Week 5 Fantasy Football Rankings: Standard and PPR Leagues

RotoBaller brings you our Week 5 fantasy football rankings and rankings analysis, by authors Zach Wilkens (@LopsidedTrades) and Ryan Rufe (@RyanRufe).

Week 5 Fantasy Football Rankings

The NFL season is now basically 1/4 of the way through ladies and gents. You should be familiar with the routine by now, but just in case you weren't sure, every week fellow RotoBaller Ryan Rufe and I will be posting our weekly fantasy football rankings and rankings analysis, based on team matchups and expected player performances for the week. Below are RotoBaller's Week 5 fantasy football rankings for all positions including running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, kickers and team defenses. Hopefully our rankings can help guide you in Week 5, and every other week of the NFL season, when setting your fantasy football lineups. Good luck RotoBallers!

2014 Fantasy Football Rankings powered by FantasyPros
 
 

Week 5 Quarterback Rankings Analysis

(Wilkens Analysis) - I doubted Andrew Luck last week, but I won't make the same mistake twice. He's been unstoppable so far. Philip Rivers is also off to a hot start and he slides in at #6 against the weak Jets secondary. A must start for his owners.

I thought Tony Romo looked excellent last week for the first time all year. He has a great offensive line and as a result he stays in my top 10 this week. Eli Manning did score 17 points against the Texans after all. Speaking of Eli he has another great matchup and things are clicking right now, he's a great start for anyone lacking an elite QB. Ben Roethlisberger has been solid in three of four games so far. He gets his best matchup of the year this week and should do well.

Matt Ryan's offensive line is banged up and I could easily see him struggling heavily this week. I'd avoid. Mike Glennon comes in at #14 in a great matchup against the Saints, can't go wrong there. I really liked what I saw from Teddy Bridgewater this past week but he now plays in Lambeau on a short week with a bum ankle. It's a huge test and I wouldn't risk it this week, but if he plays well I think he's the real deal. Lastly, there is absolutely no reason to be starting Tom Brady this week. He doesn't look great, his receivers are bad and it's a tough matchup. If you own him you should really drop him.

(Rufe Analysis) - Philip Rivers sparked the San Diego Chargers to an upset win over the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks in week 2, and he easily dispatched of the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars in successive weeks. With Ryan Mathews ailing, Danny Woodhead on IR and Donald Brown ineffective, Rivers will continue to carry the team on his back against the New York Jets, who are dominant against the run but are allowing the second-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. I typically don't finalize my rankings until Saturday, but I'm fairly confident Rivers won't move from the top of my QB ranks this week.

Another signal caller I like more this week than the consensus is Russell Wilson, who never seems to get enough credit in the fake pigskin game despite his rushing ability. I love his match up this week against the Redskins, who are giving up a ton of points this season and will be without DeAngelo Hall in the secondary.  Ryan Fitzpatrick has top 10 upside at the QB position this week, while Brian Hoyer is 4-2 as the Cleveland Browns' starting QB while the team averages 26.5 points per game in his starts.

Week 5 Running Back Rankings Analysis

(Wilkens Analysis) - Le'Veon Bell and DeMarco Murray have been two of the hottest backs to start the season and that should continue here. The Steelers should get the lead early and run the ball a ton which makes LeGarrette Blount a sneaky play as well.

Jamaal Charles should have successfully calmed his doubters last week. San Francisco makes for a tough matchup but I'm not worried at all. LeSean McCoy on the other hand faces a tough defensive line and has looked awful of late. I'm really worried but I'm still holding out hope. I'm also worried about Eddie Lacy who is outside my top 10 this week and hasn't really looked good all year. He really needs a big game to help his owners relax.

I thought Khiry Robinson did very well last week in the loss. They should win handily this week which means a lot of carries for Khiry and a very nice game. On the opposite end, Doug Martin faces the weak Saints defense but it's hard to imagine the Bucs running a ton in this game. He didn't look good last week against the injured Steelers either. Bishop Sankey looks poised to take over the starting job in Tennessee following a couple strong outings. I wouldn't feel great about starting him until he gets 15+ touches though. Ben Tate is looking set to return this week. If he doesn't I would rather start Isaiah Crowell than Terrance West, he has consistently looked better. Justin Forsett was the back to own in Baltimore but I'm still not confident who it is going to be going forward. I have to imagine Bernard Pierce will be getting touches and Lorenzo Taliaferro did a nice job as well. I still like Taliaferro best.

It helped that the Chiefs won big but it looks like Knile Davis has a role in this offense with or without Jamaal Charles. They make a nice combo. He is definitely on the lesser side but as long as they aren't getting blown out he should see 12-15 touches. Darrin Reaves is supposedly getting the start for the Panthers this week but I can't say I am interested. Chris Ogbonnaya was just signed and Fozzy Whittaker may or may not be back as well. Reaves is potentially worth a speculative add in case he does well and secures a role but it's quite the longshot.

(Rufe Analysis) - When Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt said rookie running back Bishop Sankey would get more playing time starting this week against the Cleveland Browns, Twitter practically exploded with the "Free Bishop" and "Keep Calm and Sankey On" tweets. My hometown Browns are pretty bad against the run, so this news bodes well for his fantasy outlook in week 5. Another running back who I think might surprise some people this week is the Jets' Chris Johnson. I'd start him as a flex in PPR formats, as I anticipate New York will be playing from behind much of the game. Chris Ivory has come on strong recently, but CJ?K is still the better receiver out of the backfield.

Week 4 Wide Receiver Rankings Analysis

(Wilkens Analysis) - If I knew Calvin Johnson was going to be fine he'd be top 3. He's a must start regardless, but as it stands there is the small chance he could put up a dud again. The Cardinals will be throwing a ton and as a result it should be a great game for Michael Floyd with a lot of potential for Larry Fitzgerald and John Brown as well.

Keenan Allen finally showed up last week. I have no worries going forward. Vincent Jackson has still been pretty bad the last couple of weeks with only a touchdown saving him each game. It might be the same story this week with the Bucs throwing a lot. It's obviously going to be a tough matchup for DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon. I'd prefer to avoid both but I like Jackson a little better this week. He has a better chance for a big play.

I'm still cautiously optimistic about Marques Colston's season. Drew Brees hasn't exactly meant expectations yet. When/if he does, one of Colston/Cooks is going to benefit in a big way. It's hard to know what to expect from Cordarrelle Patterson in a given week. Tons of upside but he seems pretty risky at this point. Markus Wheaton could be a nice play against the Jags. It's not hard to see both him and Antonio Brown having huge days.

A QB change in Buffalo may increase the value of Sammy Watkins and/or Robert Woods but we'll know more after this week. Keep an eye on the situation. The Jaguars situation didn't exactly clear up this past week. Cecil Shorts got hurt but Marqise Lee should return and Allen Robinson was only slightly favored over Allen Hurns. I prefer Robinson but still wouldn't want to start any of them until a clear top option develops. I'm not buying into Eddie Royal. Maybe I'm wrong, but we went through this early last season and I was right then.

(Rufe Analysis) - Emmanuel Sanders, Reuben Randle, Eric Decker and Sammy Watkins are just a few wideouts who I think don't get enough love in the weekly rankings. Conversely, Andre Johnson, Percy Harvin and Cordarelle Patterson continue to be ranked as WR2's while I feel all three are boom-or-bust WR3's.

Week 5 Tight End Rankings Analysis

(Wilkens Analysis) - Gronk continues to score touchdowns, but the yardage isn't there right now. Given the offensive woes, he has slipped out of my top 3 for the first time. Jay Cutler is just loving Martellus Bennett right now. He couldn't score but he still had a big day anyway. Jordan Cameron should be fully healthy coming off the bye. Others might be scared to start him given that he hasn't done much but I'd start with confidence. It's hard to know how healthy Vernon Davis will be but I think if you own him you start him.

Heath Miller delivered on a great matchup last week, no reason he can't do it again. Travis Kelce looked fantastic. Larry Donnell might have gotten all the attention for his three touchdowns, but I'd be equally thrilled as an owner of either. I wouldn't be excited to start Niles Paul (concussion) if he's active but the Seahawks have shown a vulnerability to tight ends this year. There is also an outside chance Jordan Reed plays. Jason Witten had his best game of the season last week and it wasn't great. He is droppable. Eric Ebron's ownership is on the rise but I'd rather own Jace Amaro or Austin Seferian-Jenkins. Their path to targets is less clear on a weekly basis. Ebron is definitely helped in the short term by the injury to Joseph Fauria but I'm still not interested.

(Rufe Analysis) - Don't sleep on Jaguars tight end Clay Harbor in PPR leagues. With Cecil Shorts, Marcedes Lewis and Marqise Lee all nursing injuries, rookie QB Blake Bortles should look Harbor's way often on Sundayagainst the Steelers. Harbor secured all eight of his targets against the Chargers last week for 70 receiving yards and he could produce a similar stat line with a possible touchdown against the Steelers. I'm actually considering moving him up from his current TE14 ranking.