NFL Week 5 represents the end of the first quarter of the season. Every team has completed 23.53% of their regular schedule, and week-to-week variance has gotten a chance to wash out. We gathered our staff to ask:

Who is your biggest dynasty surprise?

QB Sam Darnold, Minnesota

Jason Wood - I was initially skeptical that Sam Darnold would transform into an effective quarterback under Kevin O'Connell, especially given that he was signed as a temporary solution until rookie J.J. McCarthy was ready. However, no quarterback has been more consistently effective than Darnold through the first four games. The Vikings are 4-0, with a top-four offense and defense. If you've watched their games, it's evident that this success is not a fluke.

Darnold has been outstanding, completing 69% of his passes for 932 yards and leading the league with 11 touchdown passes. He currently leads the NFL in touchdown passes, touchdown rate, adjusted yards per attempt, and passer rating. What makes this even more impressive is that he's achieved these numbers without his All-Pro tight end and No. 2 receiver, Jordan Addison, for much of the month. It's difficult to argue for 20 other quarterbacks ahead of Darnold, especially considering he is only 27.

Dan Hindery -  Darnold has been my biggest surprise this season. Coming in, I was optimistic about the talent around him and the offensive scheme, expecting him to post good fantasy numbers and keep the top weapons fantasy relevant. However, I also assumed Darnold would be a better fantasy quarterback than an actual NFL quarterback. He started the year with a career 63-to-56 touchdown-to-interception ratio and 13 lost fumbles. Not only has Darnold exceeded my expectations, but he has also avoided the costly mistakes that plagued him in previous stops. So far, he has a solid 11-to-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio and ranks as one of the top fantasy performers through the season's first quarter.

This turnaround has changed my opinion of Darnold and made me rethink how I value younger quarterbacks. Darnold, Baker Mayfield, Justin Fields, and Jared Goff have all been top fantasy quarterbacks this season after being discarded by the teams that originally drafted them. These examples are essential to remember, as other talented young quarterbacks will struggle early with their original teams but succeed in later opportunities.

WR Jayden Reed, Green Bay

Andy Hicks - Before the season began, I had the Green Bay receiver room pegged with Christian Watson as the WR1 and Reed, Dontayvian Wicks, and Romeo Doubs sharing the rest among Josh Jacobs and the tight ends. Reed was well down my dynasty rankings as a result. He lucked into eight touchdowns, but his numbers were consistently at a WR3 level at best. Ultimately, Watson has proven again he cannot stay healthy through bad luck or poor management. With Watson out of the equation, the whole pecking order makes more sense, even temporarily. Reed is the lead guy. Clearly, Wicks will have good games with a mix of nothing. Doubs will consistently be in the WR3/flex area. Watson will be back. Who knows for how long? All four wide receivers are locked into next season, allowing the team to figure out who to let walk and who to lock up long-term. With an extra year into 2026, Reed and Wicks seem the most likely to hang around. 

TE Brock Bowers, Las Vegas

Matthew Montgomery - No one has stood out more in fantasy football this season than Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers. Bowers had high expectations before the draft, but expectations shrank when he was selected by the Raiders, who had already invested in Michael Mayer at the same position in the previous draft. Bowers is arguably the TE1 for the rest of the season and in all of Dynasty. 

In a year that we are seeing the tight end position shrink in value at an alarming rate, Bowers is standing way ahead of his peers. With the rumors of Davante Adams being traded, he is also looking at a potential opportunity to be the #1 target on his team, which puts him with the likes of prime Travis Kelce and prime Mark Andrews. It's not too shabby for a man who has only played four NFL games. 

 TE Mark Andrews, Baltimore

Corey Spala - Andrews has been my biggest surprise. We were aware of his potential limitation due to his 2023 injury, and I simply did not expect this start in 2024. He has six total receptions on the season and has played 39.5% of snaps over the last two weeks. This is a significant surprise to me as Andrews was considered a top tight end and a relatively high dynasty asset. He was a 2024 Superflex startup late sixth and early seventh-round pick and was being acquired for the equivalent of a 2025 first-round pick in value in trades. I am optimistic Baltimore’s game scripts, his offseason surgery, and his recent car crash are the variables for his current decline.

WR - Wan'Dale Robinson, NY Giants

Ryan Weisse - Robinson has shot up my rankings after four weeks. Adding Malik Nabers has allowed Robinson to play a role far more suited to his skill set. Defenses must put their best effort and cornerback on Nabers, and that has left Robinson to play a highly efficient slot role, and he is playing it to perfection.

After the first month of the year, Robinson is fourth among wide receivers in targets, and that volume has made him a top-20 receiver in PPR formats this season. He is the perfect complement to Nabers, and the two should form a solid foundation for the Giants' passing game regardless of who their quarterback is in the future. He moved up to my Top 40 and could be more valuable once we know who will replace Daniel Jones next year.