Injuries and Bye Weeks Reshape NFL Week 5 Fantasy Waiver Options

A Yahoo Sports fantasy column tabs Philadelphia's Will Shipley and Seattle's Zach Charbonnet as the priority running back adds heading into Week 5.

With the opening month of the fantasy football season complete, injuries and the start of bye weeks are stretching rosters thin. A Week 5 waiver wire column from Yahoo Sports sorts potential starters from useful bench additions and flags early performances that deserve skepticism.

The report's leading recommendation for immediate help is Philadelphia Eagles running back Will Shipley, rostered in just 1% of leagues. Saquon Barkley suffered a hamstring strain and Tank Bigsby went down with an injury in the closing moments, leaving Shipley as the lone healthy running back on the roster. The columnist would be surprised to see Barkley or Bigsby suit up in Week 5 and expects Shipley to get the start, while cautioning that nobody should expect him to turn into Barkley overnight.

Bigsby, rostered in 28% of leagues, comes with a major caveat: he has to be healthy. If the injury news turns unexpectedly positive, the column says he would start ahead of Shipley while Barkley recovers and become the Philadelphia back to chase hardest. If he is also set to miss time, the report sees no reason to add him at all.

Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet carries the column's highest priority rating, a 7.0 on its scale, even though he is already rostered in 61% of leagues. He resumed practicing last week, could be activated during the next three weeks and is viewed as a realistic bet to return in Week 6. The report expects Charbonnet to take back the lead job from Emanuel Wilson once healthy and argues he belongs on a roster in every league.

Wilson, for now, controlled the workload in Seattle with Jadarian Price sidelined rather than sharing it with George Holani. He turned 24 carries into 120 yards and two touchdowns. With Charbonnet's return close, the window may be brief, but the column expects at least one more week and calls Wilson, rostered in 48% of leagues, a usable RB2 in the meantime.

Arizona Cardinals running back Tyler Allgeier, rostered in 36% of leagues, was cut in many leagues after Jeremiyah Love appeared to seize the backfield a week earlier. Love started again in Week 4, yet Allgeier carried a larger role and took the goal-line carries. The column calls him an unappealing lineup option who needs a touchdown while Love is healthy, but a worthwhile handcuff who could become a workload-driven RB2 if Love misses time.

At quarterback, Arizona's Jacoby Brissett managed only 166 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions against the New York Giants, though his 35 pass attempts preserved the volume that matters for fantasy. The report sees 30-point upside when the setting allows it and points to a potentially high-scoring home game against the Detroit Lions in Week 5, listing Brissett as a viable streaming choice.

New York's Jameis Winston passed for 250 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. The columnist is not buying the outing, writing that Winston looked much the same as a week earlier despite the better results. A Week 5 meeting with a Washington Commanders defense that invites opponents to throw keeps him on the streaming radar, but the column ranks him as a desperation play only after every other option fails.