Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 5: Top Pickups, FAAB Bids, Drops & Streamers (Ep. 2241)
The hosts break down the Week 5 waiver wire, led by the Eagles backfield chaos after Saquon Barkley and Tank Bigsby injuries open the door for Will Shipley, plus breakout buzz around Keon Coleman, Trey Harris and Dante Myers. They also run through keep-or-cut calls on fading veterans, discuss Tyreek Hill's free-agency market, and close with streamer picks and top-5 waiver rankings.
This Week 5 waiver episode from Alfredo Brown, Jake Seeley, and Pat Fitzmorris is built around a league thin on clear-cut pickups, forcing the hosts to lean heavily on injury speculation (Bigsby, Barkley, Higgins, DJ Moore) rather than obvious breakouts. The central argument is that volume and opportunity should trump talent evaluation this week — several of the hosts' top ads are players they don't actually trust long-term, but who are getting touches or targets simply because the players ahead of them are hurt.
The arguments
Will Shipley is the week's top add, but only conditionally on Tank Bigsby's injury. Pat Fitzmorris flagged him as the headline pickup after Bigsby left Sunday's game and Saquon Barkley is already out with a hamstring injury, potentially handing Shipley a 20-touch workload. Jake Seeley agreed on the volume thesis but was clear he doesn't think Shipley fixes a broken Eagles offense, comparing the likely workload to what Braylon Allen got last week — usable but unspectacular. Both pegged FAAB in the 20s-30s if Bigsby is out, but down to roughly 11-23 if there's uncertainty.
Kendrick Miller is a must-stash before Monday night, independent of injury news. Jake was explicit that Miller is the rare running back ad who doesn't require someone else getting hurt to have value, since he split carries roughly 55-45 with Alvin Kamara. Pat added that a tough Falcons run defense that's forced opponents to throw 72.8% of the time will be a real test of whether Miller's role sticks.
Keon Coleman's breakout is real for Fitzmorris but not fully trusted by Seeley. Fitz framed Coleman's 100-yard, one-touchdown game (with DJ Moore re-injuring his shoulder) as a classic third-year receiver leap, comparing it to Davante Adams' slow start. Jake pushed back that Coleman doesn't separate and did his damage against a bad defense, saying he'd rather own Trey Harris in the Chargers offense since Ladd McConkie's injury could hand him the WR1 role. Both landed on similar FAAB ranges (6-12 for Coleman, 8-13 for Harris).
Dante Myers is a sleeper play for Fitzmorris that Seeley actively discourages. With Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins both out, Fitz highlighted Myers' underdog path (CFL practice squad, futures deal) and a plus matchup against Miami's secondary, putting him inside his top-30 receivers. Jake was skeptical, noting the Bengals brought back Mitch Tinsley and that a scout he trusts only had Myers as a late-round receiver prospect, so he wouldn't rely on him in lineups even if he's free.
Tyreek Hill is a buy-and-flip candidate, not a lineup play. Breaking news during the show had Hill's agent negotiating with teams, with the Chiefs (reuniting him with Andy Reid) among the suitors. Jake's angle was to grab him cheaply (potentially even double digits in FAAB) purely to trade him for value once hype spikes, since an actual return timeline of November or later makes him unusable for most rosters right now.
Several long-slumping veterans got conditional "keep" verdicts due to depleted competition rather than their own play. Courtland Sutton was nearly cut by both hosts until Pat Bryant's injury reopened the WR2 role behind him in Denver. Marshawn Lloyd was kept for now by Pat Fitzmorris purely because Josh Jacobs' suspension status and a potential Chris Brooks injury could leave a two-man Packers backfield, though Jake argued Lloyd is actually worse post-injury and ranked him behind Caleb Johnson.
What it means for your roster
- Priority add: Will Shipley, with FAAB bid scaled to Bigsby news — go 20s/30s if Bigsby is confirmed out, 11-23 if uncertain at lock.
- Cheap stash before Monday night: Kendrick Miller, even if it means dropping an unused bench piece in leagues that allow it.
- Mid-tier WR adds (6-13 FAAB range): Keon Coleman and/or Trey Harris; Jake prefers Harris given McConkie's injury upside, Fitz leans Coleman off his touchdown/100-yard game.
- Speculative, low-priority flier: Dante Myers only if you're desperate at WR — Fitz likes the matchup/opportunity, but don't expect top-30 production given Seeley's scouting-based skepticism.
- Don't overpay for Tyreek Hill: worth a flyer bid (potentially double digits) only as a stash-and-flip for trade value, not as a near-term starter given a likely November-or-later return.
- Reassess bench clutter: Cut Keaton Mitchell-type committee backs and Chris Godwin/Courtland Sutton types only if better options exist; both hosts agree these are "keep for now" out of necessity, not performance, so monitor Pat Bryant (Denver) and Baker Mayfield's injury (Tampa) before fully committing bench spots.
“I would just take Trey Harris on a messy Chargers versus Keon Coleman.” — Jake Ciely
Players in this episode
↓ Left the Rams game early with a hamstring injury, likely multiple weeks out, opening Eagles backfield touches.
→ Part of a three-way even timeshare with Mitchell and Vidal, making him hard to trust as a 'buy-low' given the muddled backfield and OL injury concerns.
↓ Re-injured the same shoulder from Week 2, clouding his outlook and opening target share for Keon Coleman.
→ Dropped to WR102 with only 3.3 PPG, but hosts lean keep since Pat Bryant's injury restores him to the No. 2 role in an improving offense.
→ Former CFL/undrafted standout now in line for a big role with Chase and Higgins both out; one host ranks him top-30 WR for Week 5 vs. Miami's weak secondary, the other is skeptical of his talent level.
→ Considered a start over Courtland Sutton this week as Jalen Daniels' safety valve, despite not looking the same since his ankle injury and Baker Mayfield out ~7 weeks.
↓ Continues to look poor running the ball despite some pass-catching flashes; one host recommends cutting him outright behind Caleb Johnson.
↓ Both hosts agree to cut him as his role has diminished in the Steelers' offense.
→ Volatile role with/without Adonai Mitchell; host frames tight end streaming as inherently boom-or-bust, implying only cautious optimism.
→ Reportedly nearing a deal, possibly reuniting with the Chiefs; hosts debate adding him speculatively since a return isn't expected until November, suggesting using him as a stash to sell high on hype.
→ Left Week 4 with an abdomen/undisclosed injury, creating uncertainty; hosts say if he's healthy he reclaims lead role, but outlook is unclear heading into Jacksonville trip.
→ Nearly even snap split with Hampton and Vidal (26-25-25), giving him standalone flex value in a muddled Chargers committee; concern about RT Joe Alt's neck injury worsening the line.
↑ Only 49% rostered despite 20 carries for 81 yards and a TD; becomes a bigger piece with Judarian Price on IR.
→ Benefits from Chris Brooks' injury but lost a costly fumble near the goal line; hosts are lukewarm, only a desperation add.
→ Struggled (5 carries, 7 yards) but still viewed as a worthwhile speculative add since the Dolphins backfield hierarchy remains unsettled.
↑ Emerging as the team's X receiver next to Ladd McConkie, preferred over Keon Coleman by one host despite a tough upcoming matchup; FAAB suggested 8-13.
↑ Flagged as the most intriguing non-injury-dependent RB add after a strong Monday night role (55-45 split with Kamara); could be a top streaming/stash option against a run-funnel Falcons defense.
↑ Posted a 100-yard, 1-TD game and now looks like Buffalo's top outside receiver with DJ Moore re-injuring his shoulder; compared to a 'year 3 breakout' like Davante Adams, but one host questions his separation ability against good coverage.
↑ Seized lead role with 100+ rushing yards including a 53-yard run, validating preseason preference over Jalen Wright, though backfield could remain fluid.
↓ Cooled off drastically (2 targets, 6 yards) with Tyson Bagent at QB; recommend cutting since he's unstartable weekly despite occasional spike weeks.
↑ Top waiver target if Tank Bigsby is out; could see a 20-touch workload but offensive line concerns temper the ceiling; FAAB range suggested 11-30+ depending on injury news.
→ Aaron Rodgers targeted him heavily in back-to-back weeks despite earlier benching; one host likes the swap-in for Pittman, the other is skeptical due to low snap share behind Jeremy Bernard.