JC Fantasy Football National Poll Week 5

Five weeks are complete, and for the first time this season, nobody is undefeated.

Mark Handy and Zac Grantham both entered Week 5 at 8-0 and both suffered their first 0-2 weeks, while Chad Skipworth, Raiden Weeks and Julius Foster emerged from the chaos tied for the league’s best record at 9-1. With ten results now available for every manager, preseason expectations have essentially disappeared from the equation — record, normalized all-play performance, scoring, consistency and schedule are determining the poll.

And we have a new No. 1.

Week 5 National Poll

1. Chad Skipworth — Division E

9-1 | Week 5: 166.02 points | Last week: #6 | ▲ 5

Skipworth takes over the top spot after posting the highest score in Division E, demolishing Dwayne Landry and improving to 9-1.

His 86.7% all-play rate is the best in JC Fantasy Football, and his 757.92 cumulative points trail only Raiden Weeks.

There are no caveats left: through five weeks, Skipworth has the strongest overall résumé in the league.

2. Raiden Weeks — Division B

9-1 | Week 5: 183.84 points | Last week: #7 | ▲ 5

Weeks delivered the highest score anywhere in JC Fantasy Football this week, blasting Aaron Quarles with 183.84 points and sweeping both available results.

He now leads the entire league with 762.16 total points and owns an 80% all-play rate to go with his 9-1 record.

The preseason No. 30 team is now one of the clearest championship favorites in the field.

3. Julius Foster — Division A

9-1 | Week 5: 137.10 points | Last week: #4 | ▲ 1

Foster quietly keeps rolling, beating Steven Matey, clearing the difficult Division A median and joining Skipworth and Weeks at a league-best 9-1.

His 79.1% all-play rate is particularly impressive considering he has spent all five weeks competing in the 12-team Division A environment.

The newcomer is officially five weeks beyond being a surprise — Foster is a legitimate national-title contender.

4. Vikki Simpson — Division D

8-2 | Week 5: 156.96 points | Last week: #8 | ▲ 4

Simpson responds to her first rough week with 156.96 points, beating a very good 146.86 from Aiden Benge and sweeping the median.

Her 82.2% all-play rate is second-best among the current Top 16, and she has also faced a tougher schedule than most of the contenders surrounding her.

The former No. 1 is very much still in the championship conversation.

5. Heath Strickland — Division B

8-2 | Week 5: 130.64 points | Last week: #2 | ▼ 3

Strickland beat Earnest Vincent but missed Division B’s 131.62 median by less than a point, producing a 1-1 week after spending last Tuesday at No. 2.

His 77.8% all-play rate and five-week scoring profile remain elite, so the small fall is more about the huge performances around him than any major concern.

The margin at the top is simply getting thinner, and Strickland will need another ceiling week to reclaim a spot among the first few teams.

6. Shane Able — Division B

8-2 | Week 5: 165.72 points | Last week: #9 | ▲ 3

Able’s incredible recovery continues with 165.72 points, another full 2-0 week and one of the highest scores in the league.

After opening the season 0-2, Able has now won eight consecutive results and pushed his all-play rate to 75.6%.

Few teams are hotter, and the preseason concerns have been completely replaced by a legitimate championship résumé.

7. Daniel Horn — Division C

8-2 | Week 5: 130.00 points | Last week: #11 | ▲ 4

Horn narrowly beats Allen Barnes 130.00 to 128.54, clears the Division C median and improves to an excellent 8-2.

The newcomer owns a 72.7% all-play mark and has now produced strong results in four of his first five JC weeks.

What started as an impressive debut has become one of the steadiest résumés anywhere in the league.

8. Trey Matey — Division A

8-2 | Week 5: 122.16 points | Last week: #3 | ▼ 5

Matey beat Dustin Barnett but missed the Division A median by just over two points, resulting in his second consecutive 1-1 week after the 6-0 start.

His 74.5% all-play rate and strong cumulative scoring still make the defending champion one of the safest teams in the Top 10.

But the enormous scoring advantage from the first few weeks has narrowed, and the teams above him are currently producing cleaner résumés.

9. Mark Handy — Division C

8-2 | Week 5: 101.78 points | Last week: #1 | ▼ 8

The No. 1 ranking lasts one week as Handy suffers his first two losses of the season, including a head-to-head defeat to previously 0-8 Aiden Horn.

That does not erase an excellent start — Handy still owns a 74.5% all-play rate and remains 8-2 — but 101.78 was easily his weakest performance so far.

The first real adversity of the season sends him down eight spots, and Week 6 will show whether this was simply an off Sunday.

10. Todd Wilson — Division C

7-3 | Week 5: 158.74 points | Last week: #15 | ▲ 5

Wilson reminds everyone why he opened the season ranked No. 1, producing the highest score in Division C and sweeping Israel Flores.

He improves to 7-3 with a 70.9% all-play rate despite facing one of the tougher schedules among the league’s current contenders.

After a few quieter weeks, Wilson is back in the national Top 10 with momentum.

11. Allen Barnes — Division C

7-3 | Week 5: 128.54 points | Last week: #13 | ▲ 2

Barnes loses a heartbreaker to Daniel Horn by only 1.46 points but still clears the Division C median, salvaging an important result.

The newcomer remains 7-3 with a strong 65.5% all-play profile and has now spent several consecutive weeks looking like a legitimate playoff team.

The résumé lacks the huge dominance of the very top teams, but there are very few weak spots in it either.

12. Zac Grantham — Division A

8-2 | Week 5: 110.40 points | Last week: #5 | ▼ 7

Grantham’s perfect season finally ends with a full 0-2 week, including a head-to-head loss to Michael Matey and a score well below the Division A median.

The 8-2 record remains excellent, but his 58.2% all-play rate now shows a larger gap between the record and underlying dominance than we see from most teams near the top.

Grantham is still safely a playoff team today, but Week 5 provides the first legitimate warning sign of the season.

13. Jen Grantham — Division A

7-3 | Week 5: 165.94 points | Last week: #20 | ▲ 7

Grantham explodes for the highest score in Division A, beating John Matey comfortably and sweeping every possible opponent in all-play.

The huge week pushes her to 7-3 and sends her back into the Top 16 after spending last Tuesday outside the playoff line.

Her season has been less consistent than some of the teams above her, but the ceiling we expected in the preseason was on full display this week.

14. Dusty Glass — Division A

8-2 | Week 5: 130.84 points | Last week: #16 | ▲ 2

Glass beats Braxyn Smith, clears the Division A median and quietly improves to an outstanding 8-2.

His 54.5% all-play rate is much less impressive than the record, but almost nobody in the league has been more consistent from week to week.

The wins keep piling up, and until they stop, Glass belongs on the right side of the playoff line.

15. Cindy Able — Division E

7-3 | Week 5: 154.74 points | Last week: #21 | ▲ 6

Able’s turnaround continues with Division E’s second-highest score, a victory over Nathan Nunley and a full 2-0 week.

After opening the season 0-2, she has now won seven of her last eight available results.

Her 60% all-play mark leaves room for improvement, but at 7-3 the résumé has become impossible to keep outside the Top 16.

16. DJ Billmeier — Division E

7-3 | Week 5: 131.02 points | Last week: #12 | ▼ 4

Billmeier beat John Breeze comfortably but missed the Division E median, settling for a 1-1 week and dropping four spots.

His 7-3 record and solid five-week scoring résumé are enough to keep him narrowly inside the playoff field.

But Kent Larson, Tryten Kelly and several others are now close enough that another split week could push DJ below the line.

— CURRENT PLAYOFF LINE —

17. Kent Larson — Division E

6-4 | Week 5: 134.80 points | Last week: #14 | ▼ 3

Larson lost to Beverlye Landry by just 2.10 points and missed the median by barely one point, turning a respectable score into an unfortunate 0-2 result.

He falls only three places and remains the first team out, with virtually no separation between his résumé and the bottom of the playoff field.

18. Tryten Kelly — Division D

7-3 | Week 5: 87.62 points | Last week: #10 | ▼ 8

Kelly suffers his worst performance of the season, losing to SJ Buchanan and finishing at the bottom of Division D scoring.

A 7-3 record keeps him very much alive, but the underlying all-play profile has become too ordinary to keep him inside the Top 16 after a week this poor.

19. Nathan Nunley — Division E

6-4 | Week 5: 140.82 points | Last week: #22 | ▲ 3

Nunley loses a high-scoring matchup to Cindy Able but beats the median, giving him a useful 1-1 week and a 6-4 record.

The preseason No. 47 team continues to hang around the playoff race and has now spent several weeks outperforming expectations.

20. Trey Reynolds — Division E

5-5 | Week 5: 151.44 points | Last week: #24 | ▲ 4

Reynolds posts another excellent score, crushes Matt Billmeier and clears the median to sweep Week 5.

His .500 record still lags behind an impressive 60% all-play rate and one of the tougher schedules in the league, making him much more dangerous than 5-5 appears.

21. Eric Collier — Division D

5-5 | Week 5: 160.18 points | Last week: #30 | ▲ 9

Collier finally looks like the preseason No. 2 again, leading Division D in scoring and sweeping Lynn Burkhead to move back to .500.

The nine-spot jump reflects both the huge Week 5 performance and a cumulative profile that has remained stronger than the record suggests.

22. Colton Black — Division C

6-4 | Week 5: 123.90 points | Last week: #26 | ▲ 4

Black beats Mallory Crawford, clears the median and improves to 6-4 after another solid week.

His all-play numbers remain closer to average than elite, but six wins in ten results keep him firmly in the Top-24 conversation.

23. Ashton Matey — Division A

5-5 | Week 5: 137.10 points | Last week: #25 | ▲ 2

Matey loses a good matchup to Tanner Harris but comfortably beats the Division A median, and her 59.1% all-play rate continues to look better than the .500 record.

She remains one strong week away from pushing back toward the playoff line.

24. Aaron Quarles — Division B

6-4 | Week 5: 106.10 points | Last week: #17 | ▼ 7

Quarles has gone from 6-0 to 6-4 after consecutive 0-2 weeks, this time running directly into Raiden Weeks’ league-leading 183.84.

The record still deserves respect, but his all-play rate has fallen to 51.1% and the cushion created by the perfect start is disappearing quickly.

25. Robert Buchanan — Division D

5-5 | Week 5: 132.42 points | Last week: #18 | ▼ 7

Buchanan loses to Charissa Burkhead by 0.82 points and misses the median by only 0.41, an extraordinarily unlucky 0-2 week that looks much worse in the standings than it did on the scoreboard.

26. Aiden Benge — Division D

4-6 | Week 5: 146.86 points | Last week: #28 | ▲ 2

Benge loses to Vikki Simpson’s 156.96 but comfortably beats the median, and his strong all-play numbers plus one of the league’s toughest schedules continue to suggest a better team than the 4-6 record.

27. Andy Miller — Division B

5-5 | Week 5: 148.32 points | Last week: #38 | ▲ 11

Miller delivers one of the biggest rebounds of the week, beating April Marlow, clearing the median and climbing eleven places back to .500.

28. John Breeze — Division E

5-5 | Week 5: 71.84 points | Last week: #19 | ▼ 9

Breeze follows last week’s Division E-leading performance with the division’s lowest score, producing another wild swing and dropping nine places.

29. Charissa Burkhead — Division D

5-5 | Week 5: 133.24 points | Last week: #37 | ▲ 8

Burkhead edges Robert Buchanan by 0.82 and the median by 0.41, turning two razor-thin margins into a perfect 2-0 week and an eight-spot rise.

30. Michael Russo — Division C

4-6 | Week 5: 158.30 points | Last week: #41 | ▲ 11

Russo finally recaptures his Week 1 form with the second-highest score in Division C, sweeping Robby Meek and jumping eleven positions.

31. Kile Brandon — Division D

4-6 | Week 5: 111.00 points | Last week: #23 | ▼ 8

Brandon cannot follow last week’s league-leading 168.50, instead losing both results to Darren Tankersley and the median.

32. John Matey — Division A

4-6 | Week 5: 125.64 points | Last week: #34 | ▲ 2

Matey loses to Jen Grantham’s huge score but beats the Division A median, continuing to show better underlying performance than the 4-6 record suggests.

33. Israel Flores — Division C

4-6 | Week 5: 136.44 points | Last week: #39 | ▲ 6

Flores loses to Todd Wilson but comfortably clears the median, earning a useful result and climbing six spots.

34. Braxyn Smith — Division A

4-6 | Week 5: 112.74 points | Last week: #27 | ▼ 7

Smith loses both results to Dusty Glass and the median, giving back much of the ground earned with last week’s Division A-leading performance.

35. Tammie Simms — Division C

5-5 | Week 5: 96.20 points | Last week: #35 | —

Simms beats Aaron Crawford head-to-head but misses the median, keeping both her record and ranking perfectly even at .500 and No. 35.

36. Lynn Burkhead — Division D

5-5 | Week 5: 118.20 points | Last week: #32 | ▼ 4

Burkhead falls back to .500 after losing to Eric Collier and the median, while her low all-play rate continues to make the early 5-1 start look difficult to sustain.

37. Danielle Abbott — Division B

3-7 | Week 5: 116.14 points | Last week: #33 | ▼ 4

Abbott loses to Mark Bentley and the median, leaving the former preseason Top-10 newcomer with significant ground to recover over the second half of the regular season.

38. SJ Buchanan — Division D

5-5 | Week 5: 107.60 points | Last week: #31 | ▼ 7

Buchanan beats Tryten Kelly but misses the median, and a weak all-play profile continues to offset what remains a respectable .500 record.

39. Mark Bentley — Division B

4-6 | Week 5: 141.40 points | Last week: #46 | ▲ 7

Bentley earns a clean 2-0 week against Danielle Abbott and the median, producing a badly needed seven-place climb.

40. Beverlye Landry — Division E

4-6 | Week 5: 136.90 points | Last week: #45 | ▲ 5

Landry beats Kent Larson and squeaks above the median, giving her another full 2-0 week and continued upward progress from the bottom of the preseason rankings.

41. Aaron Crawford — Division C

4-6 | Week 5: 87.00 points | Last week: #29 | ▼ 12

Crawford’s early-season momentum has disappeared after another low-scoring 0-2 week, this time against Tammie Simms.

42. Robby Meek — Division C

3-7 | Week 5: 113.32 points | Last week: #36 | ▼ 6

Meek falls short against Michael Russo’s huge performance and narrowly misses the median, dropping six positions.

43. Tanner Harris — Division A

3-7 | Week 5: 140.82 points | Last week: #47 | ▲ 4

Harris produces his best week of the season, beating Ashton Matey and the median with Division A’s second-highest score to sweep both results.

44. April Marlow — Division B

4-6 | Week 5: 132.60 points | Last week: #44 | —

Marlow loses to Andy Miller but barely clears the median, earning enough to stay exactly where she was last week.

45. Mallory Crawford — Division C

3-7 | Week 5: 85.08 points | Last week: #40 | ▼ 5

Crawford’s recent progress stalls with losses to Colton Black and the median after posting Division C’s lowest score.

46. Jay Robinson — Division B

3-7 | Week 5: 100.48 points | Last week: #42 | ▼ 4

Robinson loses both results to Shane Able and the median, keeping the once highly regarded preseason roster near the bottom of the standings.

47. Steven Matey — Division A

2-8 | Week 5: 116.98 points | Last week: #43 | ▼ 4

Matey loses to Julius Foster and the median, and his massive Week 1 score is now doing less and less to offset four difficult weeks since.

48. Darren Tankersley — Division D

2-8 | Week 5: 140.80 points | Last week: #51 | ▲ 3

Tankersley finally breaks through with his first full 2-0 week, beating Kile Brandon and the median with an excellent 140.80 points.

49. Michael Matey — Division A

1-9 | Week 5: 122.82 points | Last week: #52 | ▲ 3

Matey earns his first head-to-head win by upsetting previously perfect Zac Grantham, although he misses the Division A median by just 1.41 points.

50. Matt Billmeier — Division E

1-9 | Week 5: 87.66 points | Last week: #48 | ▼ 2

Billmeier loses both results again as Trey Reynolds rolls to 151.44, leaving the former preseason No. 15 roster searching for a dramatic second-half turnaround.

51. Dustin Barnett — Division A

1-9 | Week 5: 90.92 points | Last week: #50 | ▼ 1

Barnett loses to Trey Matey and the median, and the difficult opening stretch continues despite plenty of season remaining to find improvement.

52. Aiden Horn — Division C

1-9 | Week 5: 103.76 points | Last week: #53 | ▲ 1

Horn finally earns his first head-to-head victory by knocking off previously undefeated No. 1 Mark Handy, giving the newcomer a memorable bright spot even though he missed the median.

53. Earnest Vincent — Division B

0-10 | Week 5: 85.36 points | Last week: #49 | ▼ 4

Vincent remains without a result after falling to Heath Strickland and the median, though his schedule has been among the more difficult ones faced by the league’s lower-ranked teams.

54. Dwayne Landry — Division E

0-10 | Week 5: 79.30 points | Last week: #54 | —

Landry remains at No. 54 after drawing new No. 1 Chad Skipworth and finishing below the Division E median, but every new week still offers another chance to begin the climb.

Five Weeks Down

For the first time all season, there are no undefeated teams left.

Instead, the race at the top now belongs to three 9-1 teams: Chad Skipworth, Raiden Weeks and Julius Foster. Skipworth owns the league’s best all-play percentage, Weeks leads JC Fantasy Football in total scoring, and Foster has built his résumé while navigating Division A.

Week 5 also delivered some major reminders of how quickly this poll can move. Mark Handy went from No. 1 to No. 9 after his first 0-2 week. Jen Grantham jumped back into the playoff field with 165.94 points. Eric Collier and Michael Russo both surged after huge performances, while Darren Tankersley and Aiden Horn finally found long-awaited breakthroughs near the bottom of the rankings.

We are now approaching the halfway point of the regular season, and the margin for patience is shrinking.

The Top 16 make the playoffs. Everyone else has work to do.

Check back every Tuesday morning for the updated JC Fantasy Football National Poll.