It has been a wild NFL season on the field, in the luxury suites, and in fantasy land. While some things change — like Travis Kelce leveling up his celebrity status — other things stay the same, like running back remaining the most important position in fantasy football. Our Week 5 RB PPR rankings will help you navigate this wild world and cruise into the first bye week with a leg up on your upcoming opponents.
Another thing that remains the same: Injuries stink. We have yet to see the returns of PPR legends Austin Ekeler and Saquon Barkley since their early-season ankle injuries, but we have seen some breakouts from young studs we never saw coming. Kyren Williams and Zack Moss have been revelations, James Conner has been more dependable than Najee Harris, and the duo of Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane has practically taken over the position.
Of course, Christian McCaffrey probably has something to say about that after the MVP candidate finished his Week 4 game against the Cardinals with a whopping four TDs and 177 all-purpose yards. With Ek and 'Quon on the shelf, CMC sits in a tier all by himself at the top, with only Falcons rookie Bijan Robinson even sniffing the outside looking in.
WEEK 5 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Don't find yourself on the outside looking in this coming weekend — make sure you're preparing for your next matchup, patching the holes in your lineup, and starting your optimal RBs and flexes so you can achieve some PPR success.
WEEK 5 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Below, we will discuss all things RB in Week 5: the players on bye, the upper-echelon options, the top sleepers and stream options, and the potential busts and injury concerns.
MORE: Watch NFL RedZone live with Sling (50% off first month)
Which RBs are on bye in Week 5?
The Seahawks, Browns, Buccaneers, and Chargers all have byes this week, which means fantasy owners must go without the likes of Kenneth Walker III, Jerome Ford, Rachaad White, and Joshua Kelley. Of course, Austin Ekeler will also be unavailable, but he's been unavailable for weeks because of an ankle injury anyway.
KW3 is the biggest loss here, as he's been superb for Seattle over the past couple of weeks, while Ford and White sit a couple of tiers below him. Kelley has been awful, so a week without him might be a blessing in disguise.
WEEK 5 FANTASY ADVICE:
Sleepers | Busts | Projections | Start 'em, sit 'em
Who are the best fantasy RBs in Week 5?
We might as well hold a contest for readers to write this section, as the opening paragraph always involves Christian McCaffrey (vs. Cowboys in Week 5). If we had an MVP vote and voting took place today, we would lock CMC in quicker than Kamala Harris would lock in a vote for Joe Biden. McCaffrey had four TDs and 177 total yards in Week 4, and Dallas could be without top linebacker Micah Parsons (ankle) this weekend.
He's no MVP, but the Falcons' Bijan Robinson (vs. Texans) sure looks like a lock for Offensive Rookie of the Year. The stud dual-purpose back showed off some tricks from his bag over in London, one of the sole impact players for Atlanta in a tough overseas showing. Robinson should go off against the Texans, who once again rank among the most generous rushing defenses in the NFL.
It was nice to see reigning rushing champ Josh Jacobs (vs. Packers) playing better in Week 4 against the Chargers. A juicy home matchup with Green Bay should produce even better results, so Jacobs landed himself in our top five just above Travis Etienne Jr. (vs. Bills). Alvin Kamara (@ Patriots) is also back — from suspension — and Week 4 showed us that he needn't worry too much about sharing the ball with the younger backs on New Orleans' depth chart. He also needn't worry much about the Pats, who have struggled to contain impact backs this year.
Both James Cook (vs. Jaguars) and Aaron Jones (@ Raiders) struggled running the ball in tough matchups last week against the Dolphins and Lions, respectively, but this week should be a much different story. We expect more of the same strong play we saw from Isiah Pacheco (@ Vikings) on Sunday Night Football against the Jets. After 23 touches, 158 yards, and a TD, it's official: Pacheco's a stud.
WEEK 5 DFS:
DK lineup | FD lineup | Best values | Best stacks
Who are the best fantasy RB sleepers, waiver pickups Week 5?
New York just got steamrolled by the aforementioned Pacheco on Sunday Night Football, and Jaleel McLaughlin looked damn good against the Bears in relief of Javonte Williams (hip) last week. Sean Payton's top RB will always have a solid fantasy ceiling, and it appears McLaughlin is ahead of Samaje Perine for now. Both should be picked up, but McLaughlin is the only one worth a flex spot in PPR leagues if Williams remains out.
Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook (@ Broncos) face fantasy's most generous defense to RBs, and while the Broncos' RB stats are inflated by the eight-TD debacle against Miami in Week 3, both Hall and Cook can work as flex backs this week. We'd also be sure to start borderline guys Brian Robinson Jr. (vs. Bears), Jahmyr Gibbs (vs. Panthers), and Gus Edwards (vs. Steelers) against defenses that entered Week 4 in the top 10 in fantasy points allowed to RBs. Deep leaguers can even try Tyler Allgeier (vs. Texans).
Who are the biggest potential fantasy RB busts in Week 5?
One of the biggest PPR disappointments through four weeks, the Patriots' Rhamondre Stevenson (vs. Saints), continued his struggles against Dallas in Week 4. Now he has a tough matchup with New Orleans, a defense that limited Tampa's Rachaad White and Ke'Shawn Vaughn to a combined 3.0 yards per carry last week. We're selling 'Mondre where we can — this Pats team has a suspect o-line, inconsistent play from QB Mac Jones, and a morale we haven't seen so low since Tom Brady left Foxboro. We're still probably starting him if we have him — he does still see 15-plus touches per game — but we know he's not winning us a matchup right now.
Temper your expectations with Zack Moss (vs. Titans), who has been otherwise awesome since he returned from his arm injury. Even if Jonathan Taylor doesn't come off the PUP list, Moss has a stiff challenge against one of the better run defenses in the league. We have similar concerns with Jaylen Warren (vs. Ravens) in a divisional matchup, although his role in the receiving game offers him enough upside to sneak him into flex territory in PPR leagues.
As for guys we used to but no longer regard as high-ceiling PPR guys, tread lightly with Jerick McKinnon (@ Vikings), Justice Hill (@ Steelers), and Antonio Gibson (vs. Bears). All three of these guys looked pretty bad in Week 4, while all three of these defenses actually performed pretty well against RBs.
What are the biggest RB injuries in Week 5?
There was only one noteworthy in-game RB injury in Week 4, but it was potentially a big one. Denver's Javonte Williams suffered a hip injury that could force him to miss a game. Jaleel McLaughlin and Samaje Perine (vs. Jets) shared carries in his absence, but as we said in the waivers section, McLaughlin's the guy to put at the front of your FAAB requests.
We're still keeping an eye on Austin Ekeler (ankle) even with the Chargers having Week 5 off. More pressing are ankle injuries for Saquon Barkley and Jonathan Taylor. While we tentatively expect Barkley to return, we're less optimistic about Taylor. He's working through multiple issues (injury, trade request, getting back to full speed), so a conservative bet would be on JT missing 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 RB PPR rankings throughout the week, so check back for updates.
Fantasy RB PPR Rankings Week 5: Who to start, sit at running back
Rankings based on full-point PPR scoring formats
Rank Player
1 Christian McCaffrey, 49ers vs. Cowboys
2 Bijan Robinson, Falcons vs. Texans
3 Raheem Mostert, Dolphins vs. Giants
4 Tony Pollard, Cowboys @ 49ers
5 Josh Jacobs, Raiders vs. Packers
6 Travis Etienne, Jaguars vs. Bills
7 Alvin Kamara, Saints @ Patriots
8 James Cook, Bills vs. Jaguars
9 Joe Mixon, Bengals @ Cardinals
10 Aaron Jones, Packers @ Raiders
11 Derrick Henry, Titans @ Colts
12 David Montgomery, Lions vs. Panthers
13 Isiah Pacheco, Chiefs @ Vikings
14 Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots vs. Saints
15 Miles Sanders, Panthers @ Lions
16 D'Andre Swift, Eagles @ Rams
17 Breece Hall, Jets @ Broncos
18 Kyren Williams, Rams vs. Eagles
19 James Conner, Cardinals vs. Bengals
20 De'Von Achane, Dolphins vs. Giants
21 Jonathan Taylor, Colts vs. Titans
22 Brian Robinson Jr., Commanders vs. Bears
23 Jaylen Warren, Steelers vs. Ravens
24 Jaleel McLaughlin, Broncos vs. Jets
25 Najee Harris, Steelers vs. Ravens
26 Dameon Pierce, Texans @ Falcons
27 Tyler Allgeier, Falcons vs. Texans
28 Alexander Mattison, Vikings vs. Chiefs
29 Khalil Herbert, Bears @ Commanders
30 Matt Breida, Giants @ Dolphins
31 Jerick McKinnon, Chiefs @ Vikings
32 Antonio Gibson, Commanders vs. Bears
33 Gus Edwards, Ravens @ Steelers
34 Dalvin Cook, Jets @ Broncos
35 Zack Moss, Colts vs. Titans
36 Justice Hill, Ravens @ Steelers
37 Ezekiel Elliott, Patriots vs. Saints
38 Chuba Hubbard, Panthers @ Lions
39 Tank Bigsby, Jaguars @ Bills
40 Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Chiefs @ Vikings
41 Deuce Vaughn, Cowboys @ 49ers
42 Jordan Mason, 49ers vs. Cowboys
43 AJ Dillon, Packers @ Raiders
44 Kenneth Gainwell, Eagles @ Rams
45 Samaje Perine, Broncos vs. Jets
46 Kendre Miller, Saints @ Patriots
47 Latavius Murray, Bills vs. Jaguars
48 Roschon Johnson, Bears @ Commanders
49 Trey Sermon, Colts vs. Titans
50 Melvin Gordon, Ravens @ Steelers
51 Tyjae Spears, Titans @ Colts
52 Cam Akers, Vikings vs. Chiefs
53 Damien Harris, Bills vs. Jaguars
Week 5 RB PPR fantasy projections, rankings from Draft Sharks
We're proud to offer SN Fantasy readers an exclusive look at Draft Sharks’ award-winning projections and rankings every week. To see Draft Sharks' Week 5 3D floor-to-ceiling projections for running backs -- plus get access to all of Draft Sharks' industry-leading tools -- become a Draft Sharks' member today at the link below!
TRY DRAFT SHARKS FREE: Dominate with exclusive tools, including Free-Agent Finder & Trade Navigator!
