Three Things to Watch for Dynasty Managers Week 5: Is Drake Maye Back in the Circle of Trust?

We finally have it: a reasonable sample size.

A quarter of the way through the fantasy season, we have enough information to start picking out the legitimate trends from the typical “quirks” of football. Mostly. There’s still plenty to sort through, of course. But we’re no longer just grasping at the wind and smelling our own farts. Not that… we were doing that before.

Anyway…

Here are three things to keep your eyes on in dynasty leagues heading into Week 5.

Thing #1: Is Drake Maye Actually…Back?

It was fair to start wondering if Drake Maye’s fantasy excellence in 2025 was a direct result of his soft schedule. Last year he led the league in total yardage. He also had the highest completion percentage (72%) and yards per attempt (8.9), a rare combination that, along with his rushing acumen, made him the belle of every Superflex ball.

But in the first three weeks of this season, Maye ranked 23rd in completion percentage (64%) and 15th in yards per attempt (7.3). He was still running at a decent clip, but even those rushing attempts were less fruitful than usual.

Folks who forked over decent capital for Maye in dynasty leagues were rightfully worried. The guy was turtling like a dingus in the Arctic Ocean. Was last year a mirage? Maye-be. (Sorry.)

And then he was given the greatest salve that exists in all of fantasy football in 2026: the Detroit Lions defense. The group that basically hands you 300 yards as a little treat, just for showing up and giving them the opportunity to earn a paycheck.

It was nice to see a jolt of life from the third-year QB in a positive matchup, despite A.J. Brown still being sidelined. But Maye was far from perfect. There were definitely some rough parts to his performance. We’ll need to see him string a few solid games together before we can legitimately talk about whether he’s capable of living up to his offseason dynasty value.

Another big (and hopefully more consistent) day against the Raiders would resuscitate some of that value. If he underperforms again… Maye managers might want to start looking for the exit.

Thing #2: Can Tre Harris Finally Leapfrog Quentin Johnston?

Look, I get it. Expecting anything good to come out of this abysmal Chargers situation is like searching for a diamond in a used diaper. Just… why? Why would you do that?

Well, in this case, we’d like to see a promising young receiver earn a little more of his coach’s trust. And simultaneously put the Quentin Johnston experience to bed.

As any long-suffering Chargers fan can tell you, the team needs to stop trying to make QJ a thing. It’s not going to happen.

It took four weeks for Harris to exceed 80% route participation (he ran 91% against the Seahawks). Of course, that was mostly due to Ladd McConkey leaving the game early. But the week prior, Harris led the team in targets with a 24% share.

Those are good marks, but we need to see them more consistently.

It’s not that I expect Harris to start dropping 20-point performances in your lineup. Hell, I can’t even recommend starting the guy this week unless you’re very desperate, or play in a 16-team league. Or both. Because, as you may know, the Chargers offense is a lot like those nightmares people have where they’re trying to run away from something but for some reason their legs just sorta stop working and they move in slow motion. Oh, and also there are ghouls!

But offenses change. Coordinators get fired. Situations improve. Right now, we’re just watching to see if Harris’ talent can keep him on the field and outpace Johnston in those underlying categories. If that happens, start sending some offers.

Thing #3: Can Any Grizzled Vets Pull Off “One Last Job”?

This one goes out to the rebuilders who’ve desperately tried to unload the over-30 contingent from their squads. For everyone waiting for that tiny crack in the sell window.

You know those movies where an older criminal comes out of retirement for one last score? This is just like that, except it’s Courtland Sutton finally putting up starter-worthy numbers and giving his dynasty managers a chance to move on and recoup a couple of mid-round rookie picks.

We just got that game from Alvin Kamara. The week before that, Keenan Allen settled his debts. Now let’s see if Brandin Cooks can give us one more for the road in San Francisco? I’d love to see Chris Godwin deliver a touchdown to pique at least one desperate manager’s interest.

Just make sure you’re ready to take any—and I do mean ANY—offer that comes your way if any of them deliver.