It is crazy to think that we are more than a quarter of the way through the 2025 fantasy football season, but here we stand. Week 5 saw some dramatic finishes across the NFL and the Dynasty Nerds App League. Hearts were broken, crushing blows were taken, and victory was snatched from the jaws of defeat. Just wait until you see how accurately the Dynasty Nerds App has predicted the season to this point. Without further ado, let us dive into the Week 5 action and take a look at what is to come.
NFL Week 5 Recap
In one of the most entertaining games of the season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks put on a show for the ages. Former Panthers teammates Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold dueled it out in the Pacific Northwest. Each QB threw for over 340 yards with multiple scores, carrying their fantasy managers along the way with Baker squeaking out a 38-35 victory.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals lost in heartbreaking fashion in a manner more befitting a Three Stooges comedy sketch than an NFL contest. Emari Demarcado sank both the Cardinals and fantasy managers around the world with his hotdogging before getting in the endzone.
The upset of the week took place in Buffalo, where the undefeated Bills were torched by their former teammate Stefon Diggs, who lit them up for 10 catches and 146 yards as he helped the Pats squeak out a 23-20 primetime victory.
On the international stage, the Minnesota Vikings took the W this week after last week’s defeat in Ireland. Justin Jefferson and company helped spoil the debut of Dillon Gabriel as the Browns’ starter. Despite the loss, the Browns offense showed some signs of life under their new QB.
Elsewhere around the league, the Eagles took their first loss of the season at the hands of Bo Nix and the Broncos, while the New Orleans Saints picked up their first victory of the year in their contest against the Giants.
Dynasty Value DNA League Week 6 Rankings
DNA League Highlights | Week 5 Nerds App League
- Peter Monahan maintained his poll position at the top of the standings with a comfortable victory against John Hammersmith.
- Despite putting up one of the best scores of the week, Doc Mitchell took a second consecutive loss by less than a point as Garret Price took the W with a 210.42 to 210.11 victory. The W moves Garret into sole possession of 2nd place.
- Jared Wackerly’s squad enjoyed its best week of the season, scoring a league high 213.43 points in its victory over Nick Piovano.
- A couple of matches were nail-biters with no clarity being evident ahead of the Monday Night Football matchup between Kansas City and Jacksonville. In particular, Rich Dotson rode a (28.74) point effort from Trevor Lawrence to victory against Mychal Warno.
DNA League Matchup of the Week | Garret Price vs Doc Mitchell
Final Score: 210.42 to 210.11
For the second week in a row, Doc Mitchell took a brutal loss by less than a single point. Garret got fantastic performances from Sam Darnold (36.64), Dak Prescott (36.28), Javonte Williams (28.65), and Stefon Diggs (23.60). Doc got some great work from Jonathan Taylor (30.85), Baker Mayfield (30.41), Jacorey Croskey-Merritt (28.50), and Jaxon Smith-Njigba (25.70). Garret was able to overcome a slight oversight by not getting Jauan Jennings out of his lineup. Aside from the one oversight, Garret was extremely efficient with his lineup, with only Xavier Hutchinson (15.30) and Andrei Iosivas (12.70) on his bench. Doc could have pulled out the victory had he played his lone bench scorer, Kendrick Bourne (23.20), over Jerry Jeudy and his (3.0) point effort. Garret Price came through the week with a 2-0 mark while Doc Mitchell did manage to not come away totally empty-handed with a 1-1 mark.
Weekly Awards | DNA League Honors
MVP of the Week
Jared Wackerly takes home MVP honors this week. His fortuitous decision to start Rico Dowdle was the driving force behind his league-high point total. Rico put up an absurd 206 rushing yards and a TD to go along with 3 catches for a further 28 yards. This huge effort helped propel Jared out of the cellar and away from the bottom three.
Bench Blunder
The bench blunder of the week goes to Garret Price. Despite putting up the second-highest score of the week, he nearly cost himself the victory by not getting an injured Jauan Jennings out of his lineup. The zero point tally almost cost him the game as he scraped by with a 0.31 point margin of victory. Had he played Xavier Hutchinson, he would have enjoyed a much more comfortable victory and the weekly high score tally.
Heart Breaker
Keith Ensminger suffered the heartbreaker of the week. He was the victim of Emari Demarcado’s colossal blunder in the Cardinals’ explosion against the Tennessee Titans. Shifting the 6-point TD score to a negative 2-point fumble was the difference in his game against Matt Cooper. As a result of the loss, Keith now sits in 9th place instead of 7th, where he would have been.
Underachiever
Keith Ensminger not only takes home our heartbreak of the week, but he is also our Underachiever of the week. His squad scored a full 17% less than expected in his nail-biter with Matt Cooper. Had his team just scored what they were projected he would have been 2-0 on the week. A real gut punch that now leaves Keith perilously close to the bottom three spots.
DNA League Manager Spotlight | Interview With Taylor Christianson
Q1: So tell us a bit about yourself. Where are you from? What team do you root for? How long have you played Dynasty, and how long have you been with Dynasty Nerds?
I’m originally from North Dakota, but live in New Jersey. I like whoever scores touchdowns for my fantasy squads. I have been playing fantasy football for 15 years, and I am currently in my second year with Dynasty Nerds as the Editor-in-Chief.
Q2: If you had to grade your startup draft, what grade would you give yourself?
I would give myself a C. It remains to be C’n if this team has the talent to compete or not. Players like Jayden Reed, Ricky Pearsall, and Keon Coleman will need to turn into every week starters if I am going to have any shot. [Spoiler: They got injured or traded.]
Q3: What is your current strategy with the DNA league? You have made a lot of trades. Are you worried you will be voted out?
My strategy has been to zig while others zag. I knew after Joe Burrow got hurt that this would be a tough year, so I started looking for opportunities to gain draft capital and try to build a strong portfolio to show the NerdHerd that I can do a proper rebuild and deserve a chance to build a dynasty if I end up in the elimination candidates.
As one of the originators of the DNA League, I’ll be crushed to lose out in Year 1. However, I’m going to maximize the opportunities I have and will hopefully get to make the draft picks next year. (I had a great hit rate this past season—evidenced by how highly they were sought after!)
Q4: You have easily made the most trades in the league. What is your favorite deal to date?
Trading is the second-best part of fantasy (after drafting), so in a league of insiders, I wanted to be known as someone open for business. I’ve found it’s better to get a leaguemates rapport early in a startup than to win every trade on paper.
That said, my favorite trade so far in this league was with you, Doc. We swapped Mayfield and Kittle for Burrow and a 2nd. I spent several days agonizing over the offer. It was a lot of good back and forth, and it ultimately led me down the path to amassing a lot of draft capital and securing a core building block for the future. It may result in my beheading at the chopping block, but risk-reward is what fantasy football Championships are built on.
Q5: Is there anything else you would like to say to the Nerd Herd as they follow along the rest of the season?
This league is for your enjoyment, so send us suggestions and don’t be afraid to criticize–especially the podcast managers. If I’m up for elimination, I am willing to threaten or bribe my way back in. Come say hi on Discord! @DNA League
🔥 Take Control of Your Dynasty Today
Want to see where your lineup truly stacks up? Start building like the pros with our most powerful tools and resources:
Contender Mode Projections | DNA League Week 6 Rankings
DNA League Elimination Watch | Bottom 3 In The Danger Zone
Making The Case For Taylor Christianson
Taylor Christianson is clearly trying to walk a thin line. He is attempting to sell off for future draft picks while managing to stay just outside of the bottom three spots. It will be interesting to see if our readers grant him a reprieve if he ends up in the bottom three spots. But as he said in this week’s interview, “I am willing to threaten or bribe my way back in.”
What’s Ailing Matt Cooper
Matt Cooper has been the victim of some really tough injury issues early in the season. It would be hard for any squad to overcome injuries to stars like Brock Bowers, CeeDee Lamb, and Omarion Hampton. Add in the extremely deep starting requirements of this league, and you have a recipe for disaster. It will be interesting to see what he can get for aging vets like Keenan Allen, Aaron Rodgers, and Davante Adams.
The Boss Is Coming To Life (Rich Dotson)
Rich Dotson’s squad appears to be rounding into form at the quarter pole. Quinshon Judkins and Saquon Barkley give Rich a solid 1-2 punch. Throw in a resurgent Trevor Lawrence and you have the recipe for something dangerous down the stretch. Keep an eye on how Rich’s team will come together as the season continues.
DNA League Trade of The Week
Taylor Christianson was looking to capitalize on the hype train that left the station following Woody Marks’ big Week 5 performance. He paired up Marks with promising Lions rookie Isaac TeSlaa. Christianson informed me that he believed Ollie Gordon was likely to give him similar numbers to Marks, and he really wanted to get his own 3rd back for 2026, and adding another on top was icing on the cake. If Taylor ends up with the 1.01, his 3.01 will be extremely valuable with this blind draft format. We will have to monitor how this one plays out in the end.
Looking Ahead | DNA League Week 6 Preview
Game of the Week Preview
Things are starting to take shape in the DNA league. As things stand, the game of the week looks to be between Matt Cooper and John Hammersmith. These two managers are attempting to claw their way back into the playoff race. A 2-0 week would go a long way to boosting their chances. Look for a tight matchup in this one
Rivalry & Upset Watch
The contest between the current No. 1 seed Pete Monahan and Keith Ensminger has some upset potential. Both managers will need to work around some tricky bye week issues and test their depth in what is shaping up to be a tight matchup.
Dynasty Nerds App | Run Your Own League
All of this league action runs on the Dynasty Nerds App.
Download free on iOS & Android to run your own leagues and get exclusive tools.
You can also follow all of the action of our Dynasty Nerds App (DNA) League on our DNA Discord Channel. All league content can be found there, along with AMAs with the writing staff and screenshots of the league chat. Be the first to learn about the most recent league trades and moves!
Frequently Asked Questions | Dynasty Fantasy Football & Nerds App League
Q: What makes dynasty fantasy football different from redraft leagues?
A: In dynasty leagues, managers keep most (or all) of their roster year to year, building long-term strategies around rookies, trades, and future draft picks. It’s much closer to managing a real NFL franchise than one-year fantasy football.
Q: How do rookie drafts work in dynasty leagues?
A: Rookie drafts typically happen each offseason, where managers select incoming NFL rookies. The draft order is usually based on the previous year’s standings, rewarding rebuilding teams with earlier picks. Dynasty managers also trade rookie picks as assets, adding another layer of strategy. What makes the DNA league so unique is the Nostradamus draft system, where we draft the top two rounds of the NFL draft BEFORE the NFL draft. This adds a really unique wrinkle to the format and puts analysts’ work in the film room to the test.
Q: Why should I use the Dynasty Nerds App for my fantasy league?
A: The Dynasty Nerds App offers exclusive tools for roster management, trade calculators, prospect rankings, and league tracking. It’s designed specifically for dynasty formats, giving managers insights that go far beyond basic fantasy platforms. Just take a look at our rankings above. The championship calculator has accurately projected the top seed after the first 5 weeks of the season.
Q: What resources does Dynasty Nerds provide for dynasty managers?
A: Dynasty Nerds offers year-round rankings, rookie mock drafts, film room breakdowns, strategy articles, and the NerdHerd membership with premium tools. Whether you’re rebuilding or contending, there’s a resource tailored to your team’s needs.
Q: How do I stay active and competitive in a dynasty league throughout the season?
A: Stay on top of waiver claims, monitor trades, and plan ahead for bye weeks and injuries. Using tools like the Dynasty Nerds App and following weekly updates on trades, rankings, and start/sit advice helps keep your roster competitive year-round.
Q: Where can I connect with other dynasty fantasy football players?
A: You can join the Dynasty Nerds Discord community, participate in AMAs with the Nerds staff, and follow along with series like the Nerds App League for strategy insights and entertainment. It’s a great way to stay plugged into the dynasty community.
