We had another week of insane fantasy football performances, led by some of the game’s biggest stars. D.J. Moore (WR – Bears) started it off with an 8-230-3 outing against a porous Commanders pass defense on Thursday Night Football, as Justin Fields (QB – Bears) and the Chicago Bears ended the league’s longest losing streak in dominant fashion. Ja’Marr Chase (WR – Bengals) wasn’t far behind, hauling in 15 receptions for 192 yards and three touchdowns against Arizona on the road, while commanding 19 targets as the Bengals improved to 2-3 with their first road win of the season.
Across the proverbial pond in London, UK, Travis Etienne Jr. (RB – Jaguars) went ballistic against a decimated Bills defense that already struggled to contain the run, surrendering 136 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns to the Jaguars’ RB1, along with four receptions for an additional 48 yards. Other big names found themselves firmly in the Stud list, ranging from Tyreek Hill (WR – Dolphins) and Josh Allen (QB – Bills), to Jalen Hurts (QB – Eagles) and Breece Hall (RB – Jets).
Of course, when there’s Studs, there are also plenty of duds. Rhamondre Stevenson (RB – Patriots) continues to burn fantasy managers with his offseason ADP, tallying 2.4 points in a 34-0 shutout loss at home to the New Orleans Saints. Najee Harris (RB – Steelers) is another running back who is failing to return value behind a bad run blocking offensive line, while ceding targets to second-year running back, Jaylen Warren (RB – Steelers). Tony Pollard (RB – Cowboys) was a victim of the negative game script in a 42-10 loss against San Francisco, along with CeeDee Lamb (WR – Cowboys) (WR41), Terry McLaurin (WR – Commanders) (WR41), and Garrett Wilson (WR – Jets) (WR41), who all finished lower than WR3s heading into Monday Night Football.
NFL fantasy analyst Matt MacKay shares his latest analysis on these stud and dud performances from Week 5 using half-PPR scoring to offer fantasy managers advice for how to value these players moving forward.
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Studs
Zack Moss (RB – Colts)
To the detriment of all Jonathan Taylor (RB – Colts) fantasy managers who rolled him out in lineups in his first week back, Zack Moss spoiled the party. Moss continued to grind out production as the RB1 in the Colts’ backfield, toting 23 carries for 165 yards and two touchdowns. Moss will likely continue in an elevated role while Taylor gets into game shape following his ankle injury sustained last season. It’s hard to predict when this will end, but a tough matchup against the Jaguars run defense in Week 5 should relegate Moss back to a low-end RB2 borderline RB3.
Ja’Marr Chase (WR – Bengals)
It was only a matter of time before Chase reminded us all about his talent, exploding for 15 receptions and three touchdowns, while nearly hitting 200 receiving yards on 19 targets. Joe Burrow (QB – Bengals) was slinging the football aggressively downfield, which is all Chase needed to surge atop the Week 5 fantasy leaderboard. Chase didn’t have Tee Higgins (WR – Bengals) soaking up targets either, but even when he returns, Chase remains a bonafide WR1 with a top-five ceiling. Week 6 will give the Bengals a home game against Seattle, which is the best fantasy matchup for wide receivers this season, so keep Chase as a top-three option in 2023.
George Kittle (TE – 49ers)
George Kittle turned all three of his receptions into touchdowns in a nuclear outing for the 49ers, who buried the Cowboys 42-10 at home in prime time on Sunday Night Football. Kittle had yet to find the end zone but more than made up for it with his performance, despite only seeing four targets and ceding most of the passing work to Brandon Aiyuk (WR – 49ers), who earned a 12 percent higher target share. Tight end is a volatile position and it’s tough to find a player consistent enough to trust, so temper expectations for Kittle in Week 6 against the Browns defense, which is a unit that is a bottom-ten fantasy tight end matchup.
Justin Fields (QB – Bears)
It was great seeing a player overcome his early season struggles in prime time, as Justin Fields tore up the Commanders, throwing downfield aggressively all night to his favorite target, D.J. Moore. Fields wound up completing only 51 percent of passes but logged 282 passing yards and four touchdowns, adding 11 carries for 57 rushing yards on a lot of designed runs from OC Luke Getsy. This could be the turning point in Fields’ season and he gets another favorable matchup at home against the Vikings in Week 6, which is the ninth-best fantasy quarterback matchup available. Fields should remain locked into all fantasy lineups until further notice.
Duds
Miles Sanders (RB – Panthers)
After a strong opening week, it’s been all downhill for Miles Sanders. The Panthers’ RB1 is averaging 3.1 YPC and only has one touchdown, while catching 15 of 24 targets for 81 receiving yards through five games. He’s averaging just 7.3 fantasy points per game and failed to catch his lone target against the Lions in a game where the Panthers were chasing points the entire game. It may be time to abandon ship on Sanders, who landed a big offseason contract to lead the Panthers’ backfield. Carolina is in disarray and looks flat against every opponent, so Sanders should be benched or traded if there are still fantasy managers who value what he did in Philadelphia. Low-end RB3 rest of season.
Courtland Sutton (WR – Broncos)
Courtland Sutton had been efficient on a relatively small target share, but his inability to find the end zone against the Jets in Week 5 resulted in only 1.8 fantasy points. He saw a season-low three targets, catching one for 13 yards, as Jerry Jeudy (WR – Broncos) earned most of the targets from Russell Wilson (QB – Broncos). The Broncos are another offense that is still seeking its identity and have been able to put up points on bad defenses, so Sutton remains a mid-range WR3 with low-end WR2 upside despite facing a bottom-12 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday Night Football.
Tyler Higbee (TE – Rams)
It was a fantastic matchup for Tyler Higbee in Week 5 but he’s a victim of the Rams’ dominant wide receiving corps, as Cooper Kupp (WR – Rams), Puka Nacua (WR – Rams), and Tutu Atwell (WR – Rams) soaked up most of the targets from Matthew Stafford (QB – Rams). Higbee gets a tough matchup against the Cardinals’ defense in Week 6, which is a bottom-five matchup in fantasy football. Higbee will have spike weeks but he’s nearing Kyren Williams’ (RB – Rams) target share at under 15 percent, so it may be time to cut Higbee to waivers or look elsewhere for a lineup-worthy tight end prospect.
Lamar Jackson (QB – Ravens)
Lamar Jackson’s struggles against Pittsburgh continued in Week 5, but he didn’t get any help from his receivers, who dropped seven passes, including a few timely drops that could’ve put the Ravens into a better position to win a low-scoring game on the road in Pittsburgh. Jackson completed under 58 percent of his pass attempts for 236 yards, one interception, and was held out of the end zone as a ball carrier for the first time since Week 2. Brighter days are ahead, so keep Jackson locked into lineups as a firm QB1 against the Titans in Week 6.
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Matthew MacKay is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @Matt_MacKay_.