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In this article series, I am doing my best to keep up with the weekly risers and fallers with dynasty value. As we all know, you should never overreact to just one week for dynasty fantasy football—it’s a game of patience. Week 5 featured some boom performances from guys like Drake Maye, Isaiah Likely, Parker Washington, and Jaylen Warren. I’ll highlight some of the performances producing the biggest changes in value direction.
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Week 5 Risers and Fallers | NFL Dynasty Fantasy Football
3 Players Stock Up
Jayden Daniels | QB | Washington Commanders | Age: 25.8
Jayden Daniels has been through so much adversity over the last two seasons, but he had a breakthrough performance against the Giants. After missing two weeks after sustaining a graphic elbow injury, Daniels showcased toughness by even being in the lineup. I thought he may show some hesitation in his first game back, but that’s not in his DNA.
Despite the game ending in a tie, Jayden Daniels showed heart and passion. He ran the ball 9 times for 103 yards and 2 TDs. That total represents the second most rushing yards that he’s recorded in an NFL game, only behind 127 during Week 17 in 2024. I hope you were able to buy low on Jayden Daniels because his stock is going to bounce back to among the top dynasty QBs.
Germie Bernard | WR | Pittsburgh Steelers | Age: 22.8
Germie Bernard is emerging as the best, young receiver on the Pittsburgh Steelers. After many analysts hyped up Roman Wilson to fill Michael Pittman’s void, it was really Bernard who benefitted from the absence. Bernard led all weapons with 9 targets. Obviously, Jaylen Warren and Pat Freiermuth found the end zone twice each, but Bernard’s usage stood out to me.
I think Bernard is a smart buy right now. He’ll continue to be a major part of this offense down the stretch, and the post-Aaron Rodgers Steelers offense could have an explosive quarterback leading the way. Bernard could be a primary option on this offense, the rest of the season and for the foreseeable future.
Malik Nabers | WR | New York Giants | Age: 23.2
Malik Nabers has completed returned to pre-injury form. He is among the best receivers in the entire NFL. With Jameis Winston slinging the rock, Nabers put up impressive numbers in Week 5. He had 11 catches for 121 yards and a touchdown. Winston kept throwing his direction with 20 targets for Nabers.
I truly believe Nabers is a league-winner type of player. If you received any type of charity softball or injury discount, please send a respectful but heartfelt thank you to that owner. I apologize for the hyperbole, but Nabers genuinely has Hall of Fame type of talent. I’m excited that he’s healthy and receiving the opportunity to prove it again.
3 Players Stock Down
Chase Brown | RB | Cincinnati Bengals | Age: 26.5
Chase Brown simply has not been efficient this season, and the Bengals have taken notice. Formerly a 3 down back, Brown took a backseat to Samaje Perine in both carries and production. Brown ran for 39 yards on 13 carries, whereas Perine went for 68 yards on 14 carries.
Following a bye week, Brown will look to gain some of his explosiveness back. He needs to break some long carries. He has 0 carries for 15 yards or more with his long as a 13 yard rush. Receptions will continue to be the bulk of his production, so he’s more valuable in PPR leagues.
Mike Washington | RB | Las Vegas Raiders | Age: 23.2
I really was expecting to see a healthy dose of Mike Washington this week. Ashton Jeanty was a gametime decision dealing with plantar fasciitis and an ankle injury. Jeanty ended up starting, but we still saw extra touches for the Raiders RB2. The problem? Their RB2 was Dylan Laube, not Washington.
Laube had 4 carries to Washington’s 1, and 3 catches to Washington’s 1. I will say, the game script went poorly for rushing opportunities. Even if Washington gains the role back over Laube, it’s far from ideal to be the backup to a tough players who’s going to fight to play through injuries. Even if Jeanty misses games, I’m not sure Washington would return much value.
Tyler Shough | QB | New Orleans Saints | Age: 27.0
Tyler Shough had the benefit of playing some of the worst defenses in the league the first few weeks. His dynasty value got a little out of hand in September, but he came down to earth against the Vikings. Granted, they are one of the toughest defenses in the league; however, Shough looked miserable. He was 16 for 25, throwing for just 96 yards with 2 interceptions.
Luckily, the Saints won’t face a defense of that caliber again this season. Shough has the benefit of playing in the NFC South, arguably the worst division in the league. He needs bury this performance and bounce back against the New York Giants next week to showcase that this was a one-off showing.
NFL Week 5 Sign Off
Thank you so much for tuning into this week’s NFL reaction article. Obviously, the fun part about dynasty is staying closely invested in the ebb and flow of dynasty values. Hopefully, this article helped keep you in touch with weekly trends, and I will aim to keep you up to date with rising and dropping values as much as possible this season.
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