Weekend Waiver Wire Rankings for Week 5 (2025): Fantasy Football Pickups for Rico Dowdle, Trevor Etienne, Sean Tucker, Isaiah Bond, Tory Horton

October 5, 2025

Updated weekend fantasy football waiver wire rankings for Week 5 of the 2025 NFL season. Top fantasy football free agents and streamers to add off waivers including Rico Dowdle, Trevor Etienne, Sean Tucker, more.

Welcome back RotoBallers to our weekend waiver wire rankings for fantasy football Week 5 of the 2025 season. Below you'll find our freshly-updated waiver wire rankings for the weekend -- these rankings will help guide you through waiver wire decisions you may need for injured players, bye-week crunches, or if you're just looking for a streamer or bench stash with upside.

As injury updates come in throughout the week, and roster percentages increase as players are picked up, we adjust our waiver wire rankings and you can find those below. Will Rico Dowdle see an expanded role in Week 5 with Chuba Hubbard ruled out, and how involved will rookie RB Trevor Etienne be as well? Will Rachaad White dominate the Tampa Bay backfield touches in Week 5 with Bucky Irving ruled out, or will Sean Tucker be heavily involved as well? Which players are worth adding and starting as priorities for Week 5?

These Week 5 waiver wire rankings are updated for the weekend by Nick Mariano, RotoBaller's lead fantasy football analyst and forecaster. For those who are not familiar, he brings you his weekly waiver wire rankings and priority adds for the top 85 options to consider across various positions and league sizes. Good luck in Week 5 on the waiver wire and in your matchups!

Who To Pick Up for Fantasy Football Week 5?

Quarterbacks (QB) and Defenses (D/ST) are grouped together at the bottom of the list:

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Outlooks

Rico Dowdle, RB, Panthers

Carolina Panthers running back and former Dallas Cowboy, Rico Dowdle, is set to be the lead back in the Panthers' backfield in Week 5 against the Miami Dolphins, with Chuba Hubbard (calf) ruled out for Week 5.

Hubbard is considered week-to-week, so Dowdle isn't expected to be a hot commodity for a season-long play, but he immediately rises in the Week 5 ranks and becomes a top-25 running back against the Dolphins defense, which allows the seventh most fantasy points to the running back position.

Dowdle is no slouch either; last year with the Cowboys, he accumulated 1,328 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns. Rookie running back Trevor Etienne becomes the team's RB2 and should also be in line for additional carries.

Sean Tucker, RB, Buccaneers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Sean Tucker figures to see involvement in the backfield this weekend. The Bucs are going to be without Bucky Irving (foot) for this Sunday's Week 5 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.

That being said, Rachaad White will move into the lead back role with Tucker likely taking over as the backup. Through four games, Tucker has only rushed the ball once and has mainly been on special teams all season long. Tucker could be worth stashing in case Irving misses multiple weeks.

However, Tucker isn't a recommended streaming option for Week 5. White will likely see a majority of the carries while the Bucs probably go with a pass-heavy approach on offense.

Trevor Etienne, RB, Panthers

Carolina Panthers running back Trevor Etienne is expected to see additional carries in the backfield in Week 5. The Panthers are going to be without Chuba Hubbard (calf) for this weekend. That being said, Rico Dowdle will be the lead back with Etienne as the primary backup. The 21-year-old hasn't done much early in the season.

Last week, Etienne rushed the ball seven times for 33 yards in the loss to the New England Patriots. It was a limited workload, but the 4.71 yards per carry is nice to see. His workload will likely also be dependent on the game flow as the Panthers could abandon the running game if it becomes a blowout.

The hope is that Etienne gets about 10 touches, which might be able to give him deep league value for this game against the Miami Dolphins.

Isaiah Bond, WR, Browns

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Isaiah Bond had his best game as a pro in Week 4's loss to the Detroit Lions, catching three of six targets for 58 yards. Bond has a chance to continue to ascend in Week 5's matchup against the Minnesota Vikings in London. The Browns placed Cedric Tillman (hamstring) on injured reserve earlier in the week, which will open up a larger workload for Bond moving forward.

The Vikings are allowing the fewest fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers this season, but Bond is worth a look in fantasy as a boom/bust flex option if you are being hit hard by the Week 5 byes.

Tory Horton, WR, Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tory Horton saw his snap percentage dip to its lowest of the season in Week 4. That was puzzling, considering Horton's monster performance the week prior. However, the Seahawks are playing a lot of 12 personnel as they attempt to run the ball. They led for much of their Week 4 win over the Cardinals, which would have been conducive to a heavier run scheme.

In Week 5, the Seahawks will host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Buccaneers likely have the best offense the Seahawks have seen to this point in the season. If the Bucs can push the Seahawks' defense, Horton's services may be necessary in what could be a heavier passing offense.

If you have a spot on your bench, Horton is still a worthy stash as we observe how his usage will play out. He is still a rookie ramping up in this offense, so the opportunity for a second-half breakout is in the cards. For now, all we can do is keep an eye on Horton's snap counts and targets.

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:

Week 5 Waiver Wire Articles

In addition to the Week 5 waiver wire rankings, here's a 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 5 waiver wire articles:

• Week 5 waiver wire pickups (all positions)
• Week 5 FAAB waiver wire bids
• Week 5 running back waiver wire pickups
• Week 5 wide receiver waiver wire pickups
• Week 5 tight end waiver wire pickups
• Week 5 quarterback waiver wire pickups
• Week 5 defense (D/ST) streamers and pickups
• Week 5 kicker streamers and pickups

For anyone unfamiliar, we release all sorts of fantasy football waiver wire articles every week. As part of that, Nick Mariano releases our waiver wire rankings list on Mondays to help you prioritize which players to target as free-agent adds off waivers.

Who Should I Pickup Tool

Trying to decide who to pick up off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool here:

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Who Should I Pickup? Some common 2025 fantasy football waiver wire decisions are regarding players like Rico Dowdle, Sean Tucker, Trevor Etienne, Isaiah Bond, Tory Horton. But not to worry, we are here to help make these waiver wire decisions and build winning teams in 2025. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups in 2025. 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.

2025 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Rico Dowdle, Sean Tucker, Trevor Etienne, Isaiah Bond, Tory Horton. These are some common searches for 2025 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's name. In the second box, search for the second player's 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 2025. 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 Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup

Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2025 for Rico Dowdle, Sean Tucker, Trevor Etienne, Isaiah Bond, Tory Horton:

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