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Bye weeks—those dreaded pauses that sneak up earlier than you’d like—are upon us, and suddenly your fantasy football lineup feels more like a jigsaw puzzle missing critical pieces. Ever wonder why your top picks from the Falcons, Bears, Packers, or Steelers are suddenly labeled “bye”? Yeah, me too. This is exactly the moment when the waiver wire transforms from a mere afterthought into fantasy gold—or a source of deep frustration. While long-term gems remain valuable, this week places a premium on savvy one-week fills that can save your season from flatlining. Let’s dive into who’s poised to seize the spotlight in Week 5, offering both a spark and a stopgap when you need it most. Ready to shuffle those rosters and outsmart your league mates?
Bye weeks are here, making the waiver wire even more important. Here’s who fantasy football managers should target in Week 5.
Brace yourself, fantasy managers. Bye weeks are coming.
I know, I know. It seems too early for bye weeks.
Yet, when you look at your lineup ahead of Week 5, if you have any Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, or Pittsburgh Steelers players, you’ll see the dreaded bye by their names.
Now is when waiver claims become more important than ever. We’ll still be factoring in long-term value, of course, but one-week stopgaps have more value starting this week since several teams will be looking for players for one week only.
With that in mind, here are the best options on the waiver wire this week. Some are better long-term values than others, but all are potential options to fill in this week.
Week 5 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
RB Woody Marks, Houston Texans
Marks was the breakout player of Week 4, rushing for 69 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries and catching four passes for another 50 yards.
The game script against the Tennessee Titans had a lot to do with Marks’ opportunity. After an 0-3 start in which the Texans averaged 17.0 rush attempts per game by running backs, Houston was able to get an early lead and stick to the ground.
Marks and Nick Chubb combined for 30 carries in the win.
The Texans play the Ravens this week and Lamar Jackson is questionable. If he misses the game, the Texans are more likely to be in a position where they can run the ball more frequently.
Still, 30 carries may not be on the table again, so Marks will need to keep operating as the 1A in the offense to be a consistent, worthwhile fantasy option. The good news is that it seems likely. The rookie fourth-round pick had more carries and targets in Week 4 than he had in the first three weeks combined.
The Texans have been a below-average team on the ground this year, but still want to run the ball often to negate the pass rush against C.J. Stroud. This week’s matchup feels particularly beneficial for Marks, as the Ravens have allowed the sixth-most rushing yards per game in the NFL and just lost defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike for the season.
Marks is a bit risky with only one week of production, but he’s the best plug-and-play available on the waiver wire.
RB Kendre Miller, New Orleans Saints
Miller is similar to Marks as a player who received a usage bump that seems real, although his has been more gradual.
The Saints’ third-year running back had five carries each of the first two weeks, seven in Week 3 and 11 in Week 4. After seemingly being in Dennis Allen’s doghouse his first two years and dealing with several health issues, the former third-round pick seems to be a real factor in the offense.
Miller is also getting some valuable carries. He had the only two rush attempts by a running back inside the 10-yard line against the Bills, although Alvin Kamara did have a target. The Saints also play the New York Giants this week, who have allowed the third-most rushing yards per game this year.
The biggest drawback for Miller is that Kamara is firmly entrenched as the RB1 in New Orleans when healthy, so Miller is at best the second option on a bad offense. Kamara will also siphon up the overwhelming majority of running back targets as well. That’s a pretty big cap on his upside and means he should only be utilized in the right matchups.
With one of those matchups this week, Miller can be a fill-in option for any desperate fantasy managers.
WR Darius Slayton, New York Giants
Malik Nabers’ season-ending injury is a devastating blow to the Giants and leaves a lot up in the air offensively.
Wan’Dale Robinson has been a recommendation from us in the past and should see even more opportunities with Nabers out, but he already has 27 targets through four games. It’s hard to imagine a receiver like him getting a top-10 target share in the league, so a lot of Nabers’ targets will likely go to other players on the roster.
Enter Darius Slayton, who caught three of his four targets against the Los Angeles Chargers for 44 yards. Slayton hasn’t gotten a ton of targets yet this year, but he’s on the field a lot, with the second-most snaps behind Nabers among Giants wide receivers. And the Giants believed in him enough in the offseason to re-sign him to a three-year, $36 million deal.
He’s the best bet to gobble up more targets from Jaxson Dart, and that gives him a high floor for a player currently on most waiver wires.
WR Elic Ayomanor, Tennessee Titans
Most of what we said last week about Ayomanor still applies, even after he only had 44 yards on two catches against the Texans. He had seven targets again, and the Titans offense has nowhere to go but up after starting the season looking overwhelmed amidst a very difficult schedule.
The Arizona Cardinals have been solid defensively so far this season, but they can be had through the air. If you’re desperate for a long-shot option with upside, Ayomanor is your guy.
The rookie also remains an intriguing long-term player.
TE Jake Tonges, San Francisco 49ers
Perhaps the most frustrating thing to do in fantasy football is to try to stream a tight end during bye weeks. But with Tucker Kraft and Kyle Pitts on bye this week, many owners will have to peruse the available tight ends and hope to get lucky with a touchdown catch.
If that’s the game you’re playing, Tonges might be the best bet. Brock Purdy does have some soreness in his toe and didn’t practice on Monday. But if he’s available this week, Tonges will have a chance to cash in. In Purdy’s two starts this season, Tonges has eight targets, six catches and two touchdowns.
Jauan Jennings was on a snap count this week and clearly isn’t fully healthy. Ricky Pearsall had a minor PCL sprain and might miss this week’s game and George Kittle is out at least one more week. The 49ers might have to lean even more on their tertiary options, including Tonges.
Tonges is the definition of a stop-gap option, but he’s likely the best tight end on the waiver wire.
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The post Top Fantasy Football Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups appeared first on Opta Analyst.
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