Fantasy Football Week 5 Rankings: Guide for Top Players and Sleepers

Is the 2016 fantasy football season finally starting to deliver on our expectations?

Sure, we'll never be able to predict the outrageous outliers from week to week, like fullback John Kuhn scoring three touchdowns for the New Orleans Saints (two rushing, one receiving) or Los Angeles Rams receiver Brian Quick scoring twice as the Rams defeated the Arizona Cardinals. 

But other fantasy performances felt reassuringly normal in Week 4, like Ben Roethlisberger dropping five touchdowns and 300 yards after a ghastly performance in Week 3 and Julio Jones returning to form with 300 receiving yards and a touchdown.

When we can't depend on players like Roethlisberger and Jones to perform well week in and week out in fantasy, we can feel a little adrift in the fantasy abyss.

Sure, there will be more outliers in Week 5. But here are the rankings of the players expected to be at the top of their positions this week as well as some sleepers to target. 

Quarterback

Rank	Player	Team
1	Cam Newton	CAR
2	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT
3	Tom Brady	NE
4	Aaron Rodgers	GB
5	Derek Carr	OAK
6	Philip Rivers	SD
7	Andrew Luck	IND
8	Kirk Cousins	WAS
9	Carson Wentz	PHI
10	Dak Prescott	DAL
11	Carson Palmer	ARI
12	Andy Dalton	CIN

Top Player: Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers

Jared Wickerham/Associated Press

You wouldn't have benched Roethlisberger on the heels of his 6.98-point performance against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3.

Right?

Those who did were certainly feeling the pain in Week 4, when Big Ben and the Pittsburgh Steelers walloped the Kansas City Chiefs 43-14.

Roethlisberger's performance was a catalyst for the Steelers. He passed for 300 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions, earning fantasy owners 33.90 points. 

Needless to say, keep Roethlisberger in the lineup for Week 5 against the New York Jets. 

Running Back

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

Sleeper: Terrance West, Baltimore Ravens

Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports

After scoring a season-high 5.70 points in Week 2 against the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens running back Terrance West enjoyed a productive 17.30-point day against the Oakland Raiders in Week 4. 

West was named the starter when the Ravens decided to bench Justin Forsett, and he rewarded his team for its vote of confidence, rushing for 113 yards and one touchdown.

He may even still be available in your league as a last-minute waiver-wire pickup. He'd be a nice option at the flex position or possibly even RB2, depending on who else you have on your bench.

NumberFire's Jim Sannes has a word of caution for those looking to start West this week:

Still, if the Ravens are pleased by what they saw in Week 4, they could easily give him more snaps in Week 5.  

Wide Receiver

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

Top Player: Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons

The NFL on ESPN Twitter account put it best at the conclusion of Week 4 action, which featured Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones going off for a whopping 300 yards and a touchdown: If you played against Jones in your league...you probably did not win.

As the graphic shows, Jones now has the most fantasy points in a single game among wide receivers in the last three seasons. He has been a workhorse for those lucky enough to land the draft position to select him or, better yet, those who get to keep him in dynasty leagues.  

It's a no-brainer that Jones is a must-start every week, but some owners may have gotten burned last week after Jones had an underwhelming output in Week 3, scoring just 1.60 points and amassing only 16 yards. 

But owners who did make the mistake of benching Jones in Week 4 certainly won't make that mistake again in Week 5. 

Tight End

Rank	Player	Team
1	Greg Olsen	CAR
2	Jordan Reed	WAS
3	Rob Gronkowski	NE
4	Tyler Eifert	CIN
5	Delanie Walker	TEN
6	Zach Ertz	PHI
7	Zach Miller	CHI
8	Hunter Henry	SD
9	Martellus Bennett	NE
10	Kyle Rudolph	MIN
11	Eric Ebron	DET
12	Dennis Pitta	BAL

Sleeper: Jacob Tamme, Atlanta Falcons

Maybe your starting tight end is injured or on a bye week and you need to pick up someone on waivers for Week 5.

If Atlanta's Jacob Tamme is available in your league, he is a solid plug-and-play option.

Tamme ranks ninth among tight ends this season in scoring, with 27.70 points on the year. He found the end zone in Weeks 2 and 4 and amassed 75 receiving yards in Week 2 against the Raiders to put up 13.50 points, his season high to date.

While he's not a solid option in points-per-reception leagues, Tamme is an alternative option in standard leagues in Week 5.  

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Unit
1	ARI
2	NE
3	LA
4	CAR
5	DEN
6	MIN
7	HOU
8	CIN
9	PIT
10	MIA
11	PHI
12	IND

Top Unit: New England Patriots

Jim Rogash/Getty Images

The New England Patriots defense may have disappeared on Sunday, giving up 16 points to the Buffalo Bills, while the offense couldn't generate any to match.

But Week 4 was an anomaly for a Patriots unit that has been excellent this season, allowing zero points to Houston in Week 3 and amassing seven sacks and three interceptions overall.

When Tom Brady returns to the Patriots in Week 5, the offense will perform well enough to take some pressure off the defense. And playing against the Browns, the defense should be able to get back to allowing low point totals and making plays against the quarterback.  

Kicker

Rank	Player	Team
1	Stephen Gostkowski	NE
2	Dan Bailey	DAL
3	Justin Tucker	BAL
4	Adam Vinatieri	IND
5	Blair Walsh	MIN
6	Mason Crosby	GB
7	Chris Boswell	PIT
8	Chandler Catanzaro	ARI
9	Josh Lambo	SD
10	Nick Novak	HOU
11	Josh Brown	NYG
12	Matt Bryant	ATL

Top Player: Dan Bailey, Dallas Cowboys

LM Otero/Associated Press

Dallas Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey has enjoyed high point totals this season because the team both gives him the opportunity to kick a lot of extra points (at least three per game over the last three weeks) and trusts him to make long field goals.

Bailey made two field goals of 50 or more yards in Week 1, which helped account for his point total of 17 that week. 

On Sunday, the Cowboys will take on the Cincinnati Bengals, a defense that presumably will be able to stop the Dallas offense a few times. But if Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott can at least get the team to the 35-yard line, Bailey can do the rest. 

Rankings and scoring leaders via NFL.com and current as of Tuesday, Oct. 4.