Joe Mixon, Jalen Royals, and 2 Other Fantasy Week 5 Waiver Wire Adds No One Is Talking About

Another week of the NFL brought in another huge wave of injuries to some of the bigger names in fantasy football. With that, many people may have their eyes set on Philadelphia RBs Will Shipley and Tank Bigsby on the waiver wire in Week 5 of fantasy, following Saquon Barkley’s Week 4 injury. But outside of that, there is still a ton of value on fantasy waivers this week. Here are four deep fantasy sleepers that fantasy managers should think about picking up.

Jalen Royals

The Kansas City Chiefs in their 30-27 win against the Las Vegas Raiders saw their WR room take major hits. Rashee Rice exited the game in the first quarter with a hamstring, and WR Tyquan Thornton later left the game in the fourth quarter after dislocating his ankle. Thornton is likely set to miss extended time while the severity of Rice’s injury is still pretty unknown.

If the Chiefs have to move forward without both players for an extended number of games, second-year WR Jalen Royals should see an increased role.

In Week 4, Royals logged his highest snap share of the season, playing 63% of snaps. His previous high was 19% in Week 3. It did not result in him logging a catch, but with Thornton and Rice both having games where they finished inside the top-20 highest fantasy PPR WR scorers for a week, there is certainly the volume there for him to have notable fantasy games in the future.

Fantasy managers, before adding the Royals, should also pay attention to Tyreek Hill news. The Chiefs have been reported to have reached out to Hill. If that reunion were to take place, then Royals' fantasy outlook would take a massive hit.

Joe Mixon

RB for the Seattle Seahawks, Zach Charbonnet, is trending toward taking the field again, but in the meantime, it seems Seattle is still seeking out ways to improve their RB room. They are reported to have a workout set up with free agent veteran RB Joe Mixon.

If Mixon were to sign with the Seahawks, it is unclear how he would be utilized or perform, given he is coming off a major injury. However, given his success in 2024, where he rushed for 1,016 yards and had 12 total TDs, he is worth the pickup on waivers.

Fantasy managers should wait till waivers clear to not waste any FAB or lose their waiver wire position in adding Mixon. He has perceived upside, but that upside actually coming to fruition is a long shot. Those two things are not worth risking, especially with Charbonnet’ injury status trending in the right direction.

Dohnte Meyers

If Cincinnati Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase misses Week 5 as he works through a concussion he suffered in Week 4 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Bengals WR Dohnte Meyers becomes an intriguing stream play for the week.

With Chase’s early exit, Meyers stepped up and logged seven receptions on nine targets for 82 yards. He played in a season-high 89% of snaps. With that snap share going into Week 5, there is no reason he should not be able to have a similar performance if Chase is out against the Miami Dolphins. This season, Miami is allowing the 12th most points per game in the NFL, 25.3.

Darnell Washington

Pittsburgh Steelers TE Darnell Washington has become a fan favorite across the NFL. Every time he touches the ball, he is a highlight play waiting to happen. With his snap share in the last two weeks, he could be more than just a highlight and could be on his way to becoming a viable fantasy starting option.

Washington in Week 4 against the Cleveland Browns played in 71% of snaps. In Week 3, he played in 76% of snaps. It is just the second time in his career that he played back-to-back games and appeared in 70% or more of snaps. Against Cleveland, he logged three receptions for 27 yards and a TD

Fantasy managers who do choose to pick Washington up off fantasy waivers should wait to see how he performs over the next couple of weeks, mostly to see if Pittsburgh continues to utilize him in a notable role in their passing game.

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