2026 Week 5 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Report

Availability varies significantly by league size and format — a 10-team league looks completely different from a 14-team or dynasty league. Check your own waiver wire before acting on anything here. With that said, Week 4 delivered a handful of genuine role changes worth chasing, plus one injury situation that's driving massive add volume at QB.

QB

Kirk Cousins

The biggest add number on this list by a wide margin — nearly 700,000 Sleeper adds in 48 hours. Cousins is playing 100% of snaps and has posted 82.8 PPR points through four games (about 20.7 per game), which is genuine starter production. There's no opportunity_reason signal here, meaning this isn't a sudden role change; it's managers reacting to something we can't fully contextualize from the supplied data alone. The volume and production are both real. If he's somehow still available in your league, that's the priority add at QB this week.

Tyler Huntley

Huntley carries both signals — add_count (nearly 38,000 Sleeper adds) and a snap share that jumped from 0% to 48% in Week 4, with touches going from 0 to 4. That combination is as strong a signal as this report can give you. The driver is clear: Lamar Jackson exited Week 4 with an ankle injury, and as of October 6 the Ravens' own coaching staff called his Week 5 availability against Atlanta uncertain, with reports describing his chances as an "outside chance" at best. Huntley's season-long production is only 4.1 total PPR points across four games, all of which came in that one partial appearance — so he's a pure streaming play tied entirely to Jackson's status. If Jackson is ruled out, Huntley becomes a must-start in two-QB or superflex leagues and a viable streamer in one-QB formats against Atlanta. Monitor the injury report closely before your waiver deadline.

Deshaun Watson

Watson drew 211,000-plus adds and is playing 99.7% of snaps with 68.9 PPR points through four games — real production, real role. No opportunity signal, so nothing structurally changed in Week 4. His FantasyPros projection of 158 PPR points for the season implies a meaningful step up from his current pace. If he's available, he's a viable QB2 or streamer, but you're not getting a hidden gem here — this is just a starter who slipped through some drafts.

Aaron Rodgers

Rodgers drew 168,000-plus adds. He's playing 98.9% of snaps and produced 65.2 PPR points in four games — a pace that lags well behind his 234.1-point 2025 season. No usage jump triggered the adds. FantasyPros projects him at 230.1 points for the full season, suggesting the projection system expects significant improvement. If he's available he's worth a speculative roster spot in deeper leagues, but the season-to-date production doesn't yet support the add urgency the numbers suggest.

Tyson Bagent

Bagent gets the start in Week 5 with Caleb Williams sidelined by a Grade 2 hamstring strain — Williams won't practice this week and remains week-to-week. Bagent has played 56.8% of snaps across three games this season with 12.0 PPR points total, and his projection sits at just 9.7 for the week. One-week streaming floor is low. He's a two-QB/superflex-only consideration, and even then only if you're truly desperate at the position.

RB

Justice Hill

Hill saw his targets jump from 0 to 3 in Week 4 — the opportunity signal is there, even without a Sleeper add spike to match. He's averaging 4.8 touches and 2.0 targets per game this season with 40.6% snap share, but has produced only 15.4 PPR points across four games. That's the gap worth paying attention to: the receiving volume has been building all season and hasn't shown up in points yet. FantasyPros projects him at 77.1 PPR points for the season, which implies real PPR scoring going forward. This is a buy-low/positive-regression case — especially in PPR formats. The context from news snippets points to the Ravens' backfield being disrupted by the Jackson injury situation, which could affect the whole offense. Add him in PPR leagues before that projection gap closes.

Sione Vaki

Vaki drew about 32,000 Sleeper adds with no opportunity signal. He's averaging 3.3 touches and 23.3% snap share this season, with 13.2 PPR points over four games — modest production in a limited role. He projects at 8.0 points for the week. Stash-only in deeper leagues; nothing here suggests a featured role is coming.

WR

Malik Washington

Washington is the most compelling receiver on this list and the clearest "you saw it here first" case. He's averaging 7 targets and 5.5 touches per game at 86.2% snap share — that's a genuine featured role. But he's produced only 38.1 total PPR points over four games, a number that doesn't match the volume at all. That's a textbook high-usage, low-production regression candidate: the targets are real and sustained, the box scores just haven't reflected them yet. FantasyPros projects 91.5 PPR points for the season, which would require a significant production jump from here. Priority add in PPR leagues — this is exactly the kind of player who pays off once the efficiency normalizes.

Laquon Treadwell

Treadwell has both an opportunity signal and no Sleeper adds yet — meaning you're early. His targets jumped from 1 to 6 in Week 4, and touches went from 1 to 5. The context is the Colts' receiver room: Keenan Allen was ruled out for Week 4 with a groin injury after missing Friday's practice, and that's what pushed Treadwell into a larger role. His season-long averages (2.8 targets, 3 receptions, 68.2% snap share) suggest he already had a meaningful role before Week 4's spike. FantasyPros projects 13.7 PPR points for Week 5. He's produced 21.3 total PPR points this season — modest but not nothing. Monitor Allen's status: if Allen misses more time, Treadwell is a legitimate PPR streamer. If Allen returns healthy, fade him.

Joshua Palmer

Palmer's snap share jumped from 32% to 59% in Week 4, and his targets went from 0 to 4. That's a sharp role jump and it has no Sleeper adds behind it yet. Season-long, however, the picture is mixed: he's averaging 3 targets per game but only 1 reception and 1 touch per game with 40% snap share — so before Week 4, the usage was inconsistent at best. The projection (53.8 PPR points for the season) is reasonable if the Week 4 role sticks. This is worth a speculative add in deeper leagues and PPR formats, but until we see the snap/target jump hold for a second consecutive week, treat it as a one-week data point, not a confirmed role change.

Darius Cooper

Cooper drew 352,000-plus Sleeper adds with no opportunity signal. He's averaging 5 targets per game at 38.9% snap share, but only 2.5 receptions and 28.9 PPR points on the season — a decent target rate that isn't converting efficiently. His FantasyPros projection of 6.8 points for the week is very low. The add volume here doesn't line up with the underlying usage data or the projection. This feels like managers reacting to a big single game rather than a real trend. Proceed with caution — he's a speculative add at best in PPR formats, and I wouldn't spend meaningful waiver priority on him.

TE

Michael Mayer

Mayer is the top TE add this week and it's not close. He's averaging 6 targets and 5 receptions per game at 85.1% snap share — elite TE usage numbers. He's produced 42.9 total PPR points in four games, which is real production, and FantasyPros projects 66.8 points for the full season. The volume and production are aligned and the role is clearly established. This is not a hidden sleeper: the production has already caught up to the usage. If he's still available in your league, that's an oversight — priority add before someone else notices.

Darren Waller

Waller drew 126,000-plus adds with no opportunity signal. He's at 45.8% snap share averaging 4.8 targets and 3.3 receptions for 39.8 total PPR points — legitimate TE2 production. His projection of 94.1 PPR points for the season is notably higher than his current pace, suggesting upside if the snap share grows. Worth adding if your TE situation is unsettled, particularly in PPR leagues where 3.3 receptions per game has real scoring value.

Johnny Mundt

Mundt's snap share jumped from 52% to 80% in Week 4 with no Sleeper adds yet. The opportunity signal is real, but the season-long numbers tell a more cautious story: 2 targets and 1.5 receptions per game for only 4.2 total PPR points in four games. That's minimal production despite playing nearly all the snaps. FantasyPros projects 6.5 points for the week — streaming floor is low. Stash in very deep TE-premium leagues only; don't spend real waiver priority here.