Week 5 Fantasy Football Rankings: Lineup Advice for Every Position

It might seem difficult to believe, but we're already getting into the second month of the 2016 NFL season. Four weeks of football action have passed, which naturally means four weeks of the fantasy season are now in the books.

For many leagues, this means a third of the regular season is over. A number of top players have been injured, some surprise players have emerged and some teams simply are not what we thought they could be. 

In short, the fantasy landscape looks a whole lot different than it did a month ago.

If you've managed to get off to a strong start in your league, great. If things haven't gone so smoothly, however, these next couple of weeks are going to be critical.

We're here to help as we head into Week 5 with some positional fantasy rankings. We'll be looking at the top players at each position and ranking them based on factors such as past performance, pending matchup, team trends and injuries, where applicable.

We'll also be taking an in-depth look at some of the biggest risers and fallers at each skill position.

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Tom Brady, NE	@ CLE
2	Andrew Luck, IND	CHI
3	Ben Roethlisberger, PIT	NYJ
4	Philip Rivers, SD	@ OAK
5	Joe Flacco, BAL	WAS
6	Cam Newton, CAR	TB
7	Aaron Rodgers, GB	NYG
8	Carson Wentz, PHI	@ DET
9	Andy Dalton, CIN	@ DAL
10	Eli Manning, NYG	@ GB
11	Derek Carr, OAK	SD
12	Carson Palmer, ARI	@ SF
13	Matt Ryan, ATL	@ DEN
14	Brian Hoyer, CHI	@ IND
15	Kirk Cousins, WAS	@ BAL
16	Matthew Stafford, DET	PHI
17	Sam Bradford, MIN	HOU
18	Jameis Winston, TB	@ CAR
19	Marcus Mariota, TEN	@ MIA
20	Paxton Lynch, DEN	ATL

Up: Tom Brady, New England Patriots

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

We can't really judge how New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has looked this season because he hasn't yet played in 2016. Brady, of course, was given a four-game suspension for his alleged role in the Patriots' deflated-football scandal.

Whether you believe in Brady's innocence or not, one thing is clear: Brady is back. From Adam Schefter of ESPN:

To gauge Brady's likely output this week, we can look at what backup Jimmy Garoppolo produced during his time at the helm. In roughly six quarters, Garoppolo racked up 496 yards and four touchdowns.

Garoppolo did that without the aid of star tight end Rob Gronkowski.

Brady should have a relatively healthy Gronkowski with which to work this week, and he'll be going up a Cleveland Browns defense rated just 24th in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus.

Toss in the fact that Brady is probably coming in with a nasty attitude, and you might end up with a fantasy performance that is downright frightening.

Down: Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins have put a whole lot of resources into quarterback Ryan Tannehill. They drafted him high, gave him a sizable contract extension and went out and hired Adam Gase as head coach in order to help him improve.

The problem is that Tannehill just can't seem to fit the role of a franchise quarterback. He is serviceable—his career passer rating of 85.3 is roughly the same as Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck's—but there are so many little things that he seems to miss on.

Last week, for example, he committed two turnovers and converted just two of 11 third-down attempts.

"Not a lot worked," Tannehill said of his game against the Cincinnati Bengals, per Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald. "We really didn't do anything well. It was one of our worst performances from our offense in a long time. ... No consistency. No execution. Too many mistakes."

Mistake-prone quarterbacks are not the ones you want to trust in an important midseason fantasy battle. On top of Tannehill's shortcomings is the fact that he's facing a pretty good Tennessee Titans defense.

Pro Football Focus rates the Titans third in pass coverage through Week 4. Don't expect a great outing from Miami's signal-caller this week.

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	DeMarco Murray, TEN	@ MIA
2	C.J. Anderson, DEN	ATL
3	Ezekiel Elliott, DAL	CIN
4	Le'Veon Bell, PIT	NYJ
5	David Johnson, ARI	@ SF
6	Melvin Gordon, SD	@ OAK
7	LeSean McCoy, BUF	@ LA
8	Matt Forte, NYJ	@ PIT
9	Isaiah Crowell, CLE	NE
10	Lamar Miller, HOU	@ MIN
11	Frank Gore, IND	CHI
12	Jordan Howard, CHI	@ IND
13	LeGarrette Blount, NE	@ CLE
14	Charles Sims, TB	@ CAR
15	Devonta Freeman, ATL	@ DEN
16	Theo Riddick, DET	PHI
17	Jerick McKinnon, MIN	HOU
18	Terrance West, BAL	WAS
19	Eddie Lacy, GB	NYG
20	Latavius Murray, OAK	SD
21	Carlos Hyde, SF	ARI
22	Darren Sproles, PHI	@ DET
23	Jeremy Hill, CIN	@ DAL
24	Matt Jones, WAS	@ BAL
25	Duke Johnson, CLE	NE
26	Ryan Mathews, PHI	@ DET
27	Giovani Bernard, CIN	@ DAL
28	Fozzy Whittaker, CAR	TB
29	Tevin Coleman, ATL	@ DEN
30	James White, NE	@ CLE

Up: Le'Veon Bell, Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell made his 2016 debut on Sunday night against the Kansas City Chiefs. He made his first game back an impactful one for fantasy owners, racking up 144 yards on the ground and five catches for 34 more yards.

It's clear that the Steelers aren't going to ease Bell back into the starters role. This is why he is a rising player and a must-start, even against a New York Jets defense rated seventh against the run by Pro Football Focus.

George Gojkovich/Getty Images

Some even seem to believe that Bell is better than he was before injury and suspension cost him a long stretch of playing time.

"To me, it looks like he was more straight ahead," Steelers guard Ramon Foster said of Bell, per Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "Him in between tackles, his burst of speed, there wasn't any hesitation in it. I thought he looked like a different guy."

Whether or not Bell is better than ever, the important thing is that he is back. Plenty of you probably spent a first-round draft pick to put him on your fantasy team. Now is the time to reap the rewards.

Down: DeAngelo Williams, Pittsburgh Steelers

Fantasy owners who drafted DeAngelo Williams were rewarded through the first two weeks of the season. Pittsburgh's backup and spot-starter rushed for 143 yards and two touchdowns in the season opener. He then put up 94 yards rushing, 38 yards receiving and a touchdown in Week 2.

He didn't get much work during Pittsburgh's blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles (just eight carries), and he got even less with Bell in the lineup this past week.

Williams touched the ball a mere five times against the Chiefs and finished with nine combined rushing and receiving yards.

As long as Bell remains healthy and in good standing with the league, Williams can't be trusted for a fantasy start.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Antonio Brown, PIT	NYJ
2	A.J. Green, CIN	@ DAL
3	Brandon Marshall, NYJ	@ PIT
4	Julio Jones, ATL	@ DEN
5	Alshon Jeffery, CHI	@ IND
6	Odell Beckham Jr., NYG	@ GB
7	Mike Evans, TB	@ CAR
8	Jordy Nelson, GB	NYG
9	Jarvis Landry, MIA	TEN
10	Larry Fitzgerald, ARI	@ SF
11	T.Y. Hilton, IND	CHI
12	Jordan Matthews, PHI	@ DET
13	Marvin Jones, DET	PHI
14	DeAndre Hopkins, HOU	@ MIN
15	Julian Edelman, NE	@ CLE
16	Amari Cooper, OAK	SD
17	Travis Benjamin, SD	@ OAK
18	Michael Crabtree, OAK	SD
19	Dez Bryant, DAL	CIN
20	Stefon Diggs, MIN	HOU
21	Emmanuel Sanders, DEN	ATL
22	DeSean Jackson, WAS	@ BAL
23	Steve Smith Sr., BAL	WAS
24	Terrelle Pryor, CLE	NE
25	Kelvin Benjamin, CAR	TB
26	Demaryius Thomas, DEN	ATL
27	Quincy Enunwa, NYJ	@ PIT
28	Sterling Shepard, NYG	@ GB
29	Kevin White, CHI	@ IND
30	Tyrell Williams, SD	@ OAK

Up: Steve Smith Sr., Baltimore Ravens

Last year was supposed to be the final playing year for Baltimore Ravens receiver Steve Smith Sr. However, that season was ended prematurely, and Smith decided to return for another go in 2016. The Ravens have to be extremely glad he did.

Smith has looked like a rejuvenated player over the past few weeks. He has caught eight passes in each of the past two contests. He has 24 receptions on the year for 281 yards and a touchdown. He is a player who simply cannot be ignored in points-per-reception (PPR) leagues.

This week, Smith draws Josh Norman and the Washington Redskins, but this doesn't mean he needs to ride the fantasy bench. The Redskins are rated a modest 19th in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus. Norman spent much of last week shadowing Browns receiver Terrelle Pryor, and Pryor still finished with five receptions, 46 yards and a touchdown.

Smith has been doing this whole receiver thing for a whole lot longer than Pryor has. Consider the Ravens pass-catcher a player on the rise and one worth starting every week in PPR formats.

Down: Mohamed Sanu, Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons brought in free-agent wideout Mohamed Sanu during the offseason in order to give the offense a complement opposite star Julio Jones. Sanu has filled that role well, but he hasn't exactly leapt into the circle of fantasy stardom.

Things have been even more disappointing in recent weeks, as Sanu has been dealing with a shoulder injury. He has just five receptions and 53 yards over the past two weeks. As you can see near the end of this long Jones play, though, Sanu's blocking skills haven't suffered:

This week, he draws the vaunted Denver Broncos defense, which is rated fifth in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus. It isn't a good week to be counting on Sanu in fantasy.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Greg Olsen, CAR	TB
2	Kyle Rudolph, MIN	HOU
3	Zach Miller, CHI	@ IND
4	Dennis Pitta, BAL	WAS
5	Rob Gronkowski, NE	@ CLE
6	Jacob Tamme, ATL	@ DEN
7	Jordan Reed, WAS	@ BAL
8	Martellus Bennett, NE	@ CLE
9	Jason Witten, DAL	CIN
10	Delanie Walker, TEN	@ MIA
11	Dwayne Allen, IND	CHI
12	Clive Walford, OAK	SD
13	Jesse James, PIT	NYJ
14	Gary Barnidge, CLE	NE
15	Jordan Cameron, MIA	TEN
16	Cameron Brate, TB	@ CAR
17	Richard Rodgers, GB	NYG
18	Ryan Griffin, HOU	@ MIN
19	Trey Burton, PHI	@ DET
20	Eric Ebron, DET	PHI

Up: Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots

Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images

Folks who drafted Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski have likely been disappointed with what they have received in return thus far.

Gronkowski, who has been dealing with a hamstring issue, missed two games completely and has just one reception on the year. However, he appears to be getting healthier every week, and he is motivated to get back on the field and start kicking some rear ends.

"I can't wait until I'm going crazy out there again," he said recently, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com.

The good news is that the time for craziness may be now. Gronkowski is getting his buddy Brady back under center, and he is facing a Browns defense that isn't exactly built for stopping tight ends.

Washington Redskins tight end Jordan Reed racked up 73 yards and two touchdowns against the Browns last week.

Down: Larry Donnell, New York Giants

A couple of seasons ago, it seemed like Larry Donnell was set to be a heavily used weapon for the New York Giants and a star tight end for fantasy owners. However, injuries limited him to just eight games in 2015, and he has since seen a reduced role. 

Will Tye became the emerging tight end in 2015, and the two have shared the role of receiving end this year. Unfortunately, this has created a frustrating situation for fantasy enthusiasts. Tye has 12 receptions on the year; Donnell has eight.

Unfortunately, Donnell suffered a concussion during Monday's game against the Minnesota Vikings, which may cause him to miss some time. This essentially puts an end to any hope of milking Donnell for sneaky fantasy production.

The silver lining here, as pointed out by Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus, is that Tye now becomes the go-to tight end and possibly a realistic fantasy option:

Kickers

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Justin Tucker, BAL	WAS
2	Caleb Sturgis, PHI	@ DET
3	Dan Bailey, DAL	CIN
4	Adam Vinatieri, IND	CHI
5	Graham Gano, CAR	TB
6	Dustin Hopkins, WAS	@ BAL
7	Stephen Gostkowski, NE	@ CLE
8	Matt Bryant, ATL	@ DEN
9	Matt Prater, DET	PHI
10	Josh Lambo, SD	@ OAK
11	Mike Nugent, CIN	@ DAL
12	Nick Folk, NYJ	@ PIT
13	Chris Boswell, PIT	NYJ
14	Blair Walsh, MIN	HOU
15	Nick Novak, HOU	@ MIN

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Team	Opponent
1	Minnesota Vikings	HOU
2	Philadelphia Eagles	@ DET
3	New England Patriots	@ CLE
4	Buffalo Bills	@ LA
5	Arizona Cardinals	@ SF
6	Baltimore Ravens	WAS
7	Denver Broncos	ATL
8	Houston Texans	@ MIN
9	San Francisco 49ers	ARI
10	Carolina Panthers	TB
11	Miami Dolphins	TEN
12	Oakland Raiders	SD
13	Cincinnati Bengals	@ DAL
14	Green Bay Packers	NYG
15	Los Angeles Rams	BUF