Fantasy Football Week 5 Rankings: Rounding Up Top 50 Players

We've sped through the first four weeks of the 2016 NFL season, and we're already mere days away from the start of Week 5. This, of course, means that when the San Francisco 49ers host the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday night, another week of fantasy action will be underway.

This is an important time in the season for fantasy enthusiasts. The first couple of weeks can often be mostly guesswork. However, we now have a strong idea of what teams and players are capable of and where patterns are emerging.

Hopefully the first month of fantasy football has been good to you. If you're playing in a traditional fantasy league, you're probably close to a third of the way through your regular season. If you're off to a strong start, it's time to keep things rolling. If you stumbled out of the gate, well, it's never too late to turn things around.

Either way, we're here to help you get a jump on the upcoming slate of games and the next round of fantasy action. We'll be examining the top skill position players and ranking the top 50 based on factors like player performance, matchup, team makeup and injury. We'll be making our choices with points-per-reception (PPR) scoring in mind.

We'll also be taking an in-depth look at some of the more interesting options for Week 5. First, though, let's take a look at the upcoming schedule.

Date	Game	Time (ET)
Thur. 10/6	Arizona at San Francisco	8:25 p.m.
Sun. 10/9	New England at Cleveland	1:00 p.m.
Sun. 10/9	Philadelphia at Detroit	1:00 p.m.
Sun. 10/9	Chicago at Indianapolis	1:00 p.m.
Sun. 10/9	Tennessee at Miami	1:00 p.m.
Sun. 10/9	Washington at Baltimore	1:00 p.m.
Sun. 10/9	Houston at Minnesota	1:00 p.m.
Sun. 10/9	NY Jets at Pittsburgh	1:00 p.m.
Sun. 10/9	Atlanta at Denver	4:05 p.m.
Sun. 10/9	Cincinnati at Dallas	4:25 p.m.
Sun. 10/9	Buffalo at Los Angeles	4:25 p.m.
Sun. 10/9	San Diego at Oakland	4:25 p.m.
Sun. 10/9	NY Giants at Green Bay	8:30 p.m.
Mon. 10/10	Tampa Bay at Carolina	8:30 p.m.

Rankings

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Antonio Brown, WR, PIT	NYJ
2	A.J. Green, WR, CIN	@ DAL
3	DeMarco Murray, RB, TEN	@ MIA
4	C.J. Anderson, RB, DEN	ATL
5	Ezekiel Elliott, RB, DAL	CIN
6	Brandon Marshall, WR, NYJ	@ PIT
7	Le'Veon Bell, RB, PIT	NYJ
8	Julio Jones, WR, ATL	@ DEN
9	Alshon Jeffery, WR, CHI	@ IND
10	David Johnson, RB, ARI	@ SF
11	Melvin Gordon, RB, SD	@ OAK
12	Odell Beckham Jr., NYG	@ GB
13	Mike Evans, WR, TB	@ CAR
14	LeSean McCoy, RB, BUF	@ LA
15	Matt Forte, RB, NYJ	@ PIT
16	Jordy Nelson, WR, GB	NYG
17	Jarvis Lanrdy, WR, MIA	TEN
18	Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI	@ SF
19	T.Y. Hilton, WR, IND	CHI
20	Jordan Matthews, WR, PHI	@ DET
21	Isaiah Crowell, RB, CLE	NE
22	Marvin Jones, WR, DET	PHI
23	DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU	@ MIN
24	Greg Olsen, TE, CAR	TB
25	Lamar Miller, RB, HOU	@ MIN
26	Julian Edelman, WR, NE	@ CLE
27	Amari Cooper, WR, OAK	SD
28	Frank Gore, RB, IND	CHI
29	Kyle Rudolph, TE, MIN	HOU
30	Jordan Howard, RB, CHI	@ IND
31	LeGarrette Blount, RB, NE	@ CLE
32	Travis Benjamin, WR, SD	@ OAK
33	Michael Crabtree, WR, OAK	SD
34	Zach Miller, TE, CHI	@ IND
35	Dez Bryant, WR, DAL	CIN
36	Charles Sims, RB, TB	@ CAR
37	Stefon Diggs, WR, MIN	HOU
38	Dennis Pitta, TE, BAL	WAS
39	Emmanuel Sanders, WR, DEN	ATL
40	DeSean Jackson, WR, WAS	@ BAL
41	Devonta Freeman, RB, ATL	@ DEN
42	Rob Gronkowski, TE, NE	@ CLE
43	Theo Riddick, RB, DET	PHI
44	Steve Smith Sr., WR, BAL	WAS
45	Jerick McKinnon, RB, MIN	HOU
46	Terrelle Pryor, WR, CLE	NE
47	Terrance West, RB, BAL	WAS
48	Kelvin Benjamin, WR, CAR	TB
49	Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN	ATL
50	Eddie Lacy, RB, GB	NYG

Players to Watch

Antonio Brown, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

Joe Sargent/Getty Images

If you're having second thoughts about playing Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown against the New York Jets this week, don't. Brown is the type of player you start every week and still expect decent fantasy production.

Last week, for example, he went up against Marcus Peters and the Kansas City Chiefs defense and still secured four passes for 64 yards and two touchdowns. You should have no qualms about starting him against the Jets just because some guy named Darrelle Revis is on the team.

The Jets have been regularly torched by the vertical passing game this season. Cincinnati Bengals receiver A.J. Green racked up 180 yards and a touchdown against the Jets in Week 1. Buffalo Bills wideout Marquise Goodwin blasted New York for 112 yards and a score in Week 2.

Regardless, there's a chance that Revis won't even play against the Steelers. He's apparently dealing with a mild hamstring injury, according to the team's official Twitter account:

Of course, it's not like Revis would be much of a hindrance to Brown anyway, as Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus highlighted:

Play Brown with confidence and don't look back.

Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

Though he might not have been an explosive fantasy force right out of the gate, Dallas Cowboys rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott is quickly living up to his lofty draft status.

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

"He's powerful. He's got good jukes. He has great timing," Cowboys tight end Jason Witten said of Elliott, per Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News. "If you break it down, these last four weeks you're seeing his trust in timing."

Elliott has adapted to the pro game and seems to have learned how to put a game on his shoulders. He amassed 140 yards rushing against the Chicago Bears in Week 3 and put up 138 yards rushing and a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers this past week.

Elliott also has six receptions for 44 yards this season. He isn't a major piece of Dallas' passing attack, but he does bring some added PPR value.

The Cowboys host the Cincinnati Bengals this week. Cincinnati has been decent against the run, but certainly not dominant. Pro Football Focus rates the Bengals 15th overall in run defense.

Don't be surprised if Elliott goes over the 100-yard mark for the third consecutive week.

Jordan Howard, RB, Chicago Bears

Thanks to a banged-up Jeremy Langford, rookie running back Jordan Howard finally got his shot to carry the load for the Chicago Bears in Week 4. All the Indiana product did was rumble for 111 yards on 23 carries and add three receptions for 21 more yards.

If Howard continues to play like this, he'll probably become the primary back for Chicago sooner than later. There's a lot to like about the rookie's game. He's quick, he's hard to tackle and he can punish a defense late in the ballgame. And according to the Chicago Tribune's Rich Campbell, Howard's workload may only increase from here:

"I definitely try to make the defense not want to tackle me toward the end of the game," Howard said, per Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune. "I try to bring everything I have on each run."

This week, Howard gets to try his luck at punishing the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts, by the way, are rated dead last in run defense by Pro Football Focus.

This could be the week Howard goes from being a pleasant fantasy surprise to a true fantasy stud.

Potential Sleeper: Nelson Agholor, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

Chris Szagola/Associated Press

The Philadelphia Eagles used a first-round draft pick on USC wideout Nelson Agholor back in 2015, and the initial results were disastrous. Agholor caught just 23 passes as a rookie and was rated the worst receiver in the entire NFL by Pro Football Focus.

Agholor seems to have taken a positive step forward in Year 2, and he is definitely a bigger piece of the Eagles passing attack. He has 11 receptions for 120 yards and a touchdown in his three appearances this year. He has had no fewer than three receptions in a single game this year.

Agholor and the Eagles have a favorable matchup this week against the Detroit Lions, who are rated 29th in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus.

If you are in a deeper league or simply hurting for flex options, Agholor might be one to consider. He should be good for a handful of receptions, a few dozen yards and perhaps even a score.

If you do take a chance on Agholor, consider holding on to him for a bit to see what kind of chemistry he can build with rookie quarterback Carson Wentz—you never know when last year's afterthought is going to become the new quarterback's favorite target.