Week 5 winners and losers: Maye, Warren dominate; Taylor, Brown struggle

Week 5 of the 2026 fantasy football season featured massive games by Drake Maye, Jaylen Warren and Isaiah Likely. On the flip side, Jonathan Taylor and Chase Brown had disappointing outings. Who were the big winners and losers around the league during the fifth week of the fantasy football season? Matt Bowen and Tristan H. Cockcroft offer their analysis. Jump to a topic: Ranking winners | Ranking losers Biggest injuries and what's next Ranking fantasy winners of Week 5 1. Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots His 39.46 fantasy points blew his prior career high out of the water -- during his breakthrough 2025, he exceeded 30 points only once (32.44, in Week 17) -- and they came at an opportune time. He has alleviated concerns about his bad September, when he scored 21.60 points in three games total, and he's playing at a clear fantasy QB1 level right at a time when New England faces the meatiest portion of its schedule (NYJ, @CHI, @MIA, GB, @DET). -- Cockcroft 2. Jaylen Warren, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers Warren had career-high 36.8 points in Sunday's win over the Colts, rushing for 101 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown, while adding 87 yards and another score on six receptions. Warren has now scored 20 or more points in two of his last three games, plus he's had at least 20 touches in all three. Despite Warren's recent run on production, we recommend keeping him in the higher-end RB2 range for a tougher Week 6 matchup versus the Bucs defense. -- Bowen 3. Jordan Love, QB, Christian Watson, WR, Green Bay Packers Love dropped a season-high 25.28 points on the Bears defense, throwing for 367 yards and two touchdowns. And it was the vertical passing game here, as Love completed six throws of 20+ air yards. Watson caught three of those third level targets, finishing with 143 yards and two touchdowns on six receptions (32.3 points). With upcoming matchups versus Dallas, Detroit and Carolina, teams who struggle to defend the deep ball, Love will be in the QB1 mix, while Watson should be viewed as a WR1 in 12-team leagues. -- Bowen 4. Malik Nabers, WR, Isaiah Likely, TE, New York Giants In a wild overtime game versus Washington, Nabers had a season-high 28.3 points, catching 10 of 19 targets for 123 yards and a touchdown. Nabers has now produced two straight games of 23 or more points and a touchdown. Likely's 32.4 points were a career-high, as he brought in 11 of 13 targets for 94 yards and two touchdowns. Game flow did play role here, but with the aggressive throwing mentality of quarterback Jamies Winston, both Nabers and Likely are set-up with volume and big play opportunities. Nabers should be played as a WR1 for the Week 6 game versus the Saints, while Likely remains a mid-tier TE1. -- Bowen 5. Parker Washington, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars His 30.4 fantasy points -- fully supported by high-level usage (84% route participation, 24% target share) -- reminded us that he can reach the fantasy WR1 tier when he's on the field with Trevor Lawrence. Washington is currently a fantastic trade target, as his Jaguars have one of the position's softest remaining schedules. A disappointing Texans team is up next, but they entered Week 5 the fourth-best schedule adjusted wide receiver matchup, and Washington's 31% target share in the Jaguars' nine games (including last year's playoff loss) assures he'll see enough work to warrant starting in the vast majority of fantasy leagues. -- Cockcroft 6. Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders He was a "winner" for fantasy purposes, because he remarkably returned from a dislocated elbow after only two absences and scored 32.26 fantasy points, his second-most in 27 career starts, but Daniels' Week 5, in the end, was anything but. Daniels attempted to scramble in the final seconds of overtime, with his team within range of kicking a game-winning field goal, and the Commanders were unable to stop the clock before time expired in what was ultimately a 27-27 tie with the Giants. It was a head-scratching moment, and one can only wonder whether the quarterback's 38- and 26-yard rushing touchdowns during regulation stoked his confidence to the point that maybe he felt himself capable of putting the game away himself? Daniels' passing performance was neither here nor there, but it was good to see him running as effectively as he did, especially with a much tougher Week 6 road matchup against the 49ers up next. He'll be a lower-end QB1 for that matchup. -- Cockcroft 7.Brock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas Raiders In the blowout loss to the Patriots, Bowers caught eight of a team-high 10 targets for 110 yards and a touchdown (23 points). Bowers has now scored 20 or more points and scored a touchdown in all three games played, and he's seen double-digit targets in each. Bowers will remain an elite TE1 regardless of the matchup. -- Bowen 8. Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets He rebounded from a quiet Week 4 -- a 5.7 fantasy point performance against the Bears that now seems almost inexplicable -- with an 11-target, 23.4 fantasy point game, the second time in three weeks that he has seen double-digit targets and scored 20-plus points. Quarterback Geno Smith has been getting him the ball plenty effectively as Wilson's target share is a healthy 31%, and top-10 wide receiver numbers for the season seem well within Wilson's grasp. Wilson next faces the Patriots, who have been middling against the position without CB Christian Gonzalez the past two weeks. -- Cockcroft Ranking fantasy losers of Week 5 1. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts He scored 11.2 fantasy points, the second time in the past three weeks that he has been held to that few or fewer. Taylor couldn't find any running space against an aggressive Steelers run defense, which stuffed him three times on six plays with a stacked box, per Next Gen Stats, and held him beneath his expected rushing gain on 10-of-15 rushing attempts. Taylor should find it much easier to find holes against the Titans defense in Week 6, so keep him in there as a clear fantasy RB1. -- Cockcroft 2. Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals He disappointed for the second time in three weeks, scoring a season-low 7.0 fantasy points, and it's also worth pointing out that he averaged only 1.1 yards per carry in what was a "productive" Week 4 for fantasy (19.1 points). Brown's managers should exercise patience, however, even with his Bengals now on their Week 6 bye. Recent-year Bengals teams tend to heat up later, and Brown himself has averaged 8.1 more fantasy points from Week 6 forward than in Weeks 1-5 in his career. -- Cockcroft 3. Ashton Jeanty, RB, Las Vegas Raiders Negative game flow impacted Jeanty's usage in the loss to the Patriots; however, the rushing totals are still down after he finished with 27 yards on 10 carries. Jeanty did have three receptions for 50 yards to boost his totals, (10.7 points), but over the last four games, he is averaging only 2.9 YPC/13 PPG. Jeanty will look to get back on track in Week 6 with a more favorable matchup versus the Bills defense. -- Bowen 4. Rome Odunze, WR; Colston Loveland, TE, Chicago Bears The Bears pass game was a bust up at Lambeau. A lack of rhythm, turnovers, more from backup quarterbacks Tyson Bagent and Case Keenum. And we saw the results with both Odunze and Loveland. Odunze caught just three of nine targets for 40 yards, and he lost a fumble (5.0 points), while Loveland brought in just two of five targets for 19 yards (3.9 points). Both players will look to rebound in Week 6 - with Caleb Williams potentially back for the matchup versus the Falcons. -- Bowen 5. Tyler Shough, QB, and Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints Shough is the first quarterback started in at least one-third of ESPN leagues this season to finish with a negative fantasy point total (minus-0.16). Facing one of the stiffest pass defenses in the Vikings, Shough was intercepted twice and completed only one pass thrown 10 or more yards downfield, a significant step backwards from his performance the first four weeks and one that adversely impacted Olave's output (8.6 fantasy points). It is also not something we should expect most weeks, and the Giants in Week 6 should provide the duo a much more favorable matchup. Shough should be a solid superflex starter or bye-week fill-in, while Olave remains a fantasy WR1. -- Cockcroft Injury impact David Montgomery, RB, Houston Texans What we know: Montgomery suffered a groin injury early in the second quarter and was unable to return, finishing his day with 1.1 fantasy points on five carries, the fourth straight week he has scored fewer than seven points. What's next: Woody Marks scored 12.5 points on 19 total touches while serving as the Texans' primary back in Montgomery's stead. If Marks is needed in the same capacity against the Jaguars in London in Week 6, he'd be a volume-driven flex. -- Cockcroft Will Shipley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles What we know: Shipley, starting in place of the injured Saquon Barkley (hamstring, inactive) and Tank Bigsby (core muscle, IR), left after scoring 8.3 fantasy points on six total touches when he suffered his own foot injury in the second quarter. What's next: Dameon Pierce, elevated from the practice squad on Wednesday, played 78% of the Eagles' offensive snaps and had 3.2 fantasy points on 13 touches largely in relief of Shipley. Should Barkley and Shipley both be unable to play in Week 6, Pierce and Carson Steele would likely have to shoulder the rushing workload, though the team could add another player via free agency. -- Cockcroft T.J. Hockenson, TE, Minnesota Vikings What we know: Hockenson went down in the opening drive versus the Saints with a head injury. He left for the locker room and was ruled out with a concussion. What's next: The Vikings head into the bye, then return in Week 7 for a home matchup versus the Colts. We will continue to monitor updates on Hockenson throughout the next two weeks. -- Bowen KC Concepcion, WR, Cleveland Browns What we know: Concepcion suffered a concussion early in the loss to the Jets on an illegal hit from safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. Concepcion was immediately ruled out for the game. What's next: We'll monitor the updates on Concepcion this week as he goes through concussion protocol. If he's out for the Week 6 game versus Baltimore, both Isaiah Bond and Jerry Jeudy could be viewed as replacement options. Bond caught three of seven targets for 74 yards (10.4 points) on Sunday, while Jeudy brought in three of seven for 19 yards (4.9 points). -- Bowen Kenyon Sadiq, TE, New York Jets What we know: Sadiq left Sunday's game in the fourth quarter, following his fumbling on a six-yard receiving play, due to a concussion. What's next: Sadiq might have difficulty clearing the league's concussion protocol in time for Week 6's game against the Patriots. Between the injury question and the healthy return of Mason Taylor, Sadiq isn't worth starting for that game. -- Cockcroft