There are four teams on a bye in Week 5 with the Falcons, Bears, Packers and Steelers. That means we’re down plenty of star players in this scoring period.
Along with that, we’re keeping an eye on several major injuries that occurred in Week 4, notably to Malik Nabers (knee), who is lost for the season with a torn ACL. And Tyreek Hill (knee) suffered what appears to be a season-ending injury Monday night. We’re also waiting to find out updates for Lamar Jackson (hamstring) and Ricky Pearsall (knee), among others.
It’s going to be another busy week on the waiver wire, and you should be prepared to spend some FAB. And it’s a good thing that we have some solid options available in Woody Marks (54 percent rostered on CBS Sports), Kenneth Gainwell (22 percent), Romeo Doubs (58 percent), Darius Slayton (3 percent) and Darren Waller (14 percent) — along with many more.
We’ll break down all these players and more, as always. Don’t panic with the first week of byes, or if your roster is dealing with several injuries. We have you covered to get your roster ready to go.
Editor’s note: For this waiver wire column, we are only looking at players rostered in less than 65 percent of CBS Sports leagues.
Week 5 Waivers
On a bye: Caleb Williams, Jordan Love, Michael Penix Jr. and Aaron Rodgers
Injuries: Lamar Jackson (hamstring), Brock Purdy (toe), Jayden Daniels (knee), Joe Burrow (toe) and J.J. McCarthy (ankle)
Check to see if available in shallow leagues: Matthew Stafford (73 percent rostered): Stafford had a huge game in Week 4 against the Colts with 375 passing yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He’s now scored at least 21.3 Fantasy points in two of his past three games, and he’s worth using as a low-end starter in all leagues in Week 5 against San Francisco on Thursday night.
Drop candidates: Geno Smith (63 percent rostered), Trevor Lawrence (56 percent) and Aaron Rodgers (40 percent). I had high expectations for Smith in Week 4 against the Bears, and he struggled with three interceptions and scored just 13.8 Fantasy points. He’ll be tough to trust in Week 5 at the Colts in one-quarterback leagues. … Lawrence has scored 13.7 Fantasy points or less in all but one game this season and isn’t worth starting in one-quarterback leagues against the Chiefs in Week 5. … Rodgers has scored 15.7 Fantasy points or less in three games in a row and isn’t worth keeping on your roster in one-quarterback leagues with the Steelers on a bye in Week 5.
Add in this order:
Week 5 Waiver Priority List
WAIVER WIRE
Running Backs
Injuries: Jaylen Warren (knee), Braelon Allen (knee), Aaron Aaron Jones (hamstring), Tyrone Tracy Jr. (shoulder), Joe Mixon (foot), Tyjae Spears (ankle) and Miles Sanders (ankle)
Check to see if available in shallow leagues: Ollie Gordon II (76 percent rostered), Kareem Hunt (75 percent) and Brian Robinson Jr. (72 percent). I’ll update this Monday night based on what Gordon does against the Jets, but he faces the Panthers in Week 5 and could be a flex option in deeper leagues. … Hunt had a season-high 14 touches in Week 4 against Baltimore but only managed 47 total yards. Still, he is worth holding onto for another week as the Chiefs try to figure out their running game. … I want to roster Robinson in all leagues since he could be a lottery ticket if Christian McCaffrey were to miss any time due to injury.
Drop candidates: Nick Chubb (94 percent rostered), Tyrone Tracy Jr. (80 percent), Rachaad White (79 percent), Kyle Monangai (48 percent) and Kaleb Johnson (45 percent). Chubb had 15 total touches in Week 4 against Tennessee, and he finished with 62 total yards, including two catches. But Woody Marks is about to take over Houston’s backfield, and you can drop Chubb in all 10-team leagues. … Tracy didn’t play in Week 4 against the Chargers as expected with a shoulder injury, and we don’t know when he’s going to return. When healthy, he’s clearly behind Cam Skattebo for the Giants, and you can drop Tracy in all 10-team leagues. … White did have four catches in Week 4 against Philadelphia, but he’s scored 8.6 PPR points or less in three of four games this year. He’s worth holding if you want to handcuff him to Bucky Irving, but White will only be relevant if Irving misses any time due to injury. You can drop White in all 10-team leagues. … Monangai is on a bye in Week 5 and not worth rostering in the majority of leagues at this point in the season. He’ll likely only be relevant if D’Andre Swift misses any time due to injury. … Even though Jaylen Warren (knee) was out in Week 4 against Minnesota, Johnson still only had six carries for 22 yards and no catches on one target while playing behind Kenneth Gainwell. Johnson is not worth rostering in the majority of leagues with Pittsburgh on bye in Week 5.
Add in this order:
Week 5 Waiver Priority List
WAIVER WIRE
Wide Receivers
Injuries: Malik Nabers (ACL), Tyreek Hill (knee), Ricky Pearsall (knee), Jauan Jennings (undisclosed), Darnell Mooney (hamstring), Cedric Tillman (hamstring), Calvin Austin III (shoulder), CeeDee Lamb (ankle), Mike Evans (hamstring), Terry McLaurin (quadriceps), Jayden Reed (collarbone), Brandon Aiyuk (knee), Jalen Coker (quadriceps), Xavier Legette (hamstring), Alec Pierce (concussion), Dyami Brown (shoulder), Christian Watson (knee) and Jalen McMillan (neck)
Check to see if available in shallow leagues: Jauan Jennings (82 percent rostered), Khalil Shakir (77 percent), Stefon Diggs (76 percent) and Wan’Dale Robinson (66 percent). Jennings might not play Thursday night against the Rams, but Ricky Pearsall (knee) could also be out. If Jennings is active then he has the potential to be a No. 2 Fantasy receiver in all leagues. And, when healthy, Jennings is going to be a weekly starter in most three-receiver leagues, so add him where available. … Shakir had another solid outing in Week 4 against New Orleans with five catches for 69 yards and a touchdown on five targets, and he’s now scored at least 12.4 PPR points in three of four games this season. He’s worth using as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues moving forward and should be picked up where still available in any format. … Diggs finally had a breakout game with the Patriots in Week 4 against Carolina with six catches for 101 yards on seven targets. Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come, and Diggs should be added in all leagues where he’s still available. … Robinson has struggled the past two games with a combined four catches for 40 yards on nine targets against the Chiefs and Chargers, but he should benefit with Malik Nabers (ACL) now out for the season. Last season, in two games without Nabers, Robinson combined for 11 catches, 86 yards and a touchdown on 20 targets and averaged 13 PPR points over that span. Add Robinson in all formats where available.
Drop candidates: Malik Nabers (100 percent rostered), Calvin Ridley (86 percent), Travis Hunter (83 percent), Tyquan Thornton (69 percent) and Cedric Tillman (44 percent). Nabers is out for the season, so unfortunately you can drop him in all redraft leagues. Hopefully, he’ll return in 2026 at 100 percent. … Ridley has yet to score more than 8.7 PPR points in any game, and he’s yet to find the end zone. There’s little reason to roster him in 10-team leagues, and he’s likely droppable in 12-team formats as well. … Hunter just had a season-best 42 yards in Week 4 at San Francisco, and he’s scored 9.3 PPR points or less in every game this season. There’s still hope for him to start producing at a high level, but he’s droppable in all 10-team leagues heading into Week 5 against the Chiefs. … Xavier Worthy returned for the Chiefs in Week 4 against Baltimore, and Thornton’s role was reduced. He finished with one catch for 11 yards on two targets, and it’s safe to drop him in the majority of leagues, especially with Rashee Rice (suspended) ready to return in Week 7. … Tillman (hamstring) is expected to miss multiple weeks, and he could be out through Cleveland’s bye in Week 9. He’s not worth rostering in most leagues while he’s injured.
Add in this order:
Week 5 Waiver Priority List
On a bye: Kyle Pitts, Tucker Kraft, Jonnu Smith, Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet
Injuries: George Kittle (hamstring), Colston Loveland (hip) and Ja’Tavion Sanders (ankle)
Check to see if available in shallow leagues: Dalton Kincaid (83 percent rostered), Juwan Johnson (80 percent), Dallas Goedert (75 percent) and Kyle Pitts (68 percent). Kincaid has scored a touchdown in three of four games this season, and he has two games with six targets on the year. He should be considered a No. 1 Fantasy tight end in all leagues moving forward. … Johnson had his worst game of the season in Week 4 at Buffalo with 5.8 PPR points, but he scored at least 11.1 PPR points in each of his first three games. He remains a must-start Fantasy tight end heading into Week 5 against the Giants. … Goedert has played three games this season and scored at least 10.3 PPR points in each outing. He has three touchdowns in his past two games and should be considered a low-end starter in all leagues heading into Week 5 against Denver. … Pitts goes into his bye on a high note with a season-high 18 PPR points against Washington in Week 4. He has at least four catches in each game this season, and he should be rostered in all leagues, even with the Falcons on a bye. And he could benefit if Darnell Mooney (hamstring) is going to miss any time.
Drop candidates: David Njoku (83 percent rostered), Harold Fannin Jr. (53 percent), Jonnu Smith and Colston Loveland (36 percent). You might want to hold the Browns tight ends for another week to see if they benefit with Cedric Tillman (hamstring) out, but it’s been disappointing for both so far after four games. Njoku has yet to score double digits in PPR this season, and Fannin has been held to 9.8 PPR points in three games in a row. Neither Browns tight end has scored a touchdown this year. … Smith has combined for nine catches for 56 yards and no touchdowns in his past three games on 10 targets. He is not worth holding during his bye in Week 5. … Loveland (hip) missed Week 4, and the Bears have a bye in Week 5. You can drop him now, and we’ll see if he’s healthy for Week 6 when Chicago is back in action.
Add in this order:
Week 5 Waiver Priority List
DST streamers
- Cardinals (25 percent rostered) vs. TEN
- Rams (49 percent rostered) vs. SF
- Chiefs (46 percent rostered) vs. JAC
- Browns (27 percent rostered) vs. MIN
- Giants (27 percent rostered) at NO
