Quarterback
Biggest Winner: Drake Maye (Patriots)
Remarkably, Maye was even better in Week 5 against the Raiders than he was in Week 4 against the Bills. The Patriots quarterback was dialed in from the jump, slicing through the Raiders defense for 398 total YDS (374 passing 25 rushing) and 5 scores. Best of all, he didn't the turn ball over after logging a league-high 9 giveaways through the opening 4 games. Maye will hope to make it 3 great showings in a row when the Jets come to Gilette Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Honorable Mentions: Jayden Daniels (Commanders), Jared Goff (Lions), Jacoby Brissett (Cardinals)
Biggest Loser: Tyler Shough (Saints)
Frankly, Shough didn't stand much of a chance squaring off against the Vikings ferocious defense behind a makeshift offensive line and the results were predictably awful. Being under siege all day and having to rely on sheer gunslinging desperation to try and move the ball downfield led Shough to produce one of the worst lines you'll see from a starting QB this season (96 YDS, 0 TD's, 2 INT's). He's a terrific bounceback candidate for Week 6 against a Giants defense that has had its share of struggles defending the pass so far this season.
Dishonorable Mentions: Dak Prescott (Cowboys), Jalen Hurts (Eagles), Bo Nix (Broncos)
Running Back
Biggest Winner: Jahmyr Gibbs (Lions)
After a very quiet showing by his lofty standards against the Panthers last week, Gibbs returned to his normal elite form by absolutely obliterating the Cardinals defense (207 scrimmage YDS and 2 rushing TD's on 30 touches) in a blowout win for the Lions. Gibbs' owners will have to shoulder the burden of inserting a vastly inferior RB into their lineup while the dual-threat fantasy monster is on bye.
Honorable Mentions: Jaylen Warren (Steelers), Bucky Iriving (Buccaneers), Derrick Henry (Ravens)
Biggest Loser: Jeremiyah Love (Cardinals)
Gibbs' counterpart on the Cardinals offense had a much less productive outing. Love got completely stuffed on the ground, turning his 12 carries into just 22 YDS and failed to catch his only target on the day as the Cardinals pivoted to a pass-dominant attack early in the second half once the Lions blew the game wide open. Love, who is playing through the ankle injury he suffered back in training camp, will be a shaky RB2/FLEX play in Week 6 against the Rams.
Dishonorable Mentions: Chase Brown (Bengals), Omarion Hampton (Chargers), Cam Skattebo (Giants)
Wide Receiver
Biggest Winner: Puka Nacua (Rams)
While Nacua wasn't making huge splash plays against the Bills last night, Matthew Stafford was going his way on basically every other pass he threw for the entire game. The star wideout set a new career-high by hauling in 17 receptions on 24 targets, which he turned into 138 YDS and a TD as the Rams lost a heartbreaking OT shootout on their home field. Up next for Nacua is a dream matchup with the lowly Cardinals secondary.
Honorable Mentions: Christian Watson (Packers), Parker Washington (Jaguars), Malik Nabers (Giants)
Biggest Loser: Jaylen Waddle (Broncos)
Sean Payton snatching the playcalling duties from his alleged understudy Davis Webb did nothing to help Waddle's output this week. The Broncos big offseason acquisition was once again pretty invisible despite having a favorable matchup against the Chargers, catching 2-of-5 targets for 19 YDS and gaining 9-YDS on his lone rush attempt. Waddle's next opportunity to put a stop to the incredibly underwhelming start to his Broncos career will be Thursday night against the Seahawks.
Dishonorable Mentions: Carnell Tate (Titans), Tee Higgins (Bengals), Michael Wilson (Cardinals)
Tight End
Biggest Winner: Isaiah Likely (Giants)
Likely was one of the key cogs in the Giants improbable second half comeback that led to one of the most absurd ties in NFL history against the Commanders on Sunday, hauling in a career-high 11 receptions for 94 YDS and 2 TD's. After a quiet first couple games with Jameis Winston under center, Likely has forged a strong connection with the veteran QB and it's incredibly encouraging that his target share hasn't really been impacted by Malik Nabers' return to elite form over the past couple of weeks.
Honorable Mentions: Brock Bowers (Raiders), Tyler Warren (Colts), Sam LaPorta (Lions)
Biggest Loser: Harold Fannin Jr. (Browns)
Deshaun Watson went back to struggling mightily in the Browns ugly Week 6 loss to the Jets and only Denzel Boston escaped unscathed from a fantasy perspective. Fannin Jr. suffered a particularly cruel fate, catching just 1-of-4 targets for 4 YDS on the day. The talented 2nd year tight end could find himself in a tough spot once again in Week 6 if Watson struggles to get anything going against a Ravens defense that is starting gain confidence after back-to-back strong showings.
Dishonorable Mentions: Dalton Kincaid (Bills), Colston Loveland (Bears), Juwan Johnson (Saints)
Defense/Special Teams
Biggest Winner: Texans
After 5 weeks, the Texans D/ST has finally showed off the elite form that made them the kings of this position a year ago. The porous Cam Ward-led Titans offense got completely stomped out by their division rivals from Southeast Texas, surrendering 4 sacks, an interception and fumble recovery in a 26-3 loss. The Texans are going to have to dig deep to put up another strong performance this week when they travel to London to take on the AFC South-leading Jaguars.
Honorable Mentions: Broncos, Vikings, Bengals
Biggest Loser: Rams
Neither defense looked particularly good -especially in the second half and OT-during the back-and-forth battle between the Rams and Bills last night, but the losing team was the only one that was owned/played by a good amount of fantasy players. While Chris Shula's group did get a sack, INT and fumble recovery, any good they did was undone by the fact that they had allowed 37 points by the time the final whistle blew. Fortunately for them, redemption could be imminent as they're set to square off with the reeling 1-4 Cardinals in Week 6.
Dishonorable Mentions: Jaguars, Steelers, Cowboys
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