Fantasy Football Week 5 Cheat Sheet: Waiver, Rankings, Projections and More

Now that there's a month of information available about each player, the influence of last season or preseason projections on fantasy football decisions should begin to fade. It's time to start making those calls based on current stats and matchups.

If a star player isn't living up to expectations and faces a tough defense, such as Tom Brady or DeSean Jackson this week, it's time to consider other options. There simply isn't enough time to wait and hope they eventually turn things around.

With that in mind, let's check out a couple different areas of interest for all fantasy owners as they begin to prepare for Week 5. That includes sleepers and potential waiver-wire additions who can help fill those key voids created by underperforming players.

Top 5 Skill-Position Rankings

Rank	QB	RB	WR	TE
1	Drew Brees	DeMarco Murray	Jordy Nelson	Jimmy Graham
2	Philip Rivers	LeSean McCoy	Antonio Brown	Martellus Bennett
3	Peyton Manning	Le'Veon Bell	Julio Jones	Delanie Walker
4	Aaron Rodgers	Matt Forte	Calvin Johnson	Larry Donnell
5	Andrew Luck	Jamaal Charles	Dez Bryant	Rob Gronkowski

No surprises among the quarterback group. Andrew Luck has been on an absolute roll to open the season, but the Baltimore Ravens have limited touchdown production through the air. Another strong showing will fully establish him as a weekly top-tier fantasy option regardless of matchup.

LeSean McCoy was the first player off the board in many drafts. He started the campaign fine but has scored just three total points over the last two weeks. It surely has a lot of fantasy owners concerned, but it's too soon to even consider benching him.

Phil Sheridan of ESPN passed along comments from the running back, who understands the running game must improve for the Eagles to thrive.

"We are not getting it done," McCoy said. "Not executing. We will watch this tape and learn from this and move on."

Calvin Johnson is another marquee name who's disappointed in recent weeks. After posting 28 points in Week 1, he's failed to score more than eight in any game since. He should get back on track against the Buffalo Bills, which rank 25th against the pass.

Larry Donnell cracks the top five at tight end after his three-score game last week. He hasn't reached the level of a must-start option quite yet, but given the lack of depth at the position, it's impossible to bench somebody coming off such a huge performance.

Sleeper Projections

Position	Player	Team	Projection
QB	Russell Wilson	SEA	20
RB	Bishop Sankey	TEN	15
WR	DeAndre Hopkins	HOU	14
TE	Travis Kelce	KC	13
D/ST	Steelers	PIT	11
K	Cody Parkey	PHI	13

Russell Wilson is rarely viewed as a top-notch fantasy option. Alas, he's scored at least 17 points in each of his three games this season. That streak should continue against a Washington Redskins defense that's allowed seven passing touchdowns over the past two weeks.

At some point, Bishop Sankey is going to have a monster game and take control of the Tennessee Titans backfield. It's just a guessing game as to when exactly it will happen. Perhaps this week against the Cleveland Browns and their 29th-ranked run defense.

DeAndre Hopkins is quietly a top-10 fantasy receiver at the quarter pole. He's scored at least eight points in every game and reached double digits three times. That's the type of consistency fantasy owners love. It's hard to see the Dallas Cowboys secondary slowing him down.

As expected, Travis Kelce has worked his way into a bigger role for the Kansas City Chiefs. Like most stars at the position, he combines athletics with size and strength to become a matchup issue. It makes him worth starting even against a solid San Francisco 49ers defense.

Alex Marvez of Fox Sports compares him to the tight end he outplayed on Monday night:

The Pittsburgh Steelers defense and special teams have been nothing special so far. They are averaging less than five points per game with three scores of two or less. Facing the struggling Jacksonville Jaguars turns them into a top option, though.

Cody Parkey only scored three points in Week 4, which may cause fantasy owners who stream kickers on a weekly basis to look elsewhere. They shouldn't. He reached double digits in three straight games to open the season and should get back to that level against the St. Louis Rams.

Waiver-Wire Targets

Position	Player	Team
QB	Eli Manning	NYG
RB	Lorenzo Taliaferro	BAL
WR	Brian Quick	STL
TE	Heath Miller	PIT

All of a sudden, Eli Manning is worth owning again. He's averaging more than 21 points per game over the last three weeks, tossing eight touchdowns over that span. With plenty of quarterback byes on the horizon, he's worth a roster spot as a backup and matchup play.

While it's still unclear how the Ravens will split the backfield work when everybody is healthy, Lorenzo Taliaferro is worth a speculative pickup. He's racked up 26 points over the past two weeks and should see a lot of goal-line work.

Brian Quick leads the Rams in catches, yards and targets. He also found the end zone for the first time in Week 3 before the team's bye week. He's a solid option who should continue to see plenty of action in a passing game that doesn't feature many other reliable options.

Quite simply, there aren't a ton of great options at tight end. Heath Miller did reel in 10 passes for 85 yards and a touchdown on Sunday. That warrants picking him up, and a similar showing could be in the cards this week against the Jaguars.