Fantasy Football Week 5 Rankings: Updated Overview for All Positions

Let's just come out and say it, OK?

Last week was hell for fantasy owners. Absolute hell. With six byes, a ton of injuries and committee situations in multiple backfields, fantasy owners were left grabbing at fantasy darts and throwing them against the board of chance, hoping they hit on a lucky point total. 

This week a bit of sanity has returned, as only the Oakland Raiders and Miami Dolphins are on a bye, meaning you should have almost your full complement of fantasy options. Phew. Below, we'll grade the top players based on how smart it is to start them this week and how likely they are to get you a solid amount of fantasy points. 

Notes: For a full explanation of the rankings, go here. Abridged version: "Ability" measures a player's overall talent, proficiency at his position and ability to produce fantasy numbers. "Offense" measures how much that team's offense improves his fantasy stock. The overall "startability" grade is weighted. All point totals and points-against statistics via ESPN standard scoring leagues. 

Schedule

Thursday, Oct. 2	Time (ET)
Sunday, Oct. 5	Time (ET)
Monday, Oct. 6	Time (ET)
Minnesota at Green Bay	8:25 p.m.
Chicago at Carolina	1 p.m.
Cleveland at Tennessee	1 p.m.
St. Louis at Philadelphia	1 p.m.
Atlanta at NY Giants	1 p.m.
Tampa Bay at New Orleans	1 p.m.
Houston at Dallas	1 p.m.
Buffalo at Detroit	1 p.m.
Baltimore at Indianapolis	1 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Jacksonville	1 p.m.
Arizona at Denver	4:05 p.m.
Kansas City at San Francisco	4:25 p.m.
NY Jets at San Diego	4:25 p.m.
Cincinnati at New England	8:30 p.m.
Seattle at Washington	8:30 p.m.

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
1	Drew Brees	49	19	14	9	A+ (91)
2	Peyton Manning	50	11	15	10	A (86)
3	Philip Rivers	43	23	11	8	A (85)
4	Aaron Rodgers	49	11	14	9	A (83)
5	Russell Wilson	43	23	10	7	A (83)
6	Matt Stafford	48	12	13	8	A - (81)
7	Andrew Luck	48	10	13	9	B+ (80)
8	Matt Ryan	46	13	12	8	B (79)
9	Cam Newton	47	15	8	8	B (78)
10	Ben Roethlisberger	41	24	7	5	B- (77)
11	Nick Foles	40	13	14	7	C+ (74)
12	Colin Kaepernick	44	13	10	6	C (73)
13	Jay Cutler	41	14	13	4	C (72)
14	Carson Palmer*	35	20	9	4	C- (68)
15	Joe Flacco	39	15	8	4	D+ (66)
16	Andy Dalton	40	8	11	6	D (65)
17	Eli Manning	39	12	8	4	D (63)
18	Kirk Cousins	38	10	11	4	D (63)
19	Tony Romo	42	6	10	5	D (63)
20	Mike Glennon	30	18	8	3	D- (59)

There are certain truths to be had at the quarterback position in fantasy football.

• Some players just shouldn't be sat despite the matchup (Peyton Manning).
• Some players are about as close to matchup-free as you can get (Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Matt Stafford, Andrew Luck).
• If you have a player taking on the Jacksonville Jaguars and he isn't a total scrub, there's a very good chance he'll be a QB1 for that week (Ben Roethlisberger).
• If a player has reached double-digit points just once in four games, his highest total on the year is 13 points and he's facing the excellent Cincinnati defense, he's not going to be a top-20 player for Week 5 (Tom Brady).
• If a player has scored 15 or more fantasy points in three straight weeks, he deserves to be in the QB2 conversation. Even if he did throw 27 interceptions last season (Eli Manning).
• If a player throws four interceptions in a half last week and he faces the vaunted Seattle secondary this week, well, he's going to be a low-end QB2 (Kirk Cousins). 
• I don't trust Jay Cutler. His upside on a weekly basis is huge, but his downside is just as big. He's too streaky for my tastes.

Okay, okay, so some of these "fantasy truths" got really specific. Whatever. With only Derek Carr and Ryan Tannehill on bye this week, you don't have to get cute at the position in Week 5. Trust your studs.

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
1	Le'Veon Bell	47	23	13	9	A+ (92)
2	Matt Forte	48	17	14	10	A+ (89)
3	DeMarco Murray	48	13	14	10	A (85)
4	Rashad Jennings	41	24	12	8	A (85)
5	Giovani Bernard	44	20	12	8	A (84)
6	Marshawn Lynch	49	7	15	10	A (81)
7	LeSean McCoy	49	11	12	9	A (81)
8	Arian Foster	45	10	13	8	A- (76)
9	Jamaal Charles	49	2	14	10	A- (75)
10	Zac Stacy	38	19	9	7	B+ (73)
11	Matt Asiata	30	22	14	7	B+ (73)
12	Andre Ellington	41	15	10	6	B+ (72)
13	Eddie Lacy	42	14	10	6	B+ (72)
14	Alfred Morris	44	5	13	9	B (71)
15	Doug Martin*	40	18	7	5	B (70)
16	Frank Gore	42	8	12	8	B (70)
17	Darren Sproles	41	11	12	6	B (70)
18	Ben Tate*	38	17	7	5	B- (67)
19	Chris Ivory	38	12	9	7	B- (66)
20	C.J. Spiller	43	10	8	5	B- (64)
21	Montee Ball	40	4	12	7	C+ (63)
22	Reggie Bush	43	5	9	6	C+ (63)
23	Ahmad Bradshaw	38	7	9	8	C (62)
24	Bishop Sankey	32	24	3	3	C (62)
25	Jeremy Hill	35	20	4	3	C (62)
26	Jerick McKinnon	35	22	4	1	C (62)
27	Chris Johnson	37	12	6	5	C (60)
28	Joique Bell	40	5	9	6	C (60)
29	Fred Jackson	38	10	8	5	C- (59)
30	Trent Richardson	36	7	9	5	C- (57)
31	Justin Forsett	35	11	5	5	D+ (56)
32	Khiry Robinson	35	10	7	4	D+ (56)
33	Pierre Thomas	36	10	6	4	D+ (56)
34	Shonn Greene	28	24	2	2	D+ (56)
35	Steven Jackson	31	12	4	4	D (55)
36	Stevan Ridley	36	7	6	4	D (53)
37	Shane Vereen	36	7	6	4	D (53)
38	Donald Brown	33	1	10	5	D- (49)
39	Antone Smith	33	12	1	3	D- (49)
40	Toby Gerhart	32	11	1	3	D- (47)

More than a few folks are panicking about LeSean McCoy. Should I trade him now? Is he going to be a huge bust this season? Is Darren Sproles the guy I want in this backfield now? Is my blue the same as everyone else's blue? What if my blue is actually someone else's red?

No, no, no. Take it easy on the Colorado brownies. I guess that's possible, but who really cares? Your blue is totally great and your own personal truth, okay? Nobody gets to define your own experiences except for yourself.

Sorry, I didn't mean to start playing armchair psychologist there. It's just that people doubting Shady's fantasy relevance are so close to the edge they're starting to doubt everything they thought they knew was true. That will happen after last year's rushing leader only gives you three points total the past two weeks and is currently No. 26 at the position. 

But pump those brakes, mmmkay? Keep a few things in mind. For starters, Washington (eighth in the NFL against the run) and San Francisco (second) have very good run defenses. For another, McCoy went into Sunday without three starting offensive linemen from the NFL's best unit last year: Jason Kelce, Evan Mathis and Lane Johnson.

He'll get Johnson back this week, which in turn will allow Todd Herremans to return to playing his more natural position of right guard, rather than right tackle. In other words, expect a few more running lanes for Shady this week than we've seen recently. 

There are some really interesting boom-or-bust candidates in the RB3 section this week. Jeremy Hill could have a nice afternoon, along with starter Giovani Bernard, against a New England Patriots defense that just gave up 199 yards and a touchdown on 34 carries to Kansas City backs last week and also was gashed for 193 yards and a score on 35 carries by Miami's backs in Week 1.

The Bengals have emphasized the running game this year, so Hill could be a sneaky flex play this week.

I also think this might be the week Bishop Sankey has his breakout performance. His eight touches in Week 4 more than doubled Shonn Green's three, and he also played more snaps, per Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean:

Greene just isn't very good, folks. If you look up the word "plodding" in the dictionary searching for a picture of Greene, you have to turn back a few pages because he couldn't keep up with the "P" section and is back with the O's. 

Against a Cleveland defense giving up 27.3 fantasy points to opposing running backs per week, 31st in the NFL, Sankey should finally live up to the hype and have a big week for his patient owners. It's risky, but if you're hurting at running back, now might be the time to unleash him.

AJ Mast/Associated Press

Finally, there's Jerick McKinnon, the ultimate lottery ticket. There's no doubt that he's a much better athlete than Matt Asiata and his explosiveness is impressive, but Asiata is also the clear starter still. However, Green Bay is also giving up 23.5 fantasy points to opposing backs per week, 29th in the league, and Minny is going to want to establish the ground game, if for no other reason than to keep the ball out of Aaron Rodgers' hands.

In other words, there's enough room at the fantasy table for both Asiata and McKinnon this week. If you don't mind living a bit dangerously, he's justifiable as a high-risk, high-reward flex play.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
1	Antonio Brown	47	24	12	10	A+ (93)
2	Jordy Nelson	48	15	14	8	A (85)
3	Julio Jones	49	14	13	8	A (84)
4	Dez Bryant	49	12	13	9	A (83)
5	Randall Cobb	45	15	13	8	A (81)
6	Demaryius Thomas	47	10	14	8	A- (79)
7	Jeremy Maclin	42	15	14	8	A- (79)
8	A.J. Green	49	5	13	10	A- (77)
9	Vincent Jackson	44	20	7	6	A- (77)
10	Alshon Jeffery	44	14	12	6	B+ (76)
11	Keenan Allen	38	22	10	5	B+ (75)
12	Kelvin Benjamin	40	17	11	7	B+ (75)
13	Brandon Marshall*	37	14	14	10	B+ (75)
14	Percy Harvin	44	16	10	5	B+ (75)
15	Victor Cruz	43	14	10	7	B (74)
16	Steve Smith	41	11	12	8	B (72)
17	Emmanuel Sanders	40	10	15	7	B (72)
18	Calvin Johnson*	35	13	14	10	B (72)
19	Reggie Wayne	40	18	8	6	B (72)
20	Brandin Cooks	37	24	7	3	B- (71)
21	DeAndre Hopkins	43	13	7	7	B- (70)
22	Michael Crabtree	40	13	10	6	C+ (69)
23	Roddy White	38	10	11	6	C+ (69)
24	Wes Welker	38	10	14	7	C+ (69)
25	Michael Floyd	41	11	5	6	C+ (68)
26	Larry Fitzgerald	41	11	5	6	C+ (68)
27	Terrance Williams	39	12	10	6	C (67)
28	T.Y. Hilton	37	18	8	4	C (67)
29	Marques Colston	32	24	7	3	C (66)
30	DeSean Jackson	45	5	10	5	C (65)
31	Eddie Royal	30	22	10	3	C (65)
32	Andre Johnson	40	13	5	6	C- (64)
33	Julian Edelman	39	6	10	7	C- (62)
34	Pierre Garcon	40	5	11	6	C- (62)
35	Golden Tate	35	13	10	4	C- (62)
36	Brian Quick	36	20	3	3	C- (62)
37	Malcom Floyd	28	22	9	3	C- (62)
38	Cordarrelle Patterson	42	10	5	4	D+ (61)
39	Torrey Smith	38	11	6	3	D (58)
40	Allen Hurns	33	15	5	4	D (57)
41	Markus Wheaton	26	24	3	2	D (55)
42	Anquan Boldin	34	13	5	3	D (55)
43	Sammy Watkins	41	3	5	5	D- (54)
44	Eric Decker	37	6	6	6	D- (54)
45	Kendall Wright	36	7	5	5	D- (53)

Antonio Brown is the safest wide receiver in fantasy football at the moment. Don't believe me? Well, try this on for size—Brown has now reached 10 or more fantasy points in 11 of his last 13 games and has seven or more points in 17 of his last 20 contests.      

So yeah, he's the safest receiver in fantasy at the moment. Against Jacksonville, reaching 20 fantasy points seems like a mere formality. 

But the biggest question at wide receiver this week is what owners should do about Brandon Marshall and Calvin Johnson, both of whom are obviously nursing injuries. Both played this week—heck, Marshall even had a touchdown reception—but both are obviously hobbled and far less than 100 percent.

If you were wondering why each had such a low "ability" grade this week, that's why. These guys aren't playing at their normal levels right now. In fact, Megatron was very obviously used as a decoy this past week. Even he openly admitted he was far less than healthy this week, per Michael Rothstein of ESPN:

"

Calvin Johnson stood at his locker Sunday afternoon and laughed at the suggestion. His coach, Jim Caldwell, had said that Johnson at 90 percent was better than a lot of players at full strength. 

Except Johnson, when he was asked if 90 percent was a fair barometer for his status, was not there. 

'Nah,' Johnson said, laughing at the suggestion. 

"

Johnson wouldn't go so far in that report as to verify he was a decoy, but Caldwell essentially implied it, noting that "[The Jets] still had to account for him. We might not have done all of the things that we normally do with him. We just tried to make certain we stayed within the framework of what he could do physically."

Which obviously wasn't very much, as he caught only two passes for 12 yards. 

The tricky thing for Johnson owners is that if he plays, you pretty much have to start him given his upside. And it doesn't appear he suffered any setbacks, so in theory he should be more healthy this week. But you also can't rely on him to explode for you, simply because Megatron isn't going to be at full strength this week, more than likely. 

Ditto for Marshall. It's even possible he'll be sat this week, if you read between the lines of this tweet from Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune:

In other words, we may be looking at Marshall either sitting this week, going down to the wire as a game-time decision or playing a bit hobbled this week. None are ideal but, again, if he starts you pretty much have to start him too, especially because even with Marshall banged up this week, Cutler still targeted him six times. 

It's a tough spot for fantasy owners, but chances are you don't have two or three better options for your starting lineup than a hobbled Megatron or Marshall, either.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
1	Jimmy Graham	50	15	15	10	A+ (90)
2	Julius Thomas	46	17	14	9	A (86)
3	Rob Gronkowski	47	9	10	8	A (74)
4	Martellus Bennett	41	9	13	8	A- (71)
5	Jordan Cameron	42	12	10	7	A- (71)
6	Vernon Davis*	35	18	10	8	A- (71)
7	Delanie Walker	39	15	9	6	B (69)
8	Greg Olsen	41	10	11	7	B (69)
9	Jordan Reed/Niles Paul**	38	15	10	6	B (69)
10	Larry Donnell	37	8	13	7	B- (65)
11	Zach Ertz	40	11	9	5	B- (65)
12	Antonio Gates	37	13	9	5	C+ (64)
13	Jason Witten	40	7	5	6	C (58)
14	Travis Kelce	40	2	9	6	C (57)
15	Dwayne Allen	37	3	10	6	C (56)

There is a surprising amount of depth at tight end this year, if you believe the early-season performances of Larry Donnell, Delanie Walker, Antonio Gates and Martellus Bennett are sustainable (I'm a bit suspicious but, like everyone else, I'll enjoy the ride while it lasts). 

In other words, there is absolutely no reason for you to be starting a player you don't feel confident can get you seven or more points at the position. As always, guys like Jimmy Graham and Julius Thomas are your best bet, but with 11 players averaging seven or more points per week, you have no excuse for failing to get points at the position thus far.

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Defense
1	Seattle Seahawks
2	Cincinnati Bengals
3	Detroit Lions
4	San Francisco 49ers
5	San Diego Chargers
6	Philadelphia Eagles
7	Chicago Bears
8	Pittsburgh Steelers
9	Carolina Panthers
10	Houston Texans

Kickers

Rank	Player	Team
1	Shaun Suisham	Pittsburgh Steelers
2	Cody Parkey	Philadelphia Eagles
3	Adam Vinatieri	Indianapolis Colts
4	Nick Novak	San Diego Chargers
5	Blair Walsh	Minnesota Vikings
6	Justin Tucker	Baltimore Ravens
7	Dan Bailey	Dallas Cowboys
8	Greg Zuerlein	St. Louis Rams
9	Chandler Catanzaro	Arizona Cardinals
10	Steven Hauschka	Seattle Seahawks

Hit me up on Twitter—I'll answer your fantasy questions and make some corny jokes, too. It's more fun than a Jay Cutler Fumblerooski.