Week 5 of the 2026 NFL season was a quarterback-driven shootout for fantasy, with Drake Maye setting the pace and several backs and receivers posting monster lines on heavy workloads. Here is how the slate played out, and who rewarded the managers who trusted them.
Must-Starts: Week 5 Elite Performers
Drake Maye (NE) — QB: 39.5 pts
Maye finished with 374 passing yards and 4 touchdowns through the air, plus 25 rushing yards and 1 rushing touchdown.
He played 100.0% of the snaps and found the end zone five times in total, which gave him the highest score on the entire board. The rushing score gave him a cushion that pure pocket passers could not match, and his heavy volume produced a ceiling week that lineups were built around.
Jahmyr Gibbs (DET) — RB: 35.2 pts
Gibbs carried for 151 yards and 2 touchdowns and added 5 catches for 56 yards.
He was on the field for 69.7% of Detroit's snaps, a strong share for a back who also produced in the passing game. Combining 151 rushing yards with 56 receiving yards meant his floor was high before the touchdowns even arrived, and the two scores pushed him to the top of the running back board.
Jaylen Warren (PIT) — RB: 33.8 pts
Warren posted 101 rushing yards and 1 touchdown on the ground, along with 6 catches for 87 yards and another touchdown.
His 86.7% snap share was the biggest workload among the top backs, and it showed up in both phases. Two total touchdowns and nearly 190 scrimmage yards made him a true lineup centerpiece in PPR formats.
Jayden Daniels (WAS) — QB: 32.3 pts
Daniels threw for only 199 yards with no passing touchdowns, yet he piled up 103 rushing yards and 2 rushing touchdowns.
He took every snap (100.0%), and his legs did the heavy lifting. A quarterback who can run for 100 yards and two scores can overcome a modest passing line, which is exactly what happened here.
Strong Starts: Reliable Options
- Josh Allen (BUF, QB), 31.5 pts: 210 passing yards and 1 touchdown were modest, but 121 rushing yards and a rushing score carried his total across a 100.0% snap share.
- Bucky Irving (TB, RB), 30.5 pts: A 165-yard rushing day with 1 touchdown, plus 2 catches for 10 yards and a receiving score, came on just 54.2% of snaps, which speaks to his efficiency.
- Christian Watson (GB, WR), 29.3 pts: Six catches for 143 yards and 2 touchdowns on an 80.3% snap share gave Green Bay's passing game a clear top target.
- Puka Nacua (LAR, WR), 29.2 pts: Seventeen catches for 138 yards and a touchdown, along with 9 rushing yards, made him a volume monster on an 85.4% snap share.
- Isaiah Likely (NYG, TE), 26.9 pts: Eleven catches for 94 yards and 2 touchdowns on 79.8% of snaps made him the only tight end to crack the top scorers.
- Malik Nabers (NYG, WR), 23.6 pts: Eleven grabs for 121 yards and a touchdown on an 89.9% snap share showed how heavily Jameis Winston (326 yards, 3 touchdowns) leaned on his top two targets.
Tough Sits: Disappointing Weeks
- Malik Willis (MIA, QB), 20.9 pts: Only 137 passing yards and 1 touchdown, with the day rescued by 74 rushing yards and a score, made this a low-ceiling passing performance compared with the quarterbacks above him.
- C.J. Stroud (HOU, QB), 20.9 pts: His 261 passing yards came with just 1 touchdown through the air, and the 5 rushing yards and a short score were the only reason he reached 20.9 on a full 100.0% snap share.
- Derrick Henry (BAL, RB), 20.5 pts: A 102-yard rushing day produced no rushing touchdown, and his 55.3% snap share left him trailing the other top backs, who combined yardage with multiple scores.
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba (SEA, WR), 20.3 pts: Five catches for 102 yards and 1 touchdown were fine on an 84.1% snap share, but it was a far smaller line than the 17-catch and 11-catch efforts posted by other top receivers.
- Trevor Lawrence (JAX, QB), 22.7 pts: He threw for 331 yards and 2 touchdowns, but his 25 rushing yards and no rushing score left him well behind the dual-threat quarterbacks who topped the board.
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