2026 Fantasy Football: Week 5 Running Back Streamers and Sleepers

Week 4 of the 2026 NFL season is officially in the books, which means it’s time to start looking ahead to Week 5. We’re also officially entering bye-week season, which is always a headache for fantasy managers. Luckily, only the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs are on bye this week, but things are about to get much tougher.

The running back position is already getting hit hard by injuries, so now is the time to be aggressive on the waiver wire and identify the backs who could see their roles increase.

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Week 5 Running Back Streamers

Will Shipley/Jayden Blue

Saquon Barkley going down is another brutal reminder of how quickly injuries can change the fantasy landscape.

Shipley stepped into the Eagles’ backfield after Barkley left, rushing six times for 23 yards. He was also the only healthy running back left on Philadelphia’s active roster after Tank Bigsby suffered his core muscle injury.

Now that Bigsby is headed to injured reserve and will miss at least a month, Shipley is suddenly sitting in a much more interesting position. Barkley is currently week to week with a hamstring injury.

#Eagles RB Saquon Barkley is considered week-to-week with his hamstring injury, per me and @MikeGarafolo. It’s not considered to be a long-term injury. https://t.co/WvZgowe7Hs

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 6, 2026

Shipley played 29 snaps in Week 4 and ran 15 routes. He was a fourth-round pick out of Clemson in 2024 and showed plenty of ability as both a runner and receiver.

Jaydon Blue is a name I wanted to mention, but he’s currently on the practice squad.

The matchup against Jacksonville isn’t ideal, but Shipley becomes one of my favorite speculative adds of the week. If Blue is called up, he would play an in-between-the-tackles role similar to Bigsby.

Keaton Mitchell

Keaton Mitchell is quickly becoming one of the more interesting waiver-wire backs heading into Week 5.

His involvement has continued to climb. He played just 27.6% of the Chargers’ snaps during Weeks 1 and 2, but that number has jumped to 37.9% since Week 3. Week 4 was especially encouraging. Mitchell led the Chargers’ backfield with a 38% snap share, slightly ahead of Kimani Vidal at 37%, while Omarion Hampton dropped to a season-low 32%.

Mitchell also posted career highs in touches, targets, and receptions. He finished with 15 touches, six targets and five catches while leading the Chargers with 10 rushing attempts and adding 39 rushing yards.

The workload is trending in the right direction for him. LA is 0-4 right now, and if the Chargers continue increasing his role, Mitchell has legitimate flex appeal.

Tyler Allegier

Jeremiyah Love is clearly making his case for a larger role in Arizona, but that doesn’t mean we should completely forget about Tyler Allgeier. Allgeier is still one of the better handcuffs available.

Allgeier started the season with a 60.8% snap share and averaged 11 carries for 35.5 rushing yards through the first two games. His role took a major hit in Week 3 when he played just 35.6% of the snaps and managed only two carries for negative one yard.

In Week 4, he played 54% of the snaps, carried the ball eight times for 42 yards, and scored his first touchdown of the season. He also continues to have involvement around the goal line. Love has more red-zone attempts overall, but Allgeier has handled both of the Cardinals’ carries inside the 5-yard line. Love popped up with a new ankle injury, so watch practice reports.

If Love is ruled out, Allgeier would step into a significantly larger role and could easily become an RB1 option if that opportunity opens up.

Week 5 Running Back Sleepers

Austin Ekeler

I completely understand if the Commanders’ crowded backfield has you wanting nothing to do with their running backs right now.

The situation became even more interesting when Rachaad White went down with a shoulder injury in Week 4. But his absence opened the door for Austin Ekeler to immediately become part of the conversation.

Washington signed the 31-year-old veteran to a one-year deal on September 29, and he wasted no time making an impact in his first game. Ekeler played 26.6% of the snaps, carried the ball four times, and actually led Washington’s backfield with 29 rushing yards while averaging an impressive 7.3 yards per carry. He also ran 10 routes and caught one of his two targets.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt still led the backfield with a 45.3% snap share and nine carries, but he managed only 15 rushing yards. Kaytron Allen played just 18.8% of the snaps and finished with three carries for one yard.

White’s injury status is obviously something we need to keep an eye on, but Ekeler’s efficiency and involvement were encouraging in his first game back.

Seattle Running Backs – Emmanuel Wilson, Zach Charbonnet, Joe Mixon

Emanuel Wilson made his first start with Jadarian Price landing on injured reserve and immediately made the most of the opportunity. Wilson scored twice in Seattle’s 30-23 win, taking a slip screen 23 yards for a touchdown before adding an 8-yard rushing score. George Holani finished with just seven carries.

For right now, Wilson is the guy, but the problem is Seattle has plenty of moving pieces coming. Zach Charbonnet is eligible to return from the PUP list, and the Seahawks also signed Joe Mixon, although Mixon is reportedly starting out on the practice squad. That makes this backfield extremely difficult to project moving forward.

Wilson is the immediate pickup; Charbonnet and Mixon are both stashes for now.

Make sure to check out all of our Week 5 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!