Fantasy Football Week 5 Rankings: Top 60 Wide Receivers

Eric Stashin

Oct 6, 2010

With the Patriots on a bye week, Randy Moss currently is not on the rankings, but if last night’s rumors are to be believed he could soon find his way on here (for those who haven’t heard there is talk that Moss will be headed to Minnesota). Time will tell, but let’s take a look at how things look for now (of course, these will be updated later in the week if necessary):

Andre Johnson—Houston Texans vs. New York Giants
Roddy White—Atlanta Falcons at Cleveland Browns
Reggie Wayne—Indianapolis Colts vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Hakeem Nicks—New York Giants at Houston Texans
Miles Austin—Dallas Cowboys vs. Tennessee Titans
Calvin Johnson—Detroit Lions vs. St. Louis Rams
Anquan Boldin—Baltimore Ravens vs. Denver Broncos
Marques Colston—New Orleans Saints at Arizona Cardinals
Larry Fitzgerald—Arizona Cardinals vs. New Orleans Saints
Greg Jennings—Green Bay Packers at Washington Redskins
Terrell Owens—Cincinnati Bengals vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
DeSean Jackson—Philadelphia Eagles at San Francisco 49ers
Austin Collie—Indianapolis Colts vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Donald Driver—Green Bay Packers at Washington Redskins
Chad Ochocinco—Cincinnati Bengals vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mark Clayton—St. Louis Rams at Detroit Lions
Brandon Lloyd—Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens
Steve Smith—New York Giants at Houston Texans
Dwayne Bowe—Kansas City Chiefs at Indianapolis Colts
Kevin Walter—Houston Texans vs. New York Giants
Johnny Knox—Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers
Jeremy Maclin—Philadelphia Eagles at San Francisco 49ers
Malcolm Floyd—San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders
Braylon Edwards—New York Jets vs. Minnesota Vikings
Santana Moss—Washington Redskins vs. Green Bay
Mario Manningham—New York Giants at Houston Texans
Lee Evans—Buffalo Bills vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Michael Crabtree—San Francisco 49ers vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Louis Murphy—Oakland Raiders vs. San Diego Chargers
Percy Harvin—Minnesota Vikings at New York Jets
Robert Meachem—New Orleans Saints at Arizona Cardinals
Legedu Naanee—San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders
Devin Hester—Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers
Roy Williams—Dallas Cowboys vs. Tennessee Titans
Mike Sims-Walker—Jacksonville Jaguars at Buffalo Bills
Demaryious Thomas—Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens
Jacoby Jones—Houston Texans vs. New York Giants
Kenny Britt—Tennessee Titans at Dallas Cowboys
Mike Williams—Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Cincinnati Bengals
Santonio Holmes—New York Jets vs. Minnesota Vikings
Joshua Cribbs—Cleveland Browns vs. Atlanta Falcons
Danny Amendola—St. Louis Rams at Detroit Lions
Derrick Mason—Baltimore Ravens vs. Denver Broncos
Eddie Royal—Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens
Nate Burleson—Detroit Lions vs. St. Louis Rams
Mohamed Massaqoui—Cleveland Browns vs. Atlanta Falcons
Stephen Williams—Arizona Cardinals vs. New Orleans Saints
Lance Moore—New Orleans Saints at Arizona Cardinals
James Jones—Green Bay Packers at Washington Redskins
Dez Bryant—Dallas Cowboys vs. Tennessee Titans
Pierre Garcon—Indianapolis Colts vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Steve Johnson—Buffalo Bills vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Brandon LaFell—Carolina Panthers vs. Chicago Bears
Justin Gage—Tennessee Titans at Dallas Cowboys
Jabar Gaffney—Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens
Devery Henderson—New Orleans Saints at Arizona Cardinals
Nate Washington—Tennessee Titans at Dallas Cowboys
Laurent Robinson—St. Louis Rams at Detroit Lions
Earl Bennett—Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers
Jordan Shipley—Cincinnati Bengals vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Thoughts:

I wouldn’t expect the Giants’ pass rush to wreak the same type of havoc against the Texans that they did against the Bears. Still, it showed that their defense still has it, and I wouldn’t necessarily expect the Texans to roll through them this week. Does that mean Andre Johnson isn’t a WR1? Of course he is, just temper those expectations slightly.
Hopefully Mario Manningham’s poor Week 4 performance will temper owners’ expectations of him. He’s the Giants big play receiver, and is not guaranteed to make a play every week. Of course, against a defense that has allowed five passing plays of at least 40 yards this season he’s worth using, but he’s still just a WR3.
DeSean Jackson had been rolling with Michael Vick at QB, so the injury is a huge hit to his value. You have to think that he will still produce with Kevin Kolb, but three catches for just 19 yards in Week 4 make you wonder. He has to be downgraded for now.
In Week 4 Terrell Owens had 15 targets, to Chad Ochocinco’s five. I wouldn’t necessarily expect that to continue, but for now Owens appears to have the higher value of the Bengals receivers. Of course, that is likely to change on a weekly basis, downgrading each of them slightly.
Mark Clayton is getting significant opportunities to make plays in St. Louis. In Week 4 he had 14 targets. While he converted that into only five receptions for 72 yards, he has certainly developed into the team's go-to receiver. That makes him a surprise WR2 in all formats.
Percy Harvin is going to have a tough draw, especially with Darelle Revis expected back in the Jets secondary. It’s hard to consider him anything more then a WR3 for the upcoming week.
With Santonio Holmes returning to the Jets lineup, you have to wonder how his presence will affect the production of Braylon Edwards. Considering that we haven’t seen Holmes yet, I would prefer Edwards as a WR3, but this week will go a long ways in establishing their values moving forward.
The Carolina Panthers’ Steve Smith suffered a sprained ankle in Week 4 and appears out for the team’s upcoming game against the Bears. For now we’ve left him off these rankings, but if the news changes later in the week we’ll update them accordingly. Brandon LaFell will likely be their top wide receiver, but considering the quarterback play, he’s a low-end option, at best.
The Bears receivers will all take a hit if Jay Cutler doesn’t dress for Sunday’s game. For now, Johnny Knox is a low-end WR2, but he could become more of a FLEX option, so keep a close eye on the news.
With the way the Jaguars offense is built and the poor rushing defense of the Buffalo Bills, using a Jaguars wide receiver appears to be a tough move, doesn’t it?
Lee Evans is a big play receiver and the Jaguars defense gives up a lot of big plays (19 passing plays of at least 20 yards and seven of at least 40 yards). It’s tough to depend on players like Evans, but this week appears to be a good one to have him in your lineup as a WR3.
I want to believe that Robert Meachem is a usable wide receiver this week against the Cardinals, but you just never know who is going to get the opportunity to produce. Still, the upside makes him worth considering as a WR3 or FLEX option.
Will Pierre Garcon play or not? Either way, with the emergence of Austin Collie, he’s a depth option at this point until he proves otherwise.
For now Louis Murphy remains on the rankings, but he is suffering from a bruised collarbone that helped contribute to his just one reception in Week 4. The news during the week will help ultimately determine his value.

What are your thoughts on these rankings? Who’s too high? Who’s too low?

Make sure to check out the rest of our Week 5 Rankings: