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Doesn’t Matthew Stafford look beautiful in a Rams uniform? Outside of the purgatory that is commonly referred to as “Detroit?” Everybody say amen.
Stafford is a top 5 guy this week. Don’t miss the boat.
Teddy Bridgewater returned to practice today (Thursday) from a concussion. Ben Roethlisberger has a hip injury and missed practice on Wednesday—but you shouldn’t be starting him anyway.
There’s more news and notes below...chime in with your hot takes for Week 5, ladies and gents! And let me know where I went wrong in the rankings...
QB Rankings for Week 5
| Rank | Player Name | Team | Opponent | Notes | MATCHUP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Player Name | Team | Opponent | Notes | MATCHUP |
| 1 | Josh Allen | BUF | @ KC | There's no way he isn't your QB1 this week after we saw Jalen Hurts approach passing for 400 yards last week. | |
| 2 | Kyler Murray | ARI | vs SF | The Niners' secondary is banged up and Murray's offense is littered with receiving weapons. | |
| 3 | Patrick Mahomes | KC | vs BUF | It's a toss-up between he and Murray for my No. 2 spot, but I can't ignore the Bills' strength in the secondary. | |
| 4 | Lamar Jackson | BAL | vs IND | For all the alleged improvement to the BAL receiving corps, his current 60.5% completion rate is a three-year low. However, the IND pass defense has allowed the most passing scores (11) in the league. | |
| 5 | Matthew Stafford | LAR | @ SEA | The Seahawks are eighth-worst in pass TDs allowed (8) and allow the fifth-most yardage (1,170) through four games. | |
| 6 | Russell Wilson | SEA | vs LAR | The Rams are actually bottom third (8th worst) with 1,093 passing yards allowed so far. Wilson has been his normal, efficient self. Don't fear the matchup. | |
| 7 | Dak Prescott | DAL | vs NYG | He's got less upside so far this year due to an improved run game and defense. | |
| 8 | Tom Brady | TB | vs MIA | He and Prescott's matchups are eerily similar by the numbers, but I expect less of a fight against MIA (more coasting for Brady). | |
| 9 | Jalen Hurts | PHI | @ CAR | CAR has allowed the second fewest passing yards this year (626) and are a rough matchup. Hurts should get it done, but it might be uglier than normal. | |
| 10 | Kirk Cousins | MIN | vs DET | A sub-par effort against CLE last week shouldn't dampen your outlook--this is a quality matchup for low-end QB1 type of numbers. | |
| 11 | Justin Herbert | LAC | vs CLE | The CLE pass D has been stellar, only 735 pass yards allowed (third fewest). You're hoping he can convert in the red area, which is entirely possible with big Mike Williams. | |
| 12 | Aaron Rodgers | GB | @ CIN | Similar to Herbert, it's a bad matchup. But you aren't benching A-Rod if you drafted him, not after three straight multi-TD weeks. | |
| 13 | Sam Darnold | CAR | vs PHI | He HAS to be a high-end streamer or QB2 option for you given his production thus far. He leads the NFL in rushing touchdowns (5). | |
| 14 | Daniel Jones | NYG | @ DAL | He's broken our hearts before, but this is a good spot for him to be chasing... | |
| 15 | Trey Lance | SF | @ ARI | You're chasing the ceiling that he offers with his legs. | |
| 16 | Joe Burrow | CIN | vs GB | The Packers have surrendered 10 passing scores thus far, fourth-worst in the league. | |
| 17 | Derek Carr | LV | vs CHI | The Bears haven't been bad on defense, but nor are they world-beaters. Carr should bounce back after a rough showing last week. | |
| 18 | Matt Ryan | ATL | vs NYJ | He shredded WAS last week, and the Jets aren't as good on pass D as the numbers indicate. They've surrendered the fourth-most rush attempts in the league due to trailing so much. | |
| 19 | Ryan Tannehill | TEN | @ JAC | The embodiment of a "get-right" matchup, and he should have AJ Brown and/or Julio back in some capacity this week. | |
| 20 | Trevor Lawrence | JAC | vs TEN | TEN is a plus matchup for passing, ranking fourth-worst with a 7.5 NY/A so far, and the eighth-most passing scores (8). | |
| 21 | Mac Jones | NE | @ HOU | After a strong showing against Tampa Bay last week, he's in legitimate mid-range QB2 territory. | |
| 22 | Justin Fields | CHI | @ LV | LV has been vulnerable versus the run and stout versus the pass...what would you do with a rookie QB? Protect him and pound the rock... | |
| 23 | Zach Wilson | NYJ | @ ATL | ATL has allowed 11 passing scores against zero INTs, and been below average (not horrible) versus the run, at 4.5 Y/A. Great game for Wilson. | |
| 24 | Jared Goff | DET | @ MIN | The Vikings are allowing 6.1 yards per play, the fifth-worst mark in the NFL...and 7 passing scores against only two INTs. | |
| 25 | Taylor Heinicke | WAS | vs NO | It's a tough matchup, but the NO pass D is allowing lots of volume (fourth-most passing attempts) and Heinicke can do damage with his legs. | |
| 26 | Baker Mayfield | CLE | @ LAC | This is a perfect matchup for the CLE run game to go HAM. Mayfield could have low volume this week...AND he's playing through a torn labrum. | |
| 27 | Jameis Winston | NO | @ WAS | He's ceding too much work to Taysom Hill. | |
| 28 | Jacoby Brissett | MIA | @ TB | It's a pass funnel of a defense, one that is tied for the NFL "lead" with 11 passing scores conceded so far. | |
| 29 | Carson Wentz | IND | @ BAL | He's been a gamer so far on his pair of ankle sprains, and IND found a way to win last week. | |
| 30 | Teddy Bridgewater | DEN | @ PIT | Whether it's him or Drew Lock, this is a below average offense in a rough road matchup. Look elsewhere. | |
| 31 | Ben Roethlisberger | PIT | vs DEN | He's dealing with hip issues and missed practice on Wednesday, and he's been awful this year. Look elsewhere. | |
| 32 | Davis Mills | HOU | vs NE | He's becoming a staple at the bottom of these rankings. A brutal matchup with the Patriots awaits, and he threw four picks last week. Yikes. |