Why does the board rank Matthew Stafford first after he scored 9.7?

A projection rewards volume and matchup, not last week's score. He threw 51 times on Sunday, and Buffalo allowed three touchdown passes to Drake Maye a week ago.

What does the † next to a name mean?

That player inherits work from a teammate who is out. The board hands the leftover carries, targets or attempts to the next man up, so his number depends on the injury staying put.

Should I trust a Questionable tag on Wednesday?

Not yet. Practice participation on Wednesday and Thursday matters more than the tag, and the final designation arrives Friday.

Rankings

Week 5 Fantasy Football Rankings

Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua lead the Week 5 board, Carolina and Kansas City are on bye, and Lamar Jackson's ankle is the biggest open question.

By Derek Sallis · October 7, 2026

Matthew Stafford leads this week's board at 25.9, and the cutoff at 120 is Romeo Doubs at 8.3. Carolina and Kansas City are on bye, so Tetairoa McMillan, Chuba Hubbard, Kenneth Walker III and Patrick Mahomes aren't listed. The numbers come from our Tuesday board, and Wednesday's practice reports have already changed a few of the tags. An asterisk marks those.

Injury watch

Baltimore is the big one. Lamar Jackson did not practice Wednesday with an ankle sprain, and Zay Flowers was out with a hamstring injury too. Jackson looks unlikely for Sunday night against Atlanta, though NFL Network's Ian Rapoport calls it an outside shot. Tyler Huntley starts if he sits. The board still carries Jackson at 17.4 as Questionable and Flowers at 15.0 as Healthy, so treat both numbers as risky until Thursday's report.

In Cincinnati, Ja'Marr Chase is in the concussion protocol, coach Zac Taylor calls him day to day, and RotoWire says to plan for him to sit against Miami. Tee Higgins left late Sunday with a groin injury.

Philadelphia lost its backup too. Saquon Barkley is week-to-week with a hamstring injury and looks unlikely to play in London, and Tank Bigsby is headed to injured reserve for core-muscle surgery. If both sit, Will Shipley leads the backfield. Yahoo Sports also reports the Eagles are trading center Cam Jurgens to Baltimore and tackle Lane Johnson is retiring, two moves that change the line in front of Jalen Hurts.

Two tags conflict with the news. Our board has Justin Jefferson and Pittsburgh's Rico Dowdle as Out, but Yahoo reports Jefferson is hopeful to return and Dowdle has a good chance. Thursday's practice reports will settle both.

Check these before you trust them

The board lists Tua Tagovailoa at 17.5 as Atlanta's backup and doesn't list Michael Penix Jr., who started Monday night. Treat Penix as the starter and ignore the Tua number. It also credits Easton Stick with Baker Mayfield's workload in Tampa Bay, but Jalon Daniels started last week, so confirm the Buccaneers' starter before trusting Stick's 15.0. Mayfield is out three to six weeks.

Top 20 Quarterbacks

Top 20 quarterbacks for Week 5 2026, projected half-PPR
Rank	Player	Team	Opp	Status	Proj FP
1	Matthew Stafford	LA	BUF	Healthy	25.9
2	Josh Allen	BUF	LA	Healthy	22.6
3	Brock Purdy	SF	SEA	Healthy	20.0
4	Jacoby Brissett	ARI	DET	Healthy	20.0
5	Bo Nix	DEN	LAC	Healthy	19.8
6	Jalen Hurts	PHI	JAX	Healthy	19.8
7	Joe Burrow	CIN	MIA	Healthy	19.6
8	Dak Prescott	DAL	TB	Healthy	19.5
9	Tyler Shough	NO	MIN	Healthy	19.5
10	Jared Goff	DET	ARI	Healthy	19.3
11	Cam Ward	TEN	HOU	Healthy	18.0
12	Athan Kaliakmanis †	WAS	NYG	Healthy	17.7
13	Trevor Lawrence	JAX	PHI	Healthy	17.5
14	Lamar Jackson	BAL	ATL	Questionable*	17.4
15	Aaron Rodgers	PIT	IND	Healthy	17.3
16	Kirk Cousins	LV	NE	Healthy	17.3
17	C.J. Stroud	HOU	TEN	Healthy	16.6
18	Justin Herbert	LAC	DEN	Healthy	16.5
19	Kyler Murray	MIN	NO	Healthy	16.1
20	Sam Darnold	SEA	SF	Healthy	16.1

† inherits volume from an injured teammate. * Wednesday practice news differs from the tag.

Top 20 Running Backs

Top 20 running backs for Week 5 2026, projected half-PPR
Rank	Player	Team	Opp	Status	Proj FP
1	Christian McCaffrey	SF	SEA	Healthy	22.6
2	Bijan Robinson	ATL	BAL	Healthy	22.2
3	Jahmyr Gibbs	DET	ARI	Healthy	21.5
4	Jonathan Taylor	IND	PIT	Healthy	20.0
5	Kyren Williams	LA	BUF	Healthy	19.7
6	James Cook	BUF	LA	Healthy	19.0
7	Omarion Hampton	LAC	DEN	Healthy	16.7
8	Ashton Jeanty	LV	NE	Healthy	16.1
9	D'Andre Swift	CHI	GB	Healthy	15.1
10	Jeremiyah Love	ARI	DET	Questionable	14.6
11	Aaron Jones	MIN	NO	Healthy	14.2
12	Bucky Irving	TB	DAL	Healthy	14.0
13	Chase Brown	CIN	MIA	Healthy	13.6
14	Javonte Williams	DAL	TB	Healthy	13.5
15	Derrick Henry	BAL	ATL	Healthy	13.1
16	Jaylen Warren	PIT	IND	Healthy	12.4
17	Quinshon Judkins	CLE	NYJ	Healthy	12.1
18	Bhayshul Tuten	JAX	PHI	Healthy	11.9
19	Josh Jacobs	GB	CHI	Healthy	11.8
20	Brian Robinson	ATL	BAL	Healthy	10.9

Top 20 Wide Receivers

Top 20 wide receivers for Week 5 2026, projected half-PPR
Rank	Player	Team	Opp	Status	Proj FP
1	Puka Nacua	LA	BUF	Healthy	22.9
2	CeeDee Lamb	DAL	TB	Healthy	18.6
3	Jaxon Smith-Njigba	SEA	SF	Healthy	18.6
4	Nico Collins	HOU	TEN	Healthy	18.1
5	Chris Olave	NO	MIN	Healthy	15.9
6	Amon-Ra St. Brown	DET	ARI	Healthy	15.7
7	Drake London	ATL	BAL	Healthy	15.6
8	Zay Flowers	BAL	ATL	Healthy*	15.0
9	Ja'Marr Chase	CIN	MIA	Questionable*	14.1
10	Michael Wilson	ARI	DET	Healthy	14.1
11	Davante Adams	LA	BUF	Healthy	13.8
12	Malik Nabers	NYG	WAS	Healthy	13.8
13	Carnell Tate	TEN	HOU	Healthy	12.8
14	Tee Higgins	CIN	MIA	Questionable*	12.7
15	Stefon Diggs †	WAS	NYG	Healthy	12.6
16	Rome Odunze	CHI	GB	Healthy	12.5
17	Garrett Wilson	NYJ	CLE	Healthy	12.1
18	Dontayvion Wicks †	PHI	JAX	Healthy	11.7
19	DK Metcalf	PIT	IND	Healthy	11.4
20	Wan'Dale Robinson	TEN	HOU	Healthy	11.2

Tight Ends

Top 13 tight ends for Week 5 2026, projected half-PPR
Rank	Player	Team	Opp	Status	Proj FP
1	Trey McBride	ARI	DET	Healthy	16.3
2	Brock Bowers	LV	NE	Healthy	16.2
3	George Kittle	SF	SEA	Healthy	13.5
4	Sam LaPorta	DET	ARI	Healthy	11.7
5	Harold Fannin Jr.	CLE	NYJ	Healthy	10.3
6	Tyler Warren	IND	PIT	Healthy	10.1
7	Juwan Johnson	NO	MIN	Healthy	9.6
8	Tyler Higbee	LA	BUF	Healthy	9.1
9	Kenyon Sadiq †	NYJ	CLE	Healthy	8.8
10	T.J. Hockenson	MIN	NO	Healthy	8.6
11	Tucker Kraft	GB	CHI	Healthy	8.5
12	Cade Otton	TB	DAL	Healthy	8.4
13	Mark Andrews	BAL	ATL	Healthy	8.3

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FAQ

Why does the board rank Matthew Stafford first after he scored 9.7?: A projection rewards volume and matchup, not last week's score. He threw 51 times on Sunday, and Buffalo allowed three touchdown passes to Drake Maye a week ago.
What does the † next to a name mean?: That player inherits work from a teammate who is out. The board hands the leftover carries, targets or attempts to the next man up, so his number depends on the injury staying put.
Should I trust a Questionable tag on Wednesday?: Not yet. Practice participation on Wednesday and Thursday matters more than the tag, and the final designation arrives Friday.

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