It’s wild how players who were complete afterthoughts during fantasy football draft season can suddenly become coveted assets whom we aggressively pursue on waivers.
A few such players pop up this week’s list, starting at the top.
- Waiver Wire Advice
- Weekly Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Most Intriguing Fantasy Football Players of Week 5
1. Michael Carter (RB – ARI)
Our most intriguing player of Week 5 is a guy who was inactive for his team’s first four games and is subbing for an injured backup who was subbing for an injured starter.
Somehow, that seems appropriate in a week where byes and injuries are wreaking havoc on fantasy lineups and thrusting some strange characters into our starting lineups.
The Cardinals’ lead RB, James Conner, sustained a season-ending foot injury in Week 3. His backup, Trey Benson, sustained a knee injury in Week 4 and was placed on injured reserve, so he’ll miss at least four games.
We should probably have Emari Demercado share the No. 1 spot with Michael Carter on this week’s list, because it’s not clear how the Cardinals will parcel out backfield touches when they host the Titans in Week 5. Demercado played 26 snaps last week in the Cardinals’ 23-20 loss to the Seahawks. He only had two carries for two yards, but he had two catches for 14 yards and a touchdown.
You’d think that Demercado would take over as the starter, but the Cardinals might elect to have him remain the primary passing-down back, while Carter slides into the starting job and handles the majority of early-down work. Carter might have tipped the Cardinals’ plans in a locker-room interview the other day.
“It’s been a lot,” Carter told reporters. “You go from Pat Tillman one week to starting the next. It’s a lot.”
To explain the reference: The Cardinals’ scout team player of the week award is named for the late Pat Tillman, the former safety who retired from the NFL to join the U.S. Army and was killed in Afghanistan in 2004.
Carter and Demercado both profile as playable fantasy options against the Titans’ defense, which has been a red-carpet matchup for running backs. Tennessee has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points, third-most rushing yards and a league-high six TD runs to RBs.
I have Carter ranked RB28 and Demercado RB29 this week, but I have little confidence in those rankings. It will be fascinating to see how the Cardinals deploy their third- and fourth-string running backs on Sunday.
2. Woody Marks (RB – HOU)
Is Jo’quavious “Woody” Marks staging a hostile takeover of the Texans’ backfield?
A fourth-round rookie from USC, Marks out-snapped Nick Chubb 40-30 and out-touched Chubb 21-15 last Sunday in Houston’s 26-0 win over Tennessee. Chubb had been the Texans’ lead RB the first three weeks but had a season-low snap share of 42.3% in Week 4.
The Texans’ offensive line is bad. Really bad. I’m not sure I’ve seen a Houston offensive lineman get to the second level and throw a block on a linebacker this season. When your offensive line is poor, it helps to have a creator at running back who can make people miss. Nick Chubb probably isn’t that guy anymore. Marks might be that guy.
Joe Mixon is a creator, which is why he was able to run for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns in 14 games with the Texans in 2024, even though the offensive line wasn’t very good last year either. Mixon is still on the roster, but he’s out with a foot injury and seemingly nowhere close to returning.
It’s unclear whether Marks is going to become Houston’s lead RB or if this will be a split backfield. Even if Marks becomes the clear No. 1, his fantasy potential might be limited by the Texans’ offensive line woes. But Marks is a capable pass catcher who had four receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown last week and had 261 receptions over five college seasons. That dual usage raises Marks’ floor and gives him a second possible path to fantasy success.
And by the way, the NFL hasn’t had a guy named Woody play running back since Woody Bennett was a backup RB for the Dolphins in the 1980s.
It’s about time.
3. Ja’Marr Chase (WR – CIN)
Five weeks ago, Ja’Marr Chase was the consensus No. 1 pick in fantasy drafts. Now, some fantasy managers are debating whether to start him.
It’s amazing how quickly things can go bad in fantasy football.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow sustained a foot injury in Week 2 that’s expected to keep him out for most or all of the season. He’s being replaced by Jake Browning, who acquitted himself well in 2023 when he had to make seven late-season starts in place of the injured Burrow.
But in his first two starts this year, Browning has not acquitted himself well. He’s averaged 132.5 passing yards per game and 5.1 yards per attempt, with one TD pass and two interceptions. It’s not all Browning’s fault. The Bengals’ offensive line has given him shoddy protection.
Chase had a monstrous performance in Week 2, with 14 catches for 165 yards and a touchdown. But with Browning at quarterback the last two weeks, Chase has caught 10 passes for 73 yards and no touchdowns.
This is an interesting test of managerial philosophies. How long should a fantasy manager keep starting an exceptional player whose outlook has been greatly diminished by adverse conditions?
I didn’t get the chance to draft Chase in any league this year, so I can’t tell you how I’m handling things. But my personal philosophy is that there’s no chance I’d bench Ja’Marr Chase unless he had to play with an anvil tethered to his leg.
4. Javonte Williams (RB – DAL)
A lot of the fantasy managers who drafted Javonte Williams were holding their noses when they did. Even though he seemed to have the inside track on the Cowboys’ lead RB job all summer, there was little enthusiasm for Williams.
The lack of excitement was easy to understand. Williams had a promising rookie season for the Broncos in 2021, amassing 1,219 yards from scrimmage and scoring seven touchdowns while splitting work with Melvin Gordon. But in Week 4 of 2022, Williams tore multiple ligaments in his knee. He returned in 2023 but was a shadow of his former self, averaging 3.6 yards per carry and showing little of the burst and tackle-breaking ability he had flashed as a rookie. The 2024 season wasn’t much better, and the Broncos let Williams walk in free agency.
Williams landed in Dallas and has regained his old form with the Cowboys. He’s scored four touchdowns in four games. He’s averaging 5.0 yards per carry. And he’s been surprisingly productive as a pass catcher. Williams has 16 receptions for 74 yards. He hasn’t made any big plays in the passing game, but the only RBs with more receptions through four weeks are Christian McCaffrey, Jahmyr Gibbs, De’Von Achane, Bucky Irving and Bijan Robinson.
Not bad company.
Williams figures to play a prominent role against the Jets on Sunday, but the Cowboys will be missing 2-3 of their starting offensive linemen. Cooper Beebe and first-round draft pick Tyler Booker are out, and Tyler Guyton is questionable with a concussion.
Still, the folks who drafted Javonte are probably feeling pretty good about it and confidently starting him in a week where injuries and byes are taking a big bite out of the RB position.
5. Justin Fields (QB – NYJ)
We know Justin Fields is one of the most dangerous runners at the QB position. He certainly hasn’t disappointed his investors on that front. In three starts this season, Fields has three TD runs and is averaging 59.3 rushing yards per game.
Fields’ passing output, however, is a weekly wild card. He was efficient in Week 1, completing 16-of-22 passes for 218 yards and a touchdown vs. the Steelers. He was a train wreck in Week 2, completing 3-of-11 passes for 27 yards and no touchdowns vs. the Bills before leaving the game with a concussion early in the fourth quarter. He missed Week 3 but returned in Week 4 and had a good day against the Dolphins, completing 20-of-27 passes for 226 yards and a touchdown.
This week, Fields gets a dream matchup against the flammable Dallas pass defense. The Cowboys are giving up a league-high 27.7 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. They’re allowing 309.3 passing yards and 2.5 TD passes per game. Opposing QBs are completing 73.3 percent of their throws against the Cowboys and averaging 9.2 yards per pass attempt.
If Fields can blowtorch the Dallas pass defense and provide his usual rushing goodness? Look out.
6. Ladd McConkey (WR – LAC)
Did Ladd go bad?
Ladd McConkey was a revelation as a rookie, catching 82 passes for 1,149 yards and seven touchdowns in 16 games to finish WR12 in half-point PPR fantasy scoring. From Week 8 on, he was WR8.
Four weeks into the 2025 season, McConkey is tied for WR56 in fantasy scoring. His season started well enough, with 6-74-0 on nine targets against the Chiefs. Since then, he has had 10 catches for 100 yards. McConkey hasn’t scored a touchdown this season.
The long-awaited Quentin Johnston breakout partly explains the McConkey downturn. Keenan Allen‘s return to the Chargers has put a dent in McConkey’s target and reception totals, too. But it’s almost unfathomable that McConkey has gone from hugely impactful to borderline unstartable.
Can Ladd turn things around this week against a Commanders defense that has given up the eighth-most fantasy points to wide receivers? Or will he continue to play third fiddle in the Chargers’ passing game?
7. Darren Waller (TE – MIA)
Darren Waller has lived an eventful life.
He battled a drug addiction that got him suspended from the league in 2017 and almost killed him that year when he overdosed in a Walmart parking lot.
He launched a music career and recorded several albums.
He married and later divorced WNBA star Kelsey Plum.
He retired from the NFL following the 2023 season.
And now he’s back.
Waller came out of retirement, but a hip injury delayed his return. He made his season debut in Week 4, and it was a splashy one. He only played 16 snaps but had two touchdown catches in the Dolphins’ Monday-night win over the Jets. Waller had a four-yard TD grab in the second quarter and a 9-yard TD catch in the third quarter.
Waller is expected to play more in Week 5, and the Dolphins need him. They lost WR Tyreek Hill to a gruesome season-ending knee injury on Monday night, so Miami’s other pass catchers will have to take up the slack.
Waller had consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in 2019 and 2020. It’s probably not realistic to expect big yardage numbers from him at age 33, but Waller’s 6-foot-6 frame makes him an inviting end-zone target, as we saw on Monday night.
It will be interesting to see how Waler fares Sunday against a Panthers defense that gave up the most fantasy points to tight ends in 2024 and has allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to TEs in 2025.
8. Stefon Diggs (WR – NE)
The Sunday-night Patriots-Bills game is technically a revenge game for Stefon Diggs, who spent four seasons in Buffalo before being traded to the Texans in April 2024.
But it would be hard to imagine that Diggs bears any ill will toward his former team.
When Diggs arrived in Buffalo in 2020 after five good seasons with the Vikings, Bills QB Josh Allen was still considered a work in progress. With Diggs’ help, Allen made a quantum leap, throwing for 4,544 yards and 37 touchdowns, and leading the Bills to a 13-3 record. Diggs had the best season of his career, leading the league in receptions (127) and receiving yards (1,535).
During his four seasons in Buffalo, Diggs averaged 111 catches and 1,343 receiving yards.
Now, Diggs is trying to help Drake Maye make the same sort of leap that Allen made in 2020.
Diggs has been playing limited snaps early on after tearing his ACL with the Texans last October. He had a season-high 63.3% snap share last week against the Panthers, had six catches for 101 yards, and generally looked like vintage Stefon Diggs.
Diggs’ return to Buffalo with the upstart Patriots should be fun.
9. Ashton Jeanty (RB – LV)
Two weeks ago, ESPN analyst and former NFL defensive back Ryan Clark said Raiders rookie Ashton Jeanty lacked the “it” factor.
In Week 4, Jeanty stuck “it” to Clark, with 155 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns against the Bears.
Granted, Jeanty’s season got off to a rough start. He averaged 3.1 yards per carry over his first three games and was routinely being hit behind the line of scrimmage. But Jeanty’s performance in Week 4 demonstrated his remarkable elusiveness and contact balance.
The Raiders’ run blocking could continue to be a problem for Jeanty. The team’s best offensive lineman, Kolton Miller, was just placed on IR with an ankle injury.
But Jeanty showed us what he’s capable of in Week 4. Let’s see what he can do for an encore in a Week 5 road game against the Colts.
10. Malik Washington (WR – MIA)
One of the Miami pass catchers who’ll be asked to step up following the season-ending injury to Tyreek Hill is second-year WR Malik Washington.
Washington was contributing even before the Hill injury. He had six catches for 34 yards over the Dolphins’ first three games and was also chipping in as a runner, with six carries for 52 yards.
In his final college season at Virginia, Washington had 110 catches for 1,426 yards. The dude can play.
Now, Washington has a big opportunity in Miami and could quickly emerge as a useful fantasy asset.
Subscribe: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeart | Castbox | Amazon Music | Podcast Addict | TuneIn
