Through all the drama we've seen in and around the NFL over the past two weeks, some of it has actually involved the sport of football! The running back position continues to be one of the most polarizing — and massively important — in fantasy football. Just like the Travis Kelce-Taylor Swift fall storyline becoming the new pop culture phenomenon, we don't quite know how we got to this point at RB, but we do know that we can help guide you through it all with our Week 5 fantasy RB rankings for standard leagues.
We haven't just reached the season of love at Arrowhead Stadium — we've also entered the dreaded season of bye weeks. The savviest of owners already started preparing for byes with the help of our Waiver Wire Watchlist, but there's still plenty of work to be done between now and the Week 5 games. Our goal is to inform you of the sleepers and bust candidates, the high ceilings and low floors, and everything in between. In this business, just like any industry, preparedness leads to success.
So, let's get you prepped with our Week 5 RB rankings for standard leagues. We'll discuss the byes, upper-echelon options, high-upside sleepers, volatile bust candidates, potential returns (Jonathan Taylor!), and injuries of note. Good luck, have fun, check back often, and enjoy Week 5 of the reality show we call the NFL!
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Which RBs are on bye in Week 5?
The Seahawks, Browns, Buccaneers, and Chargers are off this week, meaning fantasy owners lose the services of Kenneth Walker III, Jerome Ford, Rachaad White, and Austin Ekeler/Joshua Kelley.
WEEK 5 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Walker is the biggest loss, but Ford, White, and Kelley have been mostly borderline plays. Nonetheless, they are unquestioned starters, so hopefully you have some depth on your roster.
WEEK 5 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Who are the best fantasy RBs in Week 5?
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to guess our No. 1 man — Christian McCaffrey (vs. Cowboys in Week 5) should be the frontrunner for MVP with all that he's done for this undefeated 49ers squad. We pray for your continued good health, Sir CMC. As for a different award, Offensive Rookie of the Year will be tough to pry away from Bijan Robinson (vs. Texans) after he gets down with this juicy matchup. (Ironically, the other top contender for OROY is under center for the opposing squad -- we see you, C.J. Stroud!).
CMC and Bijan should continue to see weekly company from Dolphins backs Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane (vs. Giants) at the top of the rankings, especially in soft home matchups like this one. The G-Men's D had been one of the six most generous units to RBs entering Week 4.
We had two important sightings in Week 4, one from King Derrick Henry (@ Colts) and one from Josh Jacobs (vs. Packers). They should be rockin' and rollin' again in strong Week 5 matchups against Indy and Green Bay, respectively.
Speaking of rocking the suburbs, David Montgomery (vs. Panthers) rocked Lambeau last week with 30-plus points. He's the man in Motown until further notice. Similarly, both Alvin Kamara (@ Patriots) and Isiah Pacheco (@ Vikings) don't have much competition in their respective backfields. If Saquon Barkley (@ Dolphins) plays, you play him. If he doesn't, you can bump Matt Breida up 15 spots — but that's about it. As we have learned again and again from the Chargers' Joshua Kelley, handcuffs aren't must-starts.
WEEK 5 FANTASY ADVICE:
Sleepers | Busts | Projections | Start 'em, sit 'em
Who are the best fantasy RB sleepers, waiver pickups in Week 5?
The Achane train left the waiver-wire station long ago, and Kyren Williams (vs. Eagles) has gone from hot pickup to the most heavily used RB in football. If you're in dire need of a back, you'd better spend up big time on the Broncos' Jaleel McLaughlin (vs. Jets). New York just got steamrolled by the aforementioned Pacheco on Sunday Night Football, and McLaughlin looked damn good against the Bears (we know, it's the Bears...but still!). Sean Payton's top RB will always have a solid fantasy ceiling, and we're pretty sure Payton's not a big Samaje Perine guy (though he should be picked up, too).
The Cowboys' Deuce Vaughn (@ 49ers) might not be an immediate stream, but he should probably be owned in all 12-team leagues and in 10-team leagues by the Tony Pollard owner. Like Denver, Dallas relies upon its run game to get its offense going — and if anything were to happen to the highly-worked Pollard, Vaughn would be the next man up now that Rice Dowdle hurt his hip.
WEEK 5 DFS:
DK lineup | FD lineup | Best values | Best stacks
Who are the biggest potential fantasy RB busts in Week 5?
While we don't expect him to be a "bust" per se, Kyren Williams (vs. Eagles) has a pretty tough game lined up against an elite Philly front-seven. We even ranked Miles Sanders (@ Lions) above KW, and that's despite Sanders sharing carries with Chuba Hubbard and Detroit holding the Packers' Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon to 29 ground yards. Speaking of the Pack backs, start Jones (@ Raiders) but don't even think about starting Dillon. He's downright bad, averaging 2.7 yards per carry and converting just six first downs in 44 carries.
Rhamondre Stevenson (vs. Saints) has also been putrid, and his offensive line doesn't deserve all the blame. He's too tentative with the ball, not exploding through holes like we saw from him last year in his breakout. We're also tempering our expectations with Zack Moss (vs. Titans), who will face a defense that stops the run very well but can't stop the pass unless a broken Joe Burrow rolls into town. Of course, Jonathan Taylor (ankle) could return and make Moss an afterthought, but we're expecting at least one more week of Moss in a starting role.
What are the biggest RB injuries in Week 5?
We've seen a ton of injuries to high-profile skill-position players this season, and last week was no exception. Highlighting the RB crop that went down, the Broncos' Javonte Williams suffered a hip and possible groin injury that could force him to miss a game. His absence means a heightened role for backups Jaleel McLaughlin and Samaje Perine (vs. Jets). Like we said in the waivers section, McLaughlin's the guy to put at the front of your FAAB requests.
Speaking of backups, the Cowboys' Rico Dowdle (@ 49ers) also suffered a hip injury, which could result in increased opportunities for Deuce Vaughn. With Saquon Barkley (@ Dolphins) still dealing with his high-ankle sprain, don't cut Matt Breida loose quite yet.
We're still keeping an eye on Austin Ekeler and his ankle injury, but the Chargers have Week 5 off, so let's just all cross our fingers that Ek will be back in Week 6. Similarly, we'll be watching Jonathan Taylor (ankle) closely this week, as he's eligible to return but has multiple issues (injury, trade request, working his way back to full speed) that could keep him out for at least one more game.
Aaron Jones (hamstring), David Montgomery (quad), and Justice Hill (toe) all returned to action last week, but Jamaal Williams (hamstring) remains out until at least Week 7.
We'll continue to update our standard RB rankings throughout the week, so check back for updates.
Fantasy RB Rankings Week 5: Who to start, sit at running back
Rankings based on standard, non-PPR scoring
Rank Player
1 Christian McCaffrey, 49ers vs. Cowboys
2 Bijan Robinson, Falcons vs. Texans
3 Raheem Mostert, Dolphins vs. Giants
4 Derrick Henry, Titans @ Colts
5 Tony Pollard, Cowboys @ 49ers
6 Josh Jacobs, Raiders vs. Packers
7 Joe Mixon, Bengals @ Cardinals
8 Travis Etienne, Jaguars vs. Bills
9 David Montgomery, Lions vs. Panthers
10 Alvin Kamara, Saints @ Patriots
11 Isiah Pacheco, Chiefs @ Vikings
12 James Cook, Bills vs. Jaguars
13 Aaron Jones, Packers @ Raiders
14 De'Von Achane, Dolphins vs. Giants
15 Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots vs. Saints
16 Miles Sanders, Panthers @ Lions
17 Kyren Williams, Rams vs. Eagles
18 D'Andre Swift, Eagles @ Rams
19 Breece Hall, Jets @ Broncos
20 Brian Robinson Jr., Commanders vs. Bears
21 James Conner, Cardinals vs. Bengals
22 Dameon Pierce, Texans @ Falcons
23 Jonathan Taylor, Colts vs. Titans
24 Jaleel McLaughlin, Broncos vs. Jets
25 Jaylen Warren, Steelers vs. Ravens
26 Najee Harris, Steelers vs. Ravens
27 Tyler Allgeier, Falcons vs. Texans
28 Alexander Mattison, Vikings vs. Chiefs
29 Khalil Herbert, Bears @ Commanders
30 Matt Breida, Giants @ Dolphins
31 Gus Edwards, Ravens @ Steelers
32 Samaje Perine, Broncos vs. Jets
33 Jerick McKinnon, Chiefs @ Vikings
34 Antonio Gibson, Commanders vs. Bears
35 Dalvin Cook, Jets @ Broncos
36 Ezekiel Elliott, Patriots vs. Saints
37 Zack Moss, Colts vs. Titans
38 Tank Bigsby, Jaguars @ Bills
39 Justice Hill, Ravens @ Steelers
40 Chuba Hubbard, Panthers @ Lions
41 Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Chiefs @ Vikings
42 Deuce Vaughn, Cowboys @ 49ers
43 AJ Dillon, Packers @ Raiders
44 Jordan Mason, 49ers vs. Cowboys
45 Kendre Miller, Saints @ Patriots
46 Latavius Murray, Bills vs. Jaguars
47 Kenneth Gainwell, Eagles @ Rams
48 Roschon Johnson, Bears @ Commanders
49 Cam Akers, Vikings vs. Chiefs
50 Trey Sermon, Colts vs. Titans
51 Melvin Gordon, Ravens @ Steelers
52 Tyjae Spears, Titans @ Colts
53 Damien Harris, Bills vs. Jaguars
Week 5 RB fantasy projections, rankings from Draft Sharks
Draft Sharks projections for the new week will update every Tuesday and be constantly adjusted throughout the week
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