Fantasy Football Week 5: Updated Rankings for Sunday's Action

I like to think that my role in your fantasy football universe is akin to Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars trilogy. I'm a guide, I can introduce you to the force, but I can't use it for you. 

I'm not as cool as old Ben Kenobi, of course, and I'm not nearly as wise, either. Heck, I don't even own a robe and, no, we're not going to be blowing up a Death Star. But on the path to fantasy success, I can help you identify which players on your roster are smarter options than others this week.

Remember, these rankings are all about how smart it is to start certain players. In general, the higher a player is on my rankings, the more his potential reward outweighs his probable risk. May the fantasy points be with you!

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

Sunday, Oct. 5	Time (ET)
Monday, Oct. 6	Time (ET)
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	Russell Wilson	43	23	10	7	A (83)
5	Matt Stafford	48	12	13	8	A - (81)
6	Andrew Luck	48	10	13	9	B+ (80)
7	Matt Ryan	46	13	12	8	B (79)
8	Cam Newton	47	15	8	8	B (78)
9	Ben Roethlisberger	41	24	7	5	B- (77)
10	Nick Foles	40	13	14	7	C+ (74)
11	Colin Kaepernick	44	13	10	6	C (73)
12	Jay Cutler	41	14	13	4	C (72)
13	Joe Flacco	39	15	8	4	D+ (66)
14	Andy Dalton	40	8	11	6	D (65)
15	Eli Manning	39	12	8	4	D (63)

Good matchups define the top of the quarterback rankings this week, as none of the top players really have that rough of an opponent to deal with in Week 5. Arizona won't make life easy for Peyton Manning, but he's matchup-proof anyway, so there aren't any concerns on that front. 

As you can see, solid matchups all boost the fantasy value of Philip Rivers (who is off to a hot start this season), Russell Wilson and Nick Foles. Drew Brees should torch Tampa Bay's shaky pass defense, while Matthew Stafford, Andrew Luck and Matt Ryan don't have great matchups this week but are talented enough to overcome them for fantasy owners. 

Adam Bettcher/Getty Images

Nick Foles has proven to be a bit hit-or-miss this season, so he misses QB1 status given his inconsistency. And both Colin Kaepernick and Jay Cutler have proven to be good, not great, for fantasy owners more often than not and don't have the easiest of matchups, so they drop to the realm of QB2 as well.

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	Andre Ellington	41	15	10	6	B+ (72)
12	Alfred Morris	44	5	13	9	B (71)
13	Doug Martin	40	18	7	5	B (70)
14	Frank Gore	42	8	12	8	B (70)
15	Darren Sproles	41	11	12	6	B (70)
16	Ben Tate*	38	17	7	5	B- (67)
17	Chris Ivory	38	12	9	7	B- (66)
18	C.J. Spiller	43	10	8	5	B- (64)
19	Montee Ball	40	4	12	7	C+ (63)
20	Reggie Bush	43	5	9	6	C+ (63)
21	Ahmad Bradshaw	38	7	9	8	C (62)
22	Bishop Sankey	32	24	3	3	C (62)
23	Jeremy Hill	35	20	4	3	C (62)
24	Chris Johnson	37	12	6	5	C (60)
25	Joique Bell	40	5	9	6	C (60)
26	Fred Jackson	38	10	8	5	C- (59)
27	Trent Richardson	36	7	9	5	C- (57)
28	Justin Forsett	35	11	5	5	D+ (56)
29	Khiry Robinson	35	10	7	4	D+ (56)
30	Pierre Thomas	36	10	6	4	D+ (56)
31	Shonn Greene	28	24	2	2	D+ (56)
32	Steven Jackson	31	12	4	4	D (55)
33	Stevan Ridley	36	7	6	4	D (53)
34	Shane Vereen	36	7	6	4	D (53)
35	Donald Brown	33	1	10	5	D- (49)

The top 14 fantasy running backs are pretty much must-start players for most owners this week. Chances are, you don't have the luxury of sitting any of them at an erratic position, and pretty much all of them should produce for you this week. 

Matt Forte, Jamaal Charles and Marshawn Lynch are about as safe as they come. LeSean McCoy's demise has been greatly exaggerated, and he'll torch a suspect St. Louis run defense. Giovani Bernard will do the same against New England's poor run defense. Rashad Jennings is fantasy's breakout star. A healthy Arian Foster is a must-start player. Zac Stacy should get a ton of touches against Philly's poor defense. Andre Ellington and Doug Martin have nice matchups and big-play ability. Frank Gore is as steady as they come.

After that, it gets a bit trickier.

Are you willing to ride with the boom-or-bust guys (Darren Sproles, C.J. Spiller, Reggie Bush)? Who do you trust in committee backfields? Do you put your money on young guys having breakthrough weeks (cough, cough, Bishop Sankey, cough)? Can good players overcome bad matchups (Montee Ball vs. Arizona)?

Here are my answers: Trust Sproles and Spiller, not Bush; Chris Ivory, Ahmad Bradshaw, Ben Tate, only at flex if you don't have a safe option; it's probably best to temper your expectations with Ball this week. 

Good luck reading the tea leaves at running back, folks—it's a conundrum we collectively love and loathe trying to solve on a weekly basis.

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

The top of the wide receiver rankings has been proliferated by surprises this year.

Steve Smith Sr. has had a resurgent season. Kelvin Benjamin has hit the ground running in his place. DeAndre Hopkins has had a breakthrough campaign. Jeremy Maclin has picked up where DeSean Jackson left off in Philly. Eddie Royal is off to another fast start (though, much like last year, one would guess he'll tail off soon enough). Allen Hurns has become a fascinating high-risk, high-reward play. Terrance Williams has taken a big step in Big D. 

Some of these players are for real. Smith has established an instant rapport with Joe Flacco, and we've all seen him post huge numbers in the past. Maclin is a talented player on an explosive offense. Hopkins and Williams have the talent to sustain strong starts. Who else is Newton going to throw to if not Benjamin?

No, I don't trust Royal, and Hurns is incredibly risky from week to week, but the other guys mentioned have to be considered legitimate WR1s or WR2s moving forward. I'll still take the upside of players like Calvin Johnson, Jordy Nelson, Julio Jones, Brandon Marshall, A.J. Green, Randall Cobb and Demaryius Thomas, among others, any day of the week, but some of this year's "upstarts" at wide receiver are here to stay.

Adjust your lineups accordingly.

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)

At this point in the season, the most fascinating player at this position is Rob Gronkowski. We all know his upside. We've seen him absolutely dominate. But given his recovery from injuries and the stagnant New England offense, will he return to that level of dominance? 

The days of Gronk rivaling Jimmy Graham-esque numbers might be over, at least for this year (Julius Thomas is the new challenger to the throne). The Patriots simply aren't creating the scoring opportunities they once did, in large part because they completely lack a vertical threat to keep defenses honest. In turn, Gronk isn't in the red zone as often, where he's impossible to deal with. 

There's no question that he's still rounding into his top form, so the best is certainly yet to come. But while his best this year will be enough to keep him as a top-five tight end, it's hard to imagine him finishing as the top dog at the position this year. 

Keep him in those lineups. Just lower your expectations a bit.

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	Justin Tucker	Baltimore Ravens
6	Dan Bailey	Dallas Cowboys
7	Greg Zuerlein	St. Louis Rams
8	Chandler Catanzaro	Arizona Cardinals
9	Steven Hauschka	Seattle Seahawks
10	Dan Carpenter	Buffalo Bills

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.