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Who Should I Drop for Week 5? Fantasy Football outlooks for Kenyon Sadiq, Dontayvion Wicks, Darren Waller, Jadarian Price, Marcus Mariota, Kyler Murray, Justin Herbert, Jaylen Wright, Jauan Jennings.
Who Should I Drop? Who Should I Keep? Some of the most common Week 5 fantasy football cut candidates involve players like Kenyon Sadiq, Dontayvion Wicks, Darren Waller, Jadarian Price, Marcus Mariota, Kyler Murray, Justin Herbert, Jaylen Wright, and Jauan Jennings. However, don't worry, we are here to help you make the right waiver wire decisions and winning moves for Week 5. Once you decide who to drop, find your optimal fantasy football pickups for Week 5 of the 2026 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Pickup? tool helps make your fantasy football waiver wire decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to add... all free!
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to pickup...
Fantasy Football Drop Candidates
Read about fantasy football players to consider dropping for Week 5:
Jaylen Wright, Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins running back Jaylen Wright rushed for seven yards on five carries during Sunday's Week 4 loss against the Minnesota Vikings, and he wasn't targeted in the passing game. Entering this week, it seemed like there was a chance Wright could take on a larger role after De'Von Achane (knee) was ruled out for the season. If that was the case, he wasted the opportunity by averaging just 1.4 yards per carry.
Meanwhile, teammate Ollie Gordon II exploded for nine carries, 100 rushing yards, and one touchdown (plus two catches), proving that he deserves to be the featured ball-carrier going forward. There may still be some weeks going forward where Wright plays better than Gordon or even logs a couple more touches, but Week 4 showed that Gordon is the running back to roster after Achane's injury.
Wright will rank outside the top 36 running backs heading into Week 5 against Cincinnati and projects more as a low-end handcuff.
Jadarian Price, Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks running back Jadarian Price (chest) isn't expected to be sidelined for the remainder of his rookie season. General manager John Schneider told Steve Raible on Seattle Sports that the team doesn't "see it as a season-ending thing at all." Price still has some time to miss after landing on injured reserve Saturday.
He aggravated the chest injury during Wednesday's practice after originally hurting it against Arizona in Week 2 and playing the following week. Price started each of Seattle's first three games, rushing 28 times for 119 yards while catching four passes for 21 yards. He will be required to miss at least four games before becoming eligible to return. Despite the potential for a lengthy IR stint, managers should still stash him in most 12-team leagues.
Dontayvion Wicks, Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks recorded three catches and 18 yards on five targets in the team's 24-20 home loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Philly's offense struggled on Sunday, totaling 172 yards. It's no surprise, really, considering they were down four starters before the game began. Still, the attack couldn't get anything going after halftime, and no Eagles pass catcher recorded more than three receptions or 33 yards.
Wicks' target share has been favorable -- acting as the second option at worst behind teammate DeVonta Smith (hamstring). Moreover, he'll get plenty of opportunities while Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert (knee) are shelved. However, with quarterback Jalen Hurts' erratic play, it's challenging to project Wicks for a reliable weekly floor. He'll get a dream matchup in a porous Jaguars pass defense next weekend in London. Wicks is a viable drop in shallower legaues but still holds deep-league FLEX appeal in Week 5.
Marcus Mariota, Washington Commanders
Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota (right knee) aggravated the MCL injury he first suffered during the preseason and is expected to miss some time, according to Ian Rapoport. Mariota will undergo additional testing after leaving Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts in the first quarter. He completed three of four passes for 46 yards and added a 35-yard run before going down.
Rapoport also reported that there is hope Jayden Daniels (left elbow) can return in Week 5 against the New York Giants. Daniels was limited in all three practices this past week but was ruled out Friday, with Washington planning to reevaluate him after another week of work. If Daniels is not ready, rookie Athan Kaliakmanis would be next in line, with Mariota now expected to miss time. Managers should not consider stashing Mariota during this injury.
Kenyon Sadiq, New York Jets
New York Jets tight end Kenyon Sadiq was unable to carry his momentum from Week 3 into this weekend. The rookie tight end was held without a catch on four targets during the loss to the Chicago Bears. He was dealing with a back issue coming into this game, so that might've been part of the reason. The Jets only possessed the ball for 17 minutes in this game, so they didn't have a ton of time to do anything on offense.
Sadiq tied wide receiver Garrett Wilson for the team lead in targets with four. This game was a dud, but overall, Sadiq has been a decent asset early on. He should be considered a low-end TE1 for the Week 5 matchup against the Cleveland Browns. Despite his poor effort, Sadiq remains a firm hold in all standard leagues.
Darren Waller, Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers tight end Darren Waller had a favorable setup Sunday night and did very little with it. Waller caught three of six targets for 36 yards in the 32-26 win over Detroit, a disappointing result against a defense that had already allowed six touchdowns to tight ends through three games. The opportunity was there, too. Carolina played without Jalen Coker and Xavier Legette, while Bryce Young threw 41 passes for 329 yards.
Waller still finished well behind Tetairoa McMillan, who dominated the passing game with 14 catches for 192 yards and two touchdowns. The veteran also played only 53% of the offensive snaps as Mitchell Evans and Tommy Tremble remained heavily involved. Waller has now gone two straight games without a touchdown after scoring twice in Week 2. With Carolina heading into its bye, his fantasy stock has cooled considerably and is a viable cut candidate in shallower leagues.
Who Should I Pickup Tool
Trying to decide who to pick up off the waiver wire instead? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool here.
Week 5 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on finding replacements for specific players like Emanuel Wilson, Will Shipley, Tyreek Hill, Tank Bigsby.
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.
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 Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup
Once you decide who to drop, find your optimal fantasy football waiver wire replacements. Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for Week 5 for Emanuel Wilson, Will Shipley, Tyreek Hill, Tank Bigsby:
More Waiver Wire Analysis
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