Week 5 Waiver Wire Alert: Will Shipley Becomes a Top Waiver Wire Add as Tank Bigsby Hits Injured Reserve

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Alert: Will Shipley Takes Center Stage with Tank Bigsby to IR and Saquon Barkley Hurting

The injury bug hit the Philadelphia Eagles’ backfield in a major way this week, and there are plenty of fantasy football ramifications to the latest news. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, running back Tank Bigsby suffered a core muscle injury on Sunday that will require surgery, landing him on Injured Reserve for at least six weeks. Compounding matters for Philadelphia, starter Saquon Barkley is dealing with a hamstring issue that leaves his availability for this weekend heavily in doubt.

#Eagles RB Tank Bigsby suffered an injury on Sunday and now requires core muscle surgery to repair it, sources say. Bigsby is headed to Injured Reserve, with hopes he’s back in six weeks or shorter. pic.twitter.com/LcWgblBpDr
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 5, 2026

With Bigsby shelved and Barkley banged up, fantasy managers are staring at a classic, high-priority waiver wire opportunity in one of the league’s most efficient rushing offenses. Let's take a look at the Eagles backfield and see if we can make heads and tails of the current murkiness.

The Primary Target: Will Shipley

With Bigsby out of the picture and Barkley iffy for Week 5 against the Jaguars in London, 2024 fourth-round pick Will Shipley is poised to step into a featured role.

Shipley has quietly put together an efficient resume in limited action. In minimal rotational reps over his young career, the Clemson product has shown dual-threat versatility, tallying 44 career carries for 159 yards (3.6 YPC) alongside 16 receptions for 104 yards. When called upon in spot-duty this season, he’s maintained his reputation as an elusive pass-catcher out of the backfield with 4 receptions on limited routes.

Standing at 5'11" and 209 pounds with 4.39 speed, Shipley possesses the explosiveness to make defenses pay. If Barkley is forced to sit or play on a pitch count, Shipley projects as a high-end RB2/Flex play with legitimate pass-catching upside. Even when Barkley returns to full health, Shipley absorbs Bigsby’s vacated change-of-pace and third-down snaps, giving him immediate, stand-alone bench value and elite handcuff status.

Practice Squad Elevations to Watch

Philadelphia will undoubtedly need depth behind Shipley while navigating these injuries. Keep an eye on three former fantasy waiver wire darlings who could be elevated to the active roster or signed to handle early-down groundwork:

Dameon Pierce: The former Texans starter proved in his rookie year that he can carry a heavy workload when fresh. If Philadelphia wants a physical, north-south runner to handle early-down pounding and short-yardage work to keep Shipley fresh, Pierce is an ideal candidate.
Carson Steele: A fan favorite from his time as a high-volume waiver fill-in for Kansas City, Steele brings versatile power running and fullback-style lead blocking. He offers immediate goal-line utility if the Eagles look to protect Jalen Hurts from unnecessary goal-line collisions.
Jaydon Blue: The explosive rookie offers track-level speed and electric open-field ability. While more raw than Pierce or Steele, Blue provides big-play upside on sweeps and screen concepts if elevated for game-day touches.

None of these players is worth more than a speculative add if you miss out on Shipley, but Pierce is the safe (albeit boring) bet for elevation, while Blue offers the most upside if you're swinging for the fences.

Fantasy Football Takeaway

If you have FAAB dollars or a top waiver priority burned into your pocket, Will Shipley is a mandatory pickup this week. High-powered rushing attacks with vacuumed-up vacated touches don't come along often on the wire in October. Grab Shipley immediately, and keep tabs on which practice squad veteran gets the nod ahead of Sunday's kickoff.

Add us as a preferred source on Google