Woody Marks and Four Other Must Add Running Backs to Pick Up From the Waiver Wire in Week 5

These five running backs are the best options to grab off the waiver wire in your fantasy football leagues.

Sep 28, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans running back Woody Marks (27) runs with the ball during the fourth quarter against the Tennessee Titans at NRG Stadium. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Week 4 is now behind us, and now it's time it's time to focus on Week 5 and beyond. That starts with our Week 5 waiver wire. This is a big week for waiver wire pickups with a lot of key pieces available in a lot of leagues. Especially at running back. These are the top running back waiver wire pickups for Week 5. 

Fantasy Football Pickup Woody Marks, Houston Texans

Marks had been slowly creeping up on Nick Chubb for the RB1 role for the Texans, and in Week 4, he took a big next step. On the ground, Marks carried the ball 17 times for 69 yards and a touchdown for 4.1 yards per carry. Chubb carried the ball 13 times for 47 yards at 3.6 yards per carry. In the passing attack, Marks caught four of five targets for 50 yards and a TD, while Chubb caught both his targets for 15 yards. With Marks taking over the RB1 job in Houston, he's a must-add on every waiver wire this week.  

Fantasy Football Pickup Kenneth Gainwell, Pittsburgh Steelers

Jaylen Warren was a surprise inactive on Sunday morning in Dublin after suffering a knee injury in Saturday's practice that he was not able to play through. As of now, we don't know much about the extent of the injury, but it doesn't seem like anything that will hold him out for months. With Warren sidelined, Gainwell stepped into the starting role and had a huge game. He rushed 19 times for 99 yards and two TDs, while adding six catches and 35 yards through the air. Rookie Kaleb Johnson still didn't have much of an impact, handling just six carries for 22 yards.

There are a few concerns with adding Gainwell, though. First and foremost, we don't know how much time, if any, Warren is going to miss beyond this week. Furthermore, the Steelers have a bye week in Week 5, which means you will have to hold Gainwell through a bye week without knowing for sure that he will even have a major role in Week 6. You will need to determine if you have the roster space to hold him until we get news on Warren's status for Week 6.   

Sep 21, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Kendre Miller (5) runs the ball during the third quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Fantasy Football Pickup Kendre Miller, New Orleans Saints

This is something you could see coming all offseason. It was inevitable that an aging Alvin Kamara would be phased out of this offense this season. There is still a strong possibility the Saints trade him before the NFL Trade Deadline. In Week 4, Kamara carried the ball 15 times for 70 yards at 4.7 yards per carry, and caught four passes for just two yards. Miller ran the ball 11 times for 65 yards and a TD at 5.9 yards per carry. Talent was never a concern for Miller; he just dealt with injuries, and his head coach seemed to actively dislike him in a very public way. Now that he's healthy and has a clean slate with a new regime, he could become a valuable fantasy asset for the remainder of the season. 

Fantasy Football Pickup Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans

Spears is now eligible to return from injured reserve after missing the first four weeks of the season due to an ankle injury. Prior to the injury, we heard glowing reports all summer about how he looked in training camp. He could become a significant addition to a struggling offense that desperately needs someone who can make plays, added to their offense.   

Sep 21, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Rams running back Blake Corum (22) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Fantasy Football Pickup Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams

Corum is the clear RB2 in Los Angeles behind Kyren Williams. However, he is still getting significant touches. In Week 4, Corum saw nine carries and four targets compared to Williams's 13 carries and four targets. The big difference was that Williams turned his opportunities into 94 yards, and Corum only totaled 16 yards. Still, Corum is the clear handcuff to Williams and does have some standalone value.