Fantasy Football Week 5 Low-Ranked Starters: Jaxson Dart, Woody Marks, and More

Last week's try at identifying players ranked below the starter level who would break through that threshold was a success, with three of the four positions coming out on the positive side:

• Jordan Love had his best fantasy game of the season, throwing for 337 yards (on 7.8 per attempt) with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also had 28 rushing yards on the way to a QB6 finish.
• Ashton Jeanty had his first breakout performance, gaining 138 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground and adding two catches for 17 yards and two receiving scores. He was the top RB in both standard and PPR scoring.
• Jordan Addison made his debut after a three-game suspension and turned four receptions into 114 yards, just missing a touchdown when he was tackled at the one-yard line on an 81-yard reception.
• David Njoku and Harold Fannin got the dual call of tight ends with bright outlooks, but they both failed to do much: Fannin finished with two receptions for 24 yards and Njoku two for 11.

That's a successful week of picking breakout players! Let's do it again and choose one player at each offensive fantasy position who is ranked below the starters but has a good chance to finish among that lofty group.

The rankings are based on our projections here at FantasySP. We're using the top 10 as “starters” for quarterbacks and tight ends and the top 20 for running backs and wide receivers.

Check out FantasySP's defensive rankings to find the players with best matchups each week!

Quarterback

Jaxson Dart, New York Giants @ New Orleans Saints

Dart made an impact in his first game as starter for the Giants, running for 54 yards and a touchdown and throwing for another score on his way to a QB11 finish. Most importantly, his team won the game 21-18.

It wasn't all peaches and cream for the rookie quarterback, though, as he threw for just 111 yards on 5.6 yards per attempt. They had an impressive touchdown drive to start the game, but New York was then lucky to have two drives both start at the Chargers' three-yard line after two interceptions, gifting them 10 points.

That was against a tough matchup, and there will be more good defenses waiting, but this is a one-week reprieve against easier competition. The Saints have allowed the sixth-most yards per pass attempt and the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks.

Dart is likely to continue doing the most damage with his legs, and New Orleans has been susceptible to QB running: Kyler Murray ran for 38 yards in Week 1, and Josh Allen had 45 yards and a touchdown in Week 4.

New Orleans was better against Mac Jones and Sam Darnold in Weeks 2 and 3, but the Saints have been beaten by good running quarterbacks, and Dart is a good running quarterback. He was heavily involved in the designed run game, something that will continue, and this looks like a week in which the young QB can have fantasy success.

Running Back

Woody Marks, Houston Texans @ Baltimore Ravens

After playing just 20 combined snaps in Weeks 1 and 2, Marks played 30 snaps in Week 3 and 40 snaps in Week 4, topping Nick Chubb during that time. He also overtook the usage last week, carrying the ball 17 times to Chubb's 13 with better efficiency.

Marks has added nearly 100 receiving yards; last week, he caught four passes for 50 yards and a touchdown. The fourth-round rookie seems to have as much upside as any active back on the roster right now.

Baltimore's defense has been ravaged by injuries, and they have given up the 10th-most yards per rush attempt and the most fantasy points to running backs. The Bills, Browns, Lions, and Chiefs all went over 100 rushing yards against the Ravens the first month, with Detroit topping out at 224 yards.

With his usage trending the right way and a positive matchup, Marks is a good flex player in Week 5 with RB2 upside. Maybe his increase in play was connected to them blowing out Tennessee, but it's now a two-week trend, and I'm willing to believe that Marks will get more opportunities.

Wide Receiver

Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina Panthers vs. Miami Dolphins

The easiest way to sink a potentially good fantasy pass catcher is to give him a bad quarterback. If the QB only throws for 150 yards per game, it's going to be hard for any of his receivers to find consistency.

Bryce Young has been bad. He was bad in his first two seasons (aside from a stretch at the end of last year), and he is bad again in 2025. Young is completing just over 60% of his passes at only 5.2 yards per attempt, and he ranks as fantasy QB24.

McMillan has found success despite those struggles, averaging 4.5 catches and nearly 70 yards per game. He ranks outside the top 30 receivers, though, in part because he hasn't scored a touchdown, something that might continue to be an issue in such a poor offense.

McMillan is listed here because the matchup is about as good as it could be. Miami is allowing the second-most yards per pass attempt. Their numbers are better in fantasy against wide receivers, but the Dolphins are dealing with injuries and a lack of talent in the secondary, and they are ripe to get beaten in the passing game.

As the clear top pass catcher in Carolina, McMillan always has some fantasy value. Bad matchups make it risky to put him in your lineup with a low-end quarterback, but McMillan has 35 targets, more than twice as many as anyone on the team other than Hunter Renfrow (whose 21 targets are still far behind).

With plenty of usage and a great matchup, McMillan is a must-start player this week. There's a lower floor, but the ceiling is too good to ignore.

Tight End

Darren Waller, Miami Dolphins @ Carolina Panthers

Waller made his debut last week after more than a year away from football (and nursing a hip injury). He caught two touchdown passes and finished as TE2 in standard and TE4 in PPR scoring.

That overstates his impact a bit, as Waller caught just three passes for 27 yards. If he had the same stat line with no touchdowns, we wouldn't be talking about him, so it's important to not expect huge scores every week.

The matchup is a positive one, as the Panthers have given up the eighth-most fantasy points to tight ends. They are right in the middle in terms of yards per pass attempt allowed, but I believe that Carolina has a below-average defense, and they will look worse over time.

Throw in Tyreek Hill's injury, and Waller could be looking at increased usage against a poor defensive team, setting him up nicely. Waller is a player to start this week.