2025 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire and Yin & Yang Tight End Week 5: Jaxson Dart, Woody Marks, Darren Waller

Uh oh. They’re here. Those pesky bye weeks. If you thought things were ugly over the first four weeks, it’s about to get downright nasty. This week, we have four teams on bye with the Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears,Pittsburgh Steelers, and Green Bay Packers. And we don’t get a break from bye weeks until Thanksgiving rolls around in Week 13.

That makes it more important than ever to pay attention to the waiver wire. It might be time to drop some of our speculative stashes (like Kaleb Johnson, who hasn’t played much and is on bye this week) in favor of some players that can actually crack our lineup and help our team weather the oncoming storm. There are some decent options at all positions this week, so we’re going to be just fine. 

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2025 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 5 Top Targets

As always, our waiver wire discussion will be split into two articles. This is the main article, which covers the top players to add at each position, as well as an update to our Yin & Yang Tight End strategy. The second article, found here, is our Streamers and Stashes article that covers the deeper, more nuanced plays for Fantasy Alarm Members!

NFL Week 5 Waiver Wire Quarterbacks

Jaxson Dart - New York Giants Yahoo: 23% | ESPN: 21% | Sleeper: 34%  

We cannot make this more clearer - rushing upside is king at the quarterback position. The willingness to run alone is worth a speculative add. Any QB who runs ~5 times a game offers a pretty decent floor in the modern NFL and upside from week to week. Jaxson Dart just ran the ball 10 times this week.

Did he throw the ball well? No. Is Malik Nabers out? Yes. Is Jaxson Dart fast? Not particularly. Do we care? No. The quarterback position in fantasy football is broken to some degree, and that is especially true in leagues with 4-point passing TDs. You don’t have to start Dart in your league, but he should be speculatively added in spots where your QB doesn’t have huge upside already. We have seen legitimately bad passing QBs finish at QB1s in fantasy on the willingness to run alone. 

• Waiver Priority: Late or free add
• FAAB: 0-5% (more if he starts for you right away)

Matthew Stafford - Los Angeles Rams Yahoo: 43% | ESPN: 41% | Sleeper: 41%  

If Jaxson Dart is your “stash” option at quarterback, then Matthew Stafford is your conservative spot start option. He’s currently a QB1 in fantasy, and he’s thrown multiple touchdowns in each of his last three games. Puka Nacua is obviously incredible, but Davante Adams may be the redzone threat that he’s been missing in recent years. Davante Adams is currently second in endzone targets on the season behind only George Pickens. And Stafford is currently on pace for the third-most touchdown passes of his career and the most he’s had since 2021. 

• Waiver Priority: Low or Free Add
• FAAB: 0-5% (more if he starts for you right away)

Honorable Mention or Deep League Options: Geno Smith, Jake Browning, J.J. McCarthy (IR spot)

NFL Week 5 Waiver Wire Running Backs

Woody Marks - Houston Texans Yahoo: 32% | ESPN: 33% | Sleeper: 37%

This is an example where it pays to be a Fantasy Alarm member. Because Woody Marks has been in the Streamers and Stashes article as a top stash for multiple weeks now. So he’s been on the Fantasy Alarm member radar for a while. Last week, he was also a top add in this article at a must-add level. So you probably already have him, which is good.

If you did not add him, this is your last chance. His usage has slowly been growing week to week. But this week, he actually led the team in snaps, carries, and targets. The behind-the-scenes numbers have now translated to actual top production on the team. And he could just become the starting back outright without an injury to Nick Chubb, which is a fairly rare occurrence. Last week we said 15-20% of your budget to get him, but it’s going to cost more than that this time around - if he’s still there. 

• Waiver Priority: High Priority
• FAAB: 50-100%

Kendre Miller - New Orleans Saints, Yahoo: 5% | ESPN: 6% | Sleeper: 7%

Chris Rodriguez is another guy who will be floated, and he’s not a bad option. But that backfield is currently a three-headed monster with a mobile QB. This situation is at least just two backs, so you’re giving yourself better odds at usage - and a clearer path to hitting the handcuff lottery.

The rushing volume has been high for Alvin Kamara, though he hasn’t been used on a ton of pass plays. That’s typical for a Kellen Moore offense, and Howard Bender warned us of that. What we did not expect after multiple years of disappointment is for Kendre Miller to actually start getting carries here. But that’s what is happening here with Miller getting 7 carries last week and now 11 this week. Alvin Kamara is 30 years old, so he’s at a higher risk of injury than most. We’re not going crazy adding Miller, but he can be considered in the Tyler Allgeier range of handcuff plus players, likely.

• Waiver Priority: Late or Free Add
• FAAB: 0%

Honorable Mention or Deep League Options: Chris Rodriguez Jr, Tyjae Spears (IR stash), Kenneth Gainwell, Jaydon Blue

NFL Week 5 Waiver Wire Wide Receivers

Elic Ayomanor - Tennessee Titans Yahoo: 31% | ESPN: 31% | Sleeper: 57%

Elic Ayomanor has been our top add for a couple of weeks now. And he may have gotten even more appealing this week. This week, after a couple of weeks of tough drops, Calvin Ridley was dropped to a 42% route participation all of a sudden. Today, head coach Brian Callahan mentioned that Calvin Ridley was “banged up,” so it sounds like he’s got some sort of injury going on here.

Either way, Ayomanor now leads this team in targets with 25 and is second on the team in receptions with 12 (Chig Okonkwo has 13). Things have been pretty ugly for the Titans, but it’s rare that you can grab a guy playing as much as Ayomanor off the wire - and even more rare that he leads his team in targets. Both Cam Ward and Ayomanor are rookies, so maybe they can get on the same page and develop as the year moves on. 

• Waiver Priority: Medium Priority
• FAAB: 10-15%

Darius Slayton - New York Giants Yahoo: 3% | ESPN: 4% | Sleeper: 5%

When a guy like Malik Nabers goes down, there is a huge target void left. Wan’Dale Robinson is already heavily targeted and can only absorb so much. The candidates for increased work are Darius Slayton and Jalin Hyatt, who should settle in on the outside with Wan’Dale in the slot.

Jalin Hyatt is a speedster and the most likely candidate to operate in a field-stretching role. That leaves Darius Slayton as the veteran presence that might need to step up in the intermediate area. Jaxson Dart did not look great throwing the ball, but we should probably take a look here in case Slayton becomes a consistent option. 

• Waiver Priority: Low or Late Add
• FAAB: 0-5%

Isaiah Bond - Cleveland Browns Yahoo: 0% | ESPN: 0% | Sleeper: 2%

We want to mention Bond here as a deeper league add, given his unique circumstances. This is a guy who could have been drafted as high as Day Two of the NFL draft if he had not had pending legal issues. As soon as the matter was cleared, the Browns gave Bond a $3 million guaranteed deal, which is kind of unprecedented for undrafted rookies. They made him a priority signing because they liked the skill set.

Despite being a late signing, Bond pretty quickly surpassed Jamari Thrash on the depth chart. Now, with Cedric Tillman dealing with an injury, he has a shot to potentially take that number two chair and run with it. As long as Joe Flacco is the starter, the ball will be flying around, so he’s worth a look in deeper leagues and should be rostered in most dynasty leagues. 

Honorable Mention or Deep League Options: Brandon Aiyuk (move to IR spot), Malik Washington, Jalen Coker (IR spot), Romeo Doubs, Jalen Coker

NFL Week 5 Waiver and Yin & Yang Tight End

Darren Waller - Miami Dolphins, Yahoo: 8% | ESPN: 10% | Sleeper: 10%

Darren Waller is another player who has been in our Streamers & Stashes article each week of the year and, last week, was included in this article as well. Here’s what we had to say last week. 

“It’s a long shot. But I have him stashed in a few leagues. I think it’s easy to forget that this guy just took the one year off. In his last year in the league, he played 12 games and got 75 targets for 52 receptions and 552 yards. It’s not fair to just extrapolate that out, but if you did, that’s a 100 target pace for nearly 800 yards. This guy was still playing some decent ball; he was just dealing with serious injuries and some mental health issues as well.

This Dolphins team is a disaster right now. Who’s to say he can’t carve out a role? Everyone is trying to make the Dolphins a candidate to trade Tyreek Hill or Jaylen Waddle - what if that happens? In deep leagues, I’m going to take a look. The TE position is full of low upside and great mysteries - I’ll take a shot on the mystery box from time to time. The Dolphins' tight ends only have 3 catches so far this year, so the job is his right away.”

In his first game this week, he not only scored two touchdowns but he also lined up at WR for 87.5% of his snaps. On top of that, Tyreek Hill tore his ACL and other ligaments and is done for the season. This is the exact kind of upside stab that you need to take here - not only if you need a starting TE but if your starting TE is a “boring but safe” option like Travis Kelce or Zach Ertz. Looks like Darren Waller can still play a little bit. Outside of Woody Marks, if he’s available, this is probably the top add for me. 

• Waiver Priority: Medium to high priority
• FAAB: 15-20% (more if he starts for you right away)

Mason Taylor - New York Jets, Yahoo: 6% | ESPN: 3% | Sleeper: 11%

Don’t look now but the rookie is finally getting involved. He got six targets in Week 3 then followed that up with seven targets this week. His 77% route participation this week is also one of his best so far this season. There's some upside to be had here given their lack of other viable weapons.

If you’ve been holding, keep hanging on and, if you are struggling at the position in deep leagues, give him a look. Rookies can start slow so starting your career with two meh games and two solid games is pretty darn good if you ask me. We still like Waller more but both guys could end up top two targets on their team. Taylor will likely be flying under the radar with Waller splashing the two TD game so put in a contingent bid for Taylor.

• Waiver Priority: Late or free add
• FAAB: 0-5%

Brenton Strange - Jacksonville Jaguars, Yahoo: 28% | ESPN: 23% | Sleeper: 33%

If Darren Waller is the upside pick, Brenton Strange is the “safe but boring” one. As a Liam Coen tight end generally does, he’s playing a lot of snaps, but they are primarily in-line. As of right now, he’s technically the second target on the team behind Brian Thomas Jr, with 23, but targets are pretty slat with Travis Hunter having 21 and Parker Washington having 18. As long as Travis Hunter is going to be a part-time guy who only plays slot, there is a world where Brenton Strange remains the second target on this team all year. That offers a pretty decent floor even if Strange has zero touchdowns, zero endzone targets, and only two in the redzone. 

• Waiver Priority: Late or free add
• FAAB: 0-5%

**Check the bottom of the article for free rest of season half PPR tight end rankings with our Yin & Yang tight end chart!**

NFL Week 5 Waiver DST

Indianapolis Colts DST, Yahoo: 22% | ESPN: 40% | Sleeper: 18%

In an ideal world, we actually get a defense that we at least think is decent while also having a good matchup. That’s pretty rare on the wire, but the Colts are the closest thing we have to that in a team that is top 10 in DVOA and also playing the Las Vegas Raiders this week. If they look good, you can use them against Kyler Murray and the gang, but you probably will want someone else for the Chargers game.  

Arizona Cardinals DST, Yahoo: 19% | ESPN: 25% | Sleeper: 15%

The next best combo is going to be the Arizona Cardinals against the Tennessee Titans, who have been absolutely brutal so far. We’re still waiting to hear what the status is for Cardinals first-round pick Walter Nolen, who is eligible to return this week, but the news on his calf issue has been quiet, so we don’t expect him back. When he is back, this offense should be even better. 

New Orleans Saints DST, Yahoo: 1% | ESPN: 1% | Sleeper: 0%

If we can’t find an actual good defense, then we should at least just go for the best matchup. Jaxson Dart has brought his Wild West brand of football to New York, where he is scrambling around all over the place. That did lead him to have 10 carries, as we mentioned earlier in the article, but it also led him to six sacks too. Dart is bound to make mistakes early on here, and he doesn’t have Malik Nabers to rely on. So we’ll target him. 

Honorable Mention or Deep League Options: New York Giants vs. NO, Dallas Cowboys vs. NYJ
 

NFL Week 5 Waiver K

Spencer Shrader - Indianapolis Colts K, Yahoo: 42% | ESPN: 44% | Sleeper: 50%

Shrader is actually out there in a decent amount of leagues on some platforms, so he needs to be mentioned first. The Colts have been one of the league’s best offenses, and this guy has been good for multiple field goals every single week so far. Maybe the Daniel Jones wheels will fall off at some point, but we are willing to keep on riding the train until then, especially against Las Vegas this week. 

Joshua Karty - Los Angeles Rams K, Yahoo: 8% | ESPN: 10% | Sleeper: 4%

Our strategy here has generally been to target the kickers on teams with good offenses. Bonus points for domes, of course, but good teams can score whether it’s against bad teams or in shootout conditions. Matthew Stafford has kept the Rams competitive all year, so Joshua Karty has been a respectable option in the kicker game. He’s 8 of 10 on field goals and 10 of 11 on extra points, so he’s been converting at a fairly reliable rate - especially since both of his field goal misses came on blocks. 
 

NFL Yin & Yang Tight End Rankings

As promised, here are our Yin & Yang tight end rankings. This has been our bread and butter the last few years, and how we find breakout tight ends. Here is how the chart works.

If you have someone in the “standalone” section, then great - you don’t need to roster another tight end outside of injury and bye week. Outside of that, we are rostering two. We are looking for someone “safe” to start while stashing the most high-risk, high-reward option, trying to find a breakout. 

The tight ends in red are injured and at risk of missing time. If you can put them in an IR spot, great. If not, you may have to prioritize either a Yin or Yang tight end ranked above them to start for you.