Fantasy football lineups might have been slightly depleted in Week 5 with the first set of byes taking place, but fortunately there was no shortage of interesting fill-ins ready to pick up the slack.
Hopefully, if your team was missing the likes of Bijan Robinson, Josh Jacobs or Rome Odunze, you were able to slide in one of this week’s unsung heroes. On the flip side, surprisingly subpar efforts from some usually reliable players could have sent your team down to a painful defeat.
Here’s a look at some of the biggest fantasy winners and losers from Sunday’s NFL action:
Fantasy football winners for Week 5
RB Rico Dowdle, Carolina Panthers
The fantasy hero of the week, Dowdle stepped into the starting role when Chuba Hubbard was ruled out and put up the first 200-yard rushing day of the season. The five-year veteran carried 23 times for 206 yards and a touchdown in singlehandedly leading many fantasy teams who picked him up off the waiver wire to victory. Even if Hubbard is 100% next week, Dowdle’s performance should certainly earn him a greater share of the workload.
QB Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Even without top wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, Prescott continues to put up QB1 numbers. He accounted for four touchdowns for the second week in a row, throwing for 237 yards and rushing for 28 more. Prescott has turned Jake Ferguson into a top-tier tight end, and on Sunday even made Ryan Flournoy (6-114) productive.
QB C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
Is Stroud back … or did he just take advantage of the injury-ravaged Baltimore Ravens defense? Whatever the reason, Stroud hit on 23 of 27 passes for 244 yards and four TDs. He even added a 30-yard scramble to finish Sunday as the fantasy QB1 on the week. Nico Collins’ fantasy managers were happy to see him on the receiving end of one of those touchdowns. The only problem: the Texans are on bye in Week 6.
RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders
A crowded Washington backfield showed few signs of sorting itself out since Austin Ekeler’s season-ending injury in Week 2. That might have changed with Croskey-Merritt’s dominating effort against the Chargers. He carried 14 times for 111 yards and two touchdowns in an upset win. Having QB Jayden Daniels back and healthy after missing two games certainly helped, but Croskey-Merritt now seems to fit the bill as a lead back.
WR Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins
The season-ending injury to Tyreek Hill has put more pressure on Waddle and also raised expectations on him. In a shootout against the Panthers, Waddle had a season-high nine targets, catching six of them for 110 yards, including a 46-yard TD. He ran the entire route tree and even came back from what looked like (yet another) in-game injury. The emergence of TE Darren Waller as a legitimate receiving threat could open things up for Waddle going forward.
Fantasy football losers for Week 5
RB Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles
Barkley was either the first or second running back taken in most fantasy drafts this season. And he seemed like one of the safest possible bets, coming off a 2,000-yard season on the ground in 2024. However, this season has been a major disappointment with Barkley averaging under 60 rushing yards per game for the first four weeks. Against the Denver Broncos, he carried the ball just six times for 30 yards. Although Barkley salvaged his fantasy day with a 47-yard touchdown reception, his lack of rushing production is a major concern.
RB Emari Demercado, Arizona Cardinals
With injuries to James Conner and Trey Benson, Demarcado looked like the next back up in Arizona. That didn’t prove to be the case. Michael Carter, just activated off the practice squad, had 18 carries to three for Demercado. Carter also caught all five of his targets in the passing game, while Demercado wasn’t targeted. But the one play that had the greatest impact was Demercado’s breakaway early in the fourth quarter when he appeared to score on a 72-yard run, but lost control of the ball just before crossing the goal line.
That’s the second time in as many weeks a player has celebrated too early and cost himself (and his fantasy managers) a touchdown.
WR Quentin Johnston, Los Angeles Chargers
Just when we all finally started to believe in Johnston, a great home matchup against the Commanders turned out to be a dud. After having at least seven targets, and 70 yards in each of his first four games, Johnston caught only four for 40 in Week 5. It wasn’t like he was ignored either. Fellow wideouts Keenan Allen and Ladd McConkey have five receptions each and no one topped 60 yards. It’s going to be tough for all three Chargers receivers to thrive every week, but this was a game in which none of them did.
K Spencer Shrader, Indianapolis Colts
Entering the week as the No. 2 fantasy kicker, Shrader and the Colts were eyeing a potential blowout game against the Raiders. While the blowout materialized, Shrader wasn’t able to share in it after he was injured on an extra point attempt following the Colts’ second touchdown. He didn’t return and finished with only two points in a 40-6 win. Hopefully, he’ll be able to return in Week 6.
All the NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY’s 4th and Monday newsletter.
