The best fantasy football waiver wire moves are made before everyone else realizes there’s a move to make. While your league mates are busy sorting out Week 4 lineups, you can be quietly building your Week 5 advantage. Early waiver wire stashes are how championship rosters get built, and the cost is usually just your last bench spot and a little patience.
That’s where this early Week 5 waiver wire comes in. Rookie wideouts Antonio Williams and Makai Lemon are both stepping into bigger roles with veteran receivers banged up, and Jaylen Wright is a running back stash with the kind of upside that makes him worth holding while the rest were bidding for Ollie Gordon.
None of them are splashy names yet, which is exactly why you should add them now. Let’s get into the fantasy football Week 5 waiver wire stashes before rosters lock.
Note: These players are rostered in roughly 50% or fewer Yahoo! leagues.
FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 5 WAIVER WIRE STASHES
Quarterback Waiver Wire Targets
Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons (8% rostered)
Michael Penix Jr. is back, and he’s worth a look. In his first game back under center, he finished as the QB20 in fantasy with 15 points. That’s not eye-popping, but the underlying numbers tell a better story. Among the qualifying quarterbacks last week, Penix ranked third in yards per attempt, 12th in passing success rate, and 13th in catchable target rate, all while posting the third-lowest aDOT (6.41) at the position, per FantasyPros.
Penix was efficient while throwing short, and the deeper shots should come as he shakes off the rust. He also has a pretty fun group of weapons in Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts to make life easier for a young QB still getting his feet under him. Week 4 sets up nicely too, with a matchup against a Saints pass defense that should give him another solid outing.
The former first-round pick has nowhere to go but up, so if you need a quarterback, grab him.
Other QB Targets: Malik Willis (MIA, 27%); Kirk Cousins (LVR, 21%); Marcus Mariota (WAS, 9%); Jalon Daniels (2%)
Running Back Waiver Wire Pickups
Jaylen Wright, Miami Dolphins (32%)
While everyone else in your league is fighting over Ollie Gordon, I’d go against the consensus here. Jaylen Wright missed Week 3 with a minor foot injury and a stinger, but once he’s healthy (maybe now), I fully expect him to be the lead back in Miami.
Start with the depth chart. When healthy, Wright held the RB2 job over Gordon last season and throughout training camp, and he’s listed as the Dolphins’ RB 1 on their official unofficial depth chart. Then look at early-season usage: before Wright got hurt in Week 2, he had three carries to Gordon’s zero, and neither back saw a target. It’s a tiny sample, but it points in one direction.
Gordon’s Week 3 doesn’t change that for me. Seventeen carries at 2.4 yards a pop is a lot of volume for not much return. Wright, meanwhile, is the far more explosive runner of the two, and that athletic gap is a big reason I like his path back to the top of the pecking order.
I project at least a 60/40 split in Wright’s favor. He should handle most of the passing-down work, while Gordon vultures goal-line carries. Given how many negative game scripts this Miami offense is likely to face, I think the real fantasy value lies in that passing-down role.
Bottom line: Wright is the better bet, and he’ll cost you a lot less than Gordon. Stash him now, before your league-mates realize he exists.
Kendre Miller, New Orleans Saints (13%)
With Travis Etienne on IR with a hamstring injury, Kendre Miller is a savvy dart throw that’s worth the stash.
Although he’s dust at this point in his career, Alvin Kamara looks to be ahead of Miller on the Saints’ depth chart, but Kamara is 31 and has a hideous 2.8 YPC. Miller is 24, talented, and has one big flaw so far: staying on the field. If he stays healthy, he’s an intriguing young back with real upside.
Here’s the path to fantasy relevance. If Miller is effective against the Falcons in Week 4, the Saints could hand him more of the early-down work and shift Kamara to passing downs. We warned you not to overspend on a Saints RB in our waiver wire column, but Miller is still widely available and free at this point. Grab him before someone in your league does.
Other RB Targets: Kaelon Black (SF, 43%); Mike Washington Jr. (LVR, 35%); Keaton Mitchell (LAC, 35%); Emmett Johnson (KC, 32%); Tank Bigsby (PHI, 28%); Emanuel Wilson (SEA, 27%)
Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Targets
Makai Lemon, Philadelphia Eagles (48% rostered)
If you’re stashing an Eagles receiver ahead of roster lock, Dontayvion Wicks is the first name on my list, especially with DeVonta Smith (hamstring) sidelined. But don’t sleep on rookie first rounder Makai Lemon. He’s rostered in under 50% of leagues, he’s been trending up every week, and he’s about to get a bigger piece of the pie against the Rams on Sunday. Chris McPherson of the Eagles’ official site reports that both Lemon and Wicks will see expanded roles with Smith out (obviously).
Philly is still figuring out the best way to use the first-round rookie, and the usage data shows it. In Week 1, Lemon had a negative aDOT and a 50% designed target rate, per FantasyPros. Since then, things have opened up: his aDOT jumped to 14.0 and then 11.7 over the last two weeks, with slot rates of 48.4% and 73.1%. His receiving yards have slowly climbed through the first three games, too.
With Smith out for at least a week, Lemon has a real shot to carve out a go-to role in Jalen Hurts’ passing game. At under 50% rostered, he’s a waiver wire stash worth grabbing, especially if Wicks is rostered.
Antonio Williams, Washington Commanders (5% rostered)
Week 4 is set up for Antonio Williams. Terry McLaurin is doubtful with a hamstring injury, which opens the door for the Clemson rookie to step into a bigger role alongside Stefon Diggs. With so few managers paying attention, Williams is a must-add off the waiver wire.
He came out firing in his regular season debut, leading Washington in receptions, receiving yards, and yards per reception. Then he came back down to earth, finishing with under 25 receiving yards in each of the last two games. The good news is that an expanded role should bring a sizeable target share, which is exactly what a boom-or-bust rookie needs to get back on track.
At Clemson, he led the team in receptions over his final two seasons and finished his college career with 21 touchdowns. McLaurin and Diggs are both getting up there in age, so Williams has a real chance to make some noise this season. Grab him now and see how he looks with more snaps and Marcus Mariota throwing him the ball.
Other WR Targets: Tre Tucker (LVR, 42%); Kalif Raymond (CHI, 37%); AD Mitchell (NYJ, 30%); Malik Washington (MIA, 28%); Mack Hollins (NE, 10%); Chris Bell (MIA, 8%);
Tight End Waiver Wire Targets
Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals (7% rostered)
Nothing says 2026 like a grown man breaking out the Griddy, but Mike Gesicki is doing it, and he’s earning it. The veteran tight end has put together a solid start to the season and is in line for an expanded role now that WR3 Andrei Iosivas is on IR with a torn thumb ligament. That slots Gesicki right behind Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on Joe Burrow’s target totem pole, which is a very nice neighborhood to live in for waiver wire purposes.
Gesicki bounced back in a big way in Week 3 against Pittsburgh after getting blanked in Week 2 against Houston. He caught all three of his targets for 37 yards and a touchdown. He saved his best for the fourth quarter, hauling in a 25-yard touchdown from Burrow.
Through three games, Gesicki has 8 catches on 10 targets for 112 yards and two touchdowns. That’s efficient production, and it’s likely to grow with Iosivas out of the picture. If you need a streamer/stash tight end who can deliver touchdowns, this is your guy.
Other TE Targets: Darren Waller (MIA, 29%); Chig Okonkwo (WAS, 18%); Oronde Gadsden (LAC, 10%); Tyler Higbee (LAR, 2%)
