Fantasy Football Week 5 Rankings: Projections to Love and Matchups to Exploit

If the first game of Week 5 is any reliable hint, matchups will once again prove fruitful for fantasy football owners.

As expected, the Arizona Cardinals moved past the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday Night Football, 33-21. Also as widely expected, some of Arizona's biggest stars had huge games in a favorable matchup.

Running back David Johnson went for 29 points and might not have much in the way of competition when it comes to the top slot of the week at his position. Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, even with Drew Stanton at quarterback, posted a smooth 20-point outing.

With any luck, none of the owners shied away from those guys. Keeping with the theme, here are some of the best stars to know this weekend alongside player rankings and projections.

Week 5 Schedule

Sunday, October 9	Time (ET)
Monday, October 3
Washington at Baltimore	1 p.m.
Tennessee at Miami	1 p.m.
Houston at Minnesota	1 p.m.
Chicago at Indianapolis	1 p.m.
N.Y. Jets at Pittsburgh	1 p.m.
Philadelphia at Detroit	1 p.m.
New England at Cleveland	1 p.m.
Atlanta at Denver	4:05 p.m.
San Diego at Oakland	4:25 p.m
Buffalo at L.A. Rams	4:25 p.m
Cincinnati at Dallas	4:25 p.m
N.Y. Giants at Green Bay	8:30 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Carolina	8:30 p.m.

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Projected Points
1	Tom Brady	25
2	Andrew Luck*	23
3	Philip Rivers	22
4	Ben Roethlisberger	20
5	Carson Wentz	19
6	Aaron Rodgers	18
7	Cam Newton*	17
8	Derek Carr	17
9	Matthew Stafford	17
10	Joe Flacco	16
11	Kirk Cousins	14
12	Andy Dalton	12
13	Ryan Fitzpatrick	12
14	Jameis Winston	12
15	Brian Hoyer	12

First, the veteran. 

Despite injury after injury around him and losing names such as Keenan Allen and Danny Woodhead, San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers has still proved himself reliable.

Rivers has totaled 18 or more points in two games this year, both of which were favorable matchups. So is this weekend thanks to an encounter with the Oakland Raiders.

In a game that could spiral into a shootout, Rivers gets to pick apart an Oakland defense that has already allowed the third-most points to the position on average. With an impressive eight passing scores allowed over four outings, Oakland coughing up multiple touchdowns to Rivers wouldn't come as a shocker.

Second, the rookie. 

Few likely expected this much from Philadelphia Eagles rookie Carson Wentz so early, but he has managed two outings of 19 or more points over three games. 

Wentz has looked poised, ridden a strong defense and spread the ball around. It's a productive combination, especially heading into a game against the Detroit Lions.

Those Lions rank one spot ahead of the mentioned Raiders and have coughed up 12 passing touchdowns already, not to mention 20 or more points three times. It might be the easiest matchup of Wentz's young career.

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Projected Points
1	Le'Veon Bell	15
2	LeGarrette Blount*	15
3	Melvin Gordon	15
4	Todd Gurley	14
5	Terrance West	14
6	Jordan Howard	14
7	DeMarco Murray	13
8	Ezekiel Elliott	13
9	Frank Gore	13
10	LeSean McCoy	12
11	Matt Forte	12
12	C.J. Anderson	12
13	Lamar Miller	11
14	Jerick McKinnon	11
15	Isaiah Crowell	11
16	Theo Riddick	11
17	Devonta Freeman	10
18	Matt Jones	10
19	Jay Ajayi	9
20	DeAndre Washington	9
21	Charles Sims*	8
22	Jeremy Hill*	8
23	Eddie Lacy	8
24	Jalen Richard	7
25	Darren Sproles	7
26	Duke Johnson Jr.	7
27	Cameron Artis-Payne	6
28	Giovani Bernard	6
29	Ryan Mathews	6
30	James White	6

With the exception of a 20-point outburst in Week 3, Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley has been one of the biggest fantasy disappointments of the season.

Gurley has all of 17 points over his other three outings combined, a terrible number for a guy who many expected to see running like the best back in the league this year.

No dice, though Gurley could discover that form this weekend against the Buffalo Bills. Buffalo has allowed five rushing scores over four games and two opposing backfields have hit on 22 points or more.

Given Gurley's do-it-himself nature, he could flirt with the 20-point range again.

Baltimore Ravens running back Terrance West is one of the more underrated workhorses to know this week.

Baltimore handed the job to West last week, and those fantasy owners brave enough to go along for the ride got a cool 17 points as West cannonballed his way to 113 yards and a score on 21 totes.

Now he gets to beat up on the Washington Redskins and a defense that has managed to allow seven rushing scores through the first four weeks, with opposing backfields hitting on two rushing scores in three of four games.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Projected Points
1	A.J. Green	21
2	Antonio Brown	19
3	Odell Beckham Jr.	19
4	Jordy Nelson	17
5	Alshon Jeffery*	16
6	Julio Jones	16
7	Mike Evans	16
8	Brandon Marshall	15
9	Jarvis Landry	13
10	T.Y. Hilton	12
11	DeAndre Hopkins	10
12	Michael Crabtree	10
13	Marvin Jones*	10
14	Will Fuller V	10
15	Julian Edelman*	10
16	Terrelle Pryor	10
17	Jordan Matthews	9
18	Travis Benjamin	9
19	Sammie Coates	+
20	Kelvin Benjamin	+
21	Amari Cooper	8
22	Steve Smith Sr.	8
23	Demaryius Thomas	8
24	Stefon Diggs	8
25	Emmanuel Sanders	8
26	DeSean Jackson	8
27	Tyrell Williams	7
28	Quincy Enunwa	7
29	Dontrelle Inman	7
30	DeVante Parker	7
31	Eddie Royal*	7
32	Sterling Shepard	7
33	Tajae Sharpe	6
34	Randall Cobb	6
35	Victor Cruz	6

One can almost feel the outburst from Odell Beckham Jr. coming.

The New York Giants star wideout has been the subject of relentless criticism after a few recent outbursts. For fantasy owners, it has been a hair-pulling ride, as Beckham has a high of 12 points on the season, the only time he's been to double digits. He has yet to reach pay dirt.

That all figures to change against the Green Bay Packers, the defense allowing the second-most points to wideouts on average.

Green Bay has allowed four touchdowns to wideouts over its last two outings, good for 29 and 44 points. Owners should bank on the Giants tightening their circle, rallying around Beckham and his erupting to silence the doubters.

Odd as it may seem to advise a wideout start against the Carolina Panthers, make sure Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans is in all lineups this weekend. 

Remember a week ago when Atlanta Falcons wideout Julio Jones exploded for 300 receiving yards and 36 points? Next up is Evans, who has quietly been one of fantasy's best, boasting a trio of double-digit outings and scores already.

In fact, Evans' only bad game came against an elite Denver Broncos defense. Free of those shackles, Evans might post the best game of his season this week against a defense that hasn't had time to fix the bevy of issues afflicting it.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Projected Points
1	Rob Gronkowski*	11
2	Zach Ertz	10
3	Jordan Reed	10
4	Hunter Henry	9
5	Dennis Pitta	9
6	Martellus Bennett	8
7	Greg Olsen	8
8	Kyle Rudolph	8
9	Cameron Brate	7
10	Jason Witten	7
11	Delanie Walker	6
12	Zach Miller*	6

It's almost hard to describe how good of a play Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz is this weekend.

With Wentz under center, Ertz gets to beat up on a Lions team allowing the second-most points to the position this year. It's notable moreso than other positions because things are often so erratic at the tight end. 

Yet here are the Lions, a shining beacon for tight end production on the shoreline for searching owners. Detroit has already allowed six touchdowns to tight ends, with three opposing sets hitting double digits. Ertz has yet to do so, but rest assured he won't have a problem this weekend. 

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is a great play whenever he suits up, though this weekend is hard to predict after he was limited in practice Thursday, according to the Akron Beacon Journal's Nate Ulrich.

Martellus Bennett is a great play either way. The new addition has gone for double digits twice this year so far, solid output for a guy who has had to deal with backups under center.

Not anymore. Tom Brady returns just in time for a matchup against the Cleveland Browns. Many will benefit from the borderline funny situation, but few will find themselves in as many scoring opportunities as Bennett.

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Unit	Projected Points
1	Vikings	10
2	Steelers	9
3	Patriots	9
4	Rams	9
5	Eagles	8
6	Broncos	7
7	Bills	7
8	Dolphins	6
9	Falcons	6
10	Panthers	6

Finding the best matchup for defense/special teams has turned into "who gets to play Ryan Fitzpatrick this week?"

Seriously, the New York Jets quarterback has had a nightmare couple of weeks, tossing a downright unrealistic nine interceptions over his past two games.

The winner of the Fitzpatrick sweepstakes this week is the Pittsburgh Steelers, which figures to be about as bad as it sounds.

Pittsburgh has had a modest season so far, picking off three passes and tallying as many fumble recoveries. Against Fitzpatrick, though, the numbers should skyrocket if the Steelers can apply even a little pressure.

Kickers

Rank	Player	Projected Points
1	Stephen Gostkowski	8
2	Mason Crosby	8
3	Graham Gano	8
4	Brandon McManus	8
5	Chris Boswell	8
6	Blair Walsh	7
7	Justin Tucker	7
8	Adam Vinatieri	7
9	Sebastian Janikowski	7
10	Dustin Hopkins	6

Like Fitzpatrick and opposing defenses, finding one of the guys likeliest to be the week's best kicker boils down to a matter of which one gets to play the Giants.

For one reason or another, kickers absolutely go off against the Giants. The unit has allowed outings of 17 and 19 points already this season, and even the ho-hum affairs have come in at respectable tallies of six and seven points.

As such, Mason Crosby of the Packers is the man to know. Owners won't find him high on scoring lists, but mostly thank a silly Week 4 bye. Crosby has already hit on nine or more points in two of his three outings.

Given the fact three of New York's four opponents have attempted at least three field goals, Crosby seems set to best his season high, if not set the new high in stone.

All scoring info courtesy of ESPN.com standard leagues, as are points-against info and ownership stats.

Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.