Week 5 Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings: Bo Nix is a Fringe QB1

The quarterback position had already suffered major injuries and that didn’t change in Week 4. Although Brock Purdy and Justin Fields returned to action, Lamar Jackson exited with a hamstring injury and others such as Jayden Daniels remained sidelined. Meanwhile, the New York Giants turned to rookie signal caller Jaxson Dart after an 0-3 start and while his fantasy football production was modest, he led New York to their first victory of the 2025 season over the undefeated Los Angeles Chargers.

As we enter Week 5, bye weeks present a critical challenge for fantasy football managers who must carefully adjust their lineups. The Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, and Pittsburgh Steelers are all idle, with each team’s quarterback coming off a victory in Week 4. However, only Jordan Love managed to deliver QB1 production.

The Top 12 Quarterbacks After Week 4

Through the first month of the season, it’s no surprise to see Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson atop the QB leaderboard. Here are the top 12 quarterbacks after four weeks of action.

Josh Allen: 98.5 points
Lamar Jackson: 93.4 points
Patrick Mahomes: 88.6 points
Drake Maye: 84.5 points
Jalen Hurts: 84.3 points
Caleb Williams: 82.1 points
Baker Mayfield: 79.1 points
Daniel Jones: 78.5 points
Jordan Love: 74.2 points
Justin Herbert: 73.8 points
Dak Prescott: 73.0 points
Matthew Stafford: 72.2 points

The QB landscape looks wildly different than it did on opening night, and the chaos is only just beginning. With Week 5 already underway after Mac Jones and the injury riddled San Francisco 49ers upset the Los Angeles Rams, let's take a look at the best and worst signal callers heading into the rest of Week 5.

Latest Week 5 Quarterback Rankings Updates (10-04)

Bo Nix, Denver Broncos

Bo Nix continues his ascent into QB1 territory heading into Week 5, even with a tough matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. The rookie has shown impressive poise and command, and we anticipate a few Nix-to-Sutton touchdown connections in what could surprisingly turn into a high-scoring contest despite Vegas setting a modest total.

Nix is currently the QB11 in our rankings.

C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans

C.J. Stroud also earns a bump after posting his first multi-touchdown game of the season in Houston’s Week 4 win over Tennessee. Stroud finished as the QB15 last week and projects for a season-best QB14 finish against an injured Ravens defense and team missing Lamar Jackson. Not to mention, they have been struggling to contain opposing passers (third-most fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks). This matchup sets up perfectly for a big Nico Collins given the Ravens also surrender the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing wideouts. Expect a strong Collins performance and a big day for Stroud.

Stroud is currently the QB14 in our rankings.

Jake Browning, Cincinnati Bengals

Meanwhile, Jake Browning remains a sneaky Week 5 riser, even after two down weeks. Last week’s struggles against Denver’s elite defense weren’t unexpected, but this could be a classic “get-right” spot against a Detroit defense that has already allowed 10 passing touchdowns through three games. With Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins poised to bounce back, Browning has a chance to ride their production to a quietly solid fantasy finish.

Browning is currently the QB19 in our rankings but we believe he has top-12 upside this week.

Week 5 Fantasy Football Quarterback Storylines

Week 5 Fantasy Football Stud: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chief — Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) warms up before the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Patrick Mahomes Sneaks Back Into Top 5

Mahomes is currently the QB3 and is coming off a season-high 27.3 fantasy points in an impressive Week 4 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. For the first time this season, the Super Bowl champ threw multiple touchdown passes (four). On the season, he’s now accumulated 939 passing yards, seven passing touchdowns, and just one interception. Additionally, he’s tallied 130 rushing yards and two more trips to the end zone via the ground attack.

Mahomes saw a steady uptick in production with Xavier Worthy back in the lineup and with Rashee Rice only a few weeks away from returning from suspension, Mahomes could deliver league-winning results. He’s exceeded expectations thus far and with a Week 5 matchup on the horizon with a Jacksonville Jaguars defense that is allowing the 12th-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, Mahomes is a must-start in Week 5.

Mahomes is currently the QB4 in our rankings, two slots below the ECR.

Justin Fields Enters QB1 Discussion Against Dallas Cowboys

Week 5 Fantasy Football Must-Start Quarterback: Justin Fields, New York Jets — New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields (7) rushes the ball against the Miami Dolphins during the second half at Hard Rock Stadium. | Rich Storry / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Although the New York Jets are winless as we enter October, Justin Fields has been electric in the two games that he was able to finish. Despite sitting out Week 3 and exiting Week 2 in the first half, Fields is still the QB16 in fantasy. In the two games that he played from start to finish, the dual-threat dynamo is averaging 28.3 fantasy points per game. That type of production would be good for QB1 overall numbers, better than Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. In New York’s primetime loss to the Miami Dolphins on Monday night, Fields completed 20 of 27 passes for 226 yards and one touchdown. He also managed 81 rushing yards on seven carries and one additional trip to the end zone.

In Week 5, Fields will face a Dallas Cowboys secondary that has been absolutely shredded through the early portion of the 2025 campaign. They are currently allowing the most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks this season. Russell Wilson had a career outing en route to 37 points for the Giants back in Week 2 and Jordan Love led the Packers to 40 points in an anticlimactic tie this past Sunday. Simply put, the Cowboys defense can’t stop anyone and this is an excellent opportunity for Fields to put the Jets in the winning column.

Fields is currently the QB2 in our rankings.

Jaxson Dart Moves Into QB2 Territory In SuperFlex Leagues

The rookie led the New York Giants to their first victory of the season in a surprising upset over Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers. Dart had a magical first drive, which was capped off by a quarterback draw in which he found the end zone. He managed to tally just shy of 20 fantasy points (19.8) against a very formidable Chargers defense, finishing with 111 passing yards, one passing touchdown, zero turnovers, 54 rushing yards, and the aforementioned rushing score.

Although Malik Nabers will no longer be at his disposal, the game script should be in his favor for the rest of the season. In Week 5, the Giants are slight underdogs against Spencer Rattler and the New Orleans Saints. New Orleans is currently allowing the fifth-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. While I wouldn’t expect top-five production, particularly without the services of Nabers, Dart has the potential to finish as a fringe QB1 if he continues to find the end zone with his legs. Wan’Dale Robinson, Darius Slayton, and Theo Johnson will have to step up their game, but the rookie seems to have injected a real energy into this team as we gear up for Week 5.

Dart is currently the QB13 in our rankings.

Let’s take a look at where the rest of the quarterbacks across the NFL stack up in our Week 5 rankings.