Fantasy Football Week 5 Rankings: Top 50 Wide Receivers

Wide receivers around the league continue to flash impressive numbers from week to week. 

Exactly how do they stack up, now that some players are on a bye week?  Let’s take a look.

1. Calvin Johnson – Detroit Lions – vs. Chicago
2. Roddy White – Atlanta Falcons – vs. Green Bay
3. Vincent Jackson – San Diego Chargers – at Denver
4. Wes Welker – New England Patriots – vs. New York Jets
5. Greg Jennings – Green Bay Packers – at Atlanta
6. Larry Fitzgerald – Arizona Cardinals – at Minnesota
7. Hakeem Nicks – New York Giants – vs. Seattle
8. Steve Smith – Carolina Panthers – vs. New Orleans
9. Jeremy Maclin – Philadelphia Eagles – at Buffalo
10. Mike Wallace – Pittsburgh Steelers – vs. Tennessee
11. Stevie Johnson – Buffalo Bills – vs. Philadelphia
12. Dwayne Bowe – Kansas City Chiefs – at Indianapolis
13. Reggie Wayne – Indianapolis Colts – vs. Kansas City
14. Julio Jones – Atlanta Falcons – vs. Green Bay
15. DeSean Jackson – Philadelphia Eagles – at Buffalo
16. Santonio Holmes – New York Jets – at New England
17. A.J. Green – Cincinnati Bengals – at Jacksonville
18. Jordy Nelson – Green Bay Packers – at Atlanta
19. Brandon Lloyd – Denver Broncos – vs. San Diego
20. Sidney Rice – Seattle Seahawks – at New York Giants
21. Percy Harvin – Minnesota Vikings – vs. Arizona
22. Mike Williams – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – at San Francisco
23. Mike Thomas – Jacksonville Jaguars – vs. Cincinnati
24. Eric Decker – Denver Broncos – vs. San Diego
25. Lance Moore – New Orleans Saints – at Carolina
26. Nate Washington – Tennessee Titans – at Pittsburgh
27. Johnny Knox – Chicago Bears – at Detroit
28. Denarius Moore – Oakland Raiders – at Houston
29. Plaxico Burress – New York Jets – at New England
30. Victor Cruz – New York Giants – vs. Seattle
31. Pierre Garcon – Indianapolis Colts – vs. Kansas City
32. Nate Burleson – Detroit Lions – vs. Chicago
33. Marques Colston – New Orleans Saints – at Carolina
34. Jacoby Jones – Houston Texans – vs. Oakland
35. Arrelious Benn – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – at San Francisco
36. Steve Breaston – Kansas City Chiefs – at Indianapolis
37. Antonio Brown – Pittsburgh Steelers – vs. Tennessee
38. Michael Crabtree – San Francisco 49ers – vs. Tampa Bay
39. Mario Manningham – New York Giants – vs. Seattle
40. Deion Branch – New England Patriots – vs. New York Jets
41. Early Doucet – Arizona Cardinals – at Minnesota
42. Kevin Walter – Houston Texans – vs. Oakland
43. David Nelson – Buffalo Bills – vs. Philadelphia
44. Robert Meachem – New Orleans Saints – at Carolina
45. Malcolm Floyd – San Diego Chargers – at Denver
46. Dexter McCluster – Kansas City Chiefs – at Indianapolis
47. Devery Henderson – New Orleans Saints – at Carolina
48. Jacoby Ford – Oakland Raiders – at Houston
49. Brandon LaFell – Carolina Panthers – vs. New Orleans
50. Devin Hester – Chicago Bears – at Detroit

Calvin Johnson

The Chicago Bears are allowing 301.5 passing yards per game, fourth-worst in the league. 

Calvin Johnson, meanwhile, has 24 receptions for 321 yards and a league-leading eight TDs.  Is there any question as to who belongs as the top dog this week?

Roddy White and Greg Jennings

Is there any doubt that the Falcons-Packers game is going to break down into a shootout? 

The Packers are the second-worst passing defense in the league (335.8 yards per game), thanks to forcing teams to try and play catch-up.  The Falcons are also in the bottom 10, allowing 275.5 yards per game. 

Even if they were in the top half, would you expect them to silence Aaron Rodgers?  Both Roddy White and Greg Jennings, as well as the secondary receivers, are going to be strong plays.

Steve Smith (CAR)

At this point, is there a question as to what Steve Smith and Cam Newton can do together? 

Smith is second in the league with 530 yards, including 12 receptions of at least 20 yards and three of at least 40 yards. 

If the Panthers are going to keep up with the Saints, they are probably going to have to throw the ball, making Smith a solid play as a low-end WR1 and a great WR2 option.

DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin

Who would you rather use from Philadelphia—DeSean Jackson or Jeremy Maclin? 

Both have produced, with Jackson having 16 receptions for 324 yards and a touchdown and Maclin having 26 receptions for 334 yards and two touchdowns.  Maybe more telling is that Jackson has 30 targets (53.3 percent completion rate) vs. Maclin’s 36 targets (72.2 percent completion rate). 

The moral of the story is Jackson is high risk, high reward, because when he makes catches it will likely be for a lot of yardage. 

Maclin, meanwhile, has been consistent over the past three weeks with at least five receptions and 69 yards each week.  He’s the more trustworthy option, though both are certainly usable.

Dwayne Bowe

Here we go again with Dwayne Bowe, who has now scored a touchdown in back-to-back games and has two 100-plus yard performances in his past three. 

He seems like a tremendous WR2 in all formats, though he can also be considered a low-end WR1.

Santonio Holmes

We all know that if the Jets are going to keep pace with the Patriots in Week 5, they are going to have to take to the air.  New England has allowed a league-worst 368.8 passing yards per game thus far, at least in part because teams are always playing from behind. 

As expected, the Jets tried to get Santonio Holmes more involved in the offense in Week 4 (12 targets), and while we would like to see better results (three catches for 33 yards), a bigger performance will likely be in his future.

Eric Decker and Brandon Lloyd

Eric Decker has been great of late (17 receptions for 217 yards and four TDs), but do we believe that he’s a better option than a healthy Brandon Lloyd? 

Granted, Lloyd has yet to find the end zone, but you have to think it’s just a matter of time.  He had a huge game in Week 4 (eight receptions for 136 yards) and should be the better option most weeks. 

That’s not to say that Decker is not usable, but consider him more of a WR3.

Sidney Rice

It appears like Sidney Rice is just what the doctor ordered for the Seahawks offense, doesn’t it? 

In two weeks, he’s gone off for 11 receptions for 188 yards and a touchdown while being targeted 16 times.  Look for him to continue to be the focal point of the offense this week.

Marques Colston

We all know that the Saints like to move the ball around the field and get many people involved.  That is always going to limit the fantasy appeal of their wide receivers. 

I would expect Marques Colston, who was targeted just three times in his return to the lineup in Week 4, to continue to be brought along slowly.  I wouldn’t consider using him in two-receiver formats at this point.

Victor Cruz

It appears like the Giants are going to be depending on Victor Cruz a lot more now.

Even with Mario Manningham back and healthy, Cruz was targeted nine times, and he picked up six receptions for 98 yards.  He appears to be the better option at this point.

Jacoby Jones and Kevin Walter

With Andre Johnson out, where will the targets go in Houston? 

Honestly, the most likely place is Owen Daniels and Arian Foster, but you know both Jacoby Jones and Kevin Walter will get a few looks as well.  Neither has been overly impressive, though the desperate could consider one in three-receiver formats.

Deion Branch

Does anyone have faith in Deion Branch at this point? 

Over the past two weeks, he has one reception for four yards and one touchdown on seven targets.  There’s just too much risk involved in him at this point.

Vincent Jackson

Word is that Vincent Jackson is nursing a hamstring injury that could limit him this week.  We’ll have to keep a close eye on the news, but if healthy, he’s one of the best options around. 

If he’s forced out (or is limited), Malcolm Floyd’s stock increases significantly.

Make sure to check out the rest of Rotoprofessor’s Week 5 information:

• Top 25 Quarterbacks
• Top 40 Running Backs
• Waiver Worthy
• Target Trends