As borne out by a pain-filled September, the NFL is a league of attrition.
Multiple high-profile players went down with injuries in Week 4, including a pair of stud WRs in Giants standout Malik Nabers and Dolphins star Tyreek Hill. The season-altering absences impact QB dynamics, RB workloads and TE production.
In a word, yikes.
With that in mind, it’s time to hit the market for some Week 5 waiver wire targets who could step up for your lineups this week — or beyond.
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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups After Week 4
Let’s dive into some potential Week 5 targets for the waiver wire.
Fantasy rankings and 2025 point totals are courtesy of FantasyPros.
Giants QB Jaxson Dart (@ Saints)
Despite throwing the ball just 20 times in his starting debut last Sunday, Dart made an immediate impact both on the field and in the fantasy world. He graded out as Week 4’s QB11, largely thanks to 10 rush attempts for 54 yards that ranked first and third, respectively, among all signal-callers.
Even with Nabers’ injury, Dart could maintain some intriguing production. It’s clear that he has the full backing of head coach Brian Daboll in the passing game, in addition to a green light to run.
Only four teams have surrendered more fantasy points to opposing QBs than the Saints.
Other Week 5 QB Waiver Wire Pickups to Consider
- Seahawks QB Sam Darnold (vs. Buccaneers): Featured in last week’s waiver wire story, Darnold finds himself back on the target list for Week 5. His case is a puzzling one, as he’s fifth in the sport in EPA/play and third in success rate per rbsdm.com but isn’t a top-shelf fantasy producer. Perhaps facing Tampa Bay’s 25th-ranked defense against QBs is what Darnold needs.
- Rams QB Matthew Stafford (vs. 49ers): This year’s fantasy QB12 was second to only Cowboys QB Dak Prescott in Week 4. Given his chemistry with WR Puka Nacua and the importance of Thursday night’s NFC West bout against the 49ers, Stafford could show out again. Last week saw him throw his most yards in a game (375) as a Ram.
Texans RB Woody Marks (@ Ravens)
Another Day 3 NFL Draft success story, the Marks era is here for the Texans. The fourth-round rookie was excellent in Week 4, finishing as RB5 thanks to 119 scrimmage yards and 2 TDs.
Fellow Houston RBs Nick Chubb (seemingly lapped by Marks) and Joe Mixon (not close to a return from injury) aren’t daunting threats to Woody's workload.
With head coach DeMeco Ryans being “[E]xcited to see how much more he can handle,” Marks may only become a more popular fantasy target. Go swoop him up now, especially before he plays the league’s worst fantasy defense versus RBs.
Other Week 5 RB Waiver Wire Pickups to Consider
- Saints RB Kendre Miller (vs. Giants): On the surface, some may wonder why targeting Miller makes sense. Starter Alvin Kamara had 15 carries for 70 yards in Week 4, after all. But Miller sneakily finished as RB18 for the slate, thanks to 65 rushing yards and a TD. The third-year man’s touches and snaps continue to trend in the right direction, peaking at 11 and 21, respectively, last Sunday. Now he plays New York, who’s allowed RBs the fifth-most fantasy points on the year.
- Steelers RB Kenneth Gainwell (BYE): QB Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers being big Gainwell fans is one of the NFL’s worst-kept secrets. With Jaylen Warren missing Week 4 with a knee injury, “Kenny G” exploded en route to an RB3 finish. Should Warren's ailment linger after the bye, Gainwell becomes an instant must-add to your lineup. His fantasy points score has increased in each game this season.
Giants WR Darius Slayton (@ Saints)
It comes under unfortunate circumstances, but not many players figure to be helped more production-wise after an injury than Slayton.
In the two games Nabers missed last season, the steady Slayton averaged 11 targets and a 36.5% first-read share per Fantasy Points Data. With Nabers done for the year with his torn ACL, Slayton and Wan’Dale Robinson become two of Dart’s top options in the passing game.
In four 2025 outings, Slayton is posting the highest success rate (66.7%) and yards per target (11.3) of his career. That efficiency may change with more volume, but it’s a worthy trade-off.
Other Week 5 WR Waiver Wire Pickups to Consider
- Titans WR Elic Ayomanor (@ Cardinals): It seems that veteran Calvin Ridley continues to fall out of favor in Tennessee. Ayomanor, a fourth-round rookie, led the club’s Week 4 WR group in snap share (80%) and was second in routes (23) to only Tyler Lockett (24). After a quiet NFL debut, the former Stanford standout has been WR24 for fantasy in Weeks 2-4. That’s tremendous value if he’s still on the waiver wire in your league.
- Browns WR Isaiah Bond (vs. Vikings): Bond is undoubtedly a deeper cut for the Week 5 waiver wire. Similar to Slayton, though, he’s benefitting from injuries above him. With WRs Cedric Tillman and DeAndre Carter to miss “several weeks” following Week 4, Bond becomes an interesting option. The 21-year-old set career-highs in targets (6), receptions (3) and yards (58) on just 55% of available snaps. Facing defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ Vikings unit in London will be a fun test.
Dolphins TE Darren Waller (@ Panthers)
Welcome back, Waller! What a return to action it was after he retired but then decided he still had some gas left in the tank. Monday Night Football’s Dolphins win over the Jets marked Waller’s first game since January 7 of last year.
Perhaps the 33-year-old does have some juice despite a lengthy injury history. Waller logged all of 3 catches in Week 4, but a pair of them were of the TD variety. Finishing as the week’s TE2 on just 16 offensive snaps is one heck of a feat.
With Hill done for the season, Waller presumably moves up in the pecking order. He’s also got a Week 5 matchup against the Panthers, who have yielded the fifth-most fantasy points to TEs.
Other Week 5 TE Waiver Wire Pickups to Consider
- Panthers TE Tommy Tremble (vs. Dolphins): Speaking of good fantasy matchups for TEs, only the Steelers have given up more fantasy points to that position than the Dolphins. That may be good news for Tremble, who finally got into the end zone in Week 4 and sees Miami in Week 5. The former third-round pick just set season-highs in snaps (52), targets (8), catches (5) and yards (42), making him a player to keep an eye on.
- Ravens TE Isaiah Likely (vs. Texans): This one is entirely track record-based. After all, Likely made his season debut in Week 4 and didn’t log a single target in 25 offensive snaps. Last year’s TE13 and 2023’s TE19 will always compete with Mark Andrews for reps as long as the latter is healthy, but there’s plenty of love to go around in the Ravens’ passing attack.
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