Quarterback
MVP: Kirk Cousins (Falcons)
Cousins' first great performance as a Falcon coming on a short week in primetime is something that no one would've ever predicted. Outside of a late pick that probably should've but ultimately didn't cost them the game, Cousins carved through the Bucs defense with ease-throwing for 509 YDS and 4 TD's in an early contender for Game of the Year. Only rostered in about 50-60% of leagues at the moment, Cousins will be a priority waiver target where available ahead of his Week 6 date with a horrid Panthers defense.
Honorable Mentions: Joe Burrow (Bengals), Lamar Jackson (Ravens), Kyler Murray (Cardinals)
LVP: Sam Darnold (Vikings)
Anybody that bought in on Darnold extracting his long-awaited revenge on the Jets organization was left mighty disappointed on Sunday morning. Darnold put together his 1st stinker as a Viking, throwing for 179 scoreless YDS and an INT while also losing a fumble against the Jets elite defense. He'll face the Lions when the Vikings return to action in Week 7.
Dishonorable Mentions: Josh Allen (Bills), Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs), Brock Purdy (49ers)
Running Back
MVP: D'Andre Swift (Bears)
What a difference 2 weeks makes! Swift put together another strong performance as the clear leader of the Bears backfield versus the Panthers, handling 21 carries for 73 YDS and a score while adding a pair of catches for 47 YDS. He should remain in starting lineups for the Bears Week 6 trek over to London to face the hometown Jaguars.
Honorable Mentions: Rico Dowdle (Cowboys), Kareem Hunt (Chiefs), Rhamondre Stevenson (Patriots)
LVP: Breece Hall (Jets)
So much for Hall turning things around in Week 5.... Hall was once again completely stifled by a good defense, registering just 37 scrimmage YDS on 12 touches (9 carries, 3 receptions) versus the Vikings. As bad as his yardage totals have been, his touch counts are even more concerning as the Jets aren't really committing to the run and have basically put Hall into a timeshare with rookie Braelon Allen-who's arguably looked better than him over the past few weeks. Hall will be a risky start in Week 6 against the Bills.
Dishonorable Mentions: Jerome Ford (Browns), Zack Moss (Bengals), Bucky Irving (Buccaneers)
Wide Receiver
MVP: Ja'Marr Chase (Bengals)
A season-best performance from Joe Burrow led to a season-best performance from Chase on Sunday. The Bengals star wideout was getting open and running after the catch at will against the Ravens suddenly porous secondary, turning 10 catches into 193 YDS and 2 TD's. Chase has officially returned to form after a very slow start and should be locked in as the elite WR1 option he was drafted to be moving forward.
Honorable Mentions: Drake London (Falcons), Tee Higgins (Bengals), D.J. Moore (Bears)
LVP: Chris Olave (Saints)
Despite being in a pass-driven game script for most of the game last night, Olave was really quiet against the Chiefs-catching 2-of-4 targets for just 10 YDS. The Saints most versatile receiving threat has been off to a very erratic start to 2024 and with the team losing 3 straight games after a 2-0 start, Klint Kubiak should really start drawing up more plays for him. Olave will be a WR2 for the Saints Week 6 matchup with the Bucs.
Dishonorable Mentions: George Pickens (Steelers), Diontae Johnson (Panthers), Deebo Samuel (49ers)
Tight End
MVP: Tucker Kraft (Packers)
Don't look now but the Packers might have another quietly lethal receiving option on their roster. Kraft followed up his breakout Week 4 performance with an even brighter gem (4 REC/88 YDS/2 TD's) in Week 5 versus the Rams. While his usage rate could suffer once Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs return to action, he's a no brainer starting option in the interim.
Honorable Mentions: Brock Bowers (Raiders), George Kittle (49ers), Isaiah Likely (Ravens)
LVP: Dalton Kincaid (Bills)
Khalil Shakir's absence presented Kincaid with an excellent opportunity to step up and be the featured option in the Bills passing attack. He didn't take advantage of it. To be fair, Josh Allen only completed 9 passes on a day where he was pressured relentlessly by the Texans ferocious pass rush, but that still doesn't let Kincaid off the hook for not really showing up (he had 2 catches for 34 YDS) when his team needed him most. The second-year tight end has been one of the biggest disappointments of 2024 thus far and it's hard to envision him putting together a breakout performance against the Jets stubborn pass defense this week.
Dishonorable Mentions: Hunter Henry (Patriots), Zach Ertz (Commanders), Mike Gesicki (Bengals)
Defense/Special Teams
MVP: Vikings
Brian Flores had Aaron Rodgers wishing he had just moved to Peru to do peyote full time. The Vikings sacked the Jets aging burnout QB 3 times and forced him to throw a whopping 3 INT's including a pick 6 by edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel in a 23-17 victory that brought the Skol gang to 5-0 on the year. Minnesota's D/ST has been elite to start the year, and they'll look to pick up where they left off against the Lions top-flight offense in Week 7.
Honorable Mentions: Broncos, Bears, 49ers
LVP: Ravens
While they did just enough to put their offense in a position to mount a late comeback and eventually pull out a somewhat lucky OT victory over the Bengals, this was a terrible showing by a Ravens defense that looked like they were trending in the right direction after a strong performance versus the Bills in Week 4. They allowed a Bengals offense that had been stuck in neutral for weeks now to hang 36 points on them and only countered that with 3 sacks and a pick, which wasn't even enough to get back them back to 0 fantasy points. A scorching hot Commanders offense is not an ideal bounceback spot for Zach Orr's group this week.
Dishonorable Mentions: Texans, Bills, Dolphins
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