May 20, 2026
By Sam Weiger

After a chaotic week of massive matchups, Week 5 slows the pace slightly, but still delivers a powerhouse Saturday night. Four title contenders square off simultaneously in two of the league's fiercest rivalries, split between "Friday Night Frisbee" and the Game of the Week.

Atlanta Hustle at Carolina Flyers | Friday Night Frisbee
Saturday, May 23 - 7:00 PM/ET - Watch link

The South Division has been a non-stop thrill ride this UFA season, punctuated by Atlanta and Carolina’s epic, down-to-the-wire showdown in Week 4. It is only fitting that just seven days later, the entire world can watch these bitter rivals clash again, live and free on YouTube.

Though Carolina narrowly fell short last week, they proved they are back in the elite tier, largely due to a few game-changing roster additions, most notably standout rookie Jacob Louie. He currently co-leads the Flyers in plus/minus while anchoring the offense, leading the team in completions and assists. His impact will likely be a major catalyst in pushing Carolina back into the playoffs.

On the D-line, Christian Belus has been a game-changer this season, and his performance against Carolina was far from a surprise. Belus’s explosive defensive playmaking was on full display against Atlanta, where he racked up a team-high three blocks. Between his blazing speed and highlight-reel layout blocks, Belus is a constant threat; even when he isn't filling the stat sheet with blocks, his disruptive presence alone makes him one of Carolina's most vital defenders.

To even the series, Carolina must find a way to neutralize one the UFA’s most valuable players this season, Austin Taylor. Taylor hasn't missed a beat since last season, dismantling defenses with high-volume, league-leading precision. He is currently on pace for career highs in assists, throwing yards, and plus/minus, while simultaneously leading the league in completions. One-third of the way through the season, the data is clear: Taylor remains one of the most indispensable players in the UFA.

Carolina gave Taylor room to rack up a season-best 638 yards through the air and tie a season-high with seven assists. At times, he made it look effortless. The big question heading into their next meeting is whether the Flyers make any meaningful adjustments. Do they clamp down harder on the mark when Taylor has the disc? Do they throw double teams at him to create pressure and force mistakes? He’s the engine of Atlanta’s offense, involved in far more of their scoring than any other Hustle player, so disrupting him could be the starting point for Carolina’s defensive game plan.

The good news for the Flyers is that they may get a lucky break, with Adam Miller and Brett Hulsmeyer currently expected to sit out. Without these two on the field, especially Miller who spends more time on the O-line, the task of slowing Taylor down becomes a bit more manageable. Miller was a major factor in last week’s game, arguably Atlanta’s second-most impactful offensive player on the night. 

He piled up 387 throwing yards, 59 completions, and five assists, while leading the team with a lag contribution score of 3.7, a metric that reflects how well a player’s throws set up their teammate’s next one. He also posted the second-highest Total Adjusted Expected Contribution (Tot-aEC) mark among all Hustle players, a statistic that measures how much one’s plays increase scoring likelihood. 

While the top stars and major additions get all the attention, Carolina shouldn't overlook Atlanta's Grady Richman. The 18-year-old rookie, who doesn't even head to college until this fall, has already proven he can deliver in high-stakes moments against tough teams like San Diego and Carolina. With immense upside, Richman could be quickly developing into another dangerous offensive weapon for the Hustle.

One Big Number:
33.5 - Heading into Week 5, Taylor leads the entire UFA with a Tot-aEC rating of 33.5.
3.1 - Louie has the highest Thrower Adjusted Expected Contribution (T-aEC) of any Flyer, a metric tracking the value generated by a player’s throws.

New York Empire at DC Breeze | Game of the Week 
Saturday, May 23 - 7:00 PM/ET - Watch link

Few games this season have matched the intensity of Atlanta and Carolina’s Week 4 barn burner, but New York and DC’s sudden-death thriller the week before came close.

The Week 3 matchup had the intensity of a playoff game, with both teams competing as if the season were on the line, a testament to just how much this rivalry means to each side. DC ultimately prevailed by making the most of key moments, their unexpected offensive depth proving to be the difference, and it was Wiebe van den Brink and Luke Rehfuss who delivered when it mattered most, during the game-winning play in overtime.

And that was the biggest story of that slugfest: the emergence of DC’s offensive line. After losing several key O-liners in the offseason, many expected the Breeze to regress, much like Carolina did in 2025. But DC has instead carved out a new offensive identity that looks like it could last.

The question now is whether they can maintain that momentum without some of some key O-line pieces. Miles Grovic, Gabe Dowd, and Theo Shapinsky have all been instrumental in DC’s recent offensive performances, and their absences will test the depth the Breeze have been building. Dowd and Grovic were especially influential in the Week 3 win over New York, doing significant damage as receivers and combining for eight of the team’s 26 goals.

Of the three absences, Grovic’s will sting the most. He leads the Breeze in player impact per possession (PI-P) and hucks caught (seven), and he put together a true offensive breakout against New York. He topped the team in Total Adjusted Expected Contribution (Tot-aEC), Thrower aEC, Lag Contribution, and hucks caught while setting career-highs in both assists and hockey assists.

On the other side, New York will again be without Daan de Marrée for this pivotal rematch. Without him in the lineup, they’ll need to find another way to gain an advantage in this game.

The Empire have been razor-sharp in their two wins this season, surrendering just eight turnovers in each, but they gave up twice as many in the loss to DC. There’s little doubt that DC’s elite defensive schemes and speed were a key factor in forcing those miscues, which makes New York’s offensive adjustments one of the more compelling storylines heading into this rematch.

One area where the Empire thrived was handler selection. Leaning on Alex Atkins, Jack Williams, and Solomon Rueschmeyer-Bailey as their primary handlers was effective, as all three are among the team’s most reliable options with the disc. Each managed to keep their completion percentage relatively high even against DC’s suffocating defense.

One interesting wrinkle this season has been the expanded throwing role the Empire have given Matt LaBar. Whether head coach Anthony Nuñez continues to deploy him as a handler in this rematch is worth watching. Among the top four players in completions against DC, LaBar had the most difficulty, which makes me wonder if he will retain that role against DC. That said, he was even more involved as a thrower against Colorado in Week 4, suggesting the coaching staff still trusts him with those responsibilities. LaBar’s impact on the game on Saturday will be one of the more intriguing subplots of the game.

One Big Number:
89 - LaBar completed just 89 percent of his 28 throws against the Breeze, while the other three players among the team’s top four in attempts combined for a 96.66 percent completion rate.
68.63 - Among DC’s top 12 scorers, Grovic has been the most offensively efficient, posting a rating of 68.63.