The fantasy football QB rankings for Week 5 look much different than in previous weeks. Not only do we have four teams on bye, but we have surprise breakout players at the quarterback position who have soared in the rankings.
How do the QB rankings look for this coming week?
WEEK 5 POSITIONAL RANKINGS: RB | WR | TE | K | DEF | FLEX
Top 30 Fantasy Quarterback Rankings
1) Lamar Jackson | Baltimore Ravens (at CIN)
2) Josh Allen | Buffalo Bills (at HOU)
3) Kyler Murray | Arizona Cardinals (at SF)
4) Jayden Daniels | Washington Commanders (vs. CLE)
5) Justin Fields | Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. DAL)
6) Brock Purdy | San Francisco 49ers (vs. ARI)
7) C.J. Stroud | Houston Texans (vs. BUF)
8) Jordan Love | Green Bay Packers (at LAR)
9) Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City Chiefs (vs. NO)
10) Baker Mayfield | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at ATL)
11) Joe Burrow | Cincinnati Bengals (vs. BAL)
12) Deshaun Watson | Cleveland Browns (at WAS)
13) Geno Smith | Seattle Seahawks (vs. NYG)
14) Caleb Williams | Chicago Bears (vs. CAR)
15) Kirk Cousins | Atlanta Falcons (vs. TB)
16) Trevor Lawrence | Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. IND)
17) Sam Darnold | Minnesota Vikings (vs. NYJ in London)
18) Anthony Richardson | Indianapolis Colts (at JAX)
19) Dak Prescott | Dallas Cowboys (at PIT)
20) Aaron Rodgers | New York Jets (vs. MIN in London)
21) Bo Nix | Denver Broncos (vs. LV)
22) Derek Carr | New Orleans Saints (at KC)
23) Andy Dalton | Carolina Panthers (at CHI)
24) Daniel Jones | New York Giants (at SEA)
25) Matthew Stafford | Los Angeles Rams (vs. GB)
26) Tyler Huntley | Miami Dolphins (at CIN)
27) Gardner Minshew II | Las Vegas Raiders (at DEN)
28) Jacoby Brissett | New England Patriots (vs. MIA)
29) Joe Flacco | Indianapolis Colts (at JAX)
30) Aidan O’Connell | Las Vegas Raiders (at DEN)
Which QBs Are Intriguing for Week 5?
Sam Darnold’s Fantasy Outlook
Another week, another multi-touchdown effort from Darnold. The efficiency is great to see, but is his fantasy stock a little too tied to something that could prove to be fleeting?
Maybe you trust the Darnold/Kevin O’Connell tandem in a Brock Purdy/Kyle Shanahan sort of way, but if not, his standing as a viable weekly option is on thin ice. Darnold is not a stiff, but he’s far from the type of QB who will pile up the points with his legs — any signal-caller with that profile who has more fantasy points than completions this season is going to be flagged by my regression metrics.
That’s not to take anything away from what Darnold has done through September — he’s been amazing. That said, fantasy is a game of looking forward, not back (his pace for 47 passing TDs means nothing to me), which has me lower than the industry on him.
Sam Darnold showing great understanding of the defensive coverage.
Safety is cheated to the field pre snap and post snap stays there, so no need to “look off” the safety. Get your eyes to the double move to help the corner bite and make the appropriate throw. 🤌🏾
🎥-@NFL pic.twitter.com/jUVvclWnNH
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) September 29, 2024
Darnold isn’t in the QB1 conversation this week, and I have no problem in saying that I think the month we just saw from the former No. 3 overall pick will be his best of the season.
If you’re with me, sell Darnold to the highest bidder and build up your roster elsewhere. If not, then you’re hanging your hat on an outlier season and praying for similar efficacy in this matchup in Week 17 when the Packers come to Minnesota.
Kyler Murray’s Fantasy Outlook
I had Murray ranked as my QB1 last week, thinking that an ideal matchup against the Commanders would prove more impactful than not having Trey McBride at his disposal.
I stand by that train of thought, but Arizona had the ball for under 27 minutes and never got on track. Murray was efficient with a 72.7% completion rate, he just didn’t have a ton of valuable opportunities.
He’s not my QB1 this week in a tougher matchup, but Murray’s versatility, along with a nice stable of pass catchers, makes him a lineup lock that you need not think twice about, even after consecutive underwhelming weeks.
Murray faced the 49ers once last season and had 45 opportunities (pass + rush attempts) — if he gets anything like that on Sunday, his production ceiling is as high as anyone in the sport.
All stats are from TruMedia unless otherwise stated.