We are through four weeks of football, with plenty left to go. Regardless of whether you are 4-0, 0-4, or somewhere in between in your Fantasy Football League… keep pushing. Activity wins leagues. Making your roster better consistently gives you a league edge. An easy way to do that is to utilize the waiver wire effectively.
Each week I highlight players worth picking up for Fantasy Football that are rostered in 50% or less of various Redraft formats. Every league is different in terms of size, scoring, and other settings, so I give you plenty of options. Let’s get it
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2026 Fantasy Football: Week 5 Waiver Wire Winners
Keaton Mitchell (RB, Chargers)
Kraton Mitchell rushed 10 times for 39 yards and caught five balls for 24 yards in Week 4 for 11.3 Fantasy Points. Mitchell led the Chargers’ backfield in touches with 15, Omarion Hampton’s 11, and Kimani Vidal’s seven. In Week 3, Mitchell rushed eight times for 52 yards (6.5 yards per carry), and caught three balls with one of them resulting in a touchdown, for 13.7 Fantasy Points. Double-digit scoring and now leading the Chargers in touches should put Fantasy managers on major notice. Especially with Omarion Hampton not living up to expectations so far.
Joe Mixon (RB, Seahawks)
Joe Mixon has signed with the Seattle Seahawks. Mixon missed all of 2025 with a foot injury and then was released by Houston. Mixon has finished five seasons with over 1,000 rushing yards and has a history of Fantasy Football upside. The Seahawks have rookie Jadarian Price on the IR, Zach Charbonnet is coming off of a major injury, and while Emanuel Wilson balled out in Week 4, I do not believe Seattle is confident in him leading them to another Super Bowl. If Mixon is healthy, he could end up being one of the biggest waiver wire moves of the season.
Keon Coleman (WR, Bills)
Keon Coleman caught six of his season-high seven targets for 116 yards and a touchdown for 23.6 Fantasy Points. Back in Week 2, Coleman caught all six targets for 63 yards. So we have now seen two games where Coleman earns decent targets and produces well with them. The volume and production may not be consistent, but we are seeing FLEX-worthy weeks for a wide receiver growing. DJ Moore is also dealing with a shoulder injury, which could mean an elevated role for Coleman.
Kirk Cousins (QB, Raiders)
Kirk Cousins has found the fountain of youth in Las Vegas. Through four games played, Cousins has thrown 11 touchdowns and four interceptions, with three games of 248+ passing yards, with a high of 365 in Week 4. Cousins has also finished with 21.2, 22.2, then 23.6 Fantasy Points the last three weeks. That is very useful Fantasy production, beyond streaming. The Raiders just lost a tight one to the Chiefs after a 3-0 start, which even further shows Cousins thriving in this system.
Tyler Allgeier (RB, Cardinals)
Tyler Allgeier rushed eight times for 42 yards (5.3 yards per carry) and scored a touchdown, with two catches for seven yards. 12.9 Fantasy Points was a season-high score; this was Allgeier’s second week with 40+ rushing yards, and fourth straight with multiple catches. Allgeier is not just a solid handcuff to Jeremiah Love, but a running back that can provide stand-alone value when the game script allows it. We saw this last year with Allgeier as a Falcon with Bijan Robinson.
Tre Harris (WR, Chargers)
Tre Harris took three of his five targets for 60 yards (20 yards per reception) in Week 4. Harris produced 76 yards in Week 3 on seven targets. Harris is quietly leading the Chargers in all of targets, receptions, and receiving yards so far this season. Ladd McConkey may have aggravated his foot injury, which is an injury to monitor and could boost Harris into the true WR1 role for Justin Herbert. I was a big fan of Harris’ prospect profile, so I am happy to see signs of progress for the sophomore.
TJ Hockenson (TE, Vikings)
TJ Hockenson stepped up huge for Kyler Murray in Week 4 with Justin Jefferson out, catching all 13 targets for 119 yards, which was 24.9 Fantasy Points. Hock scored a touchdown and finished with 13.6 Fantasy Points back in Week 1. People forget Kyler’s connection to Trey McBride back in Arizona, and also the Fantasy Football upside history of Hockenson. Catching all 13 targets and racking the yards up with it shows both reliability, efficiency, and some juice left for Hock.
Roman Wilson (WR, Steelers)
Roman Wilson caught three of his six targets in Week 4 for a season-high 74 yards and scored a touchdown, which meant 16.4 Fantasy Points. Wilson produced 60 yards and a touchdown for 15 Fantasy Points in Week 3 as well, so that is back-to-back FLEX-worthy performances. Wilson has earned exactly six targets in all four games this season, and his production has been climbing each week, which can easily mean more trust from Aaron Rodgers.
Malik Washington (WR, Dolphins)
Malik Washington caught all five of his targets for 67 yards in Week 4, and rushed twice for three yards. Washington has slowly been climbing from 6.3 to 8.7 to 11.1 to 12 Fantasy Points. Washington leads the Dolphins in all of targets, receptions, and receiving yards as the clear go-to for Malik Willis this season. Washington has produced over 50 receiving yards in three of his four games played, with 67 in Week 4 being the high. The upside may be limited, but the clear role is there.
Antonio Williams (WR, Commanders)
Antonio Williams earned eight targets with Terry McLaurin out in Week 4, but only caught three of those for 21 yards. The Commanders were on their QB3 following Marcus Mariota going down, which was a factor in itself for Williams not connecting on more. The rookie scored an 87-yard touchdown on a catch-and-run in this one, but it was unfortunately called back; it fully displayed his YAC ability. Williams caught four balls for 64 yards and a touchdown in Week 1. I love the talent, and when Jayden Daniels returns, we can see a rise.
Dohnte Meyers (WR, Bengals)
Dohnte Meyers caught seven of his nine targets in Week 4 for 82 yards, which was 15.2 Fantasy Points. Meyers started the game as the WR3 with Andrei Iosivas on the IR, but Ja’Marr Chase exited with a concussion and Tee Higgins suffered an adductor issue. The rookie could be in line for even more of an elevated role for Week 5 if either or both of Chase and Higgins miss some time. Meyers earned five targets in Week 3, so he has slowly been gaining more and more Joe Burrow trust.
Austin Ekeler (RB, Commanders)
Austin Ekeler made his 2026 debut for the Commanders after signing on September 29th in Week 4, and rushed four times for 29 yards (7.3 yards per carry) with an 11-yard reception. Ekeler displayed some juice for his age and also for him coming off a major Achilles injury. Should Rachaad White miss more time, Ekeler can continue operating in place of him and could find some Fantasy relevance if his work trends up in a backfield that does not have a true solidified RB1.
Kendre Miller (RB, Saints)
This was written before Monday Night Football, but Kendre Miller has an elevated role with Travis Etienne Jr. on the IR. Alvin Kamara should operate as the lead back in total touches, but Miller should create a committee and earn plenty of rushing touches. Stand-alone value for those in need of running back depth is evident, as long as Etienne is out.
Kaleb Johnson (RB, Packers)
Kaleb Johnson efficiently rushed eight times for 42 yards, which was 5.3 yards per carry, in Week 4. While MarShawn Lloyd was effective in the passing game (five catches for 36 yards), he was terribly inefficient as a rusher with seven carries for 13 yards (1.9 yards per carry). Lloyd has rushed for under three yards per carry in three of the four games played this season. Chris Brooks also suffered an ankle injury to monitor in Week 4. Johnson could end up getting much more work on the ground for Green Bay, who are desperate for someone to step up.
Mike Gesicki (TE, Bengals)
Mike Gesicki caught three of his five targets for 40 yards and a touchdown for 13 Fantasy Points. Gesicki has scored in three of his four games this season, averaged 12+ yards per catch in three games, and has scored 12+ Fantasy Points (a high of 18.8 in Week 1) in three games. Ja’Marr Chase suffered a concussion in Week 4, and Tee Higgins an adductor injury, so Gesicki’s importance to Burrow could be even higher in Week 5 should either or both of those guys have to sit.
Emmett Johnson (RB, Chiefs)
Emmett Johnson finished Week 4 with a single catch for 10 yards. The rookie finished Week 2 with two catches for 20 yards and Week 1 with two catches for 44 yards. So Johnson is clearly effective there as a dual-threat back. Kenneth Walker III is thriving as the Chiefs’ RB1. Johnson is an explosive back who would be a weekly Fantasy starter if he ever had to step in for KWIII. So while he is not doing anything for stand-alone value, I still believe Johnson is one of the best handcuffs to stash.
Brian Robinson Jr. (RB, Falcons)
Brian Robinson Jr. has finished two games with 50-ish rushing yards, two games with double-digit rushing attempts, and as of the first half of Monday Night Football, he has two rushing touchdowns. BRob is a former starter who is playing the former Tyler Allgeier role, and is at minimum a solid handcuff to Bijan Robinson.
Aaron Rodgers (QB, Steelers)
Aaron Rodgers has caught fire the last two games, with scores of 23.7 and then 24 Fantasy Points. Rodgers finished with 292 and then 299 passing yards in these two weeks, with three touchdowns thrown in each game. There is still evident upside in the veteran quarterback, who is connecting well with his weapons despite his OL leaving him to dry at times. The Colts are a positive matchup in Week 5 for Rodgers to stay hot.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 5 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!
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