Week 5 Fantasy Football Sneaky Starts & Sleepers

Oct 07, 2026

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

All but the luckiest fantasy owners at some point need to find the proverbial diamond in the rough—a waiver wire or bench player capable of putting up some points in a pinch. This weekly feature is dedicated to that part of fantasy football. It’s not pretty, but it’s part of the game.

Note: As of Week 4, we are now using 2026 data only for our signature strength-of-schedule metric, aFPA. The higher the rank in parentheses, the better the matchup.

Quarterbacks

Jacoby Brissett, Cardinals (vs. DET, 31)

The Lions have been a get-right spot for opposing quarterbacks, allowing an average of 327 passing yards and 2.8 passing touchdowns per game. Every quarterback they’ve faced has thrown at least two touchdowns, and three of the four have topped 320 yards, including Bryce Young (329/2) last week. Jacoby Brissett threw for 280 yards and two touchdowns and added a rushing score against the 49ers in Week 3, and he averaged 18.9 points per game from Week 6 on last season. He’s one of the better streamers on the board this week given the matchup.

Sam Darnold, Seahawks (vs. SF, 20)

On paper, this isn’t a great matchup. The 49ers have allowed just 215 passing yards and 1.0 passing touchdown per game to opposing quarterbacks. But Jacoby Brissett put up 25.6 fantasy points on them in Week 3. The 49ers offense has been matchup-proof after a poor Week 1, so Seattle will probably have to score some points in this one. With Emanuel Wilson running well, the Seattle offense has some balance, and Sam Darnold is a reasonable QB2 at home.

Jalon Daniels, Buccaneers (@ DAL, 29)

Dallas has allowed an average of 23.4 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, and the mobile ones have done real damage on the ground. Lamar Jackson ran for 50 yards, Jayden Daniels ran for 69, and Jaxson Dart ran for 54 to go along with three touchdown passes. Overall, the Cowboys are giving up 243 passing yards, 2.3 passing touchdowns, and 47 rushing yards per game to the position. Streamers could do a lot worse than playing anyone, even Jalon Daniels, against the Cowboys.