Kirk Cousins, Jacoby Brissett, and 2 Other Fantasy Football Week 5 Waiver Wire Quarterbacks
Top waiver wire additions at quarterback in 2026 have included Kirk Cousins, Tyler Shough, and Bryce Young. Each of them is top-10 at quarterback in fantasy football. That proves value can be found whether a player is wide open or hidden behind a rock. A sharp mind can spot value anywhere, and when exploring the Week 5 waiver wire, these four quarterbacks are deemed worthwhile pickups.
Availability percentages are per Sleeper.
CJ Stroud — 54% Available
CJ Stroud propaganda pic.twitter.com/CfghZT5KxF
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) October 6, 2026
His ownership is close to surpassing 50%, so be sure to make this add before it is too late. Stroud has thrown for over 270 yards three times this season and over 345 yards twice. Now that Nico Collins is back and the team is gunning for wins at a losing record, the rock will continue to be slung for the QB11 in fantasy football.
Deshaun Watson — 84% Available
Browns fans booed Watson following a Week 1 loss. Since then, Watson has looked like his old self, winning three consecutive games, and is now rated QB13 in fantasy football.
Watson is average in pretty much every metric I can find. Nonetheless, his fantasy ranking shows there is value to be found. My preliminary projections have Watson as a top-15 quarterback in Week 5, ahead of Drake Maye and Matthew Stafford. The Jets are his opponent, and they had a historically bad defensive effort this past Sunday.
Kirk Cousins — 60% Available
Klint Kubiak is coaching to near perfection through four games. The Raiders have three wins and one loss, including a three-point loss to Pat Mahomes' Kansas City Chiefs.
Through a month of the season, Cousins is the QB9 in fantasy football. He is throwing for over 250 yards per game with 11 passing touchdowns. At some point, the Raiders offense must be deemed legitimately good, and I would say that point is now. Cousins is still far from a weekly starter in fantasy football, but the output shows that in a great matchup, there is top-10 upside.
Jacoby Brissett — 82% Available
The Detroit Lions offer fantasy managers a must-pickup, and must-start quality in Brissett. Especially if you are streaming a quarterback or have a lesser matchup, Brissett is your guy. The Lions are the worst in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks, by a long shot, 5.3 more points than the second-worst team (Commanders).
The Lions are allowing 32.8 fantasy points per game to the position. That is 327 yards and 2.3 passing touchdowns per game. Brissett is the QB19 in fantasy football and is well worth top-5 upside this coming Sunday, hosting Detroit.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.