Before we get into my favorite Week 5 fantasy football plays, let's take a look back at some of the guys I liked in Week 4.

I'm just trying to set expectations appropriately low.

As of Tuesday evening, here's an early look at my (preliminary) favorite Week 5 fantasy plays—the guys who (in some combination) …

  • Might be high in my fantasy rankings relative to the industry consensus.
  • Need to be started in most season-long leagues.
  • Must be added if they are on waivers.
  • Possess underappreciated upside.
  • Have advantageous matchups.
  • Should be considered in daily fantasy.
  • Make for desirable dynasty acquisition targets.
  • Are on teams with player-friendly betting odds.
  • Catch my eye with their player projections.
  • Stand out in our player prop tool.

Some notes.

Updates: After I submit this piece, any changing opinions I have will be reflected in my rankings and my projections (accessible with a FantasyLife+ subscription), which I will update throughout the week.

Rankings Accuracy: Last year I was No. 18 in the FantasyPros Accuracy Contest. That was my sixth season with a top-20 finish.

Scoring & Ordering: All fantasy points are half-PPR scoring unless otherwise stated. Players are ordered within position roughly (but maybe not precisely) according to my rankings.

Abbreviations: Check out the end of the piece for abbreviations I might use.

Bye Week: This week, the Lions, Eagles, Chargers, and Titans are off.

Sports Betting Data: Odds are as of 8:15 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Oct. 1, and based on the consensus lines in our Fantasy Life Odds Page.

For the rest of my favorite fantasy football plays for Week 5, sorted by position, see below:

Best QBs for Fantasy Football Week 5

Jordan Love (Packers) at Rams

  • Packers: -3.5
  • O/U: 47.5
  • TT: 25.5

Love (knee) returned to action last week and looked rusty as he tossed 3 INTs and had just 1 carry for 6 yards in his second loss of the season in as many starts.

But it's not all terrible: Love at least has a league-high 324.5 yards passing per game and league-low 2.2% sack rate. 

He's yet to look like the guy who dominated in the second half of last season, but he has still looked like an above-average QB this year, and this week he could look even better thanks to his matchup against the Rams, who are No. 2 in largest fantasy boost allowed to QBs (+4.3). 

Without former DT Aaron Donald (retired) and former DC Raheem Morris (Falcons HC), the Rams defense has struggled mightily to stop opposing QBs, allowing an NFL-worst 10.3 AY/A.

This is the bounceback spot for Love.

Against Rams HC Sean McVay—his former coworker and then boss—Packers HC Matt LaFleur is 4-0 ATS (92.3% ROI) and 4-0 ML (53.5% ROI, per Action Network).

Joe Flacco (Colts) at Jaguars

  • Colts: +3
  • O/U: 46
  • TT: 21.5

If starter Anthony Richardson (oblique, abdominal) plays this week, then he will likely be ranked in the top eight on account of his upside and matchup. The team is hopeful he'll be able to suit up.

But I've never had much use for hope, and I'm pessimistic we'll see Richardson given that he exited last week, attempted to return, and then was removed again after one play and quickly ruled out.

Plus, I'm skeptical the team actually wants Richardson to play given what it saw last week out of backup Joe Flacco, who despite his age is still +1.5 points more valuable to the team (per our Fantasy Life QB ATS Table).

WIth Richardson out, Flacco was able to keep the offense on schedule last week—against a strong Steelers defense—as he completed 61.5% of his passes with a solid 8.0 AY/A, and now he has an elite matchup against the Jaguars, who are No. 1 in most fantasy points allowed to QBs (22.1) and No. 32 in defensive pass DVOA (53.8%, per FTN).

If Richardson is out, I'll be tempted to have Flacco ranked as a borderline QB1.

Either way, I have a bet on the Colts moneyline (+134) logged in our free Fantasy Life Bet Tracker. With Flacco, I think they should be favored.

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The Dropback

Josh Allen (Bills Pick'em, TT: 23.5) at Texans: Allen disappointed last week (180 yards passing, 21 yards rushing, no TDs), but as a road underdog he's 12-6-2 ATS (25.7% ROI) and 9-11 ML (39.6% ROI), and the Texans are No. 4 in largest fantasy boost allowed to QBs (+3.5).

Jayden Daniels (Commanders -3, TT: 24) vs. Browns: Daniels leads all QBs with an 82.1% completion rate, 17% scramble rate (per our industry-leading Fantasy Life Utilization Report), and 0.248 EPA + CPOE (per RBs Don’t Matter). He's a worthy -120 Offensive Rookie of the Year frontrunner.

Deshaun Watson (Browns +3, TT: 21) at Commanders: Mama Lynn taught me not to say anything about someone if I don't have anything nice to say … so I'll just note that the Commanders are No. 32 in defensive dropback EPA (0.344).

Caleb Williams (Bears -4, TT: 23) vs. Panthers: Williams is incrementally improving—last week he had a career-best 7.7 AY/A in victory—and the Panthers are No. 30 in defensive dropback SR (53.7%).

More Fantasy Football Plays for Week 5

Abbreviations

  • Fantasy Points per Game (FPPG)
  • Against the Spread (ATS)
  • Over/Under (O/U)
  • Team Total (TT)
  • Moneyline (ML)
  • Return on Investment (ROI)
  • Adjusted Yards per Attempt (AY/A)
  • Expected Points Added (EPA)
  • Success Rate (SR)
  • Completion Percentage Over Expected (CPOE)
  • Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA)
  • AirYAC (Air Yards + Yards After Catch)
  • Weighted Opportunity Rating (WOPR)
  • Average Depth of Target (aDOT)
  • Short Down and Distance (SDD)
  • Long Down and Distance (LDD)