Week 5 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Adds: Woody Marks, Kendre Miller, and More
The byes are here! It's time to start taking waivers very seriously. Kendall Valenzuela has this week's best adds!
Welcome to Week 5 and the start of the Bye Weeks in the NFL. DO NOT PANIC! We have been preparing for this moment. There will be four teams unavailable to you this week — the Steelers, Falcons, Bears and Packers. It's safe to say because of these teams being out you'll also be missing some key fantasy players like Bijan Robinson, Drake London (just when he's back!), Caleb Williams, Tucker Kraft, Kenneth Gainwell (hello there!), Rome Odunze, DK Metcalf and more.
And it does not stop there. Remember, we always want to try to be a week ahead in our leagues so while we're preparing to be without the four teams previously mentioned, also keep in mind that for Week 6 we'll be without the Texans and Vikings. So let's see what we can get you this week!
Note: All rostership percentages are from Yahoo.
Week 4 Injuries To Monitor for the Week 5 Waiver Wire
- Malik Nabers (out for the season)
- Cedric Tillman (hamstring)
- Terry McLaurin (quad)
- Darnell Mooney (hamstring)
Week 5 Waiver Wire Adds For Fantasy Football
Jaxson Dart, QB, Giants (23% rostered)
With Jaxson Dart's first official start for the New York Giants, how can you not look at Dart as THE quarterback to pick up? I said in the offseason he could be the waiver wire hero of 2025 and Sunday showed why. Dart threw for 111 yards and connected with Theo Johnson for a touchdown, but Dart added even more on the ground. He finished the day with 10 carries for 54 yards and a score on his way to upsetting the Los Angeles Chargers.
It's not always going to be smooth sailing for Dart and Co. The team takes on the Saints on the road next week before taking on the Eagles twice, Broncos and 49ers — yikes. One thing is for sure though, Dart brought life to this Giants team. Losing Malik Nabers for the season is a huge blow, but with the rushing upside Dart brings he should still have a nice floor for fantasy managers.
Darius Slayton, WR, Giants (2% rostered)
Listen, we're just trying to manage at this point. With Malik Nabers out that means targets are going to open up. Wan'Dale Robinson is more than 50% rostered or else I would highlight him here, but Darius Slayton can also be another man up to help replace Nabers. Again, it's going to be an uphill battle for this offense in 2025 because the Giants have the hardest strength of schedule, but with the Saints next week there's definitely hope. Slayton led the team with three receptions for 44 yards and Robinson locked down three receptions for 14 yards. Either are worth a look across the board.
Emari Demercado, RB, Cardinals (4% rostered)
LOOK AWAY, TREY BENSON MANAGERS! One might have already forgotten that Thursday Night Football game against the Seahawks, but if your leaguemates are asleep at the wheel then it's worth picking up Emari Demercado. Benson had more work, but Demercado had two rushing attempts for eight yards and also caught two passes for 13 yards and a touchdown. Better days are ahead for Benson, but we know Demercado is going to be the RB2 in this offense and holds some value moving forward.
Luke McCaffrey (1% rostered) / Jaylin Lane (0% rostered), WRs, Commanders
With Terry McLaurin unable to play in Week 4 because of his quad injury, the Commanders were able to turn to their other receivers who stepped up in his absence. Luke McCaffrey finished the day with two receptions for 21 yards and also found the endzone. He's a highlight here because head coach Dan Quinn said on Friday that the wide receivers "are ready for the moment" and that warrants our attention.
I think there's a chance that McLaurin misses Week 5 due to the fact that he sought extra opinions on his injury and it was reported that he didn't need surgery. If you're in a deep league I don't mind throwing a dart on rookie Jaylin Lane as well — he had two receptions for 18 yards against the Falcons.
Woody Marks, RB, Texans (30% rostered)
Why hello there, Woody Marks! Last week I highlighted Marks because his role was growing every single week. In Week 3 he hit season-highs in rushing attempts (40%), route participation (44%), and target share (6%). And against the Titans in Week 4? He came alive. Marks had 17 carries for 64 yards and a touchdown while also notching four receptions for 50 receiving yards and a touchdown through the air.
Almost as importantly, Nick Chubb was just 13 for 47, with two catches for 15 yards.
Now more than ever it's tough to find running backs on the waiver wire, but it's time to spend some money on Marks heading into Week 5.
Kendre Miller, RB, Saints (5% rostered)
The trade deadline for the NFL isn't until Tuesday, November 4th, but if there's a chance that Alvin Kamara could be traded then picking up Kendre Miller right now isn't a bad idea.
Miller is never going to get the Kamara workload while they're still on the same team, but he was effective against the Bills on Sunday. Miller had 11 carries for 65 yards and a touchdown while Kamara finished the day with 15 carries and 70 yards while locking down four receptions for two yards. We could start seeing a little more Miller on the ground — and with bye weeks here he's a great running back to pick up and hold on to.
Bryce Young, QB, Panthers (18% rostered)
Do NOT boo me! I understand that this is totally gross, but we are getting into streamer territory and with four teams on a bye, Bryce Young might have to be your guy. Let me give you the good news… he's playing the Miami Dolphins at home.
On Sunday in a big loss against the Patriots, Young was 18-of-30 for 150 yards and touchdown; he had one rush for 3 yards — a far cry from the 5/40 he had on the ground in Week 1. Head coach Dave Canales said after Sunday’s loss that they will not be making a quarterback change. Young fell to 1-15 all-time on the road, but maybe this can be a get-right spot for the Panthers.
Troy Franklin, WR, Broncos (32% rostered)
If you saw the 2.8 fantasy points in Week 3 then you were likely unimpressed with Troy Franklin, but the underlying data was still good. Since we're waiting for Monday Night Football between the Broncos and the Bengals, just know that last week Franklin had a season-high 94% route participation and was locked in as the No. 2 target on the Broncos with a 21% target share (shoutout to the amazing Dwain McFarland for that information). The Broncos play the Eagles in Week 5 but then have a nice three game stretch facing the Jets, Giants and Cowboys.
Tahj Brooks, RB, Bengals (1% rostered)
Chase Brown has not been doing it for his fantasy managers and the Bengals. Yes, he's dominated with a 67% snap share, 79% attempt share, and 12% target share, but the results haven't been there. If this continues on Monday we could possibly see Cincinnati's coaches mix in more of Brooks and Samaje Perine.
The Other Guys: Deeper League Adds For Week 5
- Jayden Higgins, WR, Texans (16% rostered)
- Malik Washington, WR, Dolphins (1% rostered)
- AJ Barner, TE, Seahawks (1% rostered)
- Cole Kmet, TE, Bears (3% rostered)
- Elic Ayomanor, WR, Titans (31% rostered)
- Blake Corum, RB, Rams (28% rostered)
