With four weeks in the books, byes start wreaking havoc with some fantasy squads. We also have enough information to start re-assessing some of our preseason projections and prognostications. And then fantasy managers also have to start looking at those adjustments and seeing if they will open up opportunities for some new names.
The Eagles, Lions, Chargers, and Titans are all on byes in Week 5, so that means fantasy managers who were starting Jalen Hurts, or who were streaming Jared Goff based on matchups, or who were utilizing Will Levis or Justin Herbert in Superflex leagues, will have to come up with some contingency plans.
There were high expectations on some young gunslingers this season, but Caleb Williams has disappointed greatly. The rookie has only surpassed 200 yards passing once, and he's struggling to build reliable rapports with his receivers, namely DJ Moore and Rome Odunze (Keenan Allen has been banged up). On the flipside, Jayden Daniels has thoroughly impressed for the Commanders. While fantasy managers were already high on him because of his rushing potential, the Commnaders haven't had to punt in the last two weeks! That's an insane accomplishment. There's no reason to think Daniels won't keep improving as he gets more familiar with his receivers and the playbook.
WEEK 5 FANTASY RANKINGS
QBs|RBs|WRs|TEs|D/STs|Kickers
And then you have someone like Sam Darnold. After the Jets gave up on him after three seasons, he struggled with the Panthers before landing a backup role with the 49ers. He landed with Minnesota this offseason, and it was believed that he'd be a bridge to rookie draft pick J.J. McCarthy. But after McCarthy suffered a season-ending knee injury in the preseason, Darnold had the job all to himself, and he has run with it all the way into MVP consideration. While the Packers made things close late, Darnold and the Vikings jumped out to a 28-0 lead, and he leads the league in touchdown passes -- a truly remarkable story.
What will we learn in Week 5? We try to stay ahead of things with this week's rankings.
Fantasy QB Rankings Week 5: Who to start, sit at quarterback
These rankings are based onfour-point passing TDscoring. These rankings were updated on Oct. 6 and will be updated throughout the week, so check back often.
Thosewho already played this week have been listed in italics.
RANK | PLAYER NAME | TEAM | OPPONENT |
1 | Josh Allen | BUF | at HOU |
2 | Lamar Jackson | BAL | at CIN |
3 | Jayden Daniels | WAS | vs. CLE |
4 | Jordan Love | GB | at LAR |
5 | Kyler Murray | ARI | at SF |
6 | C.J. Stroud | HOU | vs. BUF |
7 | Brock Purdy | SF | vs. ARI |
8 | Geno Smith | SEA | vs. NYG |
9 | Patrick Mahomes II | KC | vs. NO |
10 | Joe Burrow | CIN | vs. BAL |
11 | Justin Fields | PIT | vs. DAL |
12 | Baker Mayfield | TB | at ATL |
13 | Sam Darnold | MIN | vs. NYJ |
14 | Joe Flacco | IND | at JAC |
15 | Trevor Lawrence | JAC | vs. IND |
16 | Dak Prescott | DAL | at PIT |
17 | Derek Carr | NO | at KC |
18 | Caleb Williams | CHI | vs. CAR |
19 | Kirk Cousins | ATL | vs. TB |
20 | Deshaun Watson | CLE | at WAS |
21 | Matthew Stafford | LAR | vs. GB |
22 | Daniel Jones | NYG | at SEA |
23 | Aaron Rodgers | NYJ | at MIN |
24 | Andy Dalton | CAR | at CHI |
25 | Bo Nix | DEN | vs. LV |
26 | Tyler Huntley | MIA | at NE |
27 | Gardner Minshew II | LV | at DEN |
28 | Jacoby Brissett | NE | vs. MIA |
Who are the best fantasy QBs for Week 5?
Josh Allen continues to sit atop our quarterback rankings, and he may stay there until Week 12 when the Bills are on a bye. The big concern heading into the season was that there wasn't a clear No. 1 receiving option on this team. But it's starting to look like maybe that's a good thing for Allen. With no pressure to keep any singular receiver happy, Allen has enjoyed some of the best accuracy of his career as he spreads things around to Dalton Kincaid, Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Curtis Samuel, Mack Hollins, and more.
Lamar Jackson is another top-3 fixture, and that doesn't change this week with a tilt against AFC North rivals, the Bengals. While his favorite target of past years, Mark Andrews, has struggled so far this season, if the tight end can get things going, Jackson's ceiling will only be higher. Zay Flowers continues to develop into Jackson's new top target, and Jackson can still take over a game with his legs, seemingly whenever he wants to.
The surprise entry into the top-3 this week is rookie Jayden Daniels. While he was very efficient in the first couple weeks of the season. Kliff Kingsbury opened the offense up a bit after he was criticized for having a nice college offense. Daniels, who was known for his prolific arm at LSU, finally started to uncork some deep shots, and he was hitting. If he can continue to get Terry McLaurin going, it will be hard to knock him out of the top-7 or so on a weekly basis.
WEEK 5 FANTASY ROSTER MANAGEMENT ADVICE
Stock Watch|Trade Advice|Sleepers|Busts|Start/Sit|Usage Report|Weather
Who are the QBs on byes in Week 5?
Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Hurts receives an early bye, and it comes at a good time. With A.J. Brown out for a third straight game in Week 4, he now gets an extra week to rest. His other top target in Devonta Smith was knocked out of Week 3 with a concussion and had to miss Week 4 as well, so the extra rest will do him well, too. And on top of that Hurts struggled with turnovers again vs. the Bucs. A week off could be good all around for the Birds.
Detroit Lions: Jared Goff gets the week off. He'll return in Week 6 for an epic clash against the Dallas Cowboys.
Los Angeles Chargers: Justin Herbert was cleared to gut it out against the Chiefs in Week 4, but he's dealing with a high ankle sprain. The early bye week should allow him to get some much-needed rest before returning for an AFC West matchup against the Broncos.
Tennessee Titans: Will Levis has looked lost at times for the Titans, so a week off here could provide some dividends as he can take a step back and try to address some of the issues that have plagued him thus far. The Titans will host the Colts in an AFC South matchup in Week 6.
WEEK 5 DFS ADVICE
Best Stacks|| TNF DFS Advice
Who are the best fantasy QB waiver pickups Week 5?
For some reason, Sam Darnold is only rostered in 55% of Yahoo! leagues right now. Typically we only consider players for this section if they're rostered in less than 50% of leagues, but we'll make an exception here. He leads the league in passing touchdowns with 11, and is an real-life NFL MVP candidate. With Jordan Addison now back as well, and with T.J. Hockenson potentially returning later this month, the time was yesterday to add Darnold to your squad.
While he doesn't make his Miami debut until Monday night, Tyler "Snoop" Huntley is another waiver wire target this week. While there has not been a firm timeline for Tua Tagovailoa's return from another concussion, it is entirely possible we don't see him again this season. Skylar Thompson hasn't been able to move the needle for Miami, so with him ailing, the Dolphins turn to Huntley. With weapons like Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle at his disposal, and with his ability to pick up yards with his legs, Huntley could be a sneaky pickup that might pay off for weeks to come.
WEEK 5 WAIVER WIRE ADVICE
Top Players to Target| FAAB Strategy
Who are the best fantasy QB sleepers Week 5?
Brock Purdy has struggled quite a bit this season, but things may be starting to look up. Both George Kittle and Deebo Samuel returned in Week 4, as the 49ers are starting to get healthier. While Christian McCaffrey remains out, Jordan Mason has filled in admirably, keeping this offense balanced. The Cardinals' pass defense isn't exactly elite, so look for Purdy to take to the air early and often to jump out to a lead.
Trevor Lawrence still has a lot of work to do to instill more confidence in fantasy managers, but he did start to look a little better this week against the Texans. He was only 18-for-33, but he did toss two touchdowns and avoided any costly turnovers. He gets the Colts next who can struggle in the secondary. But the Jags' offensive line will have to try and contain Laiatu Latu from wreaking havoc with his elite pass rushing skills.
What are the biggest QB injuries Week 5?
Anthony Richardson was the biggest injury to pop up among the quarterbacks in Week 5. The ageless Joe Flacco, who won Comeback Player of the Year last year with the Browns, came on in relief and led the Colts to a victory over the previously undefeated Steelers. Richardson left with a hip pointer injury, returned for a snap, rushed on a designed run, and had to exit again for good. It sounds like he was held out for precautionary reasons, but Richardson has struggled mightily to start the year, and even if he can physically go, it's entirely possible the Colts stick with Flacco and let Richardson take a step back for a bit to see if things slow down for him. Richardson has been logging limited practices, but his final status for Sunday is still unknown. Joe Flacco has been taking all of the first team reps, though, so for now, we've swapped Richardson out for Flacco.