Fantasy Football Week 5 MVPs: Rico Dowdle and Emeka Egbuka Capture the Spotlight
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Have you won your Week 5 fantasy football matchup. Have you already lost? Either way, you likely experienced some breakout performances and I hope for you that it went positively. We saw a mix or elite talent and sleepers make their marks today. This included Ja'Marr Chase, at last, and Rico Dowdle as a waiver wire win. Plenty of players popped off in Week 5 and despite two games left to yet play, these are your MVPs so far in Week 5.
All provided scores are based on common PPR-scoring.
QUARTERBACKS
CJ Stroud - 32.76 Pts
It is about time that Stroud had a breakout fantasy performance. This is a big game that the Texans desperately needed. They now may have some momentum to catch back up to the Colts. Stroud's statline: 244 Yards, 4 Touchdowns.
Dak Prescott - 32.28 Pts
It is safe to say, officially, that Dak is Back. Even without CeeDee Lamb, he continues to put up numbers. As for the New York Jets, oh boy... it is not good. The Jets are the final winless team left. Anyway, Prescott exposed them with a statline of 237 Yards, 4 Touchdowns.
RUNNING BACKS
Rico Dowdle - 32.4 Pts
Rico Dowdle is your week 5 waiver wire MVP 🐐 pic.twitter.com/RariE4uTMl
— Sleeper (@SleeperHQ) October 5, 2025
I hope that you listened to us and picked up Dowdle, if available. He finished this week as the RB1 amidst the absence of Chuba Hubbard. The Panthers also got another much needed victory. Dave Canales looks to be very competitive in his first year, and Bryce Young looks to be getting better. Dowdle's statline: 23 Rushes, 206 Yards, 1 Touchdown, 3 Receptions, 28 Yards.
Jonathan Taylor - 31.4 Pts
This is your best value pick around right now. At least, in the first two rounds of drafts. Taylor is the RB3 right now and keeps on pouncing on opposing defenses. This is the third time that Taylor is a fantasy football MVP. The Colts look absolutely legit. Taylor's statline: 17 Rushes, 66 Yards, 3 Touchdowns, 3 Receptions, 20 Yards.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Emeka Egbuka - 29.7 Pts
This right here may be the greatest value pick of the year. Egbuka commonly was drafted around picks 70-80 in most PPR drafts. He is currently a top-five fantasy football wide receiver. Even in a tough matchup, he still went nuts. Egbuka's statline: 7 Receptions, 163 Yards, 1 Touchdown.
Ja'Marr Chase - 29.0 Pts
Chase was never a sell candidate, nor should he ever be. The Bengals may be awful, but they will still have value in their passing game. This is especially in common pass-scripts. Both Chase and Higgins scored today. Chase is back in WR1 territory. Chase's statline: 6 Receptions, 110 Yards, 2 Touchdowns
Ja'Marr Chase is the first player in NFL history to have a game with:
— Real Sports (@realapp_) October 5, 2025
• 100+ rec yards
• 3 tackles pic.twitter.com/c5tjZZ8yra
Jaxon Smith-Njigba - 27.2 Pts
He was on our Week 5 love list and luckily for us, it all panned out. The Seahawks blew their shootout in Seattle, but Smith-Njigba showed up for his owner. Smith-Njigba's statline: 8 Receptions, 132 Yards, 1 Touchdown.
TIGHT ENDS
AJ Barner - 24.3 Pts
Barner has proven to be a real big red zone threat for the Seahawks. He may be touchdown reliant, but when he scores them often, that is just fine. Barner's statline: 7 Receptions, 53 Yards, 2 Touchdowns.
Jake Ferguson - 23.9 Pts
This Prescott-Ferguson connection continues to be a magic trick. Ferguson is the current TE3 and has 41 catches in five games. Ferguson's statline: 7 Receptions, 49 Yards, 2 Touchdowns.
DEF/SPECIAL TEAMS
New Orleans Saints - 20.0 Pts
Defensive scoring varies from league-to-league, so pardon our scoring. That being said, the Saints played worthy of their DST1 designation this week. The Saints recorded: 14-17 Pts Allowed, 2 Interceptions, 3 Fumbles Recovered, 1 Sack, 1 Touchdown.
KICKER
Ka'imi Fairbairn - 18.0 Pts
Fairbairn has been among the premier NFL kickers over the years. He has not gotten the shine as Justin Tucker, Brandon Aubrey, and Harrison Butker, he has put up huge numbers and the Texans all-time leading scorer. Fairbairn's statline: 3/3 FGM (1 - 50-59 Yds), 5 XPM.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.