Every week, there’s a new tale. The Jaguars embarrass the Chiefs on Monday Night Football, erasing the embarrassment that may have been felt by Trevor Lawrence’s two falls behind the line of scrimmage. Let’s face it. Someone, anyone, should’ve tackled him before he scored. New England bests the Bills, as Drake Maye shines and UNC is silent. Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold proved their competence in a down-to-the-final-minute battle. And Daniel “Indiana” Jones and Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt are here to stay. They are making names for themselves (get it?). Indy’s QB search is over, and let’s hope the Commanders will now put an end to that running-back-by-committee approach.

But here, we discuss the data behind the results, shocks, surprises, stalwarts — touches, air yards, team target percentage and more — the predictive stats that can show how often a player is being utilized by his NFL team to get ahead of future trends. Broken down by skill position, this report analyzes the meaningful metrics that can help you with the waiver wire, start/sit decisions and much more. After each positional breakdown, we’ve included the full usage report for additional research.

Let’s get to it!

Stats are via TruMedia unless otherwise stated. For waiver wire and streaming consideration, players must be under 50% rostered on Yahoo. 

* Denotes a suggested waiver wire addition or streamer for the coming week.

Quarterbacks

Daniel Jones for MVP, anyone? The Colts QB has Indy chanting “Indiana Jones” at the top of their lungs. Dak Prescott led the Cowboys to another win without CeeDee Lamb, and Matthew Stafford continues to throw, throw, throw. C.J. Stroud has looked like his former self lately, but he will need an improved O-line to be his best, and Seattle needs to keep Jalen Milroe on the sidelines for every single play because Sam Darnold is playing some of the best ball of his career. So, wait … two formerly doomed NY quarterbacks are suddenly franchise QBs? It looks like it.

Green flags
Daniel Jones, IND | 0.30 Expected Points Added Per Dropback (EPA/DB): I don’t know if Jones’ success is more inspiring for the Colts or embarrassing for the Giants organization. Either way, Indy’s QB is off to a great start, leading the Colts to a 4-1 start and a place atop the AFC South. His third-ranked EPA/DB might have something to do with his success. Expected points added measures the change in expected points from the beginning to the end of a play. For example, a 10-yard completion for a first down would substantiate a positive EPA, while a sack with yards lost would lead to a negative EPA. He’s achieved that mark while throwing for the third-most yards (1,290) and yards per attempt (8.6). And the Colts have allowed Jones some running room with 5.8% of plays going for designed QB rushes (eighth), giving Jones the ability to secure a solid fantasy floor each week.
*Matthew Stafford, LAR | 1,503 Passing Yards (PsYds): Stafford has thrown for more yards this season than any other quarterback, and his 300.6 passing yards per game ranks behind only … *Mac Jones (4% rostered and one of the better streaming options if Brock Purdy is out again). Stafford throws to one of the best receiving tandems in the league — DaVante Adams and Puca Nakua. Unlike many high-scoring fantasy QBs, Stafford scores points with his arm. He barely runs but has still scored 25+ points the past two weeks, and he faces a Baltimore defense in Week 6 that gave up 44 points to the Texans. With 36.6 pass attempts per game (fourth overall), stream Stafford, and watch him cook.
Dak Prescott, DAL | 195 Pass Attempts (Att): Prescott has attempted more passes than any other QB in the league through five weeks, which has corresponded to fantasy points for the pocket passer. Averaging 20.25 fantasy points per game, Prescott’s managers should be thrilled with how he’s outperformed his average draft position (ADP). He’s also second in passing yards, tied for fourth in attempts inside the 15-yard line (leading to more touchdown opportunities), sixth in completion percentage and 10th in EPA/DB.
C.J. Stroud, HOU | 81.8 Completion Percentage (Comp%) in Weeks 4-5: Stroud (54% rostered) led all QBs (among those who did not have a bye) in Comp% the past two weeks, and he was fantasy’s QB1 in Week 5. His EPA/DB also increased from -0.14 in Weeks 1-3 to 0.42 in Weeks 4-5. After a rough start to the season, Stroud has bounced back in the past two weeks, though his high marks have come against the Terrible Titans and Lamar Jackson-less Ravens. Stroud has a bye this week, but in Week 7, he gets the Seattle Seahawks. He could struggle against their 13th-ranked pass rush (I know it’s not an incredibly high ranking, but the Texans’ offensive line ranks 25th in pass blocking), but the ‘Hawks rank only 20th in coverage (PFF). When he gets time to throw, he throws a beautiful ball with a spectacular throwing motion. He likely won’t average the 23.59 points he has in Weeks 4-5, but 17+ points isn’t as unlikely as it once seemed.
*Sam Darnold, SEA | 3.7 Off-Target Pass Percentage (OffTgt%): Darnold (31% rostered) has thrown only 3.7% of passes off-target, which ranks best in the NFL. He also has a season-long Comp% of 71.6 and a 130.5 passer rating. He’s been great for Seattle. Outside of the last-minute interception that hit a defender’s helmet before falling into LaVonte David’s arms in Week 6, Darnold was excellent. He threw four passing touchdowns, completing 82.4% of passes and finished with a 135.5 passer rating. His season-long 0.28 EPA/DB ranks fourth among QBs with one start. He doesn’t pick up yards with his legs often, which hurts his floor, but he faces the Jaguars in Week 6 and should be streamed.
*Jaxon Dart, NYG | 11.8% Designed Rush Rate (DesignedRush%): Hear me out. I could’ve included Justin Fields here, too. But this isn’t a joke. Dart has the highest Designed Rush Rate (11.8%) after starting two games. Right behind him is Justin Fields, fantasy’s QB4 in fantasy points per game. While the Jet hasn’t won a game yet, his metrics are still superior to Dart’s. However, like Fields, Dart doesn’t need a good real-life game or a win to secure fantasy points. (Good thing because wins will be hard for the Giants to come by.) His rushing yards (54.5 per game in his two starts) give him the floor necessary to be a solid fantasy streamer. In a disheartening 26-14 loss to the Saints, wherein Dart made three turnovers, he still scored 15.58 points. Philly’s defense is overall solid and could give Dart trouble this week; however, they like to bring pressure in the pass rush, and Dart could escape the rush with his legs if the Eagles go too hard. According to PFF, Philly’s tackling and coverage both rank at 10 or below.
Red flags
Justin Herbert, LAC | -0.35 EPA/DB in Weeks 4-5: Herbert started the season strong with two games of 18+ fantasy points and a positive EPA/DB in his first three games. But against the Giants and Commanders in Weeks 4-5, he had the worst EPA in the league among QBs who have started both weeks. His passer rating dropped to 69.3, and he was pressured on 39.7% of dropbacks in that span — so, it’s not all his fault. Luckily, Herbert faces Miami in Week 6, and his first and only unfavorable matchup the rest of the season isn’t until Week 8, according to KC Joyner. Rookie RB Omarion Hampton was injured in Week 5, and Najee Harris is on IR, so L.A. may be forced to throw more. Hold Herbert, play him and hope the Chargers’ offensive line improves.
Running backs

Just as our own Andy Behrens predicted, Rico Dowdle had a day. So did Jacory Croskey-Merritt. End the timeshare in Washington, please. TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson continue to eat into one another’s fantasy numbers. Who’s better? Go with him.

Green flags
TreVeyon Henderson, NE | 3.1% Rushes of Zero or Negative Yards (Stuff%): Henderson has 32 carries on the season, and only one has failed to produce positive yards — he has the lowest stuff percentage among RBs with 16+ carries. Following a two-yard loss in the second quarter of Week 1, Henderson has put together a streak of 27 carries without losing yardage. Henderson is averaging just 9.4 touches, but his snap count could be expanding very soon. Though incumbent starter Rhamondre Stevenson keeps trying to literally fumble away his lead role — he has three fumbles in the past two games after leading running backs in that department in 2024 — head coach Mike Vrabel has remained committed to the veteran. But backup running back Antonio Gibson tore his ACL on Sunday night in the first half of New England’s upset of Buffalo. Gibson averaged 6.5 touches in his past four games, and there’s a decent chance much of that work could be allocated to Henderson going forward.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, WAS | 6.6 Yards Per Carry (YPC): The list of running backs who have averaged 6.5+ YPC on at least 40 carries through their first five NFL games is a short one that includes Bo Jackson… and now JCM. “Bill” enjoyed a breakout game in Week 5, finishing with 150 total yards and two touchdowns on 16 touches — he handled a season-high 69.6% of Washington’s RB touches. Notably, JCM’s first carry of the fourth quarter in his team’s victory against the Chargers on Sunday was a 7-yard loss in which he fumbled the ball. If not for that carry, he would be at 6.9 YPC for the season. The rookie now looks positioned to lead Washington’s backfield going forward, for one of the most advantageous remaining schedules for a fantasy running back.
Rico Dowdle, CAR | 83.9 Percentage of Team’s RB Touches (RBTouch%): Dowdle finished third among all running backs in RBTouch% in Week 5. Filling in for an injured Chuba Hubbard, Dowdle rolled for 206 yards on 23 carries in Carolina’s victory over Miami. It was the 21st 200-yard rushing game in the past decade, with Derrick Henry accounting for six of those and Jay Ajayi (3 — Jay Ajayi?!), Jonathan Taylor (2) and Dalvin Cook (2) being the only other RBs with multiple 200-yard efforts in the past 10 years.
Red flags
Rhamondre Stevenson, NE | -0.38 Expected Points Added Per Rush (EPA/Rush): As mentioned above, Stevenson’s ball security continues to be an issue, but he’s also struggling in the efficiency department. His -0.38 EPA/Rush mark is the lowest of any RB with at least 20 carries. His 3.7 YPC mark would be a career-low rate, below last year’s 3.9 YPC mark. In fact, since averaging 5.0 YPC in his second year in the league (2022), Stevenson has averaged below 4 yards per carry in his 401 totes since.
Zach Charbonnet, SEA| 0.351 TD-Independent PPR Points per Touch: When removing Charbonnet’s three touchdowns, his PPR points per touch mark (0.351) reveals a whole lot of inefficiency. In fact, no qualified running back is averaging less per touch in PPR when you remove touchdowns. In addition to a meager 2.8 YPC rate, he has just three catches in four games after finishing 14th among RBs with 42 catches last season. Of course, Ken Walker has been running as the lead in the Seattle backfield, and while his TD-independent PPR per touch mark isn’t anything to write home about (0.611 — just behind David Montgomery and Quinshon Judkins and just ahead of Alvin Kamara and J.K. Dobbins), it’s still well ahead of Charbonnet. Walker is coming off a 10-for-86 rushing line in Week 5 against Tampa Bay. He’s the only running back this season to have recorded two games of at least 10 carries at a clip of 8.0+ YPC. He’s also one of only three RBs (along with Derrick Henry and Chase Brown) who have two games on record with at least 10 carries at a clip of 2.5 YPC or less.
Hassan Haskins, Kimani Vidal, LAC | 21.5 Offensive Snap Percentage (OffSnap%): Rookie Omarion Hampton will miss at least four games following an ankle injury suffered in a loss to Washington on Sunday. It might be hard to determine who the preferred next man up in the Chargers’ RB room will be. Haskins and Vidal had the exact same OffSnap% in Week 5. Haskins handled the first four RB touches after Hampton left the game in the third quarter, but then Vidal came on to handle the final five touches for the Chargers’ backfield. For what it’s worth, Vidal picked up an average of 4.5 yards on his four carries to just a 2.6 mark for Haskins on his five carries. Of course, there is always the possibility that these two are employed in platoon fashion, like we saw after Hampton went down, or someone off the free-agent trash heap is called back into service.
Wide receivers

Tyreek Hill was placed on IR, and Jaylen Waddle had no trouble in the limelight. Marvin Harrison has had two productive weeks in a row, despite a middling (at best) offense. But has anyone seen Jerry Jeudy? Anyone?… That’s right, he’s stuck in Cleveland’s anemic offense.

Green flags
Jaylen Waddle, MIA | 144 Air Yards as Receiver (AirYdsRec): In the first game without Tyreek Hill, Waddle caught 6 of 9 targets for 110 yards and a touchdown. Thanks to three touchdowns in the span, Waddle ranks No. 13 among WRs in PPR points over the past four weeks. And on Sunday, he made his living further down the field than in his previous contests — his 144 air yards ranked as fifth-most among WRs for the week, and equaled 78% of his total air yards for the previous four games (185). Every one of Waddle’s six catches at Carolina went for at least 10 yards and a first down.
Marvin Harrison, ARZ | 13.80 PPR Points: After a top-15 WR performance in Week 4 against Seattle (6-66-1), Harrison nearly cannonballed into the top-10 WR pool in Week 5. Harrison caught a deep pass from Kyler Murray that was initially ruled a TD against the Titans. But replay assistance showed him down at the 1-yard line, resulting in 44 yards instead of 45, with another 6 “shoulda, coulda, woulda” TD points deducted from his fantasy tally. Add those “lost” 6.1 points to his Week 5 total, and he goes from WR22 to WR10. The other receivers this season to have pass receptions of 40+ yards end at the 1-yard line: Jordan Addison (81 yards), Adonai Mitchell (75 yards — fumbled going into the end zone), Terry McLaurin (56), DeAndre Hopkins (41).
Red flags
Khalil Shakir, BUF | 1.44 Average Depth of Target (aDOT): While Shakir provided a serviceable 6-for-45 line in a Sunday night loss to the Patriots, he wasn’t exactly set up for success. His 1.44 aDOT in Week 5 was the lowest of any WR who had at least four targets — Chris Godwin clocked in next at just 2.75 aDOT on four targets in a week in which his team scored 38 points and his receiving mate Emeka Egbuka caught all 7 of his targets with an aDOT of 18.71. Back to Shakir, his aDOT wasn’t the only unfathomably low metric from Week 5, as he also had just 13 total air yards on his nine targets. For the year, Shakir’s 4.17 aDOT mark is easily the lowest among all WRs with at least 20 targets — since 2018, Rashee Rice (13.3 in 2023), Deebo Samuel (12.95 in 2022) and Wan’Dale Robinson (10.8 in 2024) are the only WRs to average 10+ PPR points with an aDOT under 5.0. Thankfully for his fantasy managers, Shakir has been able to sustain WR3 PPR value thanks to volume (22 receptions — tied for 23rd at WR) and Yards After the Catch (his 8.4 YAC mark is second best at WR behind only DK Metcalf).
Jerry Jeudy, CLE | 3.5 PPR Points: Jeudy, still rostered in more than 80% of Yahoo leagues, endured one of his worst fantasy efforts as a Cleveland Brown on Sunday, recording two receptions for 15 yards. Ironically, his worst performance with the Browns came one day shy of a year earlier, when he delivered one catch for 16 yards in Week 5 (October 6) of 2024. It’s been a lot of bad luck and trouble for Jeudy this season. He’s second at WR in drops (4), behind Brian Thomas (5). He’s also seen the second-most INTs (3) on intended targets. And his three defensive pass interference penalties drawn are the second-most at the position. Jeudy did have a 17-yard catch from rookie Dillon Gabriel in Week 5, but Minnesota challenged the ruling of a catch, and the play was ruled in the Vikings’ favor. Interestingly, Jeudy’s performance in Week 5 last season started a three-game stretch in which he recorded just one reception per game, netting out as the No. 98 receiver in PPR scoring from Weeks 5-7. Things changed drastically after that, as he’d post the sixth-best PPR tally from Week 8 through Week 18.
Tight ends

Could Darren Waller be a top-five fantasy TE? What about Jake Ferguson? This year, the tight end rankings are not as expected. Theo Johnson and Mason Taylor are on the rise, and Travis Kelce showed he’s not dead yet (or settling into married life and a television career). But where in the world has Juwan Johnson been the last two weeks?

Green flags
Trey McBride, ARI | 183 Routes Run: Not only has McBride led all TEs in routes run for the entire season, but he also led in the category in Weeks 4 and 5 with 41 total. He’s second in total targets, behind only Jake Ferguson, and paces the group in TeamTgt% with 26.6. He’s TE3 in total PPR points and TE6 in PPR points per game. A huge part of Arizona’s offense, McBride is one of the most consistent tight ends this season.
Darren Waller, MIA | 1.83 EPA/Target. Since his debut, Waller (67% rostered) is second among TEs in fantasy points per game despite seeing only 15.3% of team targets. He’s been incredible on a per-target basis. Just look at his EPA (first among TEs with at least five targets) and 11.44 air yards per target, behind only Dalton Kincaid and Hunter Henry. While Waller’s limited team target share (only 14.7% in Week 5, even without Tyreek Hill) could catch up to him, his efficiency is otherworldly, and you have to keep riding the train until the tracks end.
Travis Kelce, KC | 8 Targets in Week 5: Kelce’s eight targets in Kansas City’s loss to the Jaguars were a season-high for the former dependable top-five tight end. After four weeks of average production, Kelce finally scored a season-high 19.1 PPR points Monday night, on seven receptions for 61 yards and a touchdown. He led the team in targets, was the only pass-catcher to find the end zone and was behind only Tyquan Thornton in total yards. His Week 5 performance elevated him to TE10 for the year (based on PPR points per game). Kansas City gets Detroit in Week 6. The over/under (50.5) is tied for the highest of the week. Kelce could feast again.
Jake Ferguson, DAL | 48 Targets: Ferguson has become an every-week starter and often star this season. Prescott is firing on all cylinders and his pass-catchers are eating. Ferguson is an incredibly capable receiving tight end and has secured more targets than any other receiver and 24.6% of team targets, behind only McBride. In Week 5, he scored his highest fantasy-point total of the season with 23.9 on nine targets, seven receptions, 32.1% of team targets, 49 yards and two touchdowns. Lucky you if you drafted Ferguson at an ADP well below his current production level.
Red flags
Juwan Johnson, NO | 12.5 TeamTgt% in Weeks 4-5: I could witter on about dwindling numbers the past two weeks, but the table below speaks volumes (or lack of volume). And Taysom Hill and Foster Moreau were activated in Week 5 and could become more ingrained in the offense. The good news? New Orleans’ tight ends have five favorable matchups upcoming, three between Weeks 6-10.
Streaming TEs for Week 6 (ranked)
Mason Taylor, NYJ (14% rostered): In Weeks 4-5 combined, Taylor, Theo Johnson and Jake Tonges are all among the top-10 TEs. While Johnson has the most points per game (16), Taylor has the highest team target share with 26.8%, compared to 20.3% for Johnson (still very good for a tight end) and 18.8% for Tonges. Taylor also has the highest EPA/Target at 0.40 and has run the most routes the past two weeks, behind only Trey McBride and T.J. Hockenson. Taylor and Johnson can be rostered for the rest of the season, while Tonges will only be relevant until George Kittle’s return.
Theo Johnson, NYG (11%): Johnson has a secure role in the Giants’ game plan as long as Jaxson Dart is under center. Dart uses his legs most and needs dump-off, short pass options, for which Johnson is perfect. Along with his +20% target share the past two weeks, Johnson also had a respectable 0.35 EPA/Target during that time frame and scored 10.7 PPR points in Week 4 and 21.3 in Week 5. He and Taylor are climbing up the tight end ranks.
Jake Tonges, SF (4%): Tonges has been a capable fill-in for Kittle, especially during the past two weeks. In Week 2, Tonges saw 13.2% of team targets, followed by 7.9% in Week 3 and 13.5% in Week 4. In Week 5, he surged with 22.9% and 11 targets. He also ran 40 routes on Thursday night — second only to Taylor and followed by Kelce. He finished with seven receptions, 41 yards and a touchdown for 17.1 PPR points, which followed up a 14.8-point performance the week before.
Harold Fannin, CLE (27%): Cleveland’s situation is murky with David Njoku in the mix, and Dillon Gabriel may or may not improve with better scheming, making rookie Fannin a lesser fantasy prospect than he once was. Still, the Browns have found ways to keep Njoku and Fannin from being bottom-dwellers. Fannin has 11.3 PPR points in Week 5, while Njoku had 18.7. However, Fannin hasn’t seen +20% of team targets since Week 1, when the hype abounded. In Week 5, he saw only 12.5%, and in Weeks 2-3, he saw even less. Any given Sunday, though, Fannin could outproduce Njoku and be a feature in Cleveland’s dismal offense. He has a lot of potential, but could use time to develop his route tree and blocking. However, he has good hands, can secure contested catches and refuses to go down after the catch.
Streamable TEs with injury designations
Ja’Tavion Sanders, CAR (2%)