Quarterbacks

Tyrod Taylor, BUF – The Bills continue to play well and Taylor looks ready for his 2016 breakout. After a disastrous Week 1, Taylor had a big game against the Jets and now has three straight wins. He’s a threat to run and with defenses likely taking note of LeSean McCoy’s monster game against the Rams, there’ll be impetus to throw and run the ball more himself. He’s got solid matchups the next two games and in Week 8 he could get in a shootout with Tom Brady and the Patriots. With Taylor available in about 30-50 percent of fantasy leagues, you won’t find another guy with as much upside.

Alex Smith, KC – The Raiders allow the most fantasy points to opposing QBs, and guess who the Chiefs face in Week 6? This could be a defensive struggle or a shootout – it’s difficult to tell with all of the uncertainty regarding the Chiefs offensive game plan, but Smith has a favorable matchup on the road.

Dak Prescott, DAL – Prescott is still available in about a third of fantasy leagues and had a solid game in Week 5 against a tough Cincinnati defense, throwing for 227-1-0 with 12 rushing yards, a rushing TD and lost fumble – his first turnover. The plan is to bring Tony Romo back after the team’s Week 7 bye to face the Eagles, which means Dak only gets one more shot to prove he’s worthy of starting. Even if he’s not much of a factor in redraft leagues, he needs to be owned in all dynasty formats as Romo is definitely injury-prone.

UPDATE: The results of a Monday MRI showed that Romo’s back has healed but he isn’t yet ready for team drills and it looks like a while before he’ll be in shape to practice, giving Prescott some more time to show off his wares and earn some more fantasy cred.

Marcus Mariota, TEN – UPDATE: Mariota (40-60 percent owned) had a monster fantasy day in Week 5 with 163-3-0 passing as well as 60 rushing yards and a TD on the ground. He’s definitely a risky play, but gets a favorable schedule the next few games (CLE, IND, JAC, @SD). If he can develop more chemistry with his receivers, the sky’s the limit.

Sam Bradford, MIN – The Vikings are on a bye in Week 6, but Bradford is just 20-40 percent owned and looks to finally be in a good spot to succeed. He’s not a high priority, but someone to look at if you’ve been struggling to find consistent options at QB.

Updates

Brian Hoyer, CHI – Hoyer now has three straight solid fantasy performances after completing 33 of 43 pass attempts for 397-2-0 in Week 5 against the Indianapolis Colts. All signs point to him remaining the starter even when Smokin’ Jay Cutler’s thumb is healthy enough to twiddle on the sidelines.

Paxton Lynch, DEN – Lynch looked very much like a rookie QB in his first career start Sunday, throwing for 223-1-1 in a devastating loss to the Falcons. Lynch added 18 rushing yards but will give way to Trevor Siemian (non-throwing shoulder) against the Chargers. Siemian was 50-50 to face Atlanta but will likely be rushed back to avoid another loss.

UPDATE: Gary Kubiak is not coaching the team this week due to health problems (get better, coach!), but Siemian is expected back for the Thursday game against the Chargers.

Case Keenum, LAR – Keenum is awful and had 271-0-2 in Week 5. It would take something cataclysmic on the fantasy landscape or some sort of personal epiphany that gives him the ability to throw the ball well for him to be worth starting the next few weeks. Stay away.

Derek Anderson, CAR – Anderson gets the start tonight (Monday), and the update is coming Tuesday.

UPDATE: Anderson threw for 278 yards and looked to be on the same page with Greg Olsen (9-181-0) and Kelvin Benjamin (5-70-0), but threw two terrible interceptions and lost a fumble - turnovers that helped cost Carolina the game. He threw behind Olsen on what would have been a sure goal line TD and a disastrous end zone INT in the fourth quarter showed why he’s not a starter in the NFL. The Panthers are at New Orleans in Week 6, and they hope to have Cam Newton back in time for that matchup.

Drew Stanton, ARI – Stanton wasn’t asked to do much Thursday night, but he ended up throwing 28 passes anyway, completing 11 of them for 124-2-0. The two TDs masked a hideous performance that will be forgotten once Carson Palmer returns from the concussion protocol. Palmer is reportedly in the final stages and should be back for a tasty Week 6 matchup at home against the Jets.

UPDATE: Palmer is expected to clear the concussion protocol today (Tuesday) and resume starting duties.

Running Backs

James Starks, GB – Starks (20-40 percent owned) had 12 carries for 33 rushing yards and 3-19-0 receiving after Eddie Lacy went down with an ankle injury on Sunday night. Should Lacy miss additional time, he’ll be a popular add this week and could be worth a look as an RB3/flex option against the Cowboys.

UPDATE: Lacy was glad he could walk on his injured ankle less than 24 hours after sustaining the injury against the Giants, but he’s questionable for Week 6 and could miss a week or two of action, giving Starks another shot at meaningful fantasy production.

Matt Asiata, MIN – Yes, he’s still available in about 50-75 percent of fantasy leagues despite my prediction that he could exceed McKinnon’s value with the additional goal line work. Asiata had a big game Sunday with 55 rushing yards and a TD on 14 carries, adding 3-46-0 receiving in the win over hapless Houston. The Week 6 bye is a monkey wrench, but he’s not going away as a fantasy-relevant RB and should post decent numbers in weeks 8-10 (@CHI, DET, @WAS).

Devontae Booker, DEN – UPDATE: The rookie RB had his best game as a pro Sunday, carrying six times for 23 yards and adding 4-36-0 on six targets. He’s not going to out-touch C.J. Anderson unless the veteran gets injured, but this is looking more like a 60-40 timeshare going forward. Booker is available in about 50-60 percent of redraft leagues and should be owned in all 12-team formats.

Jacquizz Rodgers, TB – UPDATE: He’s on a bye in Week 6, but Rodgers appears to have a good understanding of Dirk Koetter’s offense, which he ran during his time in Atlanta. Rodgers looked solid in a workhorse role on Monday night, rushing for 101 yards on 30 carries and adding 5-28-0 on six targets. With Charles Sims (knee) a recent IR designee and Doug Martin dealing with a hamstring injury that kept him out of the past three games, Rodgers is a “hot hand” who could be asked to shoulder a heavy workload even when Martin returns for favorable matchups in weeks 7-10 (@SF, OAK, ATL, CHI).

Updates

Terrance West, BAL – West tallied 95 yards on 11 carries and added two catches for negative-6 yards. He’ll likely remain the starter but a new offensive coordinator (Marty Mornhinweg replaces the recently fired Marc Trestman) could change that when Kenneth Dixon is at full strength.

Alfred Morris, DAL – With 33 yards on six carries behind the impressive running of Ezekiel Elliott and a great offensive line, Morris remains the top handcuff in fantasy. He needs to be owned in all formats.

Zach Zenner, DET – Zenner gained just 9 yards on seven carries against the tough Eagles defensive line, and added 2-23-0 receiving. With Dwayne Washington on the way back and the Lions scouring the streets for viable RBs, Zenner might not get the big chance we were expecting.

Paul Perkins & Bobby Rainey, NYG – Perkins carried the ball just twice for 9 yards and caught 1-of-2 targets for 13 yards in Week 5 against the Packers, while Rainey shouldered much of the load for the Giants, hauling in 6-52-0 and gaining 22 rushing yards on five carries. Even with the Giants sticking mostly to the passing game, Perkins was a distant third for touches behind Orleans Darkwa and Rainey. Perkins should be ignored for now in redraft leagues, while Rainey will have some value as a low-end FLEX in PPR formats, even if Rashad Jennings (thumb) returns in Week 6.

With injuries to Kevin White and Eddie Royal, Cameron Meredith became the breakout star of Week 5.

Wide Receivers / Tight Ends

Sammie Coates, PIT – Coates (50-60 percent owned) had 6-139-2 and was targeted 11 times by Big Ben. He had a few drops but the Steelers are making an effort to get him more involved as both a deep threat and a chain-mover with plenty of coverage rolling to Antonio Brown. He should be owned in all formats.

Tyrell Williams, SD – Williams (60-80 percent owned), caught five passes for 117 yards and a TD from Philip Rivers Sunday. He’s now seen 34 targets in five weeks and has 21-358-2 on the season – solid WR3 numbers. The Week 6 matchup (DEN) is a tough one, but Williams appears to be trending upward.

Chris Hogan, NE – I’ve been apprehensive to use Hogan in this space before I got a chance to see him with Brady at the helm, but with 4-114-0 in Week 5 it appears Hogan can be a solid risk-reward WR4 with upside. His value would skyrocket should Julian Edelman miss any time this season, but the former Monmouth standout is dealing with a head injury that briefly forced him out of Sunday’s game – so stay tuned.

Jeremy Kerley, SF – Kerley is perhaps the best fantasy WR who never gets any props from owners. He’s just 10-20 percent owned despite consecutive weeks with 6-plus receptions and a TD (6-88-1; 8-102-1) and he’s playing every snap for the Niners. If his ankle is okay moving forward, he’s a WR3 with more value in PPR leagues.

Davante Adams, GB – Aaron Rodgers isn’t playing all that well, but he was smitten with Adams (25-35 percent owned) on Sunday night. The third-year WR caught 5-85-1 on eight targets and should be part of the game plan versus the Cowboys in Week 6.

Cameron Meredith, CHI – With Kevin White in IR and Eddie Royal banged up, Meredith exploded for 9-130-1 (lost fumble) in the loss to Indy. Just 3-5 percent owned heading into this week’s waivers (most of those adds were likely FA pickups after the Sunday games started), Meredith is a worthwhile ad but will struggle to put up consistent numbers.

Adam Thielen, MIN – I used Thielen (2-5 percent owned) in some DFS lineups on Sunday, a move that paid off handsomely, as he rattled off 7-127-1 in the absence of Stephon Diggs (groin). Again, there’s the Week 6 bye, but Thielen proved he can be a valuable commodity moving forward.

Kamar Aiken, BAL - UPDATE: If Steve Smith is forced to miss time, Aiken could once again be fantasy relevant in the slot for Baltimore. The Ravens play the Giants on the road this week. Aiken hasn’t done much this season, but he’s a capable receiver who saw 83 targets in the last eight weeks of 2015 – and finished with 75-944-5 on the season. The return of Breshad Perriman has changed his role, which could expand in the coming weeks.

TE Gary Barnidge, CLE – At 60-80 percent owned, Barnidge (5-76-0 in Week 5) is a viable waiver wire option in a portion of formats and could be in line for tons of targets if Charlie Whitehurst remains the Cleveland starter.

TE Charles Clay, BUF – Like his QB, Clay could be poised for a breakout, as the Bills need to find targets in the passing game. Clay (just 20-30 percent owned) has five catches in consecutive weeks and is a high-upside TE2 as long as he doesn’t have any setbacks with his knee.

Updates

John Brown, ARI – Stanton wrecked Brown’s value in Week 5 but with Palmer back, the shifty WR will resume WR4 status.

UPDATE: As long as Carson Palmer is good to go for Week 6, feel free to fire up Brown at WR4/Flex for the matchup with the Jets.

Robert Woods, BUF – Woods was a huge disappointment in Week 5 (2-26-0 on six targets) and cost me a pretty penny as my low-price flex/WR3 in many DFS lineups. I swung for the fences based on what I presumed would be low ownership and a modest fantasy floor considering his 13-140-0 on 18 targets in his previous two games.

Golden Tate, DET – Tate had 3-39-0 on five targets and added 6 rushing yards on three carries. He’s still part of the offense and hopefully will be more involved next week against the Rams.

Brian Quick, LAR – Quick had 3-51-0 on four targets against the tough Bills defense. He’s a longshot WR4 play facing the Lions next week.

Dontrelle Inman, SD – Inman seems to alternate big performances with fellow Chargers WR Tyrell Williams. He had just 1-3-0 on three targets Sunday.

TE Garrett Celek, SF – Celek had five targets Thursday but hauled in just one pass for 4 yards. He’s safe to drop in all but the deepest leagues.