Week 5 Fantasy Football Rankings: Matthew Stafford Will Climb QB Ladder

As much publicity as Matthew Stafford has garnered for leading the Detroit Lions to the top of the NFL this season, he's yet to truly capture the collective imagination of the fantasy football world.

Not that he isn't thought of as one of the elite quarterbacks—he currently ranks fifth among fantasy QBs —but rather that Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Cam Newton and Drew Brees have hogged all the headlines, and rightfully so. They've all logged more fantasy points than Stafford and have done their owners proud.

But that's all about to change at least in part. Stafford will have the opportunity on Monday to pick apart a Chicago Bears defense that, intimidating as its reputation may suggest, has been the fourth-friendliest of any unit in the NFL to opposing fantasy signal callers.

Granted, the Bears have been harassed by some of the top fantasy QBs this season, including Rodgers, Brees and Newton, so, really, it's tough to say which came first—the chicken or the terrible pass defense.

That being said, Chicago has been torched by tight ends and Detroit has one of the best in its employ in Brandon Pettigrew, not to mention arguably the league's best receiver in Calvin Johnson. Regardless of who's at fault, then, Stafford will probably put together yet another transcendent fantasy performance, especially if he's once again forced to rescue his Lions from certain doom with yet another aerial assault.

As for those few QBs who currently find themselves ahead of Stafford in the points, they won't all necessarily slip, but their respective performances on Sunday should allow Stafford to gain some ground. Aaron Rodgers will more than likely hang on to his crown as king of the fantasy QBs, as he'll be tossing bombs against a Falcons secondary that he's terrorized before (see: 2011 playoffs) and that currently ranks 24th in the league in passing yards allowed.

Tom Brady, who sits next in line in the fantasy football hierarchy, won't be so lucky so as not to slip, at least just a bit. He has the unfortunate task of throwing against the Jets' pass defense, the toughest in the NFL. True, Gang Green has yet to face a quarterback anywhere close to Brady's caliber this season, but even the Golden Boy has had his fair share of bad days trying to fit the ball in over Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie.

Meanwhile, Cam Newton and Drew Brees will look to torch each other's defenses when the Panthers and the Saints meet in Carolina. This one will be a shootout, though there will be more action for the running backs involved than one might initially expect. Sure, Newton will get his and, of course, Brees will get his, seeing as how no team in the NFL throws as often as does New Orleans. Yet, the Panthers' pass defense is surprisingly stingy, having "limited" Aaron Rodgers to "only" 308 yards and two touchdowns.

But let's not forget about Stafford, who is due for yet another big week in fantasy land. He won't likely find himself sitting top of the pops at week's end, but he'll certainly be within sniffing distance of Rodgers and Brady while pulling neck-and-neck with, if not slightly ahead of, Brees and Newton.