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2025 NFL Week 5 Fantasy Football Scoring Leaders: Sam Darnold, Rico Dowdle, Emeka Egbuka

2025 NFL Week 5 Fantasy Football Scoring Leaders: Sam Darnold, Rico Dowdle, Emeka Egbuka

NFL DraftKings Fantasy Advice

Updated:

By: Sam Connon

Before you set your fantasy football lineups for your upcoming matchup, it’s time to take a look back at which players performed the best in Week 5.

Kyren Williams and Christian McCaffrey starred on Thursday Night Football, setting the stage for an even more explosive showing across the league on Sunday. Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield battled it out in a showdown of former busts, while Emeka Egbuka continued to thrive and Rico Dowdle asserted himself as waiver wire MVP.

Following Monday Night Football, here is a roundup of the players who led their respective positions in fantasy points during Week 5:

(Note: Go here for a full breakdown of DraftKings fantasy scoring for NFL.)

Quarterback Scoring Leaders

  1. Sam Darnold (SEA): 31.6 points
  2. Patrick Mahomes (KC): 30.7 points
  3. Baker Mayfield (TB): 29.7 points
  4. Matthew Stafford (LAR): 29.6 points
  5. C.J. Stroud (HOU): 28.8 points
  6. Dak Prescott (DAL): 28.3 points
  7. Trevor Lawrence (JAX): 28.2 points
  8. Justin Fields (NYJ): 25.9 points
  9. Mac Jones (SF): 25.2 points
  10. Tua Tagovailoa (MIA): 22.7 points

Baker Mayfield may have emerged with the team win Sunday afternoon, but it was Sam Darnold who strung together the better fantasy performance. The former first-round pick completed 28 of his 34 pass attempts for 341 yards, tossing four touchdowns along the way. Even with his interception in the final minute that cost the Seahawks the game, Darnold was the only quarterback to break 31 fantasy points.

Running Back Scoring Leaders

  1. Rico Dowdle (CAR): 35.4 points
  2. Kyren Williams (LAR): 32.1 points
  3. Jonathan Taylor (IND): 31.6 points
  4. Jacory Croskey-Merritt (WAS): 31.0 points
  5. Javonte Williams (DAL): 29.9 points
  6. Christian McCaffrey (SF): 27.9 points
  7. Rachaad White (TB): 23.1 points
  8. Breece Hall (NYJ): 21.5 points
  9. Kareem Hunt (KC): 18.7 points
  10. Michael Carter (ARI): 18.3 points

With Chuba Hubbard out, Rico Dowdle became one of the hottest names on the waiver wire. Dowdle lived up to that hype and then some, rushing for 206 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. The former Dallas Cowboys ball-carrier also added 28 receiving yards on three catches and four targets, going for more scrimmage yards than any other player across the NFL this season.

Wide Receiver Scoring Leaders

  1. Emeka Egbuka (TB): 34.3 points
  2. Ja’Marr Chase (CIN): 32.0 points
  3. Jaxon Smith-Njigba (SEA): 30.2 points
  4. Stefon Diggs (NE): 27.6 points
  5. Kendrick Bourne (SF): 27.2 points
  6. Jaylen Waddle (MIA): 26.0 points
  7. Puka Nacua (LAR): 24.5 points
  8. Rashid Shaheed (NO): 24.4 points
  9. Deebo Samuel Sr. (WAS): 23.6 points
  10. DeVonta Smith (PHI): 22.4 points

The top beneficiary of Mayfield’s big day was breakout rookie Emeka Egbuka, who continues to thrive with Mike Evans out and Chris Godwin easing his way back from injury. Egbuka caught all seven of his targets against the Seahawks, racking up 163 yards – including one for 57 yards. He also scored a touchdown, then proceeded to catch a two-point conversion mere moments later.

Tight End Scoring Leaders

  1. AJ Barner (SEA): 24.3 points
  2. Jake Ferguson (DAL): 23.9 points
  3. Theo Johnson (NYG): 21.3 points
  4. Sam LaPorta (DET): 20.2 points
  5. Dalton Kincaid (BUF): 19.8 points
  6. Travis Kelce (KC): 19.1 points
  7. Darren Waller (MIA): 18.8 points
  8. David Njoku (CLE): 18.7 points
  9. Mason Taylor (NYJ): 17.7 points
  10. Jake Tonges (SF): 17.1 points

AJ Barner continued to be a reliable security blanket for Darnold, securing a catch on all seven of his targets. He went for two first downs, two touchdowns and a career-high 53 yards, playing a key role in the red zone all afternoon long. It’s getting to the point that Barner is such a consistent red zone fiend that he may actually be worth a waiver claim with so many byes coming up.

Defense/Special Teams Scoring Leaders

  1. New Orleans Saints: 18.0 points
  2. Indianapolis Colts: 17.0 points
  3. Washington Commanders: 13.0 points
  4. Houston Texans: 11.0 points
  5. Detroit Lions: 10.0 points
  6. Tennessee Titans: 9.0 points
  7. New England Patriots: 8.0 points
  8. Denver Broncos: 7.0 points
  9. Miami Dolphins: 7.0 points
  10. Dallas Cowboys: 7.0 points

Kicker Scoring Leaders

  1. Ka’imi Fairbairn (HOU): 18.0 points
  2. Eddy Pineiro (SF): 17.0 points
  3. Blake Grupe (NO): 16.0 points
  4. Joey Slye (TEN): 13.0 points
  5. Andy Borregales (NE): 13.0 points
  6. Chase McLaughlin (TB): 12.0 points
  7. Ryan FItzgerald (CAR): 10.0 points
  8. Matt Prater (ARI): 9.0 points
  9. Matt Gay (WAS): 9.0 points
  10. Wil Lutz (DEN): 9.0 points

Prior Leaders

Sam Connon
Sam joined DraftKings in 2025 following five years with Sports Illustrated’s “On SI” network. He has covered the UCLA Bruins, New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Rays, MLB, MiLB and NBA, on top of earning awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and College Media Association during his time as a student at UCLA.
Disclaimer

I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.