers can also target the fourth-year back, who would become an asset if Taylor remains sidelined.

Xavier Legette, WR, Carolina Panthers (14% Rostered)
Week 5 Waiver Wire Ranking: 6

With Adam Thielen out, Diontae Johnson expectedly served as the team's No. 1 option as he was targeted 13 times. Xavier Legette was only one opportunity behind him, with 10 targets and two carries.

Legette caught six passes for 66 yards and a touchdown and also added 10 yards on the ground. The rookie was able to seamlessly step up for Carolina and make a major impact. Once Thielen eventually returns, this situation will get mucky again, but at least for now, Legette is a flex option.

Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (52% Rostered)
Week 5 Waiver Wire Ranking: 1

Irving’s availability continues to decline as the promising first-year back has seized a favorable workload within Tampa Bay’s backfield rotation. Irving's consistent effectiveness as a decisive one-cut runner has significantly boosted Liam Coen’s offense. He has also operated more efficiently than Rachaad White in the Buccaneers’ attack.

Irving encountered a hamstring issue before the Buccaneers’ Week 4 matchup with Philadelphia. However, that did not encumber Irving from playing on 32 snaps, securing a season-high 10 attempts, or generating 49 rushing yards (4.9 per attempt) and a touchdown.

Irving has now accumulated 85 snaps while assembling 203 rushing yards with his 35 attempts (5.8 yards per attempt). He has also led the Buccaneers in rushing yards or tied for the team lead in all four of his matchups.

White played on 45 snaps in Week 4 and accrued 49 rushing yards with his 10 carries. He also produced 35 receiving yards on two receptions and should function as the Buccaneers’ primary pass-catching back during upcoming matchups.

However, Irving appears destined to sustain weekly touch totals that will be beneficial for fantasy managers. Irving is still attainable in nearly 50% of all leagues, but that percentage should evaporate his week.

Running Backs - Week 5 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Wide Receivers - Week 5 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Tight Ends - Week 5 Waiver Wire Rankings:

Pickups are in priority order:

Quarterbacks - Week 5 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order, with emphasis on Week 5:

Defenses (D/ST) - Week 5 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order, with emphasis on Week 5:

More Waiver Wire Analysis