Fantasy Football Rankings: Week 5 Big Board

The NFL season has already approached its quarter pole, and fantasy football is nearly one-third of the way through. Time flies like the Dallas Cowboys' DeMarco Murray in a contract year when you're having fun.

Bleacher Report presents its Week 5 Big Board, including the Top 100 and in-depth positional rankings.

You can use these rankings to weigh your starting options or gear up for your daily fantasy football lineups, drafts and rosters. These rankings represent our predictions for the highest scorers by position—relative to their use, game plan, health and matchup.

Top 100: Keep the Faith and Your Stars Can Pay You Back

Fantasy tends to mimic reality in that patience is a virtue—one that pays off. Your early round picks might disappoint you in small sample sizes, but over the long haul, they get their numbers.

Aaron Rodgers has been one of those Jekyll-and-Hyde guys. Jamaal Charles and Matt Forte too.

Those veterans wound up rewarding their fantasy owners' faith in Week 4. LeSean McCoy, Eddie Lacy and others eventually will too.

If you're looking for buy-low opportunities, look no further than the struggling early round disappointments. That is in the book of Fantasy 101.

Lacy, Dez Bryant and Drew Brees are among the Week 5 candidates who will reward their fantasy owners' faith handsomely.

Here are Bleacher Report's Top 100 plays for fantasy Week 5. Only two lower-end teams (the Miami Dolphins and the Oakland Raiders) are on bye.

Week 5 Top 100 Rankings—Eric Mack

Rank	Flex Rankings	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Aaron Rodgers	GB	vs. Min	1	0
2	Philip Rivers	SD	vs. NYJ	5	+3
3	DeMarco Murray	DAL	vs. Hou	6	+3
4	Matt Ryan	ATL	at NYG	7	+3
5	Julio Jones	ATL	at NYG	24	+19
6	Le'Veon Bell	PIT	at Jac	9	+3
7	Jimmy Graham	NO	vs. TB	39	+32
8	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	at Jac	10	+2
9	Antonio Brown	PIT	at Jac	22	+13
10	LeSean McCoy	PHI	vs. StL	21	+11
11	Giovani Bernard	CIN	at NE	23	+12
12	Jordy Nelson	GB	vs. Min	26	+14
13	Jamaal Charles	KC	at SF	28	+15
14	A.J. Green	CIN	at NE	35	+21
15	Eddie Lacy	GB	vs. Min	31	+16
16	Matt Forte	CHI	at Car	17	+1
17	Peyton Manning	DEN	vs. Ari	2	-15
18	Dez Bryant	DAL	vs. Hou	32	+14
19	Drew Brees	NO	vs. TB	3	-16
20	Andrew Luck	IND	vs. Bal	4	-16
21	Julius Thomas	DEN	vs. Ari	52	+31
22	Randall Cobb	GB	vs. Min	42	+20
23	Alshon Jeffery	CHI	at Car	43	+20
24	Marshawn Lynch	SEA	at Was	18	-6
25	Rashad Jennings	NYG	vs. Atl	20	-5
26	Rob Gronkowski	NE	vs. Cin	74	+48
27	Calvin Johnson	DET	vs. Buf	29	+2
28	Arian Foster	HOU	at Dal	33	+5
29	Frank Gore	SF	vs. KC	37	+8
30	Demaryius Thomas	DEN	vs. Ari	34	+4
31	Brandon Marshall	CHI	at Car	44	+13
32	Zac Stacy	STL	at Phi	40	+8
33	Steve Smith	BAL	at Ind	54	+21
34	Victor Cruz	NYG	vs. Atl	53	+19
35	Andre Ellington	ARI	at Den	38	+3
36	Jeremy Maclin	PHI	vs. StL	47	+11
37	Roddy White	ATL	at NYG	61	+24
38	Matt Asiata	MIN	at GB	46	+8
39	Percy Harvin	SEA	at Was	62	+23
40	Matthew Stafford	DET	vs. Buf	8	-32
41	Kelvin Benjamin	CAR	vs. Chi	48	+7
42	Doug Martin	TB	at NO	57	+15
43	Montee Ball	DEN	vs. Ari	41	-2
44	Keenan Allen	SD	vs. NYJ	51	+7
45	Russell Wilson	SEA	at Was	11	-34
46	Alfred Morris	WAS	vs. Sea	45	-1
47	Michael Floyd	ARI	at Den	64	+17
48	Reggie Bush	DET	vs. Buf	60	+12
49	Eli Manning	NYG	vs. Atl	15	-34
50	Tony Romo	DAL	vs. Hou	16	-34
51	Ahmad Bradshaw	IND	vs. Bal	65	+14
52	Larry Donnell	NYG	vs. Atl	90	+38
53	Khiry Robinson	NO	vs. TB	66	+13
54	Martellus Bennett	CHI	at Car	82	+28
55	C.J. Spiller	BUF	at Det	76	+21
56	Andre Johnson	HOU	at Dal	63	+7
57	DeAndre Hopkins	HOU	at Dal	68	+11
58	Chris Ivory	NYJ	at SD	67	+9
59	Greg Olsen	CAR	vs. Chi	94	+35
60	Vincent Jackson	TB	at NO	59	-1
61	Julian Edelman	NE	vs. Cin	69	+8
62	Michael Crabtree	SF	vs. KC	70	+8
63	T.Y. Hilton	IND	vs. Bal	80	+17
64	Justin Forsett	BAL	at Ind	71	+7
65	Shane Vereen	NE	vs. Cin	83	+18
66	Delanie Walker	TEN	vs. Cle	102	+36
67	Stevan Ridley	NE	vs. Cin	88	+21
68	Wes Welker	DEN	vs. Ari	78	+10
69	Cordarrelle Patterson	MIN	at GB	87	+18
70	Travis Kelce	KC	at SF	115	+45
71	Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	at Den	81	+10
72	Fred Jackson	BUF	at Det	77	+5
73	Pierre Garcon	WAS	vs. Sea	79	+6
74	Marques Colston	NO	vs. TB	91	+17
75	Eric Decker	NYJ	at SD	92	+17
76	Zach Ertz	PHI	vs. StL	123	+47
77	Donald Brown	SD	vs. NYJ	84	+7
78	Terrance Williams	DAL	vs. Hou	98	+20
79	Emmanuel Sanders	DEN	vs. Ari	56	-23
80	Jordan Cameron	CLE	at Ten	111	+31
81	Reggie Wayne	IND	vs. Bal	86	+5
82	Sammy Watkins	BUF	at Det	93	+11
83	Brandin Cooks	NO	vs. TB	72	-11
84	Ben Tate	CLE	at Ten	85	+1
85	DeSean Jackson	WAS	vs. Sea	105	+20
86	Darren Sproles	PHI	vs. StL	100	+14
87	Golden Tate	DET	vs. Buf	89	+2
88	Jeremy Hill	CIN	at NE	117	+29
89	Nick Foles	PHI	vs. StL	12	-77
90	Jay Cutler	CHI	at Car	13	-77
91	Antonio Gates	SD	vs. NYJ	114	+23
92	Torrey Smith	BAL	at Ind	113	+21
93	Cam Newton	CAR	vs. Chi	19	-74
94	Joe Flacco	BAL	at Ind	25	-69
95	Bishop Sankey	TEN	vs. Cle	107	+12
96	Lorenzo Taliaferro	BAL	at Ind	128	+32
97	Steven Jackson	ATL	at NYG	95	-2
98	Jason Witten	DAL	vs. Hou	130	+32
99	Joique Bell	DET	vs. Buf	103	+4
100	Toby Gerhart	JAC	vs. Pit	101	+1

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from over 100 experts provided by FantasyPros.

Quarterbacks: Confounding Position Still Sorting Itself Out in Early Going

The top of the quarterback rankings doesn't quite match the preseason draft positions (per FantasyPros.com). The highest-scoring position in fantasy can fluctuate from week to week, mostly based on matchups.

Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers are not in the top five right now, which is where we see the likes of early 2014 MVP Andrew Luck, Matt Ryan, Philip Rivers, Jay Cutler and Matthew Stafford. Two of those players were drafted as mere backups, in fact.

Week 5 projects to be equally tossed up at quarterback. Rodgers, Rivers, Ryan and Ben Roethlisberger are among the top plays over Manning and Brees. Even Eli Manning has gone from rags to riches in one of the season's biggest turnarounds.

On the lower end, Cam Newton, Colin Kaepernick and Tom Brady have stumbled from the ranks of the trustworthy starters. For myriad reasons, we cannot quite place the same kind of faith in those slow starters that we mentioned in the Top 100 slide.

Here are Bleacher Report's top quarterback plays for Week 5, including some backups appearing because of injury-report circumstances left to sort out before the action gets underway:

Week 5 Quarterback Rankings—Eric Mack

Rank	Quarterbacks	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Aaron Rodgers	GB	vs. Min	1	0
2	Philip Rivers	SD	vs. NYJ	5	+3
3	Matt Ryan	ATL	at NYG	7	+4
4	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	at Jac	8	+4
5	Peyton Manning	DEN	vs. Ari	2	-3
6	Drew Brees	NO	vs. TB	3	-3
7	Andrew Luck	IND	vs. Bal	4	-3
8	Matthew Stafford	DET	vs. Buf	6	-2
9	Russell Wilson	SEA	at Was	9	0
10	Eli Manning	NYG	vs. Atl	13	+3
11	Tony Romo	DAL	vs. Hou	14	+3
12	Nick Foles	PHI	vs. StL	10	-2
13	Jay Cutler	CHI	at Car	11	-2
14	Cam Newton	CAR	vs. Chi	15	+1
15	Joe Flacco	BAL	at Ind	17	+2
16	Andy Dalton	CIN	at NE	16	0
17	Colin Kaepernick	SF	vs. KC	12	-5
18	Tom Brady	NE	vs. Cin	18	0
19	Carson Palmer	ARI	at Den	19	0
20	Alex Smith	KC	at SF	21	+1
21	Austin Davis	STL	at Phi	27	+6
22	Kirk Cousins	WAS	vs. Sea	25	+3
23	Blake Bortles	JAC	vs. Pit	20	-3
24	Teddy Bridgewater	MIN	at GB	22	-2
25	Ryan Fitzpatrick	HOU	at Dal	26	+1
26	Mike Glennon	TB	at NO	23	-3
27	Drew Stanton	ARI	at Den	24	-3
28	Jake Locker	TEN	vs. Cle	28	0
29	Kyle Orton	BUF	at Det	29	0
30	Geno Smith	NYJ	at SD	30	0
31	Brian Hoyer	CLE	at Ten	31	0
32	Charlie Whitehurst	TEN	vs. Cle	33	+1
33	Christian Ponder	MIN	at GB	34	+1

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from over 100 experts provided by FantasyPros.

Running Backs: You Might Have Question Marks, but at Least There Are Answers

Running back might be the most important position in fantasy football, but even when it sucks talent away from us via bye weeks, injuries and disappointing production, it is the one position that tends to give us alternatives.

You have a running back like Lamar Miller on bye? Don't worry. You have emerging timeshares like the ones in Baltimore, New Orleans, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Kansas City and Minnesota creating value from places we didn't necessarily expect.

And if you haven't gobbled up Justin Forsett, Lorenzo Taliaferro, Khiry Robinson, Terrance West, Isaiah Crowell, Ahmad Bradshaw, Knile Davis, Matt Asiata or Jerick McKinnon, don't worry. There are sure to be more hidden gems unearthed from week to week. You just have to stay active on the waiver wire and keep your eyes and ears pinned to the news.

We are also still waiting for Eddie Lacy, Montee Ball, Zac Stacy and Doug Martin to provide those early round dividends we anticipated. We stick by that quartet.

Bleacher Report breaks down the carnage at the always sketchy running back position here:

Week 5 Running Back Rankings—Eric Mack

Rank	Running Backs	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	DeMarco Murray	DAL	vs. Hou	1	0
2	Le'Veon Bell	PIT	at Jac	2	0
3	LeSean McCoy	PHI	vs. StL	6	+3
4	Giovani Bernard	CIN	at NE	7	+3
5	Jamaal Charles	KC	at SF	8	+3
6	Eddie Lacy	GB	vs. Min	9	+3
7	Matt Forte	CHI	at Car	3	-4
8	Marshawn Lynch	SEA	at Was	4	-4
9	Rashad Jennings	NYG	vs. Atl	5	-4
10	Arian Foster	HOU	at Dal	10	0
11	Frank Gore	SF	vs. KC	11	0
12	Zac Stacy	STL	at Phi	14	+2
13	Andre Ellington	ARI	at Den	12	-1
14	Matt Asiata	MIN	at GB	15	+1
15	Doug Martin	TB	at NO	17	+2
16	Montee Ball	DEN	vs. Ari	13	-3
17	Alfred Morris	WAS	vs. Sea	16	-1
18	Reggie Bush	DET	vs. Buf	18	0
19	Ahmad Bradshaw	IND	vs. Bal	19	0
20	Khiry Robinson	NO	vs. TB	20	0
21	C.J. Spiller	BUF	at Det	23	+2
22	Chris Ivory	NYJ	at SD	21	-1
23	Justin Forsett	BAL	at Ind	22	-1
24	Shane Vereen	NE	vs. Cin	26	+2
25	Stevan Ridley	NE	vs. Cin	28	+3
26	Fred Jackson	BUF	at Det	24	-2
27	Donald Brown	SD	vs. NYJ	27	0
28	Ben Tate	CLE	at Ten	25	-3
29	Darren Sproles	PHI	vs. StL	30	+1
30	Jeremy Hill	CIN	at NE	36	+6
31	Bishop Sankey	TEN	vs. Cle	29	-2
32	Lorenzo Taliaferro	BAL	at Ind	39	+7
33	Steven Jackson	ATL	at NYG	32	-1
34	Joique Bell	DET	vs. Buf	31	-3
35	Toby Gerhart	JAC	vs. Pit	34	-1
36	Bernard Pierce	BAL	at Ind	50	+14
37	Jerick McKinnon	MIN	at GB	37	0
38	Trent Richardson	IND	vs. Bal	33	-5
39	Isaiah Crowell	CLE	at Ten	35	-4
40	Pierre Thomas	NO	vs. TB	38	-2
41	Terrance West	CLE	at Ten	45	+4
42	Chris Johnson	NYJ	at SD	40	-2
43	Darrin Reaves	CAR	vs. Chi	43	0
44	Carlos Hyde	SF	vs. KC	46	+2
45	Andre Williams	NYG	vs. Atl	41	-4
46	Shonn Greene	TEN	vs. Cle	48	+2
47	Knile Davis	KC	at SF	42	-5
48	LeGarrette Blount	PIT	at Jac	47	-1
49	Fozzy Whittaker	CAR	vs. Chi	44	-5
50	Denard Robinson	JAC	vs. Pit	53	+3
51	Alfred Blue	HOU	at Dal	59	+8
52	James Starks	GB	vs. Min	60	+8
53	Robert Turbin	SEA	at Was	57	+4
54	Branden Oliver	SD	vs. NYJ	49	-5
55	Roy Helu	WAS	vs. Sea	51	-4
56	Antone Smith	ATL	at NYG	55	-1
57	Bobby Rainey	TB	at NO	56	-1
58	Chris Ogbonnaya	CAR	vs. Chi	58	0
59	Dexter McCluster	TEN	vs. Cle	62	+3
60	Devonta Freeman	ATL	at NYG	63	+3
61	Stepfan Taylor	ARI	at Den	65	+4
62	Ka'Deem Carey	CHI	at Car	66	+4
63	Benny Cunningham	STL	at Phi	67	+4
64	Joseph Randle	DAL	vs. Hou	68	+4
65	Lance Dunbar	DAL	vs. Hou	70	+5
66	Jonathan Grimes	HOU	at Dal	72	+6
67	Chris Polk	PHI	vs. StL	75	+8
68	Jacquizz Rodgers	ATL	at NYG	64	-4
69	Tre Mason	STL	at Phi
70	Christine Michael	SEA	at Was	89	+19

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from over 100 experts provided by FantasyPros.

Wide Receivers: Roller-Coaster Rides Here Can Be Frustrating

You want to know why this old fantasy hack hates drafting a wide receiver in the first round, even though the early round running backs are mostly off to hideous starts for owners? Look no further than Calvin Johnson.

He came scorching out of the gate with seven catches for 164 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1, but he is just the 47th-ranked wide receiver in fantasy points in a standard league the past three weeks. (Data was derived from the interval stats sorting in a private CBSSports fantasy league, which is why no reference link can be provided.)

Ouch. You have had to start the longtime No. 1 overall wideout during that stretch, but he has performed worse than some bye-week replacements.

Last week was the lowest of lows for Megatron. ESPN.com's Michael Rothstein reported that Johnson was used as a decoy (as previously chronicled Tuesday in B/R's Week 5 Insider Notebook) in the Detroit Lions' victory over the New York Jets, who have allowed the third-most points to fantasy wideouts (even after nearly shutting him out), per FFToday.com.

That is the way it goes in fantasy sometimes. That is particularly how it works at the roller-coaster wide receiver position. Favorable matchups tend to be good to your stars at quarterback and running back. That isn't always the case at wide receiver.

We drop the ailing Johnson (ankle) from his usual No. 1 spot to No. 8. We cannot be as certain he will be as impactful right now.

He told Rothstein the following about his health last week: "Went out there. It was tough but I figured from moving around [on Saturday] that I'd be able to get on the field a little bit. It's good to be out there with the fellas. It sucks to be on the sideline and not be able to play at all. It sucks to have injuries, too, but that's just part of the game."

Having a No. 1 wide receiver lay an egg periodically is equally a part of fantasy.

Here are B/R's Week 5 rankings at wideout:

Week 5 Wide Receiver Rankings—Eric Mack

Rank	Wide Receivers	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Julio Jones	ATL	at NYG	2	+1
2	Antonio Brown	PIT	at Jac	1	-1
3	Jordy Nelson	GB	vs. Min	3	0
4	A.J. Green	CIN	at NE	7	+3
5	Dez Bryant	DAL	vs. Hou	5	0
6	Randall Cobb	GB	vs. Min	8	+2
7	Alshon Jeffery	CHI	at Car	9	+2
8	Calvin Johnson	DET	vs. Buf	4	-4
9	Demaryius Thomas	DEN	vs. Ari	6	-3
10	Brandon Marshall	CHI	at Car	10	0
11	Steve Smith	BAL	at Ind	15	+4
12	Victor Cruz	NYG	vs. Atl	14	+2
13	Jeremy Maclin	PHI	vs. StL	11	-2
14	Roddy White	ATL	at NYG	18	+4
15	Percy Harvin	SEA	at Was	19	+4
16	Kelvin Benjamin	CAR	vs. Chi	12	-4
17	Keenan Allen	SD	vs. NYJ	13	-4
18	Michael Floyd	ARI	at Den	20	+2
19	Andre Johnson	HOU	at Dal	21	+2
20	DeAndre Hopkins	HOU	at Dal	22	+2
21	Vincent Jackson	TB	at NO	17	-4
22	Julian Edelman	NE	vs. Cin	23	+1
23	Michael Crabtree	SF	vs. KC	24	+1
24	T.Y. Hilton	IND	vs. Bal	26	+2
25	Wes Welker	DEN	vs. Ari	27	+2
26	Cordarrelle Patterson	MIN	at GB	32	+6
27	Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	at Den	29	+2
28	Pierre Garcon	WAS	vs. Sea	28	0
29	Marques Colston	NO	vs. TB	33	+4
30	Eric Decker	NYJ	at SD	35	+5
31	Terrance Williams	DAL	vs. Hou	37	+6
32	Emmanuel Sanders	DEN	vs. Ari	16	-16
33	Reggie Wayne	IND	vs. Bal	30	-3
34	Sammy Watkins	BUF	at Det	34	0
35	Brandin Cooks	NO	vs. TB	25	-10
36	DeSean Jackson	WAS	vs. Sea	39	+3
37	Golden Tate	DET	vs. Buf	31	-6
38	Torrey Smith	BAL	at Ind	42	+4
39	Greg Jennings	MIN	at GB	43	+4
40	Kendall Wright	TEN	vs. Cle	45	+5
41	Rueben Randle	NYG	vs. Atl	38	-3
42	Dwayne Bowe	KC	at SF	50	+8
43	Hakeem Nicks	IND	vs. Bal	55	+12
44	Brandon LaFell	NE	vs. Cin	56	+12
45	Brian Quick	STL	at Phi	36	-9
46	Markus Wheaton	PIT	at Jac	44	-2
47	Anquan Boldin	SF	vs. KC	47	0
48	Eddie Royal	SD	vs. NYJ	41	-7
49	Jarius Wright	MIN	at GB	59	+10
50	Mohamed Sanu	CIN	at NE	66	+16
51	Riley Cooper	PHI	vs. StL	69	+18
52	Miles Austin	CLE	at Ten	53	+1
53	Jordan Matthews	PHI	vs. StL	52	-1
54	Doug Baldwin	SEA	at Was	65	+11
55	Andrew Hawkins	CLE	at Ten	40	-15
56	Allen Robinson	JAC	vs. Pit	48	-8
57	Allen Hurns	JAC	vs. Pit	46	-11
58	Devin Hester	ATL	at NYG	64	+6
59	Steve Johnson	SF	vs. KC	63	+4
60	Harry Douglas	ATL	at NYG	61	+1
61	Malcom Floyd	SD	vs. NYJ	49	-12
62	John Brown	ARI	at Den	51	-11
63	Justin Hunter	TEN	vs. Cle	57	-6
64	Mike Williams	BUF	at Det	78	+14
65	Robert Woods	BUF	at Det	70	+5
66	Marvin Jones	CIN	at NE	58	-8
67	Cecil Shorts	JAC	vs. Pit	54	-13
68	Kenny Stills	NO	vs. TB	60	-8
69	Odell Beckham	NYG	vs. Atl	75	+6
70	Louis Murphy	TB	at NO	62	-8
71	Jermaine Kearse	SEA	at Was	67	-4
72	Davante Adams	GB	vs. Min	68	-4
73	Jeremy Kerley	NYJ	at SD	71	-2
74	Kenny Britt	STL	at Phi	73	-1
75	Jerricho Cotchery	CAR	vs. Chi	74	-1
76	Dexter McCluster	TEN	vs. Cle	76	0
77	Chris Givens	STL	at Phi	77	0
78	Andre Roberts	WAS	vs. Sea	79	+1
79	Donnie Avery	KC	at SF	80	+1
80	Nate Washington	TEN	vs. Cle	81	+1
81	Marqise Lee	JAC	vs. Pit	85	+4
82	Tavon Austin	STL	at Phi	87	+5
83	Aaron Dobson	NE	vs. Cin	86	+3
84	Danny Amendola	NE	vs. Cin	89	+5
85	Kenbrell Thompkins	NE	vs. Cin	90	+5

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from over 100 experts provided by FantasyPros.

Tight Ends: Larry Donnell Provides Punch to Top of the Rankings

Thank you, Larry Donnell. You proved our preseason point in B/R's Tight End Blueprint brilliantly correct.

We wrote, "We will beat a dead horse, if only to hammer an important fantasy-draft-strategy point home: After the top few tight ends, there isn't much to choose from between next 15 or so options. This makes for a lot of sleepers one can fall back on in the late rounds, which pushes a lot of tight end value down in drafts."

Donnell wasn't even one of those guys. Now, he is among the guys at tight end after his fantasy-leading 23-point performance in Week 4 (per CBSSports.com).

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning needed a tight end to emerge in Ben McAdoo's new offensive scheme, as he told Metro's Tony Williams:

"

Coming into this season, he just didn't have a whole lot of game action, but he's doing well. I was hoping he would be able to play to this level [and] I was excited about the possibilities for him this year. He's played really well. We do a good job of moving him around and putting him in different spots [because] he creates some mismatches.

"

Donnell, who played college ball at Grambling State, has surprised even himself.

He told Williams, "You set your goals high, sure, but I didn't really expect it to come so quick. But it has come quickly, and I just try to take advantage of all of the opportunities that I've had. It's going well. But like I said, I'm going to continue to work hard."

Count head coach Tom Coughlin as a believer. He said to Williams:

"

We've always had that [success] in the back of our minds because of his size and athleticism. Grooming him into being the all-purpose tight end, there's a lot of responsibilities there [and] there's a lot to have to accomplish, the blocking part of it, the knowledge of the game, the routes and how to run them, but he's getting it.

There's a young, inexperienced player that's eager to learn and has athleticism, has speed, has outstanding hands, so we've always had a high level of expectation for this player and how he can develop. He's gotten started along those lines. There's a long way to go, but it doesn't change what we think this player can be.

"

Donnell is not only a must-add tight end in all leagues now, but he is also a must-start option. He is No. 4 in B/R's Week 5 rankings:

Week 5 Tight End Rankings—Eric Mack

Rank	Tight Ends	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Jimmy Graham	NO	vs. TB	1	0
2	Julius Thomas	DEN	vs. Ari	2	0
3	Rob Gronkowski	NE	vs. Cin	3	0
4	Larry Donnell	NYG	vs. Atl	5	+1
5	Martellus Bennett	CHI	at Car	4	-1
6	Greg Olsen	CAR	vs. Chi	6	0
7	Delanie Walker	TEN	vs. Cle	7	0
8	Travis Kelce	KC	at SF	9	+1
9	Zach Ertz	PHI	vs. StL	12	+3
10	Jordan Cameron	CLE	at Ten	8	-2
11	Antonio Gates	SD	vs. NYJ	10	-1
12	Jason Witten	DAL	vs. Hou	13	+1
13	Heath Miller	PIT	at Jac	11	-2
14	Vernon Davis	SF	vs. KC	14	0
15	Niles Paul	WAS	vs. Sea	15	0
16	Dwayne Allen	IND	vs. Bal	16	0
17	Owen Daniels	BAL	at Ind	17	0
18	Coby Fleener	IND	vs. Bal	22	+4
19	Jordan Reed	WAS	vs. Sea	21	+2
20	Garrett Graham	HOU	at Dal	18	-2
21	Eric Ebron	DET	vs. Buf	23	+2
22	Jared Cook	STL	at Phi	19	-3
23	Ladarius Green	SD	vs. NYJ	27	+4
24	Luke Willson	SEA	at Was	25	+1
25	Logan Paulsen	WAS	vs. Sea	29	+4
26	Brandon Myers	TB	at NO	24	-2
27	Austin Seferian-Jenkins	TB	at NO	20	-7
28	Clay Harbor	JAC	vs. Pit	26	-2
29	Jermaine Gresham	CIN	at NE	28	-1
30	Jace Amaro	NYJ	at SD	30	0
31	Scott Chandler	BUF	at Det	31	0
32	Levine Toilolo	ATL	at NYG	32	0

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from over 100 experts provided by FantasyPros.

Defense/Special Teams: Detroit Lions Emerge as Every-Week Start

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

If you haven't been paying close attention, this question will trip you up: Which team has the No. 1 defense in the NFL right now?

The survey says...

Not the Seattle Seahawks (No. 6). Not the San Francisco 49ers, although it might surprise you that they have hung on at No. 2 amid injury, suspension and the impact of Father Time. Definitely not the Carolina Panthers (No. 23).

It has been the Detroit Lions, a defense that wasn't drafted in many leagues and ranked just 19th in FantasyPros.com's preseason average draft position. The Week 3 performance against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers had to be the most eye-opening.

The Lions return home to face the Buffalo Bills, who had to make a change at quarterback this week. That sets them up for another potentially productive week for fantasy owners.

Despite still being available in almost 60 percent of ESPN.com leagues and 25 percent of CBSSports.com leagues, we rank the Lions D/ST right behind the Seahawks as the No. 2 unit for fantasy Week 5:

Week 5 Defenses and Special Teams Rankings—Eric Mack

Rank	Defenses and Special Teams	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Seattle Seahawks	Sea	at Was	1	0
2	Detroit Lions	Det	vs. Buf	3	+1
3	San Diego Chargers	SD	vs. NYJ	2	-1
4	Pittsburgh Steelers	Pit	at Jac	4	0
5	San Francisco 49ers	SF	vs. KC	7	+2
6	Denver Broncos	Den	vs. Ari	5	-1
7	Cincinnati Bengals	Cin	at NE	6	-1
8	Carolina Panthers	Car	vs. Chi	10	+2
9	Green Bay Packers	GB	vs. Min	11	+2
10	New England Patriots	NE	vs. Cin	12	+2
11	New Orleans Saints	NO	vs. TB	14	+3
12	Dallas Cowboys	Dal	vs. Hou	15	+3
13	Houston Texans	Hou	at Dal	13	0
14	Chicago Bears	Chi	at Car	19	+5
15	Kansas City Chiefs	KC	at SF	22	+7
16	Cleveland Browns	Cle	at Ten	8	-8
17	Philadelphia Eagles	Phi	vs. StL	9	-8
18	Indianapolis Colts	Ind	vs. Bal	17	-1
19	Baltimore Ravens	Bal	at Ind	18	-1
20	Tennessee Titans	Ten	vs. Cle	20	0

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from over 100 experts provided by FantasyPros.

Kickers

Adam Bettcher/Getty Images

Sometimes, the best thing you can say about a fantasy kicker is that his bye week is behind him. We can say that about six options now, although the Denver Broncos' Matt Prater (suspension) won't return until Week 6.

Kicker is not necessarily a position worth your time, so having someone past his bye makes him a set-it-and-forget-it option.

Steven Hauschka and Prater's temporary replacement, Brandon McManus, are among those returning from byes this week and ranked among the top 12. Here are B/R's top kicker options for Week 5:

Week 5 Kicker Rankings—Eric Mack

Rank	Kickers	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Stephen Gostkowski	NE	vs. Cin	5	+4
2	Steven Hauschka	SEA	at Was	2	0
3	Justin Tucker	BAL	at Ind	3	0
4	Dan Bailey	DAL	vs. Hou	1	-3
5	Mason Crosby	GB	vs. Min	4	-1
6	Phil Dawson	SF	vs. KC	9	+3
7	Shayne Graham	NO	vs. TB	11	+4
8	Adam Vinatieri	IND	vs. Bal	7	-1
9	Shaun Suisham	PIT	at Jac	8	-1
10	Matt Bryant	ATL	at NYG	13	+3
11	Brandon McManus	DEN	vs. Ari	12	+1
12	Blair Walsh	MIN	at GB	14	+2
13	Cody Parkey	PHI	vs. StL	6	-7
14	Nick Novak	SD	vs. NYJ	10	-4
15	Chandler Catanzaro	ARI	at Den	18	+3
16	Mike Nugent	CIN	at NE	19	+3
17	Greg Zuerlein	STL	at Phi	20	+3
18	Robbie Gould	CHI	at Car	15	-3
19	Dan Carpenter	BUF	at Det	16	-3
20	Josh Brown	NYG	vs. Atl	17	-3

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from over 100 experts provided by FantasyPros.

Follow @EricMackFantasy

Eric Mack, one of the giants among fantasy writers, is the Fantasy Football Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, where you can ask him endless questions about your team, rip him for his content and even challenge him to a head-to-head fantasy game.