Fantasy Football Week 5 Cheat Sheet, Rankings Guide and Waiver Projections

Just how much longer can the Devonta Freeman gravy train continue to roll?

That's the question fantasy owners want to know after watching the Atlanta Falcons running back score three more touchdowns against the Houston Texans a week after scoring three touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys.

Freeman is in a perfect position with the Falcons, because no matter what he has done in the last couple of weeks, opposing defensive coordinators won't go into a game against the Falcons saying that stopping Freeman is their No. 1 priority.

While he is clearly a big contributor and an important part of the Atlanta offense, the key to playing the Falcons is keeping the combination of quarterback Matt Ryan and wide receiver Julio Jones in check. Jones has emerged as the league's top receiver right now, and even though Antonio Brown of the Pittsburgh Steelers is brilliant, he may not give up his title anytime soon.

Brown has been prolific, but the Ben Roethlisberger injury limits his ability to contribute big plays because Mike Vick is playing with a governor on his back. The Steelers' backup quarterback has turned the ball over frequently in recent years, and head coach Mike Tomlin wants to avoid those plays desperately. That's why Vick is averaging 5.06 yards per completion, and that's simply not enough.

But back to Freeman and his recent touchdown explosion. He is hitting the hole hard every time he gets an opportunity to carry the ball, and the Falcons offensive line is opening huge holes for him. It will come to an end at some point, but he once again has a favorable matchup against the Washington Redskins this week.

In this piece, we offer our projections for the best waiver-wire pickups heading into Week 5, as well as our rankings guide.

Position	Player	Team	Week 5 Opponent
QB	Jay Cutler	Chicago Bears	Kansas City Chiefs
QB	Blake Bortles	Jacksonville Jaguars	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
QB	Alex Smith	Kansas City Chiefs	Chicago Bears
RB	Todd Gurley	St. Louis Rams	Green Bay Packers
RB	Dion Lewis	New England Patriots	Dallas Cowboys
RB	Frank Gore	Indianapolis Colts	Houston Texans
WR	Jeremy Maclin	Kansas City Chiefs	Chicago Bears
WR	Jordan Matthews	Philadelphia Eagles	New Orleans Saints
WR	Mike Evans	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Jacksonville Jaguars
TE	Owen Daniels	Denver Broncos	Oakland Raiders
TE	Charles Clay	Buffalo Bills	Tennessee Titans
TE	Antonio Gates	San Diego Chargers	Pittsburgh Steelers

Jay Cutler, Quarterback, Chicago Bears

We never thought we would be offering Jay Cutler as a serious waiver-wire pickup, but he came back from a hamstring injury to lead the Bears to their first win of the season over the Oakland Raiders in Week 4. 

Cutler is known for turning the ball over at key moments, and his fourth-quarter interception to Raiders safety Charles Woodson helped put the Bears in a hole. However, the defense rescued him by stopping the Raiders and holding them to a field goal with enough time left on the clock to give Cutler an opportunity to redeem himself.

He did just that as he drove the Bears down the field, completed a fourth-down pass and led them to a game-winning field goal. Cutler threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns, and he goes into the Bears' Week 5 game at Kansas City on an upswing.

That's rare for Cutler, who has been criticized so often during his Bears tenure. The Chiefs have a couple of strong pass-rushers in Justin Houston and Tamba Hali, but if the offensive line can keep him upright, Cutler should be able to take advantage of the Chiefs' 27th-ranked pass defense.

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Todd Gurley, Running Back, St. Louis Rams

It's important not to overreact to one great game, and if we keep that advice in mind, we should take another week to watch Todd Gurley before making a move.

That may be sage advice, but we are not going to follow it with Gurley. After watching him explode for 146 yards on 19 carries against the previously undefeated Arizona Cardinals, we are going all-in on Gurley.

Gurley was one of the best college running backs in the country at Georgia before his 2014 season was cut short by an ACL tear, but he has returned to action and looks sharp, explosive, powerful and dangerous. We are banking on him showing off his talent against the Green Bay Packers' 21st-ranked run defense this week. 

Gurley looks like a potential superstar, and we want to get on that train before it leaves the station.

Frank Victores/Associated Press

Jeremy Maclin, Wide Receiver, Kansas City Chiefs

A wide receiver from the Chiefs making the list of top waiver pickups? That never would have happened in any of the last three seasons, but Maclin is starting to make an impact in Andy Reid's offense.

He caught a TD pass in Week 3 against the Packers and went over the 100-yard mark in receiving for the second week in a row when he caught 11 passes for 148 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4.

Suddenly, the Chiefs are moving the ball through the air. Quarterback Alex Smith is coming off a 386-yard passing effort, and that's largely because Maclin gives them more versatility than they've had in the past.

That's a good trend to jump on right now, especially with the Bears coming to Kansas City. The Chiefs have lost three games in a row and will be determined to break that losing streak against a team that has struggled for the last two-plus seasons.

Position	Player	Team	Opponent
WR	Julio Jones	Atlanta Falcons	Washington Redskins
RB	Le'Veon Bell	Pittsburgh Steelers	San Diego Chargers
WR	Odell Beckham Jr.	New York Giants	San Francisco 49ers
RB	Jamaal Charles	Kansas City Chiefs	Chicago Bears
TE	Rob Gronkowski	New England Patriots	Dallas Cowboys
WR	Randall Cobb	Green Bay Packers	St. Louis Rams
WR	Demaryius Thomas	Denver Broncos	Oakland Raiders
QB	Aaron Rodgers	Green Bay Packers	St. Louis Rams
WR	Antonio Brown	Pittsburgh Steelers	San Diego Chargers
QB	Tom Brady	New England Patriots	Dallas Cowboys
WR	Larry Fitzgerald	Arizona Cardinals	Detroit Lions
WR	Keenan Allen	San Diego Chargers	Pittsburgh Steelers
QB	Matt Ryan	Atlanta Falcons	Washington Redskins
RB	Devonta Freeman	Atlanta Falcons	Washington Redskins
RB	Alfred Morris	Washington Redskins	Atlanta Falcons
WR	Jeremy Maclin	Kansas City Chiefs	Chicago Bears
RB	Matt Forte	Chicago Bears	Kansas City Chiefs
WR	A.J. Green	Cincinnati Bengals	Seattle Seahawks
TE	Owen Daniels	Denver Broncos	Oakland Raiders
QB	Eli Manning	New York Giants	San Francisco 49ers