Week 5 QB Rankings: C.J. Stroud Leads Freedman's Favorites
Matthew Freedman breaks down his favorite plays from his Week 5 quarterback rankings for fantasy football.
It's Week 5.
That means we're almost a quarter of the way through the NFL regular season.
Time flies. Time lies. Time dies.
In the immortal words of Scott Stapp: "No time for mourning, ain't got no time."
Let's get into the Week 5 QB edition of Freedman's Favorites, where I highlight guys I'm upgrading because of:
- Favorable betting factors and situational spots
- Advantageous defensive matchups (perhaps aided by injury)
- Increased usage expectations (again, maybe aided by injury)
For process notes regarding this series, my weekly fantasy football rankings, and my weekly projections, see the end of this piece. Also, check out the rest of my favorite Week 5 fantasy football plays.
To see our full rankings and projections, use the promo code FREEDMAN for 20% off the FantasyLife+ package.
Week 5 Quarterback Rankings
Justin Fields Gets to Ride the Village Bicycle in Week 5
On defense, the Cowboys this season have been the fantasy version of Austin Powers' proverbial village bicycle.
Their problem isn't merely that they're No. 1 in most fantasy points allowed to QBs (28.2) and largest fantasy boost allowed to QBs (+9.6).
Their problem is that, regardless of whoever they face, they make that guy look like a superstar (per our Fantasy Life Scoring Matrix).
- Jalen Hurts (Week 1): 24.3 points | 152 yards passing | 14-62-2 rushing
- Russell Wilson (Week 2): 31.3 points | 450 yards, 3 TDs passing | 3-23-0 rushing
- Caleb Williams (Week 3): 29.1 points | 298 yards, 4 TDs passing | 5-12-0 rushing
- Jordan Love (Week 4): 26.3 points | 337 yards, 3 TDs passing | 3-28-0 rushing
And this week, they're playing Justin Fields.
In any given game, you have almost no idea what you'll get from him.
In Week 1, Fields had 29.5 points with 218 yards and a TD passing and 12-48-2 rushing … and then in Week 2 he completed just three of 11 attempts for 27 scoreless yards before being forced from the game with a concussion, which sidelined him for Week 3.
But then in Week 4 he returned to action on Monday Night Football with another top-five fantasy performance (226 yards, one TD passing, 7-81-1 rushing).
He's at a disadvantage with a short week of rest, but at least the Jets are at MetLife Stadium, where they've had a top-five home-field advantage over the past five years (+4.33, per NFElo).
Plus, the Cowboys are coming off two full overtime games in three weeks.
Again, you never know what you're gonna get from Fields, but his position-best designed rush rate (19%) gives him an incredibly high ceiling/floor combo.
20+ fantasy points is well within the range of outcomes this week.
C.J. Stroud Faces Injured Ravens Defense in Week 5
At a glance, C.J. Stroud doesn't seem to be doing any (or much) better this year than he did last year.
- 2023: 273.9 PaYds per game | 8.7 AY/A
- 2024: 219.2 PaYds per game | 6.7 AY/A
- 2025: 208.0 PaYds per game | 6.6 AY/A
But he has picked up the pace as a runner.
- 2023: 2.6 RuAtts per game | 11.1 RuYds per game
- 2024: 3.1 RuAtts per game | 13.7 RuYds per game
- 2025: 5.4 RuAtts per game | 23.0 RuYds per game
And last week he at least showed the ability against the Titans to exploit a bad defense (233 yards, two TDs passing with a 78.6% completion rate, 9.8 AY/A).
And that's good news for him (and us)—because the Ravens have a bad defense: This year, they're No. 3 in most fantasy points allowed to QBs (23.7). Hall of Famers Ray Lewis and Ed Reed aren't walking through those doors.
On top of that, the Ravens are massively injured.
In the front seven, DTs Nnamdi Madubuike (neck, IR) and Broderick Washington (ankle, IR) are already out, and EDGE Kyle Van Noy (hamstring), DT Travis Jones (knee) and LB Roquan Smith (hamstring) are uncertain.
In the secondary, CBs Marlon Humphrey (calf) and Nate Wiggins (elbow) are questionable after exiting last week early with injuries.
And on offense, the Ravens could be without QB Lamar Jackson (hamstring), which means they could struggle to control the ball, thereby granting extra drives to the Texans.
While the Texans are consensus 3.5-point road underdogs, we have them as a five-star bet in our Fantasy Life Game Model (under the assumption Jackson will be out or notably limited).
If ever there were a week for Stroud to flash QB1 upside, this is the one.
The Dropback
Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs) at Jaguars: With the return of WR Xavier Worthy, Mahomes looked like himself last week (270 yards, four TDs passing). The Jags are No. 2 in largest fantasy boost allowed to QBs (+5.7) and could be without EDGE Travon Walker (wrist) and FS Eric Murray (neck). For his career, Mahomes on the road is 33-24-3 ATS (11.9% ROI, per Action Network).
Jaxson Dart (Giants) at Saints: The bad news is that No. 1 WR Malik Nabers (knee, IR) is out and Dart (hamstring) is dealing with a soft-tissue injury. The good news is that Dart showed himself to be a legit runner in his first NFL start last week (10-54-1 rushing), and that's not including a 39-yard scramble called back because of a penalty. The Saints have been without EDGE Chase Young (calf) for the past month and they're No. 29 in defensive dropback EPA (0.277, per RBs Don't Matter).
Tua Tagovailoa (Dolphins) at Panthers: He has passed for fewer than 200 yards in three of four games, and No. 1 WR Tyreek Hill (knee, IR) is out, but Tagovailoa has also passed for 2+ TDs in each of the past three weeks, and new TE Darren Waller (27 yards, two TDs on MNF) should help replace some of Hill's lost production. Without starting EDGEs Patrick Jones (hamstring) and D.J. Wonnum (hip), the Panthers allowed the Patriots to score 42 points last week.
Bryce Young (Panthers) vs. Dolphins: Young is not good at football (5.0 AY/A this year), but the Dolphins are on short rest coming off MNF, they're No. 32 in defensive dropback SR (57.9%), No. 1 CB Storm Duck (ankle) last played in Week 1, and slot CB Jason Marshall (hamstring, IR) is out. Young is a reasonable desperado waiver add in 2QB/superflex, and I might even roll with him in Guillotine Leagues™.
QB Rankings Notes
Byes: This week, the Falcons, Bears, Packers, and Steelers are on bye.
Injuries: Since I write Freedman's Favorites on Tuesday, I have incomplete injury information. After I submit this article, any updated thoughts I have regarding injuries will manifest in my rankings and projections. For our quick fantasy thoughts every day, subscribe to the Fantasy Life newsletter.
Schedule: This season, I have the following rankings and projections schedule.
- Tue AM: Publish rankings and projections
- Thu AM: Refresh rankings and projections
- Thu PM: Make necessary TNF rankings changes
- Sat PM: Update rankings and projections
- Sun AM: Revise rankings
- Sun PM: Finalize rankings based on news prior to 1 pm ET kickoff
Accuracy: I'm a six-time top-20 ranker in accuracy and a long-time profitable player prop better.
Scoring: All fantasy points are half-PPR scoring unless otherwise stated.
Cohesion: My positional breakdowns are published separately, but I think of them as comprising one whole, so check out the rest of my favorite Week 5 fantasy football plays (via my Fantasy Life author page).
Abbreviations: Here are some abbreviations I might have used in the piece.
- Fantasy Points per Game (FPPG)
- Against the Spread (ATS)
- Over/Under (O/U)
- Team Total (TT)
- Moneyline (ML)
- Return on Investment (ROI)
- Adjusted Yards per Attempt (AY/A)
- Expected Points Added (EPA)
- Success Rate (SR)
- Completion Percentage Over Expected (CPOE)
- Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA)
- AirYAC (Air Yards + Yards After Catch)
- Weighted Opportunity Rating (WOPR)
- Average Depth of Target (aDOT)
- Short Down and Distance (SDD)
- Long Down and Distance (LDD)
Join Our Newsletter
Trusted by 400,000+ fantasy football players. Get access to Fantasy Life's free award winning newsletter and tools, all in one step.
By registering or logging in, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
