Week 5 Fantasy WR Rankings

Billy Heyen

Week 5 Fantasy WR Rankings image

If you're looking to have a big Week 5 at the wide receiver spot in fantasy football, look no further than the Buccaneers-Saints game. The Bucs just allowed more than 500 yards passing to the Rams, while Jameis Winston threw for nearly 400 himself. So, while Teddy Bridgewater is no Jared Goff, we're looking at big-game potential for Michael Thomas. And sure, the Saints slowed down Dak Prescott and company on Sunday Night Football, but we know Winston is going to air it out, which is why two Bucs players are in the top 10 of our Week 5 fantasy WR rankings.

There are plenty of top-end options aside from the receivers in that game, of course. DeAndre Hopkins will get a chance to go against Atlanta and Desmond Trufant, who was just toasted multiple times by Titans' rookie A.J. Brown. As long as Hopkins doesn't throw an interception like he did in Week 4, he should have a good game. T.Y. Hilton (@ Chiefs) and Davante Adams (@ Cowboys) both have good matchups if they can get healthy. Josh Gordon (@ Redskins) and Vikings' wideouts Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs (@ Giants) are also top plays this week.

WEEK 5 NON-PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

You already knew to start those players, though. It's down lower in the WR rankings that can really make or break a week. One middling option that shapes up to have a big week is DJ Chark (@ Panthers), who, if not for a TD called back by penalty in Week 4, would have a touchdown in each game of the season so far. Gardner Minshew continues to give Chark chances to make plays, and he could put up a line like Chris Godwin did against the Panthers in Week 2 (8-121-1). We also like Curtis Samuel on the other side of that game to continue a solid start to the season and his good rapport with Kyle Allen.

WEEK 5 PPR RANKINGS: Running backWide receiver | Tight end

Further down, there's a notable name back in the rankings this week: Golden Tate. He returns from a four-game suspension for a tough matchup with the Vikings, but he's probably worth plugging right back into PPR lineups while we wait and see in standard leagues. 

The biggest bad matchup of the week might be Tyrell Williams against the Bears in London. He's coming off scoring a touchdown in Week 4, but Derek Carr might not have time to let Williams' deeper routes develop against Chicago. Terry McLaurin (vs. Patriots), if healthy, also will have a tough go of it against a strong defense, and it might also be a tough week for John Brown (@ Titans), facing a good pass defense and potentially without Josh Allen at QB.

WEEK 5:
Top waiver pickups | FAAB planner | Trade valuesSnap counts

Bye weeks provide one big hit this week, as Kenny Golladay is off. If you were counting on them, Marvin Jones, Danny Amendola, Preston Williams and DeVante Parker will also be idle. There are plenty of other names in our rankings to provide adequate production, though.

MORE WEEK 5 DFS: Stacks | Values | Lineup builder

Reminder:  These rankings will be adjusted throughout week, so check back often for the latest updates and analysis! 

WEEK 5 DFS LINEUPS:
Y! cash | Y! GPP | FD cash | FD GPP | DK cash | DK GPP

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Week 5 Fantasy WR Rankings

These rankings are for standard, non-PPR leagues.

1 Julio Jones, ATL @ HOU
2 T.Y. Hilton, IND @ KC. If Hilton can make it back to health in time for this game, he's looking at easy double-digit targets as the Colts play catch-up or get involved in a shootout. His quad injury has proven tricky so far, though, so it's no sure thing he's back in time. 
3 Odell Beckham Jr., CLE @ SF
4 Mike Evans, TB @ NO. Just as was true in Week 4, there'll be plenty of receiving production to go around in Week 4 to make Evans and Chris Godwin both must-start fantasy options. Evans could see a lot of Marshon Lattimore on the outside, but Lattimore hasn't been as lockdown as in the past this season. 
5 DeAndre Hopkins, HOU vs. ATL
6 Michael Thomas, NO vs. TB. Thomas benefits from being a top receiver whose backup quarterback fits his play style perfectly. Teddy Bridgewater throws the high majority of his passes shorter than 10 yards downfield, and that's where Thomas thrives. Against a Tampa secondary that just allowed more than 500 yards through the air, Thomas should have plenty of room to produce. 
7 Chris Godwin, TB @ NO
8 Cooper Kupp, LAR @ SEA. It felt like Kupp was starting slow Sunday, and he still finished with more than 100 receiving yards for the third-straight week. He's the best Rams receiver and the most likely bet each week to have the best game.
9 Amari Cooper, DAL vs. GB
10 JuJu Smith-Schuster, PIT vs. BAL
11 Josh Gordon, NE @ WAS. This is a dream matchup for Gordon to put together the best game of his season. The Redskins have allowed a league-high eight touchdowns to WRs, and Josh Norman is not close to what he used to be. Lock Gordon into your lineups. 
12 Adam Thielen, MIN @ NYG. Thielen told reporters that at some point, the Vikings have to find a way to succeed through the air. A matchup with the Giants is as good a time as any. New York has allowed the third-most fantasy points to receivers this season, making Thielen and Stefon Diggs both good starts for Week 5. 
13 Stefon Diggs, MIN @ NYG
14 Keenan Allen, LAC vs. DEN
15 Tyler Boyd, CIN vs. ARZ. Arizona's defense of tight ends this season has been horrific, and we'll hope that extends to the slot receiver Boyd working over the middle of the field against a defensive group that's also just bad in general.
16 Allen Robinson, CHI vs. OAK (in UK). It looks like Chase Daniel will be playing quarterback, but that's not necessarily a downgrade for Robinson. He still gets a great matchup against a leaky Oakland secondary and should put together a solid statline. 
17 Tyler Lockett, SEA vs. LAR. Evans and Godwin just had all sorts of success against what previously seemed a powerful Rams' defense. Lockett should be licking his chops with hopes of replicating their huge day. 
18 Julian Edelman, NE @ WAS. We mentioned above with Gordon how poor Washington's secondary has been. The closest comparison to Edelman that they've played was Taylor Gabriel, and he caught three first-half touchdowns in Week 3, so that should bode well for the former Kent State quarterback.
19 Larry Fitzgerald, ARZ @ CIN
20 Alshon Jeffery, PHI vs. NYJ
21 Sammy Watkins, KC vs. IND. The Colts have been average at defending wide receivers this season, although obviously they haven't played Patrick Mahomes and company. This game probably won't shake out with all three of Watkins, Demarcus Robinson and Mecole Hardman going off, but Watkins is the best bet among them. 
22 Marquise Brown, BAL @ PIT
23 Demarcus Robinson, KC vs. IND
24 Marquez Valdes-Scantling, GB @ DAL. 
25 Jarvis Landry, CLE @ SF. Landry had 167 receiving yards in Week 4 (as opposed to Odell Beckham Jr.'s 20) before leaving the game with a concussion. A Monday night game will give Landry an extra day to try and heal. The 49ers did allow similar slot receiver Tyler Boyd to catch 10 passes for 122 yards in Week 2, so if Landry is active, he'll have a shot at another good outing. 
26 Brandin Cooks, LAR @ SEA
27 Emmanuel Sanders, DEN @ LAC
28 Robert Woods, LAR @ SEA. Woods' Week 4 was a classic example of how the Rams' wide receiver corps works. He caught 13-of-15 targets for 164 yards. It'll probably be his best game all season, but that doesn't mean he won't have six or eight catches in Week 5, maybe with a touchdown. He could also have two or three catches. You really can never sit any of Kupp, Brandin Cooks or Woods, but you never quite know who'll deliver. 
29 D.J. Moore, CAR vs. JAX
30 Sterling Shepard, NYG vs. MIN
31 Phillip Dorsett, NE @ WAS. It's hard to count on Dorsett every week as the Patriots' third receiver, but with all the Redskins' bashing we did in the Gordon and Edelman blurbs, it should be obvious that Dorsett should be in your lineup this week.
32 Curtis Samuel, CAR vs. JAX
33 John Brown, BUF @ TEN. Brown will be downgraded if it turns out Josh Allen is inactive and Matt Barkley gets the start because Barkley's deep ball is much inferior to Allen's. The Titans have also been generally stingy pass defenders this season. 
34 DJ Chark, JAX @ CAR. Every week, Gardner Minshew gives Chark a chance to make plays, and he was a flag away from four touchdowns in four games. The Panthers have allowed more than 15 catches per game to wideouts, so Chark should be looking at a seven or eight catch day if things break right in this one.
35 Courtland Sutton, DEN @ LAC
36 Terry McLaurin, WAS vs. NE. If McLaurin is healthy enough to play, he'll get a heavy dose of Stephon Gilmore and probably be slowed down. On the bright side, he could now be catching passes from his college teammate, Dwayne Haskins.
37 Mecole Hardman, KC vs. IND
38 Jamison Crowder, NYJ @ PHI. Philadelphia has allowed the most fantasy points to wide receivers in 2019. If Sam Darnold doesn't make it back, Crowder and Robby Anderson might both be worth playing as FLEX options -- Crowder for his reception volume and Anderson for his chances of hitting on a big play. 
39 Calvin Ridley, ATL @ HOU
40 Robby Anderson, NYJ @ PHI
41 D.K. Metcalf, SEA vs. LAR. The Rams just allowed Evans and Godwin to both have good fantasy days, so there's no reason the same can't be true for both Lockett and Metcalf.
42 Deebo Samuel, SF vs. CLE
43 Golden Tate, NYG vs. MIN. We'll have to see just how involved Tate is in his return from a four-game suspension to make his Giants debut, and a matchup with the solid Vikings defense might not be the best showing for Daniel Jones. But it's good to have Tate back in the fold, and he should be owned in every fantasy league.
44 Geronimo Allison, GB @ DAL
45 Tyrell Williams, OAK vs. CHI (in UK). Derek Carr won't have the time to wait for Williams to get open deep while playing against the ferocious Bears' front seven. They could always connect for a big play that makes starting him worth it, but in most leagues, it's probably best to avoid Williams this week. 
46 Will Fuller V, HOU vs. ATL
47 Nelson Agholor, PHI vs. NYJ
48 Auden Tate, CIN vs. ARZ
49 Michael Gallup, DAL vs. GB
50 Zach Pascal, IND @ KC. If Hilton is out for this game, too, one of the Colts receivers should have a big game in catch-up mode. It's hard to predict who. In Week 4, Pascal led Indy wideouts in yards, Chester Rogers caught the touchdown and Parris Campbell led in targets. All would be decent plays, but they're all sort of risky, too.
51 Corey Davis, TEN vs. BUF
52 Mike Williams, LAC vs. DEN
53 Mohamed Sanu, ATL @ HOU. Sanu has at least six targets in every game this season and looks to be a solid high-floor player as we get into the bye-week portion of the NFL schedule.
54 Javon Wims, CHI vs. OAK (in UK)
55 Deon Cain, IND @ KC
56 Chester Rogers, IND @ KC
57 Diontae Johnson, PIT vs. BAL
58 Cole Beasley, BUF @ TEN. Beasley, like Sanu, provides a high floor due to his target share and receptions, although his chances of breaking big plays or scoring touchdowns remain low.
59 Ted Ginn Jr., NO vs. TB
60 A.J. Brown, TEN vs. BUF
61 Paul Richardson, WAS vs. NE
62 James Washington, PIT vs. BAL
63 Willie Snead, BAL @ PIT
64 Adam Humphries, TEN vs. BUF
65 Randall Cobb, DAL vs. GB
66 David Moore, SEA vs. LAR
67 Dede Westbrook, JAX @ CAR
68 Mack Hollins, PHI vs. NYJ
69 Trey Quinn, WAS vs. NE

Billy Heyen