After three weeks, Drake Maye was the QB 34, and Tyler Shough was the QB3. This weekend, Maye finished as the QB1, while Shough is the QB31, tied with two backups who entered their games in the final minute simply to kneel down to run out the clock. Week 5 had plenty of these kinds of turnarounds, and they also cemented values for some players with early-season numbers that went against their ADPs.
With that in mind, here's a full rundown of the biggest fantasy impact for each Sunday team:
Jaguars -- Saturday's column: "Brian Thomas Jr. has scored less than 10 fantasy points in seven straight games. He's a rare non-top-70 WR who's still rostered in more than 60% of ESPN leagues. Either he starts producing soon, or he's waiver fodder." Sunday: The forced silver lining in this rock-bottom performance is that he nearly scored. Managers who hold onto him need to hope he gets traded, and even then, who knows.
Eagles -- Saturday: "Somehow sandwiched between CJ Stroud (QB11) and DeShaun Watson (QB13), Jalen Hurts is averaging the fewest rushing attempts (5.3) of his career." Sunday: Why is his floor uncomfortably low? This is a big reason. From 2024 to 2025, his rushing attempts plummeted from 10.0 to 6.6. Now it's 4.6. A less-mobile Hurts wouldn't have been a dominant fantasy QB most weeks, even when he was throwing to AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith. For managers, he's now a tricky sit/start dilemma.
Packers -- Saturday: "I'm wondering what's a bigger predictor of MarShawn Lloyd's future production: his strong Week 4 target share, or his 2.7 yards per carry." Sunday: Apparently, both are true. He averaged 3.1 YPC, yet scored twice on 11 touches. Pierre Strong Jr. had eight. Kalen Johnson had seven. I would sell high in a heartbeat.
Bears -- Saturday: "After tomorrow, either I'll be completely wrong about the 32-year-old Kalif Raymond, or he'll be one of the most-dropped wideouts next week." Sunday: Even on a day when every receiver underperformed, Raymond's 3-6 receiving line on four targets is another reminder that his early-season breakout was never sustainable.
Titans -- Saturday: Carnell Tate is on pace for 136 targets and has no serious competition except from Wan'Dale Robinson. Only eight wideouts had more targets last year, and six of them were weekly fantasy starters." Sunday: It's a Code Red situation for anyone rostering Titans. Credit Houston's D for shutting down Tate. Still, Cam Ward is playing worse than he did last year when he was throwing to a bunch of middle-round rookies.
Texans -- Saturday: "Once again . . . David Montgomery vs. Woody Marks. Neither is playing that well. But Montgomery is very post-prime, while Marks might still have room to grow." Sunday: Montgomery got hurt. Marks took over and looked better than Montgomery has all year. The latter is expected to miss time and is droppable in most leagues (yes, droppable).
Dolphins -- Saturday: "Can Ollie Gordon show that last week's 100-yards-and-a-score outing wasn't a fluke?" Sunday: Shockingly, yes. The 2025 sixth-rounder frequently struggled last year. But after two starts this year, he looks like the real deal. The next 1-2 games could solidify his seemingly must-start status.
Bengals -- A strange situation for Chase Brown, who evenly split backfield touches with 31-year-old Samaje Perine . . . who comfortably outperformed Brown. Is this a buy-low moment for Brown? Maybe . . .?
Patriots -- Saturday: "Romeo Doubs hit big last week because of two touchdowns. But his nine targets more than doubled his high from the previous three games. Let's see if he's the unquestioned #1 once again." Sunday: Maye's turnaround is the biggest story here, but we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that Doubs wasn't even a factor, finishing with one catch for 16 yards on three targets. Apparently, there is no #1 WR while AJ Brown is sidelined.
Raiders -- The Raiders got to 3-0, in part, because Kirk Cousins was playing his best football in three years. Now they're 3-2 with the Bills and Rams up next. A shift to Fernando Mendoza seems more likely now than it did 10 days ago. Such a move could shake up the non-Brock-Bowers receiving corps.
Saints -- Saturday: "I picked up UDFA rookie running back CJ Donaldson this week because of Alvin Kamara's back injury and Kendre Miller's ineffectiveness." Sunday: Donaldson matched Kamara with five touches. Miller led the way with a 10-30-1 rushing line. That will give him a leg up while Travis Etienne's sidelined. But it doesn't mean managers should chase his points.
Vikings -- Saturday: "Did a podcast episode this summer using data analytics to show that drafting Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason in the middle rounds had a high probability of producing one fairly consistent weekly streamer." Sunday: Despite the fumble, Jones continues to get it done, even at nearly 32 years old. I want to believe that he's a sell-high RB, and at the same time, if he's giving managers steady production, why rock the boat?
Jets -- Braelon Allen's terrific spot starts are pain points for managers rostering Breece Hall. Allen somehow is still only 22 years old. The Jets might find it hard to push him to the periphery when Hall returns.
Browns -- Between KC Concepcion's early exit from a head injury, Quinshon Judkins in a walking boot, and Deshaun Watson's big letdown, there's a lot to unpack. To me, this is a team on the precipice of a rebirth, as well as a massive letdown when defenses can exploit their weaknesses. Watson has to be better than bad to keep guys like Denzel Boston and Harold Fannin relevant.
Steelers -- Saturday: "DK Metcalf had a season-high 16.5 points in Week 4. That's the good news. The concerning news is that he's frequently been a drag on Aaron Rodgers, who's netting a 79.5 passer rating when targeting him. Metcalf has the lowest catch rate (48.5%) of any top-60 fantasy wideout." Sunday: Even with Michael Pittman sidelined and Roman Wilson leaving early, Metcalf took a backseat to rookie Germie Bernard, who might be one of this week's biggest WR waiver adds.
Colts -- Tyler Warren now has 9+ points in all five games. For context, he topped out at 9.3 across his final five games last season. The 2025 first-round pick is one above-average passer away from joining the elite or near-elite ranks.
Commanders -- Fantasy managers can rejoice that Jayden Daniels -- who only three weeks ago appeared to be out for the season -- played brilliantly for 59 minutes and 50 seconds. As long as he's running wild, he'll be a weekly must-starter . . . with the looming prospect of a freak fall or hit (or both) that damages his elbow and sends him to injured reserve.
Giants -- Saturday: "Curious whether Najee Harris cuts into Cam Skattebo's work." Sunday: Not yet, though Skattebo lost a fumble and hasn't looked as dominant as he did last year. He's one of those must-start RBs who managers *hope* turns out to be startable.
Chargers -- Saturday: "Quentin Johnston is out, and Ladd McConkey remains questionable. In a higher-functioning offense (and against a weaker defense), Tre' Harris could be one of Week 5's biggest breakout candidates." Sunday: I whiffed on that one. L.A.'s offense might not revive even when McConkey returns. One notable story is that Kimani Vidal's touches have gone from zero in weeks 1 and 2, to two in Week 3, to seven in Week 4, and nine yesterday. Obviously, this isn't ideal news if you're rostering Omarion Hampton.
Broncos -- Saturday: "With Pat Bryant on injured reserve, will we finally see more from Troy Franklin, who racked up 104 targets last year as Denver's #2 WR?" Sunday: Kind of, and it didn't even matter. JK Dobbins was the only Bronco to hit double-digits. Surprisingly, he out-touched RJ Harvey 20-3. They play again Thursday, so perhaps that odd split factored into head coach Sean Payton's decision making.
Cardinals -- Saturday: "Cryptic words from Jeremiyah Love this week raise at least soft questions about his rest-of-season usage." Sunday: A disaster. Love had 10 catches in his first three games, but only one these past two contests. His floor is way lower than it seemingly should be. Also, with Marvin Harrison Jr. on the move, Kendrick Bourne reminded managers that he's one of fantasy's best WR spot-starters.
Lions -- Saturday: "Carrying over from Week 4, is Isaac TeSlaa for real?" Sunday: Zero catches on two targets in a blowout win. He's turned a corner this year, but there are more corners in front of him.
Seahawks -- Saturday: "Emanuel Wilson might get one more week to prove he deserves consistent touches, even when this backfield gets healthy. Managers have to decide whether to sell high, buy low, or stick with the status quo and hope for the best." Sunday: Fantasy-wise, he got the job done. He also lost a fumble and is averaging 3.4 YPC. His fantasy value likely will plummet in the next week or two.
49ers -- Saturday: "Deebo Samuel is the WR17 on only 4.3 targets per game, thanks in part to his 74 yards on the ground. Excluding Tyquan Thornton, no other top-36 WR has fewer looks." Sunday: He lost a fumble, saw only three targets, and hurt his hamstring. Given his age, as well as San Francisco's postseason focus, don't expect Samuel to rush back.
Falcons -- Saturday: "Have we reached a point where Brian Robinson Jr. is a pretty safe start?" Sunday: No.
Ravens -- Rashod Bateman had his second double-digit outing of the season, which is more than he had all last year.
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