Fantasy Football Top 10 Quarterbacks for Week 5

Another week is in the books, and another top quarterback has bitten the dust. Week 4 saw Lamar Jackson leave the Ravens contest in Kansas City with a sore hamstring. While many of us hoped this was merely precautionary in a game that seemed like the Chiefs had well in hand, it turned out to be a bit more serious. Now his owners will have to turn to plan B, and that should not be Cooper Rush unless you’re playing in a superflex league or a league with 18-plus teams. Let’s take a look at the top 10 quarterback rankings for Week 5 of fantasy football. Spoiler alert: Cooper Rush didn’t quite make the cut.

Top 10 Week 5 Quarterback Rankings

1) Josh Allen vs. Patriots

Surprise!!! Yep, he’s still atop our weekly list, and with the loss of Lamar Jackson, there just isn’t anybody close to him in the league right now. Allen kept chugging along last week with yet another 25+ point performance against New Orleans despite not having to do very much for the Bills to coast to an easy victory. The key contributor was a return to the end zone via his legs, as we predicted would happen in last week’s write-up.

This week, the Bills host New England in what should be a nice spot for Allen to put up another solid day. The Pats rank near the bottom in the league against the pass, and the return of Christian Gonzalez isn’t going to change very much in the Bills’ passing attack. The Bills don’t have a single alpha receiver for Gonzalez to shadow, and the lack of a pass rush is what has really led to their opponents’ success against them this season. Expect Allen to keep the Bills ahead using both his arm and his legs, and he should coast to another 25-point day.

2) Justin Fields vs. Cowboys

If you remember last week, I said the default No. 4 quarterback each week would be whoever is lucky enough to face Dallas in any given week. Well, that was before Lamar Jackson got hurt and before we lost faith in the Eagles passing game. The Cowboys have allowed 30+ fantasy points per game to Russ Wilson, Caleb Williams, and now Jordan Love over the past three weeks. Those three names weren’t Joe Montana, Dan Marino, or Brett Favre. This is just too easy, and we need to take advantage while we can.

Fields made it back for the Jets last week after a one-week absence due to a concussion he suffered in Week 2 and put up a 27-point day against the Dolphins. While he doesn’t profile as quite the passer that the previous three quarterbacks do, he will be heavily involved in any scoring by the Jets offense due to his double-threat ability. If you have him on your roster, this is the week to play him with confidence.

3) Jalen Hurts vs. Broncos

OK, so we may have lost a little faith in the Eagles’ passing game, but we still have faith in Jalen Hurts’ ability to score fantasy points. He may have only thrown for 130 yards last week, but he was still able to manage a top 12 performance, thanks to 2 TD passes and over 60 yards rushing. His legs will keep him relevant all year, and the Eagles are going to need him this week to knock off a tough Denver squad.

The Broncos defense is a top 10 unit against the pass, so this may not be a great day for AJ Brown or Devonta Smith. Expect Hurts to keep the sticks moving with short passes and with his legs, which should add up to yet another 20+ point fantasy day. If you drafted Hurts, you likely don’t have a better option on your bench, so roll with the Philly signal caller again this week.

4) Patrick Mahomes vs. Jaguars

Mahomes came through for us last week in a smash spot against the Ravens and looks to follow up this week in Jacksonville against a plucky Jaguars defense that leads the NFL in turnovers through four weeks. While the Jags rank at the top of the league in takeaways, they are in the bottom 10 overall against the pass.

They haven’t exactly faced the best of the best amongst NFL QBs so far in Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, an injured Brock Purdy, and less than a half of Joe Burrow. Mahomes presents a more significant challenge this week, and we have to believe the Jaguars will be able to score enough to keep the Chiefs in attack mode. Mahomes has been north of 23 fantasy points in 3 of the Chiefs first 4 games and should be able to make it 4 out of 5 this week.

Also, make sure to check out our Week 5 Wide Receiver Rankings!

5) Baker Mayfield vs. Seahawks

Baker is as steady as they come, averaging over 19 fantasy points per game without ever scoring below 17.7. This week, he gets a middling Seattle pass defense on the road in a game he will have to be relied upon if the Bucs are to stay competitive. It seems likely that Bucky Irving may miss the game, or at least he will be limited, which will mean Tampa will rely more on Rachaad White to lead the backfield.

While White isn’t nearly the runner that Irving is, he is quite accomplished as a pass catcher. Chris Godwin looks to be rounding into form, giving Baker a solid second target next to rookie phenom Emeka Egbuka, while the team awaits the return of Mike Evans. Baker slides into our top 5 because he just seems like a safe bet for 20 fantasy points. While his ceiling may not be as high as others on this list, his floor is just too good to pass up.

6) Jared Goff vs. Bengals

After two quiet weeks, Goff and the Lions passing game get a nice, sweet cupcake in the form of the Cincinnati Bengals defense. The one drawback thus far this season for Cincinnati’s offensive opponents in fantasy has been Jake Browning. The fact that the Bengals aren’t lighting up the scoreboard the way they did with Joe Burrow under center has allowed teams to simply coast to victory rather than keep the pedal to the metal for 4 quarters. This week, Goff and coach Campbell are going to look to light it up regardless of what the Bengals offense does. Expect Goff to throw for 300 yards and multiple scores, including a long one to Jameson Williams.

7) Jayden Daniels vs. Chargers

Daniels has been cleared to play after missing two weeks with a knee injury. While it’s possible he may need to shake off a little rust, he’s simply too talented to keep on your bench. It remains to be seen if the injury limits his running ability at all, but we have to believe if he’s been cleared to play, he’s going to be able to run. The Commanders may also be getting Terry McLaurin back as well, giving Daniels one of his main weapons to attack a Chargers defense that ranks in the top 5 in the league against the pass. This may not be the best matchup, but his talent is too good to keep on your bench.

8) Kyler Murray vs. Titans

The Titans stink. Plain and simple, they stink. Teams can basically do what they want when they face Tennessee, as they rank in the bottom 5 of the league against the run and bottom 10 against the pass. This week, Kyler will be without both of his top two running backs as Trey Benson has joined James Connor on the IR. Enter Emari Demercado and Michael Carter to lead the Cardinals backfield, or more to the point, enter Kyler Murray and the Cardinals passing game. Murray should connect on multiple scores to Marvin Harrison and Trey McBride, while possibly adding one of his own on the ground. It’s a smash spot for Murray, who has top 5 potential in any given week.

9) Justin Herbert vs. Commanders

Herbert is coming off a tough week against the Giants, as he scored under 15 fantasy points for the first time this season. He also lost his left tackle, Joe Alt, who now joins all-pro Rashawn Slater on the IR, leaving LA thin up front on the O-line. Expect the Chargers to rely on a quick-tempo passing game, getting the ball out of Herbert’s hands quickly to Keenan Allen and Ladd McConkey while also utilizing Omarian Hampton as a pass catcher. The Commanders rank 27th overall against the pass, so this matchup shouldn’t be one where the offensive line losses overly affect Herbert and the Chargers passing game. Herbert has shown that he will contribute a few points every week with his legs as well, rushing for over 20 yards in three of the Chargers’ first four games.

10) Drake Maye vs. Bills

Maye has quietly put up a top 10 season thus far, and the Patriots will need their young signal caller to be firing on all cylinders if they want to keep pace with Josh Allen and the Bills. Stephon Diggs emerged last week with his first 100-yard game in a New England uniform. Hunter Henry has been solid every week, and rookie Trayveon Henderson has also contributed as a pass catcher. For his part, Maye has been very solid throwing the football, but has kicked his fantasy game up to the next level with his legs. The sophomore QB has been over 20 fantasy points in each of his last three games. While Buffalo does rank atop the league against the pass, they are second to last against the run, so we’re expecting Maye to use his legs heavily this Sunday night.