This article is part of our NFL Reactions series.
-As has too often been the case this year, the headline for Sunday's Week 5 games was due to injury, and probably the most heartbreaking of the year yet. Dak Prescott suffered an ankle compound fracture and dislocation that will end his season and likely cast some concern over his career beyond this point. Andy Dalton is the replacement.
-Derek Carr (22-of-31 for 347 yards, three touchdowns and one interception) was quite good in Las Vegas' upset of the Chiefs, making crucial downfield throws that he infamously avoided for most of his NFL career prior to Week 5. Perhaps the introduction of Henry Ruggs really helped Carr turn the corner as a quarterback, as the speedy rookie was the recipient of perhaps Carr's best throws of the day, resulting in two catches for 118 yards and a touchdown on three targets. Darren Waller would probably benefit from the emergence of a viable deep passing game in Las Vegas, as it would give him more room to work underneath. Waller got in on the fun Sunday too, catching five of seven targets for 48 yards and one touchdown.
-Patrick Mahomes wasn't consistent enough to beat the Raiders on a day where Derek Carr played well on the other side, but Mahomes' 22-of-43 for 340 yards, two touchdowns and one interception will work for his fantasy investors, especially since he added another 21 yards and a third touchdown on the ground. Clyde Edwards-Helaire (10 carries for 40 yards, three
-As has too often been the case this year, the headline for Sunday's Week 5 games was due to injury, and probably the most heartbreaking of the year yet. Dak Prescott suffered an ankle compound fracture and dislocation that will end his season and likely cast some concern over his career beyond this point. Andy Dalton is the replacement.
-Derek Carr (22-of-31 for 347 yards, three touchdowns and one interception) was quite good in Las Vegas' upset of the Chiefs, making crucial downfield throws that he infamously avoided for most of his NFL career prior to Week 5. Perhaps the introduction of Henry Ruggs really helped Carr turn the corner as a quarterback, as the speedy rookie was the recipient of perhaps Carr's best throws of the day, resulting in two catches for 118 yards and a touchdown on three targets. Darren Waller would probably benefit from the emergence of a viable deep passing game in Las Vegas, as it would give him more room to work underneath. Waller got in on the fun Sunday too, catching five of seven targets for 48 yards and one touchdown.
-Patrick Mahomes wasn't consistent enough to beat the Raiders on a day where Derek Carr played well on the other side, but Mahomes' 22-of-43 for 340 yards, two touchdowns and one interception will work for his fantasy investors, especially since he added another 21 yards and a third touchdown on the ground. Clyde Edwards-Helaire (10 carries for 40 yards, three catches for 40 yards on eight targets) had a touchdown catch undone by a penalty, which no doubt frustrated his fantasy investors.
-Kyler Murray overcame a sluggish start to lead the Cardinals to a blowout victory over the Jets, going 27-of-37 for 380 yards, one touchdown and one interception through the air while adding 31 yards and a second touchdown on the ground. Murray got going once he started to find DeAndre Hopkins, who had a big second half to finish with six receptions for 131 yards and one touchdown on seven targets. Although Chase Edmonds poached a rushing touchdown and caught five of six targets for 56 yards, Kenyan Drake seemed to remain the lead ballcarrier by taking 18 carries for 60 yards and a touchdown.
-Things were predictably bleak for Joe Burrow against the Ravens, with the rookie taking another 15 hits and seven sacks in a hopeless task. Tee Higgins looks somewhat promising at least, as the rookie second-round pick caught four of eight targets for 62 yards as Burrow completed only 19-of-30 attempts for 183 yards and an interception.
-It was an easy win for the Ravens, but the offense was sloppy against the Bengals. Lamar Jackson completed only 19-of-37 passes for 180 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, running for just three yards otherwise. Marquise Brown (six catches for 77 yards and one touchdown on 10 targets) and Mark Andrews (six catches for 56 yards and one touchdown on nine targets) were effective, but Jackson didn't have much going otherwise. Rookie third-round pick Devin Duvernay might be on the verge of sending Miles Boykin (no catches on two targets) to the bench. Duvernay caught his two targets for 17 yards while taking a carry for 42 yards.
-The Eagles still have their problems, but at least wideout Travis Fulgham seems to be the real deal, catching 10 of 13 targets for 152 yards and a touchdown against Pittsburgh. Separation isn't really Fulgham's game, but he showed a compelling ability to make catches in traffic for Carson Wentz, who needs the help. Miles Sanders deserves credit for his explosive running otherwise, as he turned a meager 11 carries into 80 yards and two touchdowns, though most of that was on a 74-yard touchdown carry.
-Chase Claypool was exceptional for the Steelers against Philadelphia, catching seven of 11 targets for 110 yards and three touchdowns while adding a fourth touchdown on the ground. Ben Roethlisberger was less than great (27-of-34 for 239 yards and three touchdowns) and the Steelers receiver rotation is very crowded, but it's apparently possible that Claypool could finish the year as their top receiver.
-Mike Davis had yet another big game for Carolina, taking 16 carries for 89 yards and catching nine of 10 targets for 60 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons. He'll of course revert to the bench once Christian McCaffrey is healthy, but he might maintain some sort of role if he keeps this up. Robby Anderson really does look like Carolina's WR1 the rest of the way, on the other hand, as he caught eight of 13 targets for 112 yards. D.J. Moore saw only five targets but caught four for 93 yards and a touchdown.
-The Falcons were hopeless without Julio Jones, as Calvin Ridley was the only Atlanta pass catcher to offer anything useful in the loss, snagging eight of 10 targets for 136 yards. Hayden Hurst was bizarrely ineffective, catchiing two of six targets for just six yards. At least Todd Gurley showed some fire, catching four of five targets for 29 yards while bolting for 121 yards and one touchdown on 14 carries.
-Jared Goff made it look easy against Washington, completing 21-of-30 attempts for 309 yards, two touchdowns and one interception while running for a third touchdown. Although Darrell Henderson scored twice and totaled 68 yards from scrimmage, there's looming concern for his investors over the fact that Cam Akers ran for 61 yards on nine carries in his return from rib injury.
-Gardner Minshew didn't play all that well against the Texans on Sunday, but his fantasy investors were probably content as he went 31-of-49 for 301 yards and two touchdowns. It was probably a missed opportunity all the same, because the Houston defense was vulnerable in myriad ways. Minshew couldn't get the ball to DJ Chark (three catches for 16 yards on four targets), who left the game with an ankle issue in the fourth quarter. Laviska Shenault had better luck, catching seven of eight targets for 79 yards.
-Brandin Cooks finally showed up for the Texans, torching the Jaguars secondary to the tune of eight catches for 161 yards and one touchdown on 12 targets, propelling the Texans passing game on a day where Will Fuller was less than efficient (four catches for 58 yards and one touchdown on eight targets). David Johnson showed some life in the second half after a sluggish start, finishing with 96 yards on 17 carries.
-The Philip Rivers experiment isn't working out for Indianapolis. He completed 21-of-33 passes for 243 yards and two interceptions in Sunday's loss to the Browns, though to be fair it couldn't have helped Rivers when the Colts chose to not use their best tight end and maybe their most effective pass catcher generally, Mo Alie-Cox. Trey Burton and Jack Doyle combined for five catches for 33 yards on eight targets against the Browns, while Alie-Cox saw zero targets despite owning 11 catches for 194 yards and two touchdowns on 13 targets this year.
-Baker Mayfield began well against the Colts but started sinking in the second half. The Browns still won thanks to a greater meltdown by Philip Rivers on the other side, but it's disappointing that Mayfield finished just 21-of-37 for 247 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Kareem Hunt saw 20 carries to D'Ernest Johnson's eight, perhaps giving a preview of how the Browns will continue to operate without Nick Chubb (knee).
-Perhaps Jimmy Garoppolo returned too soon from his high ankle sprain, because he was a disaster in San Francisco's shocking loss to Miami on Sunday, which featured Garoppolo hitting the bench for C.J. Beathard after 17 pass attempts. Garoppolo completed just seven of those for 77 yards and two interceptions, though Beathard wasn't much better in completing 9-of-18 attempts for 94 yards and one touchdown in the 43-17 loss. Raheem Mostert was impressive in his return to the field, at least, taking 11 carries for 90 yards and catching all three of his targets for 29 yards.
-Ryan Fitzpatrick laid waste to San Francisco's battered secondary, posting one of the best box scores of his career by completing 22-of-28 passes for 350 yards and three touchdowns. Preston Williams finally looked like himself, catching four of his five targets for 106 yards and a touchdown, and Myles Gaskin strengthened his hold on the backfield by taking 16 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown and catching all five of his targets for 34 yards.
