Heading into Week 5 of the fantasy football season, let’s break down some potential waiver targets who could find themselves in your starting lineups within a few weeks.
As always, I’ve a few players who should be available on most fantasy football leagues, as well as a few honorable mentions to keep an eye on. Adding these players could be key to winning your 2025 fantasy football league, so don’t forget to put in a claim for them before they’re grabbed by one of your league mates!
Let’s get into the list!
Jaxson Dart (QB, NYG)
21.1% Rostered in ESPN Leagues
Jaxson Dart, the 25th overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, stepped up in his first-career start to help defeat the previously unbeaten Chargers on Sunday. He did this against an impressive defense, while also showing some fantasy upside in terms of usage.
The Ole Miss product completed 13 of 20 pass attempts for 111 passing yards and one touchdown through the air against Los Angeles in his regular season debut, while also adding on 54 yards on the ground along with a rushing touchdown.
Dart’s rushing volume was extremely encouraging from a fantasy standpoint, as he received 10 carries that heavily contributed to his strong day against the Chargers.
This rushing upside gives him a higher ceiling than originally anticipated. That being said, this volume will need to be somewhat consistent to have any bearing on his outlook. If Dart is able to take 8-12 carries per game from this point on, he has a definite chance to finish as a top-15 quarterback.
In 2024, we saw multiple rookie quarterbacks emerge as weekly starters for fantasy managers after they adjusted to the professional level more quickly than expected. If Dart ends up putting together a strong season in fantasy football before teams have time to learn his tendencies and playing style, you’ll wish you had added him off waivers sooner.
He’ll be a hot commodity in fantasy leagues, but Dart should be among the top priorities on the waiver wire this week. I can’t guarantee the ability to start the rookie quarterback on a weekly basis, but we’ve all seen the potential. It’s still early, and he’s only now gotten one career regular season start under his belt.
But Dart has a solid fantasy ceiling, and if he can manage to stay afloat in the box score without superstar wideout Malik Nabers for the remainder of the 2025 NFL season, we could be looking at a fantasy star in the making.
Woody Marks (RB, HOU)
33.2% Rostered in ESPN Leagues
Woody Marks was a player I was very excited about before the season began. I made my opinion known both in an article published back in May and in a video published in early September, just before Week 1.
I’m extremely optimistic about his fantasy outlook after his breakout performance against the Titans in Week 4. The USC product displayed fantastic ability both as a rusher and a receiver, totaling 119 total yards and two touchdowns off of 22 touches. During a week in which Houston’s offense finally found some rhythm, Marks became the go-to option rather quickly.
Woody Marks displayed the same receiving ability he flashed both in college and at the Reese’s Senior Bowl back in January. He also has a strong blend of strength and acceleration that he’s able to rely on to make some huge plays. Marks made several defenders miss on Sunday, leading to some massive gains and, ultimately, the win for Houston.
Going forward, I would say Marks is worth starting, if you need him to, until Joe Mixon returns from the non-football injury list. Since we’re still not totally sure when that’s going to occur, the rookie has now become extremely fantasy-relevant. He’ll have plenty of PPR value thanks to his receiving talent, and if Houston continues to give him volume, he’ll have no problem making more big plays.
Marks has the chance to turn in a truly special rookie season, and could be the spark Houston has been needing on offense this season. He’ll need to string together another productive week or two, but he has a great chance to enter weekly-starter territory sooner rather than later.
I don’t blame you if you dropped Marks after a few weeks of disappointing production; I even did in one of my leagues. All that matters is that he should be your top waiver wire priority heading into Week 5.
Kendre Miller (RB, NO)
5.6% Rostered in ESPN Leagues
Saints running back Kendre Miller had one of the more surprising performances in Week 4, taking 11 carries for 65 rushing yards and a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills. Miller has struggled to stay healthy over the first few seasons of his career, but now that he is back on track, it appears that he may be finding a role in New Orleans’ backfield.
Miller was given just four fewer carries than starting running back Alvin Kamara, and if this bump in volume continues after Week 5, Miller could be a valuable fantasy asset for the rest of the season.
At 220 lbs, Miller could end up being the goal-line back for the Saints. However, he looked impressive when making big plays in the open field as well, breaking big runs after shaking off tacklers regularly against Buffalo.
Miller is a more under-the-radar pickup when compared to a few of the other players on this list, but he could be a solid bench option for the rest of the year. Ahead of Week 5, he’s a good handcuff with standalone value after receiving significant volume versus the Bills.
Darius Slayton (WR, NYG)
3.6% Rostered in ESPN Leagues
It was a brutal sight to see sophomore sideout Malik Nabers go down with a knee injury during New York’s 21-18 victory over Los Angeles in Week 4. Early reports suggest an ACL tear for Nabers, which would end his 2025 season and be a devastating result for quarterback Jaxson Dart and the Giants’ offense.
If this is the case, I would expect veteran wide receiver Darius Slayton to receive more targets. He was the team’s leading receiver against the Chargers in Week 4, converting four targets into three receptions for 44 receiving yards.
If Slayton steps up as the top receiver, he could develop solid chemistry with Dart. He’s an intriguing name to watch for on the waiver wire heading into Week 5 of the 2025 NFL season.
HM. Kenneth Gainwell (RB, PIT)
HM. Zavier Scott (RB, MIN)