The NFL season is in full swing, meaning it’s time to set your lineups for Week 5 of the fantasy football season. This week marks the beginning of bye weeks, with the Lions, Chargers, Eagles, and Titans all on byes, meaning Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Ladd McConkey, Calvin Ridley, and DeAndre Hopkins are all on bye. Additionally, Rashee Rice, Christian Watson, Cooper Kupp, and Puka Nacua are out with injuries, while Davante Adams and Malik Nabers are questionable. Below are the wide receiver rankings, tiers, and analysis for Week 5.
Fantasy Football Week 5 Wide Receiver Rankings
Tier 1: Alpha Wide Receivers
1. CeeDee Lamb
2. Justin Jefferson
3. Ja’Marr Chase
4. Nico Collins
5. Malik Nabers*
Collins exploded in Week 4 with 33.1 fantasy points, finishing as the overall WR1 on the week. This is his third week scoring at least 17 points and has scored double-digit PPR points in every game this season. With Tank Dell out last week, he received a 38% target share, good for 15 targets, 12 receptions, 151 receiving yards, and a touchdown. If Dell returns next week, Collins will see a slight reduction in targets, but he is still a top-five fantasy play.
Nabers has emerged as a target hog, boasting a 39% target share last week. He was heavily involved in the offense, receiving 15 targets, resulting in 12 receptions for 115 receiving yards. Unfortunately, he left the game with a concussion, but he has ten days to recover before facing the Seahawks on Sunday. Seattle has been great against opposing wide receivers, but Nabers’ elite target share will keep him as a top-five option in the wide receiver rankings for Week 5.
Tier 2: Low-end WR1s to High-end WR2s
6. Deebo Samuel
7. Marvin Harrison Jr
8. Mike Evans
9. DK Metcalf
10. Jayden Reed
11. Chris Godwin
12. Drake London
Evans and Godwin continue to be a dynamic duo for Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Evans saw 14 targets and caught eight of them for 94 yards and one touchdown. Godwin had six catches for 69 yards on nine targets. The Buccaneers offense has been one of the surprises of the season, and both Evans and Godwin are solid fantasy plays the rest of the season.
Jordan Love returned for the Packers, which meant great news for Reed. He had 27.1 fantasy points on seven catches for 139 yards and a touchdown. In two games with Love, Reed has scored 33.1 and 27.1 fantasy points. In two games without Love, he has scored 6.6 and 10.9 points. The Packers have a great matchup in Week 5 against the Rams. As long as Love is on the field, Reed is turning into a solid fantasy option.
Tier 3: Solid WR2s
13. Chris Olave
14. Brandon Aiyuk
15. Davante Adams*
16. Garrett Wilson
17. D.J. Moore
18. Zay Flowers
19. Stefon Diggs
20. George Pickens
21. Tee Higgins
22. Terry McLaurin
23. Tyreek Hill
Olave had his third solid week in a row, finishing with 16.7 fantasy points. Touchdowns have been a problem for Olave, as he only has one in four games to begin the season. The Saints have a tough matchup against the Chiefs in Week 5 on Monday Night Football. Olave does not have top-ten potential but is a solid top-15 receiver.
Higgins returned to form in his second game back from injury. He had six receptions for 60 yards. He saw a third of the Bengals’ targets with ten. The Bengals play the Ravens next week, who are in the top ten in most fantasy points allowed to opposing wide receivers. Higgins is back to being a solid weekly WR2.
Tier 4: WR3s or FLEX plays
24. Diontae Johnson
25. Khalil Shakir
26. Amari Cooper
27. Brian Thomas
28. Jaxon Smith-Njigba
29. Tank Dell
30. Rashid Shaheed
31. Michael Pittman Jr
32. Xavier Worthy
33. Wan’Dale Robinson
34. Keenan Allen
35. Josh Downs
36. Dontayvion Wicks
Johnson has had two great weeks with Andy Dalton under center. He has scored 26.2 and 21.3 fantasy points in the last two weeks, respectively. In the first two weeks with Bryce Young, he scored 3.9 and 4.5 fantasy points. Johnson has become a must-start in fantasy as long as Dalton is the quarterback, which he will be for the foreseeable future.
Thomas had his breakout game in Week 4, scoring 21.9 fantasy points. He had six receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown. The Jaguars passing game has turned into a two-man game with Thomas and Christian Kirk. The Jaguars have a great matchup with the Colts next week, and Thomas should continue to succeed.
Some quick notes from the rest of the tier: Cooper has a great matchup against the Commanders, Pittman and Downs have a favorable matchup against the Jaguars, Worthy is the number one receiver for Patrick Mahomes, and Robinson is a PPR merchant, but has a tough matchup against the Seahawks.
Universal Responsible Gambling Disclaimer: Ages 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER
Main Photo: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
