Jaxson Dart, 2 More Fantasy Football Week 5 Waiver Wire Quarterbacks To Consider

Target dual threat upside and steady veterans for Week 5 streaming quarterback help.

New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) impressed in his first NFL start and is now a popular fantasy football waiver wire target heading into Week 5. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Injuries, bye weeks (which start in Week 5), and underperforming starters can force even the most prepared fantasy managers to rethink their plan at quarterback. Maybe you drafted a reliable veteran who is now dealing with a nagging injury, or perhaps you streamed the position and the matchups have turned against you. Sometimes a coordinator changes tendencies, a receiver room takes a hit, or a schedule suddenly looks tougher than it did on draft day.

When that happens, the waiver wire becomes your best friend.

The goal is simple: find a passer who can provide a stable foundation with a path to a ceiling week. Look for volume, red zone access, rushing value, and a matchup that can tilt in your favor. You do not need the next league winner every time. You need usable points that keep your lineup afloat.

With that lens, here are three quarterbacks who can help you in Week 5 and beyond.

Note: These quarterbacks are rostered in 50% or fewer of Yahoo fantasy football leagues.

Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams (43% rostered)

If you want bankable passing volume with weekly top 12 upside, Matthew Stafford fits the bill. The veteran is coming off a monster outing in Week 4, completing 29 of 41 passes, 70.7 percent, for 375 yards and three touchdowns, good for 27.4 fantasy points. That is his second game this season with at least 298 yards, and he has now thrown multiple touchdowns in three straight contests.

Stafford’s rapport with his top two wideouts is obvious, and when his timing is right the Rams move the ball in chunks. That kind of yardage is the foundation of a strong fantasy floor, and the touchdowns push him into startable territory.

Short week concerns will scare some managers, but volume travels, and the recent usage says you can stream him with confidence. Even analysts who tend to avoid Thursday players see the path, noting that Stafford has top-12 potential in Week 5.

MATTHEW STAFFORD TO TUTU ATWELL FOR THE 88-YARD TD WITH 1:33 REMAINING 🤯

RAMS HAVE THE LEAD!!!!

(via @NFL)
pic.twitter.com/9BSSLFX8l8

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 28, 2025

San Francisco’s defense is respected, yet their early-season results came against a soft set of opposing passers, and even Spencer Rattler found three passing touchdowns and over 21 fantasy points against them.

Stafford’s recent stretch, 289.7 yards and 2.3 touchdowns per game over his last three, shows you what the ceiling looks like when the Rams finish drives.

If you need a starter right now, or you want a plan for the next few weeks, Stafford is one of the strongest adds on the wire. He is not just a spot play. Stafford can stabilize your roster while injured stars get healthy, and he has the skill talent around him to stay in the QB1 conversation.

Jaxson Dart, New York Giants (23%)

Rushing is a cheat code in fantasy football, and Jaxson Dart brings it in a way that can keep your lineup alive even when passing volume is modest. The rookie was elevated to starter and immediately validated the stash case that had been brewing for weeks.

He posted 19.8 fantasy points in his first NFL start, finishing as the QB9 on the week with only the Monday doubleheader left to play. He did it by running 10 times for 54 yards and a touchdown, while adding a tidy 13 of 20 passing line for 111 yards and a score.

That is 11.4 fantasy points from rushing alone, and any quarterback who can consistently access that lane has weekly top 10 upside.

The Giants did suffer a major blow with Malik Nabers tearing his ACL, and that does lower Dart’s passing ceiling. Still, the rookie’s moxie and mobility are the engine of his fantasy case. He can manufacture points when the pocket breaks down, and the staff already leaned into designed runs in his first start.

Jaxson Dart is a MANIAC

& I love it pic.twitter.com/MFXRQsyvWZ

— Marshall Green (@MarshallGreen_) September 28, 2025

The Week 5 matchup helps, too, since the Saints are top 10 in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks this year. Several sources in your league will say the same thing: he looks like a safer floor play than most rookies because of the groundwork, and the schedule gives you an immediate spot to use him.

Yes, there are tough games on deck, including two against the Eagles and a matchup with Denver, but you are adding him for his legs, early confidence, and the chance that a simplified plan keeps his rushing attempts in the 8 to 10 range.

In one-quarterback formats, he is a priority streamer; in superflex, he is a weekly QB2 with QB1 upside in certain weeks. If you are working with FAAB, a bid of up to 5 percent is a reasonable offer for the rushing floor alone.

Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks (21%)

If your roster needs steadiness more than splash, Sam Darnold checks the box. He opened Week 4 with 16.08 PPR points in a tough Thursday road win at Arizona, going 18 of 26 for 242 yards and a touchdown. The veteran has been mistake free in three of four starts, has completed 70 percent of his passes, and has delivered at least 18.1 fantasy points in three straight games, peaking at 20.7 in Week 3 against New Orleans.

The raw weekly ranks are not flashy, with only one top 10 finish through four weeks, but he has quietly posted strong underlying metrics, including 0.31 expected points added per dropback over the last three weeks. That lines up with the eye test, efficient, on schedule, and willing to take what the defense gives.

Sam Darnold is an elite QB pic.twitter.com/9q2aRM2CxB

— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) September 26, 2025

Seattle has been the most run heavy team to this point, more rushing snaps than pass snaps, which has capped Darnold’s ceiling. Week 5 sets up differently. Tampa Bay is a pass funnel that stuffs the run, allowing only 3.3 yards per carry this season and holding Saquon Barkley to 2.3 last week. That kind of front tends to force opponents to the air, and a volume bump is exactly what Darnold needs to push past his recent 16 to 18 point band.

A competitive game with Baker Mayfield can also raise the play count and pace. If you are streaming, you are not chasing a miracle; you want a clean game, 35 to 40 attempts, and two scores. Darnold has been living near that line already, and he draws Jacksonville in Week 6 for another favorable spot.

He is available in a significant number of leagues, ranking in the low twenties by roster rate on some platforms, and is worth up to 5 percent of FAAB if you need a start now with a path to a second start next week.

In deeper formats, he is a low-end starter; in standard 12-team leagues, he is a quality insurance policy who will not sink your week.