Fantasy Football Week 5 Rankings: Guide for Top Players and Sleepers

Week 4 brought plenty of surprises to the NFL. The New York Jets and New York Giants won their first games of the year—in overtime, no less. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers barely scraped by the New England Patriots, while the previously unbeaten Las Vegas Raiders got handled by a division rival.

The 2021 season, as a whole, has been a little unpredictable, and the wackiness has expanded into the fantasy realm. Derek Carr leads the league in passing yards, Deebo Samuel leads the league in receiving yards, and Cooper Kupp leads the NFL in receiving touchdowns—not exactly what one might have predicted.

Derrick Henry leading the league in rushing? OK, we saw that coming.

The point is that both real-world and fantasy football are as unpredictable as ever in 2021. It's become all the more important to play the matchups and not simply stick by the big names. Here, we'll examine the top plays and sleepers for Week 5.

All rankings and picks are based on points-per-reception (PPR) scoring.

Quarterback

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1. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

2. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

3. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

4. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

5. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

6. Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

7. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams

8. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles

9. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

10. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

11. Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings

12. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

Sleeper Pick: Jameis Winston at Washington Football Team

The Jameis Winston hype-train has slowed considerably since his five-touchdown performance in Week 1. He's thrown only three touchdowns since and has struggled to provide a great fantasy  floor.

In Week 4, Winston passed for 226 yards with a touchdown.

This week, though, Winston should have a prime opportunity to get back on track. He'll face a Washington Football Team that has allowed the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks through the first four weeks.

Winston is currently rostered in 39 percent of Yahoo leagues and 33 percent of ESPN leagues.

Running Back

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1. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans

2. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers

3. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

4. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers

5. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants

6. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys

7. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns

8. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings

9. James Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars

10. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

11. D'Andre Swift, Detroit Lions

12. Darrell Henderson Jr., Los Angeles Rams

13. Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers

14. Kareem Hunt, Cleveland Browns

15. Chase Edmonds, Arizona Cardinals

16. Damien Williams, Chicago Bears

17. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kansas City Chiefs

18. Chris Carson, Seattle Seahawks

19. Antonio Gibson, Washington Football Team

20. Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders

Sleeper Pick: Damien Williams at Las Vegas Raiders

With starting back David Montgomery sidelined for the next few weeks with a knee injury, Damien Williams is set to take the reins for the Chicago Bears. According to ESPN's Dan Graziano, Montgomery is expected to miss 4-5 weeks.

This makes him a tremendous sleeper play in Week 5 against the Las Vegas Raiders. Las Vegas has allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs.

Williams took over partway through Chicago's Week 4 win and finished with 55 rushing yards, 15 receiving yards and a touchdown. This should be considered his floor with a full four quarters of action ahead of him.

Managers looking for a waiver-wire add should consider Williams, who is rostered in only 12 percent of Yahoo leagues and 13 percent of ESPN leagues.

Wide Receiver

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1. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers

2. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams

3. Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills

4. D.J. Moore, Carolina Panthers

5. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs

6. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

7. DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals

8. DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks

9. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys

10. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers

11. Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers

12. Terry McLaurin, Washington Football Team

13. Calvin Ridley, Atlanta Falcons

14. Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks

15. Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

16. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals

17. Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings

18. Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers

19. Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys

20. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Sleeper Pick: Jamison Crowder at Atlanta Falcons

Have things finally clicked for New York Jets rookie quarterback Zach Wilson? Perhaps. He got the first win of his NFL career on Sunday—though to be fair, it came against a bad Tennessee Titans pass defense.

Regardless of whether Wilson has finally figured it out, wideout Jamison Crowder took advantage of his talents in Week 4. In his 2021 debut, Crowder caught seven passes for 61 yards and a touchdown.

Crowder becomes a hot sleeper and potential waiver-wire target, as he is rostered in only 21 percent of Yahoo leagues and 19 percent of ESPN leagues. This week, he and the Jets will face an Atlanta Falcons team that has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing receivers.

Expect Crowder to have another big outing this week.

Tight End

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1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

2. Darren Waller, Las Vegas Raiders

3. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

4. T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions

5. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

6. Noah Fant, Denver Broncos

7. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

8. Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams

9. Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills

10. Dalton Schultz, Dallas Cowboys

11. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles

12. Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins

Sleeper Pick: Jonnu Smith at Houston Texans

Offseason acquisition Jonnu Smith hasn't exactly set the world on fire for the New England Patriots—he has has just 13 receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown. However, New England has tied to get him involved in the passing game.

Smith has been targeted 21 times through four weeks. There should be a solid PPR floor for Smith this week against an inconsistent Houston Texans defense.

The Texans have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season. The Baltimore Ravens are the only team to allow more, and they've already faced top tight ends in Travis Kelce, Darren Waller, T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant.

Managers looking for a deep sleeper should eye Smith, who is rostered in 48 percent of Yahoo leagues and 66 percent of ESPN leagues.

*Advanced statistics from Pro Football Reference. Fantasy roster info and points against via FantasyPros.