Fantasy Football Week 5 Rankings: Guide for Top Players and Sleepers (2024)

Perhaps your fantasy football season is off to a great start, or maybe you're not in the position you'd like to be in. Either way, there are still a lot of weeks ahead, and it's important to keep doing research and making the right decisions each week.

Moving forward, there will also be bye weeks to deal with, so managers may need to look for sleepers and deep waiver-wire pickups to help make up for the absence of a key player or two in a certain week.

Fortunately, there should be plenty of those types of players available who can help you stay competitive or make up for the loss of an injured player.

Here are the rankings for Week 5, along with a sleeper pick at each position for this week's action.

Quarterbacks

1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (vs. Las Vegas Raiders)

2. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens (vs. Cincinnati Bengals)

3. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys (vs. New York Giants)

4. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks (vs. Minnesota Vikings)

5. Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)

6. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (at Tennessee Titans)

7. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals (at New York Jets)

8. Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams (at Washington Football Team)

10. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers (at New Orleans Saints)

Sleeper: Daniel Jones, New York Giants (at Dallas Cowboys)

Daniel Jones hasn't thrown for a touchdown since passing for two in the Giants' Week 1 loss to the Steelers, and he's been held under 200 passing yards each of the past two weeks against the 49ers and Rams.

However, the second-year quarterback has been going up against some strong defenses, making it tough for him and the New York offense to get going.

This week, the Giants face the Cowboys, who are allowing 430.5 total yards per game, the third-most in the NFL. So, this should be an opportunity for the 23-year-old to put up some better numbers in a game that is likely to feature plenty of offense from both sides.

Perhaps you have Aaron Rodgers on your roster and are looking for a one-week streaming option to utilize during the Packers' bye week. If that's the case, Jones could be worth picking up and starting, as he's poised to have his best showing of 2020 so far on Sunday.

Running Backs

1. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints (vs. Los Angeles Chargers)

2. Kareem Hunt, Cleveland Browns (vs. Indianapolis Colts)

3. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys (vs. New York Giants)

4. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings (at Seattle Seahawks)

5. Mike Davis, Carolina Panthers (at Atlanta Falcons)

6. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kansas City Chiefs (vs. Las Vegas Raiders)

7. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans (vs. Buffalo Bills)

8. Chris Carson, Seattle Seahawks (vs. Minnesota Vikings)

9. Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles (at Pittsburgh Steelers)

10. Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders (at Kansas City Chiefs)

Sleeper: Justin Jackson, Los Angeles Chargers (at New Orleans Saints)

With Austin Ekeler likely to miss time due to a hamstring injury, the Chargers should turn to Joshua Kelley and Justin Jackson out of the backfield.

And although Kelley has been getting substantial touches through four weeks even with Ekeler in the fold, it wouldn't be surprising if Los Angeles decides to stick with its two-back approach.

Kelley hasn't been too productive despite his decent-sized workload. He has 174 yards on 52 carries, an average of 3.3 yards per rush. He hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 1, and he's lost a fumble each of the past two weeks.

If the UCLA product doesn't get it going now with Ekeler out, Jackson could get more work.

It's also possible Jackson could be utilized in the passing game, taking over the role from Ekeler. If that's the case, he could be the Chargers back to play in fantasy while Ekeler is out, and it makes him a sleeper for Week 5.

Wide Receivers

1. Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints (vs. Los Angeles Chargers)

2. DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals (at New York Jets)

3. Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys (vs. New York Giants)

4. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs (vs. Las Vegas Raiders)

5. Calvin Ridley, Atlanta Falcons (vs. Carolina Panthers)

6. Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks (vs. Minnesota Vikings)

7. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams (at Washington Football Team)

8. Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings (at Seattle Seahawks)

9. DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks (vs. Minnesota Vikings)

10. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons (vs. Carolina Panthers)

Sleeper: Zach Pascal, Indianapolis Colts (at Cleveland Browns)

The Browns are allowing 310.5 passing yards per game, the third-most in the NFL. And although the Colts' offense has been average this season, this could be an opportunity for them to rack up some yards and points in a game that may be a high-scoring shootout.

Zach Pascal has only 10 receptions for 129 yards and a touchdown this season, but he may be trending in the right direction.

In Indianapolis' Week 4 win at Chicago, the 25-year-old had three receptions for a season-high 58 yards. More importantly, he was targeted eight times, showing he could be an integral part of the Colts' passing game moving forward.

With T.Y. Hilton struggling to get going, Pascal could be set for a breakout game in Week 5. That makes him one of the more intriguing streaming options at wide receiver this week, as he has a ton of sleeper potential in this favorable matchup.

Tight Ends

1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs (vs. Las Vegas Raiders)

2. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers (vs. Miami Dolphins)

3. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens (vs. Cincinnati Bengals)

4. Darren Waller, Las Vegas Raiders (at Kansas City Chiefs)

5. Evan Engram, New York Giants (at Dallas Cowboys)

6. Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams (at Washington Football Team)

7. Jonnu Smith, Tennessee Titans (vs. Buffalo Bills)

8. Dalton Schultz, Dallas Cowboys (vs. New York Giants)

9. Hayden Hurst, Atlanta Falcons (vs. Carolina Panthers)

10. Chris Herndon, New York Jets (vs. Arizona Cardinals)

Sleeper: Drew Sample, Cincinnati Bengals (at Baltimore Ravens)

Drew Sample nearly had his first touchdown of the season in the Bengals' Week 4 win over the Jaguars, when he came close to corralling a pass in the end zone. Instead, the ball hit off his face mask and ended up in the hands of linebacker Myles Jack for an interception.

Still, the 24-year-old had three receptions for 47 yards and was targeted five times, marking the second time in three weeks that rookie quarterback Joe Burrow has looked to him at least that many times.

Sample may be on the verge of a breakout, as he continues to be on the field a lot for Cincinnati and could develop into a solid receiving option for the former LSU star.

The Ravens are allowing 270 passing yards per game, the seventh-most in the NFL, so there should be opportunities for the Bengals to have success through the air, especially if they're playing from behind late.

That makes Sample a potential sleeper for Week 5, as this could be the matchup in which he capitalizes on the opportunities he's been getting.