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What's up RotoBallers. Week 4 is complete and we hope you managed to secure the win! To celebrate, today we are bringing you our Week 5 fantasy football rankings to help prepare you for your Week 5 matchups.
Below you will find both PPR rankings and standard league rankings for Week 5, brought to you by Zach Wilkens (@LopsidedTrades) and Edward Gorelik (@EdwardGorelik).
Lead fantasy football columnist Edward Gorelik also highlights some rankings analysis for Week 5, broken out by position, and draws some matchup conclusions. He tells you who he likes, who he doesn't, and most importantly who he thinks you should be starting in Week 5. You can also check out our 2015 fantasy football ranking dashboard, for more in depth rankings analysis on all positions including rookies and dynasty leagues.
Week 5 Fantasy Football Rankings - All Positions
powered by FantasyPros
Week 5 Quarterback (QB) Rankings Analysis
By Edward Gorelik (@Edward Gorelik)
Carson Palmer, one of the big surprises this year, plays against the same Detroit Lions defense that almost killed the Seahawks playoff hopes on Monday Night Football. He's ranked high in my list but he's a player to be very tentative with. We saw last week what happens when you put Palmer against a great pass rush when the Rams held him down to 350 yards, one touchdown and an interception.
Although the Lions pass rush might not be the same as when Suh was around, it's still a nightmarish unit to deal with and has been climbing the PFF pass rushing grades week by week. The Cardinals offensive line will play a huge part in Carson Palmer's floor in this game.
I keep believing in Colin Kaepernick, and he keeps falling short. The past few weeks have not been good to him as he's failed to put up a passing touchdown two weeks in a row. This is his last chance for me, he's up against a New York Giants defense that is currently ranked 32nd on NFL.com for passing yardage allowed. It can't get easier than that, it just can't.
Week 5 Running Back (RB) Rankings Analysis
By Edward Gorelik (@Edward Gorelik)
I believed in Justin Forsett last week, and he finally came through posting a 150 yard game. This week's no different, as Forsett plays at home against the weak Cleveland Brown's offense that projects to be trailing against Baltimore. That means more carries to eat the clock once they gain a lead against the league's 2nd worst rushing defense in yards per game, 8th worst in rushing DVOA, and 4th worst on PFF's run defense grades. To summarize, the Browns run defense is bad, and the Ravens will be running a lot.
Todd Gurley is amazing, and if you haven't realized that already you will soon. With Gurley's emergence, expect Jeff Fisher's old habits to return - feed him a lot, putting him on his way to an RB1 season. The Rams just don't feature any weapons nearly as dangerous and skilled as Gurley. Even against a Packers team that will likely be playing ahead of the Rams, the chance of them not giving the ball to a back who broke off multiple big runs against one of the best defenses in the league last week is none. On top of that, the Packers run defense hasn't even been doing well - they're allowing 4.8 YPC on the season, and are ranked 2nd worst in DVOA against the run.
I'm feeling Carlos Hyde this week, a lot. Since his big MNF breakout against the Vikings, he's failed to put up more than 70 yards in a game - but don't take that as an indictment upon his talent. Let's examine the situation for a second. He broke out against the Vikings, the leagues 28th ranked offense. Yes, we're looking at their offense, not their defense. Since then he's played against the leagues 4th, 10th, and 12th best offenses in Arizona, Green Bay, and Pittsburgh. All of these offenses are likely to finish far higher once the season ends, and the 49ers have trailed in all of these games. It's important to understand that losing in games keeps the ball out of the running back's hands.
Meanwhile, the Giants are the 22nd ranked offense in the league - switching back and forth between mediocre and decent, despite their talent. There's a good chance that the 49ers stay in the game this week long enough for Hyde to see meaningful carries up until the 4th quarter.
Week 5 Wide Receiver (WR) Rankings Analysis
By Edward Gorelik (@Edward Gorelik)
Two Thursday night receivers stand out to me this week - T.Y. Hilton and Keith Mumphery. Did you expect me to say DeAndre Hopkins? Well you are wrong, it's Keith Mumphery. Hilton's an obvious play here. In his six matchups with the Texans, he has three games with over 100 yards and only one with less than 70, while only having two games against them without a touchdown.
Mumphery on the other hand isn't a name you've heard of before. Honestly, I hadn't heard of him either before last week. When Nate Washington and Cecil Shorts both got injured, it was Mumphery who stepped in and had four catches on seven targets for 56 yards. It's expected right now that he'll be starting opposite Hopkins, who's likely to draw the attention of Vontae Davis for most of the night.
That leaves Mumphery up against Darius Butler, and whatever other backup corner the Colts are trotting out. He's not exactly a startable player, but if you're looking for a punt that has the chance of gaining real value, Mumphery's your guy. The Colts have allowed 87 yards per game to opposing teams' #2 receivers.
Back to players with actual name relevance. Keenan Allen is back. A down year put him out of favor with everyone in 2014, but 2015 is off to an insane start as Allen has had two games with more than 15 targets this year. With both Malcom Floyd and Stevie Johnson now dealing with injuries, Allen's about to face one of the worst pass coverage units in the NFL - and they have no cornerback able to handle him one-on-one. Expect another 10+ target game for Keenan.
Week 5 Tight End (TE) Rankings Analysis
By Edward Gorelik (@Edward Gorelik)
Owen Daniels is facing the Oakland Raiders this week, nearly guaranteeing a top eight finish for him. If you haven't kept up, the Raiders are giving up 90 yards a game to tight ends this season with an average of at least one touchdown allowed every week to them. Start Daniels if you own him.
Is it crazy to expect a good week out of both Ladarius Green and Antonio Gates? I don't think so. Gates might be returning from his suspension, but Green's been playing well enough in his absence that I won't believe they take him off the field until they actually do. With Stevie Johnson and Malcom Floyd hurt, that makes Green, Gates, and Allen the only three healthy and established targets on the field. Against a Steelers defense that's too weak to do anything against any of them, there's a good shot that Green and Gates manage to put up startable scores this week.
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Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.
