Week 5 knocked several fantasy managers off balance as a slate of players underperformed across QB, RB, WR, and TE. Cooper Rush and Geno Smith delivered subpar showings, while rookies and veterans at RB and WR struggled to produce consistent fantasy value. The piece flags which names are still trustable moving forward and which quantities might rebound against softer matchups in Week 6.

Targets for bounce-back potential span multiple positions, with explanations on how volume, opponent, and in-game role could shift expectations. The analysis also surfaces late-stage obvious fades and identifies sleepers who flashed upside despite disappointing Week 5 totals.

Week 5 pivots spotlight several backfield and pass-catcher shakeups. Woody Marks looks to seize Houston’s backfield for a top-20RB week, while Rico Dowdle steps in for Carolina as a solid lower-end RB2/flex if the Falcons (Miami) present a favorable matchup. Michael Carter could lead Arizona’s rushing attack in a Tennessee bout, with a potential committee lurking behind him.

At wide receiver, Jakobi Meyers slides into a favorable matchup as a WR3 option; Ladd McConkey faces a tough test but could rebound as a weekly FLEX play, and Darius Slayton surfaces as a promising streamer against New Orleans. Daniel Jones is a high-end QB option this week, and Mason Taylor looks like a growing TE2 threat for the Jets.