Active for the first time since Week 2, Taylor caught the second most balls on the team as Kenyon Sadiq departed with a third quarter concussion. Those are awful developments for Sadiq managers, but almost certainly not enough to create TE2 value for Taylor, even if Sadiq misses Week 6 against the Patriots.
Filling in for Kyle Monangai (toe), Johnson helped close out a blowout loss. Pro Football Focus charted him as playing the final 13 snaps over D’Andre Swift, goosing his touch totals with No. 3 QB Case Keenum under center. Johnson would perhaps be worth a desperation PPR flier if Monangai remains sidelined for Week 6 against the Falcons and Caleb Williams (hamstring) returns, but “desperation” would be the operative word there.
Raymond’s fast start to the season has now been erased to the tune of just five catches for 12 yards over the past two weeks. Even with Caleb Williams (hamstring) looking likely to return for Week 6 against the Falcons, Raymond’s brief moment in the 2026 fantasy sun has come and gone.
Even with Chris Brooks (ankle) on injured reserve, Johnson remain mired in a three-man committee, as veteran journeyman Pierre Strong slid seamlessly into Brooks’ vacated “role.” In fact, it was worse than that, as Johnson could also only watch as MarShawn Lloyd and Strong formed an early 1-2 punch. Johnson wasn’t really involved before garbage time. Before that, Lloyd had the advantage in short-yardage situations, notching the first two rushing touchdowns of his star-crossed career. Yet to handle more than eight carries in a game, it just isn’t happening for Johnson in 12-team league fantasy. He’s a distant FLEX bet ahead of Week 6 against the Cowboys.
Nix also added 10 yards on the ground on his four carries. He once again wasn’t able to get the ball downfield, with a long passing gain of 34 yards on a busted coverage. He was at least able to find Courtland Sutton for a short touchdown, but this was an ugly day for both signal-callers. Nix is no more than a QB2 for a matchup against the tough Seattle defense in Week 6, and it’s worth noting that game takes place Thursday night.
Herbert was without his top wideouts, his top offensive lineman, and the fact he was able to put up even this type of statline is somewhat impressive, if you squint very hard. The 28-year-old quarterback was constantly under pressure, and was at his best when he was able to escape the pocket and use his underrated wheels. That being said, he could have had more turnovers than this, and his interception was an inexcusable throw right into the hands of the Broncos’ defender. Even if Herbert gets his weapons back, fantasy managers should be looking elsewhere in Week 6 in standard leagues fora touch matchup against the Chiefs.
Dobbins was the most effective offensive player for both teams, which isn’t quite the compliment you’d think it is. The 27-year-old was the bellcow for the Broncos, however, and he was able to keep the chains moving enough to give Denver the victory over the winless Chargers. Dobbins will likely find the sledding tougher in Week 6 when the Broncos face the Seahawks on Thursday Night Football.
Making his Packers debut, 27-year-old journeyman Strong slid into Chris Brooks’ (ankle, injured reserve) vacated role. Although it’s a potential concern for MarShawn Lloyd and Kaleb Johnson — any new face in this makeshift backfield would be — it appears to be a bigger issue for Johnson, as Strong was playing ahead of him until garbage time. Ominous for Johnson managers, though Strong has little shot at carving out 12-team league value of his own.
Harvey was a non-factor in this one, and a week after his big receiving game, he was held without a catch with just one target. The second-year tailback was clearly the backup to JK Dobbins, and was unable to make the most of his limited opportunities. He’s off the radar for Week 6 versus the Seahawks on Thursday.
Vidal showed off his potential to be a big-play back on a 42-yard touchdown that tied the game at 17-17. The 25-year-old did nothing outside of that carry, but in a game where offense was limited — limited is putting it nicely — it stood out. Vidal was more effective than Omarion Hampton (33 yards on 14 carries) and Keaton Mitchell (11 on six) but still seems likely to be behind both for Week 6 against the Chiefs.
The only positive here was that Mitchell was somewhat involved in the pass game, but it was all of the check-down variety. The injuries to the Los Angeles offensive line just won’t open many holes right now, and even if Mitchell has looked more spry than Omarion Hampton, there’s more risk than reward having him in a lineup right now.
Purdy and the 49ers made the most of several short fields in this one. After an interception by Sam Darnold on the Seahawks’ first drive of the game, Purdy led a short 18-yard drive that he capped with a two-yard touchdown pass to Mike Evans to give the Niners an early lead. Purdy would orchestrate a long scoring drive in the fourth quarter, completing seven passes for 89 yards, with his final completion resulting in a seven-yard touchdown to Brandin Cooks. The Seahawks became the first team to sack Purdy this season, bringing him down three times in the backfield in the second half, but Purdy was able to evade pressure for the entire second half. Purdy and the Niners get a juicy Week 6 matchup next Monday against the Commanders, where he will profile as a solid QB1.
Williams caught a beautifully thrown 49-yard score from Drake Maye, who had four touchdown passes to go along with 376 yards through the air in the blowout victory. Williams ran a route on 19 of the team’s 42 drop backs with Mack Hollins on injured reserve. He also came down with a long grab in the second half that put the Pats in position to take a four-score lead. A.J. Brown’s eventual return to the New England offense — as soon as this week against the Jets — will further limit Williams’ snaps and routes. He won’t be playable in most formats going forward.
Shough had been coasting on extreme play volume over the first month of the fantasy season. Brian Flores and the Vikings’ hyper-aggressive defense had no issues shutting down that approach. The Saints had five drives in the first half. Only one lasted longer than three plays. Of their four second-half drives, two ended with interceptions. A fumbled kickoff coming out of the break didn’t help the team’s play volume either. Shough has ultimately been a better fantasy quarterback than a real-life passer this year and the Vikings’ defense exposed that truth for the better part of four quarters. He will look to rebound against a far worse Giants unit in Week 6.
Dulcich also added a two-point conversion to his total. It was a low-efficiency passing offense for the Dolphins once again, leading to Dulcich averaging under 10 yards per reception. The 26-year-old tight end is a fantasy TE3 as the Dolphins head into a Week 6 bye.
Swift was the only Bear to find the end zone in a throwaway performance where Tyson Bagent was benched for the fourth quarter. It was still a disappointing statline with Kyle Monangai (toe) on the shelf, but there just wasn’t much Swift could do with Bagent failing to threaten the Packers’ defense and the Bears’ D struggling mightily. Swift also lost a ton of passing-game work and targets to fill-in No. 2 RB Roschon Johnson. That’s a potentially disturbing development heading into Week 6 against the Falcons, with or without Monangai in the lineup. Thankfully, Caleb Williams (hamstring) should be back, shoring up Swift’s value in the RB10-14 range.
Burden “led” the Bears in receiving, but the fact that 47 yards was the team’s high-water mark tells you all you need to know about their offensive effectiveness this afternoon. Today was actually the first time in three games without Caleb Williams that Burden finished under 60 yards receiving, but he is still in dire need of his starting quarterback’s return. It appears that will be Week 6 against the Falcons, keeping Burden in the low-end WR2 mix despite his lack of spiked weeks through the season’s first five contests.
Although the Bears were already losing 31-7, Odunze’s fourth quarter giveaway was an ill-advised decision on a fourth down catch-and-run where he had already secured a new set of downs. Odunze seemed to be extending the ball forward. Unnecessary. Like every Bears pass catcher, Odunze is treading fantasy water waiting for the return of Caleb Williams (hamstring). It appears that will be Week 6 against the Falcons, but Odunze’s returns have been uneven enough that not even Williams’ re-insertion under center will be enough to get Odunze above the mid-range WR3 ranks.