This past weekend, fantasy football managers were treated to a fair number of surprise performances from around the league, with the current point leaders at each position being brand-new representatives.
Upsets galore occurred, with several favored teams (Buffalo, Philadelphia, Los Angeles Rams) falling to their opponents, despite a significant talent gap. The injury bug finally managed to spare us from devastation after consecutive weeks of brutal long-term blows to superstars and key contributors. Rookies continued to impress and make significant impacts, especially at the wide receiver position.
Should any of these performances be considered repeatable (both good or bad)? Which results are a total mirage? Here are my thoughts on Week 5’s studs and duds.
Fantasy Football Studs & Duds: Week 5
Quarterbacks
Stud: C.J. Stroud (QB – HOU)
Through the first three weeks of the season, C.J. Stroud (along with everyone else on Houston’s offense) appeared to be totally lost. He failed to pass for more than 207 yards in any game, was sitting on a 2:2 touchdown-to-interception ratio and was under constant pressure behind a shaky offensive line.
In Week 4, we caught glimpses of the Texans beginning to turn a corner in an impressive 26-0 shutout of Tennessee at home, and the light finally went on for Stroud and Co. on the road against Baltimore on Sunday. Stroud completed 23-of-27 pass attempts for 244 yards and four touchdown passes, adding a 30-yard rush for good measure.
One can certainly reference the Ravens being without several key starters in their secondary, but we will take any sign of improvement we can get at this point. Houston has a bye in Week 6, but then faces a tough stretch of opponents from Weeks 7-10 (Seattle, San Francisco, Denver, Jacksonville). Hopefully, Stroud can keep the momentum going against more difficult secondaries.
Stud: Dak Prescott (QB – DAL)
One week after his breakout performance against Green Bay, Dak Prescott continued to find success on the road against the New York Jets. Although the counting statistics weren’t terribly impressive (he completed just 18 passes for 237 yards), Prescott managed to throw four touchdown passes — two to Jake Ferguson and one each to George Pickens and Javonte Williams.
Considering that the majority of Dallas’ offensive line was on the shelf dealing with injuries, combined with the lingering absence of wideout CeeDee Lamb, Prescott’s success over the last two weeks is nothing short of extraordinary. Dallas is on the road in Week 6 against Carolina, a team that has been somewhat stingy against the pass in 2025. Prescott’s arm will continue to be the focal point of this offense, and he is locked in as a mid-tier QB1 regardless of matchup.
Dud: Kyler Murray (QB – ARI)
Kyler Murray was universally ranked as a top-five option based upon weekly projections, squaring off against the 0-4 Tennessee Titans at home. Rather than thriving against an underwhelming defense that surrendered points in droves, Murray struggled instead. Michael Carter and Emari Demercado held up admirably well in the running game to vault Arizona out to an early lead — one that was spoiled by Murray’s inability to push the ball downfield.
Completing just 23-of-31 pass attempts for 220 yards (and taking a bevy of sacks in the process), Murray was unable to click with tight end Trey McBride in this contest (he finished with just five receptions for 41 yards), and no receiver outside of Marvin Harrison Jr. saw more than five targets or finished with more than 17 receiving yards. Rather than concentrating targets to elite options, it appears the Cardinals were content spreading the ball around instead, to their detriment.
Dud Drake Maye (QB – NE)
It is difficult to criticize Drake Maye too much in this blurb, considering that New England pulled off a dramatic upset victory over the Bills in Buffalo. Maye was able to effectively move the ball down the field between the 20s, constantly placing the Patriots within scoring range throughout the game. Unfortunately, all of New England’s scoring came on the ground rather than through the air, which led Maye’s final statistics to feel somewhat hollow.
Maye finished with 273 passing yards on 22 completions, and added 12 rushing yards while scrambling — numbers that aren’t poor per se, but the lack of any scores dropped his final totals dramatically. From a positive perspective, Maye has made a significant step forward in his development during his sophomore season and has really begun to click with alpha wide receiver Stefon Diggs after a slow start. Hopefully, the Patriots will begin to trust his arm more to move the offense in the red zone.
Running Backs
Stud: Rico Dowdle (RB – CAR)
How about a blast from the past? Thrust into the limelight after Chuba Hubbard was declared inactive due to a calf injury, Rico Dowdle handled a massive workload against Miami, finishing with 26 touches for 234 total yards and a rushing touchdown. Dowdle cut through the Dolphins’ defense like a knife through butter, constantly gashing the team for huge gains on the ground.
Dowdle’s success will allow Carolina to ease Hubbard back into action. I can’t envision they are under any pressure to rush him back faster than necessary. Dowdle has another juicy matchup in Week 6 against his former club, Dallas, a defense that ranks fourth-worst in points allowed per game (30.8) and bleeds rushing yards each contest. We get the feeling this will be a sneaky high-scoring game, with Dowdle continuing to be heavily featured.
Stud: Javonte Williams (RB – DAL)
Speaking of that Dallas-Carolina game, the other side of the ball should be fun to watch as well. Javonte Williams has been fantastic to start the 2025 season, totaling 525 scrimmage yards and six total touchdowns through the first five weeks of the season, all while appearing fully healthy and recovered from the knee injury he suffered earlier in his career.
Williams has thrived in the bellcow role, handling the majority of touches over backup Miles Sanders. He doesn’t possess the same top-end speed as other No. 1 RBs around him, but Williams’ ability to break tackles and fall forward for positive yardage with every attempt has him locked in as a top-15 player each week at the position.
Dallas squares off against multiple stout rushing defenses before their Week 10 bye, including Denver, Washington and Arizona. Williams will continue to serve as the focal point on the ground for the Cowboys.
Dud: James Cook (RB – BUF)
James Cook came into Week 5 averaging over 100 rushing yards and a touchdown per contest, and there were no major red flags for the train to become derailed against New England on Sunday evening. Whoops. The Patriots made a point to lock down Cook, holding him to just 49 rushing yards on 15 carries, rendering him a non-factor in the passing game.
Buffalo played from behind the majority of this contest, and quickly fell into a pass-first mantra that counteracted Cook’s general usage. We’d consider this to be a blip on the radar in the grand scheme of things, and can’t envision a scenario where Buffalo continues to shy away from using one of their most dynamic playmakers. The Bills travel to Atlanta for Monday Night Football in Week 6, in what should be a much easier matchup on paper for Cook to exploit. A rebound effort is certainly in the cards.
Dud: Alvin Kamara (RB – NO)
Alvin Kamara was exceptionally quiet against the New York Giants, considering that New Orleans scored 26 points en route to an upset victory. Finishing with a season-low eight carries and 27 rushing yards, the only thing that kept his fantasy totals from completely tanking was continued usage as an outlet in the passing game.
Opposing defenses have no reason not to load the box against the Saints continually, forcing Kamara to square off against loaded boxes with no prayer of daylight. New Orleans is averaging a paltry 190 passing yards per contest, and no receiver on the team has eclipsed 300 yards or two receiving touchdowns.
Despite quarterback Spencer Rattler currently ranking fourth in the league in pass attempts (due to the team always playing from behind), he is 15th in passing yards and is tied for 19th in touchdown passes. We can’t envision this scenario improving dramatically, unless the Saints opt to make a change under center, once they are formally out of playoff contention.
Wide Receivers
Stud: Emeka Egbuka (WR – TB)
In a thrilling back-and-forth contest against Seattle, where Tampa Bay triumphed 38-35, Emeka Egbuka cemented himself as the top receiving threat for the Buccaneers. Catching all seven passes thrown his way for 163 yards and a touchdown, this marks his second consecutive game over the century mark, as Baker Mayfield looked his way early and often to move the chains.
Egbuka is tied for second in the NFL in touchdown receptions with five (second to Amon-Ra St. Brown‘s 6), and he is fourth in the league in receiving yards (445). To say that he has been a revelation is an understatement. As advertised from Ohio State, Egbuka can line up anywhere on the field and completely embarrass his opposition, with an elite combination of speed and route-running ability.
Even after Mike Evans returns from his hamstring strain over the next few weeks, fantasy managers should view Egbuka as an upside WR2, who is quickly establishing himself as one of the league’s best already.
Stud: Kendrick Bourne (WR – SF)
Just to reiterate how crazy San Francisco’s Thursday Night victory over the Los Angeles Rams was — the team was without Brock Purdy under center, Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall at wideout and George Kittle at tight end. This left Kendrick Bourne as the de facto top passing option, and he responded mightily.
Bourne caught 10 of his 11 targets for 142 yards and was the clear favorite of Mac Jones to focus on in times of need. With the status of all injured players still up in the air, Bourne could be in for another large workload in Week 6, when the 49ers travel to Tampa Bay. The team needs someone other than Christian McCaffrey to touch the ball, and Bourne proved that he has plenty left in his tank. He is sure to be a top waiver wire add on Tuesday’s run.
Dud: Quentin Johnston (WR – LAC)
Following a strong performance in Week 4 against the New York Giants (8/98/1), Quentin Johnston came back to Earth against Washington, catching just four passes for 40 yards in his quietest game of the year. Los Angeles struggled mightily in the passing game, with Justin Herbert constantly under pressure against a strong Commanders front four.
Herbert not having any time in the pocket was a death knell for Johnston’s fantasy value, with Ladd McConkey and Keenan Allen favored instead working shorter routes. Losses along the Chargers’ offensive line are beginning to be felt, and one has every right to be concerned moving forward. Los Angeles travels to Miami in Week 6, and it will be interesting to see if there is a shift in the game plan. The Dolphins rank dead last in the league against the run (allowing nearly 175 yards on the ground per game) but are mid-tier versus the pass.
Dud: Jakobi Meyers (WR – LV)
This past Sunday reinforced my belief that Jakobi Meyers is a fantastic second or third option within a passing game, but isn’t built to be a true alpha/No. 1 threat. With tight end Brock Bowers unavailable as he works through a knee issue, Meyers became the focal point for the Indianapolis Colts to shut down.
Meyers’s final totals mirrored last weekend’s ugly performance (4/30 in Week 4, 4/32 in Week 5), and this marks three consecutive outings where he has failed to eclipse double-digit points in a PPR format. The hope is that Bowers will return next week and ease away defensive attention, allowing Meyers to roam freely against a hapless Tennessee Titans secondary. He’s a good candidate for a bounce-back effort on a 1-4 Raiders squad desperately looking to appease their fans.
Tight Ends
Stud: AJ Barner (TE – SEA)
You are reading that correctly — I wrote AJ Barner as the current “stud” option at the tight end position this week. In a career outing against Tampa Bay, Barner caught all seven of his targets for 53 yards and two touchdowns, and now holds a 14/134/4 split through five games.
In previous contests, it was rookie Elijah Arroyo who was the preferred tight end target for Sam Darnold, but given how often the team runs a 2-TE formation, either player is capable of producing if given the chance with enough looks.
Seattle squares off against Jacksonville in Week 6, and the Jaguars have been much more generous against the pass than the run this season. Either Arroyo or Barner could have a decent game, but it is anyone’s guess as to who will come out on top.
Dud: Zach Ertz (TE – WSH)
To be honest, several marquee tight ends fell flat on their faces in Week 5, but Zach Ertz had the most egregious finishing totals of the bunch. In a 27-10 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers, Ertz failed to catch his lone target of the afternoon, resulting in a donut. Zero points. And that is even after the healthy return of Jayden Daniels under center.
Ertz still ran as the team’s top option from a snaps perspective, but his poor performance was notable, especially when Washington was without Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown, and he was expected to become the second read opposite Deebo Samuel. Better days are ahead, but this is Ertz’s third quiet game in a row, and one has to wonder how much he has left in the tank.
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