Fantasy Football Rankings - Quarterbacks (QB) Week 5 Early Updates

September 30, 2025

Fantasy football rankings - quarterbacks (QB) Week 5 rankings early edition for 2025. Read the top-accuracy fantasy football QB rankings.

The Packers, Bears, Falcons, and Steelers are out of action this week on a bye, so it's not the most difficult week to navigate at the QB spot in single-QB formats. Either way, there are always tough start-sit calls to make at QB, and we're here to help with our Week 5 fantasy football quarterback rankings for 2025. In the initial Week 5 QB rankings below, find out where key signal callers like Drake Maye, Justin Herbert, Justin Fields, Jaxson Dart, Bo Nix, Matthew Stafford, and Sam Darnold stand, among others.

Our quarterback fantasy football rankings for Week 5 are put together by Nick Mariano. Below the rankings, you will also find a summary of the important QB fantasy football news for this week. There are always key injuries and developments to keep track of, so check back throughout the week for updates.

Be sure to bookmark our fantasy football rankings portal and check back regularly for updates. Most importantly, our free mobile app is a must-have - download it and configure your push notifications. We deliver all the top NFL news, injuries, and fantasy analysis 24x7 with our free push notification alerts... all for free!

Week 5 Quarterback Rankings for Fantasy Football

Bookmark our PPR rankings, Half-PPR rankings, and standard (non-PPR) rankings 

Week 5 Quarterback Rankings Outlooks

C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud helped his team get their first win of the season in Week 4 by trouncing the hapless Titans, 26-0. It could be more than just a win, though, since it could signify a major step forward for Stroud, according to Sam Warren of the Houston Chronicle. Warren points specifically to Stroud's audible and adjustment on his 24-yard touchdown strike to rookie Jayden Higgins as a potential breakthrough moment for the young QB in the system of new offensive coordinator Nick Caley.

The Texans lost three straight games by one score to the Rams, Bucs, and Jags to start the season before rolling over the Titans. With their defense playing so well, the offense only has to improve a little bit to start piling up wins. Stroud struggled in the first three games of the season but looked better against the Titans. How much of that was the opponent? We'll start to get our answer in Week 5, since Stroud and the Texans head to Baltimore for a tough road matchup on Sunday before their bye week in Week 6.

Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (hamstring) left Week 4's loss to the Chiefs with an injury, and his status for this week's game against the Texans is "up in the air," according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Jackson left last week's game early, but since the game was mostly decided, it was hard to determine how much of his absence was due to the game situation. Coach John Harbaugh said there was no way Jackson could have returned regardless of the score, though, which is concerning for the mobile quarterback who needs his elusiveness to be effective.

The Ravens have home games against the Texans and Rams before their Week 7 bye week, so they may opt to play it safe with Jackson and hold him out of those games. If he does miss time, Cooper Rush completed 9-of-13 passes for 52 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions after taking over in Week 4, and he would likely get the start in Week 5 if Jackson is unable to play.

Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert struggled in the team's 21-18 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday. He completed 23 of 41 passes for 203 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions, along with a 24-yard run. The offense appeared out of sync, plagued by drops and constant pressure from New York's front four, which often forced Herbert out of the pocket.

Losing left tackle Joe Alt (ankle) early made things even more difficult. In Week 5, they face the Washington Commanders, a team that ranks near the bottom of the league in passing yards allowed. If the line holds up, Herbert should bounce back against a weaker secondary. He remains a top-tier QB, though fantasy managers might expect some volatility until Alt returns.

Jaxson Dart, New York Giants

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll said that he expects that rookie first-round quarterback Jaxson Dart (hamstring) will be able to practice on Wednesday, according to Patricia Traina of SI.com. Dart apparently injured his hamstring in his first career win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 4 on Sunday, but he finished out the game and should be alright to make his second career start in Week 5 in a great matchup against the winless New Orleans Saints.

The 22-year-old went 13-for-20 passing for 111 yards and a touchdown against L.A., rushing 10 times for 54 yards and another touchdown. Dart gave the G-Men a spark and helped them beat a strong defense, but the news of receiver Malik Nabers' (knee) season-ending injury puts a damper on the offense moving forward. Still, Dart has the potential to be a nice QB2 streamer with upside in the Big Easy in his second NFL start, given his dual-threat abilities.

Dillon Gabriel, Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski would not answer directly on Monday when asked if he is sticking with veteran Joe Flacco as the team's starting quarterback, according to Scott Petrak of Browns Zone. It's not about one person. There are so many things that we need to do better, and obviously, the quarterback included, but this is not about one person," Stefanski said. The 40-year-old Flacco has not looked good through four weeks, and the Browns rank tied for 30th in the NFL with 14 points a game after their blowout loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 4.

Flacco has thrown six interceptions and lost two fumbles. He completed just 47.1% of his 34 pass attempts on Sunday for 184 yards, two picks, and a 39.3 passer rating. Dillon Gabriel, a third-round rookie, has played late in two blowout losses and would be next in line to start if Flacco is eventually benched. Deshaun Watson (Achilles) isn't anywhere close to returning to practice and isn't expected to play in 2025.

Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday morning that quarterback Brock Purdy (toe) is "complaining of some real soreness" in his toe, per Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. Purdy returned to action on Sunday after missing the previous two games with turf toe and went 22-for-38 for 309 yards with two touchdowns, two interceptions, and a lost fumble late in the fourth quarter that sealed San Francisco's fate in their 26-21 loss to Jacksonville.

The 49ers play on Thursday night in Week 5, giving Purdy less time to recover than he would usually see. Wide receivers Ricky Pearsall (knee) and Jauan Jennings (ribs) also got banged up in Week 4, leaving their status up in the air. Fantasy football managers rostering Purdy should take a long look at the waiver wire for help in Week 5.

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