I typically use this article's intro to opine on big-picture takeaways from the previous week of NFL action. This year, I'll do that in 15 of 16 articles. But this week, I'd like to talk about something bigger than what we learned in Week 5.
If you're here for the rankings, feel free to scroll to "Rest-of-Season Quarterback Rankings" and start from there. For everyone else, let me tell you about my weekend.
My wife's cousin got married in Colorado Springs, where we live. The welcome party was Friday, the ceremony and reception were Saturday, and we hosted a day-after event at our house on Sunday. Throughout the weekend, I couldn't help but notice how often football brought people together.
At the Friday welcome party, a teenage cousin excitedly told me he had started playing fantasy football, lamenting the wrong start/sit decisions he'd already made. I talked with others about their fantasy football teams, the Chicago Bears, the Denver Broncos, and the Florida Gators.
On Saturday, I noticed the groom's friends were rather large. I knew he had played offensive line, but I didn't realize he remained lifelong friends with the four guys he played alongside. They were all there to support him on his big day. Later, I sat down with the father of the bride, and we shared some nervous laughs about the rivalry game against the Packers the next day.
On Sunday, three televisions throughout the house showed the Bears game. The bride arrived wearing a Chicago Bears T-shirt, matching many others in attendance. After the Bears loss, we flipped to the Broncos, and the Coloradans in the house cheered big plays and cursed mistakes.
At the end of a long weekend, I spotted the groom sitting alone in our garage with his feet up, watching his team, the Broncos. I pulled up a chair next to him, and we talked about the uncertainty around Bo Nix and Justin Herbert in the AFC West. The conversation eventually turned to the blessing of marrying into this family and getting to know each other over the years.
It struck me how naturally football had woven itself into a weekend full of old and new relationships. And it got me thinking about other relationships in my life.
On Friday morning, I got the notification that Mike Ditka passed away. Without thinking twice, I called my stepdad, the biggest Bears superfan I know. I solemnly broke the news, then we spent 20 minutes catching up. The conversation filled my tank, and it may not have happened if not for the football-related news.
I thought about my best friends. We met as kids in the Chicago suburbs, and now we're scattered all over the country. A fantasy football league I started 19 years ago keeps us together. We talk in the group chat almost every day and get together once a year for the draft. In between, we stand up in each other's weddings. We get to know each other's kids. We travel to see our families grow and change. Our families have all blended, and these people will remain my friends for life.
You'll never run out of things to discuss when you spend time with another football fan. And whatever you're feeling about the game, someone else probably feels it too.
Maybe the team you root for lost this weekend. Maybe your fantasy team is sputtering to an 0-5 start, your sleepers are still snoozing, and your first-round pick is on season-ending IR. You can share that frustration with a coworker, your brother who lives across the country, a mutual follower online you've never met in real life, or a stranger who is just as unaware of your existence as you are of theirs.
Football is entertainment. Watching it is a fun, ritualistic way to spend Sundays as the days shorten and the air chills. But the connections it creates are worth cherishing long after the final whistle.
So the next time your team lets you down, find someone sitting alone in the garage, pull up a chair, and talk about it.
As a reminder, all movers will be noted with a "+" or "-" showing the change from last week's rankings. Significant movers will have a write-up explaining the change. New additions to the rankings will be marked as "New." Use these rankings to guide waiver wire moves and trade decisions. Target risers, cut fallers, and try to improve your roster where you can.
Let's dive in.
Rest-Of-Season Fantasy Football Rankings
Rest-Of-Season Quarterback Rankings
Rankings heading into Week 6 look more like preseason rankings than the set generated just two weeks ago. An early-season scare (Drake Maye) and an injury (Jayden Daniels) have proven temporary, and both move right back to where they started. And no major injuries this week! Considering the first few weeks of the season, let's all appreciate that.
- QB1 - Josh Allen
- QB2 - Lamar Jackson
- QB3 - Drake Maye (+6) - Maye slipped down the rankings through the first three weeks and immediately rebounded back to his preseason rankings over the last two. He was the per-game QB35 through Week 3. Since then, he's been the top-scoring quarterback in back-to-back weeks. Last year, Maye earned the derogatory nickname "The Schedule" for beating down lesser opponents while struggling against better ones. And through the first three games against the Seahawks, Steelers, and Jaguars, he struggled. Over the last two weeks, he's looked fantastic against the Bills and Raiders. His upcoming opponents don't have any imposing matchups: Jets, Bears, Dolphins, Packers, Lions, Chargers, Bills. But in Week 14, he'll have a tough Thursday Night Football matchup against the Vikings. In Week 15, the first round of fantasy playoffs, he'll face the Chiefs on the road. Maye is an obvious riser, providing week-winning output in each of the last two weeks. He should fare well over the next two months. But his managers could face a tough decision heading into the first round of fantasy playoffs if he struggles against the Vikings in Week 14.
- QB4 - Brock Purdy (-1)
- QB5 - Joe Burrow (-1)
- QB6 - Patrick Mahomes II (-1)
- QB7 - Caleb Williams (+1)
- QB8 - Jayden Daniels (+8) - Daniels fell in the rankings due to his elbow injury. But he returned in Week 5, rushed for 103 yards and two touchdowns, and finished the week second in scoring behind only Drake Maye. He's back in the conversation as a plug-and-play QB1. The new brace on his left elbow should prevent future dislocations and ease any concerns his fantasy managers may have had.
- QB9 - Jared Goff (+4) - Through Week 5, only Josh Allen and Brock Purdy are outscoring Jared Goff. A porous defense keeps the Lions in situations where they are forced to air it out. Goff benefits from playing alongside some of the league's most talented skill players and can hit the open man. He doesn't have the rushing ability of most elite fantasy producers, which keeps him out of the top tier. But the stars occasionally align for an immobile quarterback to return high-end fantasy production, and Goff is there right now.
- QB10 - Dak Prescott (-4) - Prescott hasn't been bad by any means, but he's being outscored by some of this week's risers, failing to recapture that magic that made him a big riser after Week 2. He's still a QB1, but Jared Goff, Jayden Daniels, and Caleb Williams have a bit more upside.
- QB11 - Trevor Lawrence (-4) - Lawrence is playing arguably the best football of his career, but the rushing touchdowns last year that aided an elite finish haven't been there in 2026. Last year, Lawrence scored nine rushing touchdowns and averaged 20.6 fantasy points per game, finishing as the QB4 in fantasy. Through five games this year, he's yet to score a rushing touchdown, and his per-game fantasy output has dropped to 18 points. Lawrence is still a borderline QB1 and can be started every week, but a more balanced run game has taken away last year's league-winning ceiling.
- QB12 - Matthew Stafford (+2)
- QB13 - Jalen Hurts (-3)
- QB14 - Bo Nix (-3)
- QB15 - Tyler Shough (-3)
- QB16 - Bryce Young (-1)
- QB17 - Kyler Murray (+2)
- QB18 - Jordan Love
- QB19 - Justin Herbert (-2)
- QB20 - Daniel Jones
- QB21 - Deshaun Watson (+1)
- QB22 - Geno Smith (-1)
- QB23 - Michael Penix Jr.
- QB24 - C.J. Stroud
- QB25 - Sam Darnold (+1)
- QB26 - Malik Willis (+1)
- QB27 - Aaron Rodgers (+1)
- QB28 - Baker Mayfield (+3)
- QB29 - Jameis Winston (+1)
- QB30 - Kirk Cousins (-5)
- QB31 - Jacoby Brissett (+1)
- QB32 - Cam Ward (-3)
- QB33 - Jalon Daniels (+1)
- QB34 - Fernando Mendoza (+4)
- QB35 - Carson Wentz (-2)
- QB36 - J.J. McCarthy
- QB37 - Shedeur Sanders
- QB38 - Tyler Huntley (+4)
- QB39 - Justin Fields
- QB40 - Tyson Bagent (-5)
- QB41 - Mac Jones (-1)
- QB42 - Drew Lock (-1)
- QB43 - Tua Tagovailoa
- QB44 - Ty Simpson
- QB45 - Carson Beck
- QB46 - Marcus Mariota
- QB47 - Riley Leonard
- QB48 - Cooper Rush
- QB49 - Case Keenum
- QB50 - Will Howard
- QB51 - Gardner Minshew II
- QB52 - Joe Flacco
- QB53 - Athan Kaliakmanis