The List: Ranking Each Position for Week 5

QB Ranks

• I’ve been a little down on Lamar Jackson as of late, as this Ravens offense has sputtered compared to their 2019 standards. But Jackson gets a Bengals team that he torched for 30+ fantasy points in both games last year, and while the Bengals can defend the pass at times, they still struggle defending the run. I expect the Ravens’ scheme to cause major problems for the Bengals this week, and as long as they grab a lead, they should put up a massive rushing total, with Jackson leading the way. QB3 seems like a realistic slot, with QB1 upside.
• If you wanted to nitpick on Dak Prescott this week, it would be that he is finally facing an opponent in the Giants that can’t keep pace, and it would make sense to see a heavy dose of Ezekiel Elliott if Dallas can grab a lead. After all, the Cowboys have faced the Rams, Falcons, Seahawks, and Browns through four weeks, offenses that can rack up yardage when they are in a groove. But this is only enough to knock him down to QB5, as how low can you really rank a quarterback that has thrown between 450 and 502 yards over the past three weeks? Dak could just as easily be the QB1 again, but I’m just playing a hunch that they would prefer to take it easy on their quarterback if at all possible.

• I really, really, really don’t want to have Matt Ryan as the QB8 this week after two straight clunkers and a banged-up wide receiver corps. But I just couldn’t find quarterbacks behind him with more upside, and I still think this Panther’s defense playing over their heads with the seventh-fewest yards per attempt allowed in the passing game. I wouldn’t blame you for wanting to move on (trust me, I do after the last two weeks), but I’m not sure that this is the week to do it.
• You can put Gardner Minshew III, Tom Brady, and Teddy Bridgewater in any order and I wouldn’t push back. I like the odds of a shootout with Minshew in Houston so I rank him highest. He’s also finished QB13 or higher in three of four weeks. Brady is playing the best of this group but gets a Thursday night matchup with a banged-up offense in Chicago, making him more of a high-floor, low-ceiling play in my eyes. And Bridgewater probably gets the easiest matchup, but with as poorly as this Falcons team is playing, we could be looking at a game where Carolina grabs a lead and has Bridgewater playing game manager.

Green=Strong Starter, Yellow=Solid Starter, Red=Look for Better Options