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- Super Sneaky Week 5 Waiver Adds
It can be difficult making waiver wire advice that is applicable to everyone.
Recommend someone who is too obvious and you’ll quickly be met with a “NOT IN MY LEAGUE!” response.
Go too off the board with a selection and you run the risk that it’s a bit too fancy for those in a more shallow league—“SHOULD I DROP D’ANDRE SWIFT FOR OLLIE GORDON?”
That said, I do want to highlight two Week 5 waiver adds who are available in the majority of leagues today.
RB Will Shipley / Philadelphia Eagles
Not only is Saquon Barkley battling a hamstring injury that could sideline him for a game or two, but now Tank Bigsby is headed to IR for core muscle surgery.
Enter: Will Shipley, who rushed six times for 23 yards on Sunday and has pass-catching chops (caught 69 balls—nice—in his final two seasons at Clemson).
The Eagles are a lock to bring in another back—likely promoting Dameon Pierce, Jaydon Blue or Carson Steele off the practice squad—but Shipley is worth a speculative add for now considering he’s the most tenured back on the roster.
RB Tyler Goodson / Dallas Cowboys
Cupps’ take: “Goodson is essentially just Malik Davis 2.0. For the second straight week, Emari Demercado was a healthy scratch, and Goodson was the only RB outside of Javonte Williams to see a carry out of the backfield.”
Pete spin: Nearly every other RB2 on a top offense is already rostered, but because the Cowboys have had a rotating carousel behind Javonte this year, Goodson is flying under the radar. He is one twisted ankle away from being a league-winner. He should be rostered everywhere.
WR Jalen Royals, Cyrus Allen / Kansas City Chiefs
Cupps’ take: “With Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton both leaving with injuries in Week 4, the Chiefs might not have much choice but to give Allen a significant route share going forward.”
Pete spin: Cupps prefers Allen—and I don’t mind chasing the mystery-box rookie—but I think I prefer Royals, who ran significantly more routes (64%) than Allen (6%).
One other wrinkle to consider here—Tyreek Hill’s agent is beginning to talk with teams about a deal for his veteran WR, one of which is the Chiefs.
If you are in need of short-term production, I’d go with Royals or Allen—though don’t forget the Chiefs are on bye this week—but if you have the luxury of patience I’d go ahead and stash Hill.
For the rest of the Week 5 waiver options, check out the full article. The options include:
Another sneaky RB2 behind a top-5 RB who is rostered in only 19% of leagues (🤫)
A UDFA who led the Bengals in routes in Week 4 and earned 9 targets (👀)
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Fantasy
Around the Watercooler
It’s on to Week 5, and your favorite football nerds are back and bringing you the latest news, content and memes from the NFL universe …
💪 Funny to consider this QB as a streaming option. Turning back time?
🩸 A pair of WRs to consider dropping. And a late-round QB who was a big target.
💥 Hot waivers RB pickup really delivered. Now can he produce in a smash spot?
⚠️ Ready to sell high on this much-hyped rookie? Warning signs are there.
🤔 The Seahawks adding RB reinforcements? Interesting.
⛓️💥 3 RB handcuffs to keep an eye on. Tis the season.
🛞 Put a star next to this streamer WR option. Third wheel can still roll.
✏️ The Bears already announced their Week 5 QB … and it’s not Caleb Williams.
🚑️ The Broncos lose a WR for a few weeks. Some other waiver ideas here.
🤔 This TE produces in the right situation. Is it in Week 5?
👋 B Robinson scored … 5 TIMES!
No. 1 Takeaway From The Week 5 Utilization Report …
Kyren Williams: back in a high-end RB1 role?
Over the last two games, Williams has a 76% snap share, 73% rush share, and 20% target share, with a 56% route participation rate. In those two contests, he has a 95 Utilization Score with 29.3 points per game (PPG).
Could the Rams be thrusting Williams back into a similar role that made him a league-winner in 2024 and 2025? There is a lot of context to consider.
First, the last two games have been against tough defensive matchups in the Broncos and Eagles. And both games have been one-score victories. The Rams may want to prioritize Williams in games like these, which can be hard to pinpoint. Williams is the two-minute back and has handled 100% of those snaps this year. Williams has picked up 29 snaps in the two-minute offense over the last two weeks.
Second, Terrance Ferguson is on IR, and Colby Parkinson hasn't played in either game. While Williams hasn't been a high-end receiving option in the NFL, he was a pass-catching dynamo at Notre Dame. Historically, there is a trade-off between TE and RB targets in the NFL.
Finally, Sean McVay has mentioned a "hot hand" approach when asked about the change in the rotation. He has pushed back on the notion that Blake Corum is now a backup, but in the same breath said he wants Williams to be a focal point. That makes the situation murkier from a rest-of-season perspective. But one thing is certain: Williams has a newfound ceiling because he can dominate opportunities when he has the hot hand.
Both backs have been productive on the ground behind a Rams offensive line that ranks second in yards before contact per RB attempt (2.14). I have included each player's rank for each stat among 35 RBs with at least 30 carries in 2026.
Kyren Williams: 5.4 YPC (5th), 3.8 average yards after contact (5th), 9.3% 10+ yard attempts (18th), 30% missed tackles forced (4th)
Blake Corum: 4.9 YPC (9th), 1.9 average yards after contact (35th), 15.1% 10+ yard attempts (4th), 14% missed tackles forced (21st)
But Williams has a considerable leg up in the receiving department, with 1.73 yards per route run (YPRR) on 25% targets per route run (TPRR). Williams ranks 5th in both categories. Corum has a 0.69 YPRR and 24% TPRR.
With a four-game sample including two split-backfield games and two with Williams as the clear RB1, we get a good view of how his season could play out even if things shift back and forth throughout the season. Based on the data, I think Corum still has a role in games where the Rams are leading and don't need the two-minute offense as much.
Williams' 91 Utilization Score ranks 5th. For this activity, I have brought the score down slightly, as his recent uptick in targets is fragile given the health of the TEs and the amount of two-minute offense snaps. If we take his target share down from 16% to the 10-12% range, his Utilization Score would be an 87. His historical comps averaged 17.1 PPG, with 71% finishing in the top 5.
RB1-RB6 Seasons: 33% (Ceiling Finish)
RB7-RB12 Seasons: 38% (Median Finish)
RB13-RB18 Seasons: 24% (Floor Finish)
RB19-RB24 Seasons: 5% (Outlier Floor Finish)
Williams UPGRADES to low-end RB1 status and offers high-end RB1 upside should the Rams continue to play in shootouts.
From DST Zeros in 2025 to DST Heroes In Week 5, 2026
These aren’t your grandma’s Cincinnati Bengals. They’ve been much improved on the defensive side of the ball compared to last season and have a high-upside matchup in Week 5. Jonathan Fuller breaks down why they’re the perfect one-week plug-and-play to add on waivers tonight:
The Cincinnati defense continues to play solid football, recording 14 sacks through their first four games this season. They are in the top half of the league by most efficiency metrics and are respectable against both the run and the pass.
The Bengals get to face the Miami Dolphins, who have failed to score more than 13 points in any of their games so far this season. Malik Willis also has a turnover in three of the first four games this season and has taken 11 sacks in four games, tied for seventh most among all QBs. As expected, Miami is one of the least competent offenses in the NFL, which makes them a good target to stream a DST against.
Cincinnati is favored by 7 points in a game with a 41.5-point game total, which doesn't leave many projected points for the Dolphins, so the expected game script is also exactly what we like to see. The only thing that isn't ideal is that Cincinnati is on a bye in Week 6 and faces Baltimore in Week 7, so this is only a one-week play.
Week 4 Overreaction: Everybody Hurts
Call the medic, we need more injury updates after the brutal start to the 2026 season. Also, Scott Turner joins Kendall and Pete for a discussion on Real Football vs. Fake Football. Plus, waiver wire recommendations and more. Catch all the episodes on the Fantasy Life Show YouTube channel by subscribing today.
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