5 takeaways from week 5

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RB - Rico Dowdle (CAR)

Mentioned in: Ten Things We Learned in Week 5 (Fantasy Football)

• Rico Dowdle emerged as Week 5's RB1 (pending Monday night's games) with a breakout performance. The 27-year-old running back had already been seeing significant work in the backfield, averaging a 65-35 split with Chuba Hubbard before this game.

• In his featured role, Dowdle demonstrated exceptional efficiency, posting 206 rushing yards and a touchdown on 23 rushing attempts, averaging an impressive 9.0 yards per carry. This performance came in a victory over the Dolphins, showing he can be productive in a competitive game situation.

• Dowdle's confident post-game comments, including saying his former team needs to 'buckle up' next week, suggest he's embracing a larger role. His previous involvement in the offense combined with this breakout performance could indicate a growing role moving forward.

• Our take: This is actually a Chuba Hubbard take in disguise. Dowdle’s role had been growing little by little before Chuba was out for this game. It will be interesting to see how their splits look when Chuba is back, as it could cause a slight hit on his value.

RB - Alvin Kamara (NOR)

Mentioned in: Week 5 Fantasy Football Game-by-Game Recap: Jonathan Taylor, Emeka Egbuka and More

• Kamara's production has taken a significant hit with Kendre Miller's increased involvement in the offense. His performance against the Giants was particularly concerning, managing only 27 yards on eight carries and four catches for 28 yards.

• The veteran running back's receiving production has drastically declined, with only 17 catches for 77 yards across five games. This represents a major departure from his traditional role as a receiving threat out of the backfield.

• The situation is further complicated by Taysom Hill's return to the offense, which threatens to take away even more touches from Kamara. With reduced volume and fewer touchdown opportunities, Kamara's fantasy value appears to be trending downward.

• Our take: It looks like the “sell” window for Kamara is closing quickly. I have him in one dynasty league, and at this point, I’m hoping for a trade to a better offense that would create more scoring opportunities for him. If he doesn’t get traded, it seems like he’ll be trending around low-end RB2 status most weeks.

TE - Mason Taylor (NYJ)

Mentioned in: 9 Fantasy Football Risers & Fallers: Dynasty (2025)

• Mason Taylor, the rookie tight end, has posted consecutive weeks of career-high performances, with his most recent game featuring nine catches on 12 targets for 67 yards and 17.7 fantasy points, surpassing his previous week's marks of five catches for 65 yards.

• Following Head Coach Aaron Glenn's Week 3 declaration about getting Taylor more involved in the offense, the second-round pick has led all tight ends with 19 targets over the subsequent two games, showing a clear shift in offensive strategy.

• Taylor appears to be emerging as the Jets' second primary pass-catching option behind Garret Wilson, filling a crucial void in the offense and establishing himself as an increasingly important piece in the team's passing game.

• Our take: The most productive and consistent TEs typically are a top-2 pass option in their offense. Taylor seems to be fitting into that role nicely behind Garrett Wilson, and the strong endorsement from Aaron Glenn gives me even more confidence in him moving forward. There should be plenty of garbage time yards out there for him this season.

RB - Saquon Barkley (PHI)

Mentioned in: Podcast: Biggest WINNERS and LOSERS From Week 5 | Jaxon Smith-Njigba + Emeka Egbuka = Top 10 DYNASTY WRs!

• Saquon Barkley was held to 6 carries for 30 yards and did not receive a single second-half carry in a game the Eagles led 17 to 3 entering the fourth quarter.

• The efficiency cliff is steep: Saquon Barkley is averaging 3.2 yards per rush and is on pace for just 908 rushing yards, roughly 1,000 fewer than last season, making receiving work vital to buoy RB2 value.

• Bold stance from the pod: The Eagles offense looks broken and Saquon Barkley has become an RB2 unless the receiving volume, currently paced for 58 catches, continues to save his weekly output.

• Trade talk tone: If you drafted Saquon Barkley high in startup or hold him in dynasty, the hosts recommend taking offers given the alarming usage and efficiency trends.

• Our take: I agree that the Eagles don’t look 100% right on offense right now, but I’m confident they will figure it out. They’re too good not to. I’d be buying Barkley as a contender if someone is panicking about his early usage.

RB - Derrick Henry (BAL)

October 6, 2025

Mentioned in: Week 5 Booms and Busts: The Ravens' fantasy football juggernaut bottoms out - is there reason for hope?

• Henry struggled significantly in Week 5, managing only 33 yards on 15 carries behind a patchwork offensive line, though he did salvage some fantasy value with a late touchdown when the game was already decided.

• Henry's recent performance has been concerning, with four straight weeks of 50 rushing yards or fewer. At age 31 and in his 10th NFL season, there are growing concerns about his effectiveness, particularly given his limited involvement in the passing game.

• The veteran running back has been dealing with fumble issues this season, and his struggles behind an injured Ravens offensive line make him a difficult player to confidently start in fantasy lineups going forward.

• Our take: We talked about Henry last week, and I didn’t really think the situation could get worse. Until it did. If the Ravens are getting blown out by the Texans, there might not be many positive game scripts in their future. That really hurts Henry’s outlook while they’re in this rut. If you’re buying as a contender, I think you need to proceed with caution and not overpay.

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