Team of the Week
QB: C.J. Stroud, HOU
Stroud has struggled against the Ravens throughout his career, but the banged-up defense was no match for a Houston offense that is suddenly back on track—as the former No. 2 overall pick completed 23-of-27 passes for 244 yards and four touchdowns. While the momentum built over the past two games is extremely encouraging as the Texans head into a bye, keep in mind that the upcoming schedule (@ SEA, v SF, v DEN) isn’t great.
RB: Rico Dowdle, CAR
Carolina fell behind 17-0 to the Dolphins yesterday, but the stayed committed to the run as Dowdle busted out with a career day—rushing 23 times for 206 yards and a touchdown. Dowdle also caught three-of-four passes for 28 yards in the eventual win, and his stock should be way up even when Chuba Hubbard (calf) returns.
RB: Jonathan Taylor, IND
Taylor absolutely destroyed the Raiders on Sunday with 86 total yards and three rushing touchdowns, and he is now the overall RB1 on the season after his third game with 28.5+ fantasy points. With the Indy offense being a machine under Daniel Jones, there is a strong case to be made for Taylor as the top fantasy asset the rest of the way.
WR: Emeka Egbuka, TB
Seattle profiled as a tougher matchup for Egbuka and the wide receivers, but all he did was have the best game of his young career by catching all seven of his targets for 163 yards and a touchdown. Mike Evans (hamstring) will be back eventually and Todd Bowles said he expects Chris Godwin Jr. to be a “terror” at some point, but Egbuka could be a legitimate WR1.
WR: Ja’Marr Chase, CIN
The Lions were shutting down Chase yesterday and seemed to have two sets of eyes on him at all times—but he was able to get loose for a 15-yard touchdown on a broken play and then struck with a 64-yard score on a double move. Although there is no guarantee Joe Burrow (toe) will be back this year, Chase showed why he’s such a dangerous option no matter who is under center.
TE: AJ Barner, SEA
Barner has had a strong start to the season with two touchdowns in his first four games, and yesterday was a full-blown breakout with seven receptions (on seven targets) for 53 yards and two touchdowns. The second-year tight end has a full-time role based on his blocking ability, so the start doesn’t appear to be a fluke in Klint Kubiak’s offense.
FLEX: Kyren Williams, LAR
Williams had a costly fumble in the loss to San Francisco on Thursday night, but fantasy owners should have been happy with the performance as he turned 22 touches into 131 yards and two touchdowns. The real damage came as a pass-catcher with an 8/66/2 line, and Sean McVay giving a major vote of confidence to Williams will keep him firmly in the RB1 ranks next week in Baltimore.
D/ST: New Orleans Saints
The Saints forced a turnover on five consecutive possessions to key their comeback win over the Giants, and cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry was the star of the game with two interceptions. New Orleans had struggled in some more difficult matchups to begin 2025, but they appear on the right track and could have a unit worth streaming in plus matchups.
K: Ka’imi Fairbairn, HOU
General offensive struggles for Houston were reason to be lower on Fairbairn, but they put up a season-high 44 points on Baltimore—and he nailed all three of his field goals (including two from 50+ yards) and all five of his extra points in the win. After a bye this week, Fairbairn could be a kicker to roster the rest of the season.
Surprise of the Week: Michael Carter
Carter leading the Arizona backfield wasn’t a surprise, but he handled a career-high 18 carries (for 51 yards and a touchdown) and caught all five of his targets for 22 yards. The Cardinals feel like a team that could be aggressive making a move for another weapon on offense (perhaps in the backfield), but Carter is looking like a low-end RB2/FLEX option for now.
Disappointment of the Week: Zach Ertz
As always, the week was filled with disappointments—but Ertz is the choice here after being held without a catch in the first game back for Jayden Daniels. Considering the connection between the two (including a touchdown in each game to begin the season with Daniels under center), Ertz being targeted just once was obviously a disappointment, and there will now be some hesitation about him in Week 6 lineups despite a good matchup versus Chicago next Monday night.
Rookie of the Week: Emeka Egbuka
Egbuka is on his way to being the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year based on his start to the campaign, and he’s put up point totals of 21.6, 10.9, 11.5, 18.1, and 27.8 in his first five games. Monster targets haven’t even been there for the Ohio State product, but he’s averaging 11.7 yards per target and it now on pace for an 85/1,513/17 line.
Week 5 MVP: Rico Dowdle
Dowdle had a modest start to his time in Carolina with 3.0 yards per carry, but he took full advantage of a starting opportunity with the 234 total yards and a score as the Panthers staved off another blowout by wearing down the Dolphins. After a 1,000-yard rushing campaign last year in Dallas, there is no doubt that Dowdle will be leaned on more moving forward, and he’ll have some motivation as he faces his former team in Week 6.