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

With the first quarter of the NFL season in the books, your fantasy lineup probably looks like the Tune Squad's bench from Space Jam. Injuries are piling up, and we all need to call in some reinforcements.

No, not Tweety Bird. Or Bill Murray.

This week, we are going to emphasize the flex position and all the options you have at that spot for the near future. Need a LeSean McCoy replacement for the next month? Is Mike Evans driving you insane?

We've got the hookup. You'll find all your flex projections and rankings below, as well as the hottest waiver-wire pickups. Also, note that guys typically selected in the early rounds or as projected starters were omitted from the flex rankings.

Thursday, October 8
Sunday, October 11
Monday, October 12
Indianapolis at Houston	8:25 p.m.
Chicago at Kansas City	1 p.m.
Seattle at Cincinnati	1 p.m.
Washington at Atlanta	1 p.m.
Jacksonville at Tampa Bay	1 p.m.
New Orleans at Philadelphia	1 p.m.
Cleveland at Baltimore	1 p.m.
St. Louis at Green Bay	1 p.m.
Buffalo at Tennessee	1 p.m.
Arizona at Detroit	4:05 p.m.
New England at Dallas	4:25 p.m.
Denver at Oakland	4:25 p.m.
San Francisco at New York Giants	8:30 p.m.
Pittsburgh at San Diego	8:30 p.m.

Flex Rankings and Projections

Rank	Player	Projection
1	Dion Lewis, RB, NE	12.3
2	Matt Jones, RB, WAS	10.3
3	Rashad Jennings, RB, NYG	8.7
4	Giovani Bernard, RB, CIN	8.6
5	Danny Woodhead, RB, SD	8.5
6	Donte Moncrief, WR, IND	8.2
7	James Jones, WR, GB	8.2
8	Chris Johnson, RB, ARI	8.1
9	John Brown, WR, ARI	8
10	Michael Crabtree, WR, OAK	7.9
11	Shane Vereen, RB, NYG	7.8
12	Ronnie Hillman, RB, DEN	7.6
13	Kamar Aiken, WR, BAL	7.4
14	Rueben Randle, WR, NYG	7.1
15	Terrance Williams, WR, DAL	7
16	Travis Benjamin, WR, CLE	6.7
17	Darren Sproles, RB, PHI	6.7
18	Leonard Hankerson, WR, ATL	6.5
19	Martavis Bryant, WR, PIT	6.4
20	Duke Johnson Jr., RB, CLE	6.4

Buy: Giovani Bernard

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

Yes, he got stopped at the goal line in Week 4. Yes, Jeremy Hill vultured a trio of touchdowns. But, you know what? Gio still found the end zone and once again out-touched his backfield mate on the ground.

Another 13 carries for 62 yards for Bernard have further established him as the lead back over a guy who was selected in the first round in most leagues. Unfortunately, he was not targeted in the passing game, as his Bengals rolled to a 36-21 victory over the Chiefs, but that will change. He is no longer the change-of-pace guy. He is the pace.

Cincy has a brutal matchup with the Seahawks in Week 5. Somehow, it feels like that will be another instance where Hill gets bottled up while Bernard outshines him. Look for Gio to get involved in the passing game as Andy Dalton does anything he can to avoid going over the middle against the Legion of Boom.

Sell: Matt Jones

Evan Habeeb/Getty Images

That's one great game for Matt Jones and three duds now after he slumped to 11 yards on seven carries in a Week 4 victory against the Eagles.

To his credit, Philly has done a good job against the run all year, and Alfred Morris was stifled as well before breaking loose a couple of times late in the game to salvage his day.

It's anyone's guess who will come out on top in this Jones-Morris battle week in and week out. For the time being, I'm not buying what either of them is selling.

Buy: Donte Moncrief

Michael Hickey/Getty Images

Even with Matt Hasselbeck under center in Week 4, Moncrief still threw up six catches for 75 yards in a 16-13 victory over the Jaguars. It was his first game of the year without finding paydirt.

He has firmly supplanted Andre Johnson as the team's No. 2 wideout, and the goose egg Johnson put up on Sunday only affirmed that notion.

Lock and load with Moncrief. Frank Gore and Andre Johnson aren't turning back the clock anytime soon, and T.Y. Hilton hasn't yet looked like the 2014 version of himself. Moncrief is a can't-miss flex option at this point, and he is a good bet to find the end zone once again on Thursday Night Football.

Sell: Terrance Williams

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Williams finally did some damage in the Sunday night game, hauling in three catches for 49 yards and a touchdown. However, I'm not buying it. The reason why is not what you'd normally think.

Brandon Weeden is the Derek Zoolander of the NFL. He can't turn left. Given that Williams often lines up over there, I'll pass.

Buy: Ronnie Hillman

Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

Much like Bernard, Hillman is beginning to overshadow his backfield counterpart, C.J. Anderson. The difference is that Jeremy Hill owners still have hair left. Anderson owners have to be at wit's end.

Hillman logged 103 yards on 11 carries on Sunday, highlighted by a 72-yard touchdown. He hadn't been lighting it up in the first three games of the season, but that's consecutive games finding the end zone. Has he taken the next step toward supplanting Anderson? It's possible.

With Peyton Manning looking like he is on his last legs, Denver will continue to lean on the running game to keep him fresh at the end of the season. Hillman is a solid bet to find the end zone once again in Oakland next weekend.

Sell: Martavis Bryant

Bill Wippert/Associated Press

One of the fantasy darlings of 2014 will be making his long-awaited return following a four-game suspension for substance abuse. If you stashed him in hopes of a breakout campaign with Ben Roethlisberger launching him touchdown passes left and right, those dreams will have to be put on hold until Big Ben returns.

With Mike Vick at the helm, Mike Tomlin dialed up an extremely vanilla playbook in Week 3 in order to make things easy for his new quarterback. Vick rarely took shots downfield or ad-libbed much of anything. These are areas where Bryant needs to make a profound impact.

Unless Tomlin takes the training wheels off Vick, Bryant shouldn't be counted on for much more than maybe one red-zone touchdown, if that.

Waiver-Wire Targets

Allen Hurns, Jacksonville Jaguars

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

I was driving the Hurns bandwagon last week, and now we're just slamming on the gas pedal. If Hurns is still out there in your league, it's time to pounce all over him.

After posting an 11-116-1 line against the Colts, Hurns has worked his way into must-start status for the time being. Blake Bortles has made progress in his quest to become a superstar quarterback for this team, and Hurns has been the main beneficiary. He has increased his receiving yardage in each of Jacksonville's first four games.

As long as Julius Thomas, Marqise Lee and Justin Blackmon aren't in the picture, Hurns cannot be left on the waiver wire. A juicy matchup with the Buccaneers awaits him on the schedule as well.

Ted Ginn Jr., Carolina Panthers

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Remember when Ginn took the college football world by storm at Ohio State and worked his way up to becoming a top-10 draft pick? He didn't just forget how to play football, and Carolina might be the only place that brings back that old Ginn.

This is a guy who caught six touchdowns over his first six NFL seasons prior to hauling in five as a Panther in 2013. After two scores on Sunday, Ginn is already up to three in 2015, and he is becoming more of a threat for Cam Newton in Kelvin Benjamin's absence.

Ginn is more of a week-to-week mid-range flex option, but if your receivers are all banged up, Ginn is well worth a shot.

Jacquizz Rodgers, Chicago Bears

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

This is as deep as it gets.

Rumors are swirling, per NFL Media insider Ian Rapoport, that Chicago is willing to deal franchise stalwart Matt Forte, who is in the final year of his deal. The 1-3 Bears are unlikely to compete for much this year, and they have already sent Jared Allen to Carolina in a separate deal.

It's simple fantasy logic. If a running back goes down or gets traded, somebody has to take his seat at the table. Forte is one of the few workhorses left in this league, so his backups never get to eat. Surely, if he is shipped out, Rodgers is next in line to rack up the points, along with second-year back Ka'Deem Carey.

It's possible the team will usher in a committee approach...but what if it doesn't?

Well, that could result in Rodgers being this year's gem of the entire waiver wire. He is a diminutive 5'6", but he has two seasons with over 50 receptions out of the backfield, which makes him an ideal fit in this offense.

I know it's a stretch, but that's what fantasy football is all about. If you have a roster spot currently occupied by no one important, give Rodgers a stash while you can.

All stats are courtesy of Yahoo and ESPN. Follow me on Twitter @Hussington to talk fantasy!