Fantasy Football Week 5 Flex Rankings, Waiver-Wire Targets and Projections

Flex players continue to be the bread and butter of fantasy teams, the driving forces between a manager's win or loss. The running back and wide receivers tally the most points, either in Standard or PPR leagues, making them the most valuable.

Entering a pivotal Week 5, during which the contenders and pretenders in any fantasy league begin to show themselves, it is more important than ever to make sure the right players are starting and the right match-ups are exploited.

Who are the must-start flex superstars and which two players can be acquired through the waiver wire to assist managers to victory?

Find out with this fantasy preview for the fifth week of the 2025 NFL season.

All stats via FantasyPros.com unless otherwise noted.

Week 5 Flex Rankings

AP Photo/Eric Thayer

The Flex Rankings for Week 5 are:

1. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts vs. Las Vegas Raiders
2. James Cook, RB, Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots
3. Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans
4. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions at Cincinnati Bengals
5. Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams
6. Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles vs. Denver Broncos
7. Puca Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers
8. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions at Cincinnati Bengals
9. Omarion Hampton, RB, Los Angeles Chargers vs. Washington Commanders
10. De'Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins at Carolina Panthers
11. Jordan Mason, RB, Minnesota Vikings at Cleveland Browns
12. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
13. Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Seattle Seahawks
14. Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers
15. Nico Collins, WR, Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens

Waiver Wire: Troy Franklin, WR, Denver Broncos

AP Photo/Michael Conroy

Denver has searched for a wide receiver opposite for Courtland Sutton for a few seasons now and may have found him in the form of Troy Franklin. The second-year wide out has been targeted 19 times in three games, caught 14 balls for 142 yards, and has hauled in a touchdown.

Those are spectacular numbers, but they do suggest evolving chemistry with quarterback Bo Nix, who now believes he has somewhere to go with the ball beyond Sutton.

He has a tough match-up in Week 5 against the Philadelphia Eagles, but the defending Super Bowl champions are giving up 32.25 points to opposing wide receivers, per NFL.com. With the defense keyed in on preventing Sutton from making the big plays to keep the Broncos in the game, do not be surprised if Franklin comes up big and establishes himself as a fantasy threat.

The receiver is rostered in just 40 percent of leagues, making him an easy pickup for managers looking for that hidden gem to spark their team's performance.

Week 5 Projections: 6 receptions, 70 yards, TD

Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams

AP Photo

Don't let his age fool you: Matthew Stafford is playing some of the best football of his career this season.

The University of Georgia product is second in the league in passing yards (1114) and tied for third in touchdowns (8) and is benefiting from the otherworldly play of his primary target, Puka Nacua.

Add in the veteran presence of the still-excellent Davante Adams, deep threat Tutu Atwell, and a tight end in Davis Allen who has come up with a few clutch catches this season, and you have a quarterback who is at least worthy of managers' attention if they are struggling with an under-performing QB or injuries at the position.

Safford has been a top-20 quarterback every week thus far, and against an excellent Indianapolis Colts team in Week 4, he was the second-best at his position in fantasy.

Available in 58 percent of Yahoo and 60 percent of ESPN leagues, respectively, Stafford is a strong streaming contender and a player worth stashing if you only have one quarterback or are dealing with sub-par results.

He faces a 49ers defense, sans Nick Bosa, that he knows well, in Week 5.

Week 5 Projections: 28-40, 270 yards, 2 TDs