October 06, 2026
Colleen Claggett/for PhillyVoice
Will Shipley becomes RB1 for the Eagles until Saquon Barkley returns from a hamstring injury, making Shipley a potentially good fantasy football pickup.
We are (sort of) one-quarter through the NFL season. Injuries continue to pile up – just ask the Eagles – which has fantasy football owners either searching on the fly for adequate replacements or capitalizing on another team's injuries by finding the best "next man up" before another fantasy owners does.
Your next waiver claim could simultaneously help you and hurt your opponent – which is the whole point!
Week 5 is also begins the bye week for some NFL teams, so many owners will scramble to upgrade their benches. As we do every week, we'll help with you the best waiver claims:
Kirk Cousins, Raiders: He went undrafted in most leagues because most reasonably assumed that he'd have lost his job by now to No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza. Instead, the Raiders are 3-1 and Cousins has outscored Dak Prescott, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow and many others owned QBs. It doesn't appear that the Raiders have any reason to move on to Mendoza anytime soon, so get Cousins – owned in just 22% of Yahoo! leagues – while he's hot. History says he'll eventually come back to earth.
Emanuel Wilson, Seahawks: If he's still available, grab him. With Jadarian Price on IR and George Holani getting limited usage, Wilson is RB1 for the Seahawks for a few more weeks at least. He accrued 25 touches in Week 4 against the Chargers for 120 total yards and two TDs (1 rushing, 1 receiving). He's still available in 51% of Yahoo! leagues and has outscored Tony Pollard (90%), Jacory Croskey-Merritt (87%) and Blake Corum (83%).
Brian Robinson, Falcons: He should already be a handcuff for Bijan Robinson owners, but Brian Robinson is also becoming a playable RB3 or flex in deep leagues. The Falcons love to run the ball and Brian Robinson – owned in just 31% of Yahoo! leagues – already has more carries than TreVeyon Henderson and more points than Jeremiyah Love, Quinshon Judkins and Cam Skattebo. Even before Monday night's three-touchdown breakout, Brian Robinson was averaging nearly 11 touches per game.
Will Shipley, Eagles: With Saquon Barkley "week to week" and with Tank Bigsby on IR, Shipley is RB1 for the Eagles for the foreseeable future. He might struggle against a very good Jaguars defense in Week 5 but then faces the Panthers and Cowboys in Weeks 6 and 7. Shipley is also the team's best pass protection option at this point, so he will see plenty of third-down work.
Mike Gesicki, Bengals: Injuries to both stud Bengals WRs Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase will leave Joe Burrow with no other better option for the pass game than Gesicki, who already has three TD catches. He played 62% of the offensive snaps in Week 4 but is only owned in 3% of Yahoo! leagues. He might not be a great long-term option but could be an excellent Week 5 stream against an awful Dolphins defense. And if those WRs are out longer, you'll want to hang onto Gesicki.
Keon Coleman, Bills: With DJ Moore aggravating a shoulder injury and exiting early in Week 4, Coleman stepped in and played a season-high 78% of the snaps, catching six passes on seven targets for 116 yards and a TD. It was his second time playing more than 74% of the snaps this season, as Coleman finally appears to be out of the doghouse in Buffalo. He's only owned in 5% of Yahoo! leagues and worth taking a flier on.
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