NFL Scores Week 5: Results and Top Fantasy Football Stars for Sunday Games

There was a lot of frustration among fantasy football owners in Week 5 with a number of lesser-known competitors getting into the end zone, but there were enough big-time performances to keep things exciting.

With just the Miami Dolphins and Oakland Raiders on bye, there was plenty to look forward to on Sunday for fans of the sport and fantasy football. Battles between top teams helped create separation in the standings, while favorable matchups gave the bigger fantasy stars a chance for big days.    

Although there were certainly disappointing performances through Sunday's early games at both the team and individual level, here is a look at the scores and the players who really stood out in Week 5.

Winner	Score	Loser	Notable Fantasy Performer
Carolina Panthers	31-24	Chicago Bears	Matt Forte (61 rush yards, 12 catches, 105 rec. yards, 1 TD)
Cleveland Browns	29-28	Tennessee Titans	Ben Tate (123 rush yards)
Philadelphia Eagles	34-28	St. Louis Rams	Austin Davis (375 pass yds, 3 TD)
New York Giants	30-20	Atlanta Falcons	Julio Jones (11 catches, 105 rec. yards)
New Orleans Saints	37-31	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Drew Brees (371 pass yds, 2 TD, 3 INT)
Dallas Cowboys	20-17	Houston Texans	Arian Foster (157 rush yards, 2 TD)
Buffalo Bills	17-14	Detroit Lions	Golden Tate (7 catches, 134 rec. yards, 1 TD
Indianapolis Colts	20-13	Baltimore Ravens	Andrew Luck (312 pass yds, 1 pass TD, 1 rush TD, 2 INT)
Pittsburgh Steelers	17-9	Jacksonville Jaguars	Steelers D/ST (1 sack, 2 INT, 1 TD)
San Francisco 49ers	22-17	Kansas City Chiefs	Frank Gore (105 rush yards, 1 rec. yard)
Denver Broncos	41-20	Arizona Cardinals	Demaryius Thomas (226 rec. yards, 2 TD)
San Diego Chargers	31-0	New York Jets	Branden Oliver (114 rush yards, 68 rec. yards, 2 TD)
New England Patriots	43-17	Cincinnati Bengals	Stevan Ridley (113 rush yards, TD)

Jay Cutler, QB, Chicago Bears

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Although Jay Cutler often gets a lot of criticism, he knows how to take advantage of his weapons within the Chicago Bears offense.

The veteran quarterback did most of his damage in the first half, throwing touchdown passes to Matt Forte and Alshon Jeffery while also running one in himself. The 10-yard scramble was a bit surprising, as noted by these statistics:

Still, his ability to put up points helped him gain infatuation from analysts like Bleacher Report's Matt Miller:

Cutler ended his day with 289 passing yards and three total touchdowns, although his two interceptions were a big reason the Bears could not come away with the win.

Even with Brandon Marshall still seemingly less than 100 percent, though, the quarterback found a way to put up good numbers and remains a top fantasy option going forward.

Arian Foster, RB, Houston Texans

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Arian Foster has been limited with a hamstring injury over the past few weeks, but he was clearly at full strength in Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys.

The running back finished with 157 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries in the overtime loss. He also added 15 receiving on two catches while being targeted five times through the air.

Brad Evans of Yahoo Sports noted that he appeared as strong as ever with his performance:

This is good to see that it was not just a few lucky plays that helped his numbers. Foster appears ready to once again be an RB1 for fantasy teams for the rest of the year.

While Matt Forte, DeMarco Murray, Pierre Thomas had big performances on the ground, Foster was the best of the bunch in an impressive day for the veteran.

Golden Tate, WR, Detroit Lions

Jose Juarez/Associated Press

While Brian Quick, Kendall Wright and Travis Benjamin each had two receiving touchdowns on the day, Golden Tate might have had the most impressive showing with 134 receiving yards and a score against the Buffalo Bills.

Calvin Johnson was active but limited for the second week in a row, totaling just one catch for seven yards. He also was forced to leave the game after an apparent reaggravation, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. However, Tate stepped up and became a true No. 1 target for a high-powered offense.

Bleacher Report's Ty Schalter noted the way things turned out for Detroit:

Tate was limited for years in a run-heavy attack with the Seattle Seahawks, but he now appears ready to be a highly productive player with the Lions. Although he will go back to being a secondary option when Johnson is healthy, he will still get plenty of targets in this offense and should remain in fantasy lineups for the rest of the year.

Greg Olsen, TE, Carolina Panthers

Chuck Burton/Associated Press

One of the themes of this season has been players having big performances against their former teams, including Steve Smith Sr. and DeSean Jackson. Greg Olsen has now joined the club with an impressive showing against the Chicago Bears. 

The tight end scored two touchdowns, including the game-winner with just over two minutes left, and also added a team-high 72 receiving yards in the Panthers' win. Kevin Fishbain of ChicagoFootball.com 

With Carolina having limited receiving options on the roster, Olsen becomes one of Cam Newton's best targets, alongside rookie Kelvin Benjamin. He might not be able to score twice every game, but he has become one of the most consistent fantasy options at the position and should be in starting lineups every week.

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