2026 Fantasy Football Week 5 IDP Report: Risers, Waiver Wire & Matchups

Week 5 is the first week with the dreaded b-word. Bye weeks begin, and some say this is where the real strategy of fantasy football starts. Fantasy Alarm has every inch of the fantasy football gridiron covered, and the FAmily will have advantages in Week 5. From Dallas’ defensive pressure on Thursday to the high-volume Monday night game between the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams. The teams on bye during Week 5 are the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs. Get players from those teams out of your IDP lineups.

Before we break down the IDP risers, waivers, and matches to capitalize on, a look back at last week’s IDP Report Card.

• DL Tuli Tuipulotu (LAC) 3 solo tackles, 3 assisted tackles, 2 QB hits, 1 tackle for loss, 1 pass defended, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, 0.5 sack
• LB Quay Walker (LV) 4 solo tackles, 2 assisted tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 QB Hit, 1.0 sack
• DB Christian Izien (DET) 7 solo tackles, 4 assisted tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1.0 sack

Grade: A+ - Excellent marks led by Tuli Tuipulotu’s career game. A sack, a forced fumble, and an interception… in a game they were blown out of. Enjoy the rare IDP performance from Tuipulotu; we may not see that stat line for a few years. Christian Izien was a 0% rostered player who put up 10+ tackles and earned a sack… He won’t be 0% after Week 5 waivers clear. Quay Walker earned six tackles and a sack, just the tenth of his five-year career. Buddha Baker and Amik Robertson had 10+ fantasy football point performances as well, but it wasn’t enough to crack the top three.

Fantasy Football IDP Risers Week 5

Zach Sieler, DL, Miami Dolphins

Zach Sieler is playing his eighth season for the Miami Dolphins and is a well-known IDP. However, he is not owned in most leagues due to playing defensive tackle. He is rostered in just 3% of the leagues on Sleeper. Sieler started the season injured and played through it to not miss a game. He’s now healthy and wrecking the interior of opposing offensive lines

Week 4 was his most defensive snaps, with 61, almost 33% of his total. The Dolphins desperately need a spark, and it could come from their defensive veteran. They play the Cincinnati Bengals, who are banged up on offense. Look for more big plays from the underrated IDP. Get him on your fantasy football rosters for Week 5 and beyond.

Jeremiah Trotter, LB, Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles are looking for answers at multiple positions on both offense and defense. They were without their defensive leader Zach Baun due to a concussion, and Jeremiah Trotter took advantage of the opportunity. He played all 84 defensive snaps, and 12 more on special teams for a total of 96 snaps. Ninety-six! He tallied 10 solo tackles and 5 assisted tackles in the process, which was the third-highest total of the week.

Baun could come back, but Trotter is rising up the fantasy football rankings. He’s an IDP worth putting on the watch list, but in leagues with deep benches, he is worth a roster spot. Put a low FAAB amount on Jeremiah Trotter (not to be confused with his brother Josiah Trotter) and have a potential plug-and-play back-up for your fantasy football team.

Minkah Fitzpatrick, DB, New York Jets

Minkah Fitzpatrick came back on the field for the New York Jets, and did so with an exclamation point. Fitzpatrick played 98 total snaps, 93 of which were on defense. Ninety-eight! He earned a combined 16 tackles due to it, the second-most tackles of Week 4. The Jets may have one of the worst offenses in the NFL, and their IDPs benefit from more snaps. 

Fitzpatrick was on the Fantasy Alarm pre-season rankings, and even in his ninth season, he is an elite IDP. He played all over the field, but played 35 snaps in the box and 48 snaps at free safety. The Jets play the Cleveland Browns in Week 5, and several pass-happy teams before their Week 13 bye. Fitzpatrick will be rising up fantasy football waivers and should be rostered in most fantasy football leagues.

Fantasy Football Week 5 IDP Waiver Wire Targets

Byron Young, DL/LB, Los Angeles Rams (47% ownership +/-) 

Byron Young was among the least talked about Los Angeles Rams players going into the season. Heck, he may have been the least discussed IDP on his own team. However, he outperformed all of them and made people forget about Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald. At least for a week.

Young had his best game of the season, at a time when his team needed him most. He earned six combined tackles, three QB hits, 2.5 sacks, two tackles for loss, and one forced fumble in the come-from-behind victory against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Rams play against the Buffalo Bills on Monday night, and Josh Allen has been sacked nine times in four games. Young will have plenty of opportunities to bring down the 2024 MVP in a game that will feature several offensive plays. Pick Young up off waivers and put him in your roster for Week 5.

Jake Hansen, LB, Houston Texans (0% ownership +/-) 

Fantasy Football is similar to real football in that great players take advantage of opportunity. In IDP leagues, managers seek that opportunity weekly. Jake Hansen’s defensive snaps have increased in every game this season, and so have his fantasy football points. Despite that, he remains at 0% ownership.

Hansen’s linebacker teammates Jake Hummel and Henry To’oto’o are on IR, E.J. Speed is on PUP, Kenneth Murray was injured against the Dallas Cowboys, and Azeez Al-Shaair was out last week. That left Hansen with two rookies and himself to handle linebacker duties. He has earned a starting role and should continue to see several snaps in the box. He has logged 186 of his 205 defensive snaps in the box and could be a useful linebacker going forward. Put some FAAB on his Week 5 waiver and utilize him going forward. 

Evan Williams, DB, Green Bay Packers (13% ownership +/-)

Evan Williams is a great safety who, for the most part, hasn’t been great for fantasy football. Until this year. He currently has the second most points for defensive backs (79.00), and has potential to be a fantasy football all-star. He has recorded 34 combined tackles this season, or almost nine per game, and projects to have a high volume of tackles for the remainder of the season.

He has also logged four passes defended, three QB hits, 1.0 sack, and an interception. This is in part due to being more involved in the box. He has played as many or more snaps in the box than at his listed position of free safety during the last two weeks. With Edgerrin Cooper out for the season, Williams will be in the box even more. Put a small percentage of FAAB on his Week 5 waiver, and have a plug-and-play safety the rest of the season.

NFL Week 5 IDP Matchups To Capitalize On

Arvell Reese, DL, NY Giants

Arvell Reese has been everything John Harbaugh could ask for out of his first draft pick with the New York Giants. Reese has logged 34 combined tackles in four games this season. That is over eight tackles per game. He has played over 60 snaps in every game this season, and 42 or more snaps in the box of every game.

The 2026 fifth-overall pick is answering the call of responsibility, and logged three passes defended (a bonus in several IDP fantasy football leagues), and one interception in the win against the Arizona Cardinals. His first sack could come in Week 5 against New York’s division rival, the Washington Commanders. Regardless if Washington rolls out with their quarterback one, two, or three, their offensive line is awful. Reese should blow by them with a dip move or bull rush his opponent back into the quarterback. Look for another big play from Reese in Week 5.

Dre Greenlaw, Linebacker, SF 49ers

Following the San Francisco 49ers victory over the Denver Broncos, Dre Greenlaw had some choice words for his former head coach Sean Payton. Greenlaw played just one season with Denver and put up his best game of the season against them, with 12 combined tackles and a forced fumble. The 49ers are undefeated and play against their division rival, the Seattle Seahawks, on Sunday. He is due for another big game.

Greenlaw is back with the team he spent his first six seasons with, and it has been a seamless fit. He looks outstanding playing next to Fred Warner, and has 34 combined tackles this season. He has logged 56 snaps in the box in both of San Francisco's last two games, and is positioned to be an important part of their defense. He received the fourth-highest grade for the 49ers in Week 4, and has a great matchup against the run-centric Seahawks. Look for another great performance in this afternoon battle of fantastic interior linebackers.

Malik Hooker, Defensive Back, DAL Cowboys

Malik Hooker returned from injury last week for the Dallas Cowboys. He played 40 of the Cowboys’ 55 defensive snaps and produced 7 combined tackles with two passes defended. Or, put another way, a statistical play on almost 25% of his snaps. Although the Cowboys have Caleb Downs, DaRon Bland, and now Joey Porter, Hooker is capable of big plays on top of steady coverage on his deep routes. However, he also played eight snaps in the box and three in the slot. Look for those numbers to all go up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Buccaneers will be starting undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels at quarterback, and Hooker (a ten-year veteran) has a great chance for an interception, and several tackles should the Cowboys play with a positive game script. Pick up Hooker on the Week 5 waiver and put him into your fantasy football IDP rosters.

NFL Fantasy Football Week 5 IDP Injury Report & News

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