Fantasy Football Week 5: Quarterback rankings for 2-QB leagues

Its getting harder and harder to start two viable quarterbacks each week, but the necessity is unchanged. These are your Fantasy Football week 5 QB rankings for 2-QB leagues.

There seems to be a disconcerting pattern forming. Two-quarterback and SuperFLEX fantasy football leagues are under attack by a wave of quarterback injuries and unexpected moves. We already adjusted to massive downgrades from Drew Brees to Teddy Bridgewater, from Ben Roethlisberger to Mason Rudolph, from Sam Darnold to Luke Falk. We already accounted for the absences of Cam Newton and Nick Foles. Week 4 brought another wave.

Mitchell Trubisky (doubtful) and Josh Allen (questionable) are up in the air for Fantasy Football week 5. Case Keenum was removed from his job as well, a la Eli Manning. I can’t imagine Dwayne Haskins takes off like Daniel Jones did though. That means three passable QB options could be replaced by two black holes. On top of that, one team with a good QB is on a bye this week (Detroit), and one guaranteed opponent booster is not playing (Miami). Things are looking bleak.

Who can you trust in Fantasy Football Week 5? More new names enter the fray, because everyone must fill that final fantasy football roster spot.

Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, debate Fantasy Football Week 5 in today’s NFL Sports Debate.

Fantasy Football Week 5 – The Top 12

Patrick Mahomes (Dan’s Ranking: 1, Todd’s Ranking: 1), Tom Brady (Dan: 2, Todd: 2), Russell Wilson (Dan: 5, Todd: 3), Carson Wentz (Dan: 4, Todd: 5), Lamar Jackson (Dan: 6, Todd: 4), Philip Rivers (Dan: 3, Todd: 8), Matt Ryan (Dan: 10, Todd: 6), Jared Goff (Dan: 8, Todd: 9), Aaron Rodgers (TIE – Dan: 7, Todd: 11), Deshaun Watson (TIE – Dan: 11, Todd: 7), Dak Prescott (Dan: 9, Todd: 10), Baker Mayfield (Dan: 12, Todd: 12)

13. (TIE) Jacoby Brissett (Dan: 13, Todd: 14)

Dan Salem: Brissett keeps impressing and now he gets one of the worst defenses in AFC. Kansas City has given up a lot of points and seems unable to stop much of anyone. I expect solid numbers from Brissett, even if its in a loss.
Todd Salem: The Chiefs aren’t stopping anyone, even if their offense continues to close out wins. Brissett has looked good four straight weeks now and should again here. He’s a borderline top-12 guy already.

13. (TIE) Jameis Winston (Dan: 14, Todd: 13)

Dan Salem: I must admit that Winston keeps producing. Even with the turnovers, he’s putting up solid fantasy numbers. I don’t love the matchup, but other options are worse.
Todd Salem: As long as he’s rolling, we’ll continue to roll with him.

15. Josh Allen (Dan: 17, Todd: 15)

Dan Salem: If he plays… but even then, will he be 100 percent? The upside is obvious. His backup is a pass.
Todd Salem: If he plays… If he doesn’t, don’t bother with Matt Barkley.

16. Jimmy Garoppolo (Dan: 15, Todd: 18)

Dan Salem: We find out if San Francisco and Cleveland are for real, or both average. Either way, Garoppolo wins from a fantasy perspective. He’ll do well against an up and down Browns’ defense.
Todd Salem: We need to see more from Jimmy G and the entire 49ers squad. They have played a pretty easy schedule to this point and then had the early bye. The jury is still out.

17. (TIE) Joe Flacco (Dan: 16, Todd: 20)

Dan Salem: Flacco gets a sweet matchup against the Chargers. Los Angeles has not slowed down many teams and Flacco appears to be finding a groove.
Todd Salem: What a game Flacco had in Week 4. It wasn’t exactly a coming-out party though. Flacco has secretly been solid in three of four games this year.

17. (TIE) Gardner Minshew (Dan: 19, Todd: 17)

Dan Salem: He might be better than the man he replaced and has certainly won over Jacksonville. Minshew’s fantasy numbers are pretty good too. Just don’t expect an offensive explosion.
Todd Salem: Foles’ replacement has found a steady performance baseline. He doesn’t have the high ceiling but has yet to put up anything worse than 16 fantasy points.

17. (TIE) Kyler Murray (Dan: 20, Todd: 16)

Dan Salem: Playing Cincinnati should do wonders for Murray, but we just don’t know. The Bengals need to rebound badly and want their first win. Can the rookie handle the cross-country road trip?
Todd Salem: Murray isn’t running as much as we had hoped he would. Rushing and rushing touchdowns are what have been pushing Josh Allen’s and Lamar Jackson’s floors so high. Murray doesn’t have that safety net yet.

20. Daniel Jones (Dan: 18, Todd: 19)

Dan Salem: Jones gets to prove how he can handle an upper echelon defense, but Minnesota is coming in limping. I like Jones in this game, especially with Golden Tate returning to the offense.
Todd Salem: The Minnesota defense isn’t as prolific as some expected. This isn’t a bad matchup for Jones. He also gets Golden Tate back this week, which should boost the entire offense.

21. Andy Dalton (Dan: 21, Todd: 22)

Dan Salem: I don’t love what is happening to the Bengals’ offense, but Dalton is a fine emergency option. The Cardinals defense is questionable at best.
Todd Salem: Dalton has gotten worse each successive week, throwing fewer yards and accumulating fewer fantasy points. His offensive line is mostly to blame. The only thing that saves him this week is a sweet matchup. He can no longer be trusted against even average defenses.

22. Chase Daniel (Dan: 23, Todd: 21)

Dan Salem: We agree, Daniel might be an upgrade for Chicago. Playing in London scares me, but the Raiders do not.
Todd Salem: Is it possible that Daniel is better than Trubisky was? The bar is pretty low. Daniel has this reputation around the league as one of the best backups in the sport. It feels kind of undeserved, but Trubisky’s play had been so erratic that Daniel could come in and settle things down.

23. Teddy Bridgewater (Dan: 22, Todd: N/A)

Dan Salem: You keep passing over Bridgewater, but Tampa Bay is a great matchup. The Buccaneers gave up over 500 yards passing last week. Bridgewater likely notches a few hundred of his own.

24. (TIE) Marcus Mariota (Dan: N/A, Todd: 23)

Todd Salem: Dalton has gotten worse each successive week, throwing fewer yards and accumulating fewer fantasy points. His offensive line is mostly to blame. The only thing that saves him this week is a sweet matchup. He can no longer be trusted against even average defenses.

24. (TIE) Kirk Cousins (Dan: 24, Todd: 24)

Dan Salem: One last chance against a terrible New York defense. What will Cousins do?
Todd Salem: Against one of the worst defenses in the league, this is Cousins’ last chance to be useful.