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Week 5 Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Rankings

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It's no secret there's been an offensive surge in the NFL this year, and wide receivers are reaping the benefits with some monster performances. Last Sunday, Odell Beckham Jr., DJ Chark, Tre'Quan Smith, and CeeDee Lamb all had multi-TD games; the week before, seven wideouts had at least two touchdown catches, including "sleepers" Tee Higgins, Andy Isabella, Dontrelle Inman, and Cedrick Wilson. Clearly, it's "one of those years," and it seems unlikely to stop anytime soon. That's ultimately good news, though it did present its own set of unique challenges when we put together our Week 5 fantasy WR rankings,

With so many favorable matchups and overachieving wide receivers to choose from, how do you put them in order? If a receiver is considered a WR2, does it really matter if he's No. 13 or No. 24? It looks like a big difference on the page, but in truth, it doesn't matter. Those types of players are all must-starts this week. 

WEEK 5 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiverTight end | D/ST | Kicker

A couple new players, including Robby Anderson (@ Falcons) and CeeDee Lamb (vs. Giants), move into that tier because of favorable matchups in Week 5. A.J. Brown (vs. Bills) is hopefully set to return from a knee injury/bye week, so we slot him back in that group, as well. Fantasy owners hope Michael Thomas (knee) and Chris Godwin (hamstring) also return from injury this week. We currently have Thomas (vs. Chargers) in our rankings, but with the Saints off in Week 6, it's possible they hold out him out through their bye. We don't anticipate Godwin being back to face the Bears on Thursday, but we'll be ready to adjust if he's active.

WEEK 5 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

Moving into the WR3 tier are Darius Slayton (@ Cowboys), Jamison Crowder (vs. Cardinals), Justin Jefferson (@ Seahawks), Jerry Jeudy (@ Patriots), Brandon Aiyuk (vs. Dolphins), and Deebo Samuel (vs. Dolphins). There are risks with some of these guys (Jeudy possibly being matched up with Stephon Gilmore, the 49ers cannibalizing each other's production, other assorted QB issues), but all have solid matchups and the talent/big-play ability to rip off big games. 

Several more potential sleepers, including Golden Tate (@ Cowboys), Scotty Miller (@ Bears), N'Keal Harry (vs. Broncos), Christian Kirk (@ Jets), Zach Pascal (@ Browns), and Curtis Samuel (@ Falcons), are right on the start-or-sit bubble and could be worth streaming if you're in a bind because of byes to Lions and Packers receivers. 

On the flipside, some WRs are moving down, though it's not necessarily because of matchups. We're at the point in the season where chronically poor performances can't be ignored. A.J. Green (@ Ravens) represents the worst of both worlds this week, and we have him well out of the WR3 tier. Jarvis Landry (vs. Colts) has also fallen since you can't count on him throwing a TD every week. T.Y. Hilton (@ Browns) would join them if he didn't have such a favorable matchup. Brandin Cooks (vs. Jaguars), Preston Williams (@ 49ers), and Anthony Miller (vs. Bucs) all look like they're better suited for the waiver wire than fantasy benches.

Of course, given how this season has gone, it's possible any (or all) of those just mentioned go off in Week 5. After all, is there really such thing as a "bad matchup" anymore? It's starting to feel as if there's not, but either way, fantasy owners will agonize over their start 'em, sit 'em decisions, so we'll do our best to help. 

Note: Check back all week leading up to kickoff, as we'll continue to update our WR rankings based on the latest news and injuries. For individual analysis of key WRs, click here.

These rankings are for standard, non-PPR leagues.

DeAndre Hopkins, Cardinals

DeAndre Hopkins, Cardinals

Cardinals vs. Jets
Tyreek Hill, Chiefs

Tyreek Hill, Chiefs

Chiefs vs. Raiders
Adam Thielen, Vikings

Adam Thielen, Vikings

Vikings @ Seahawks
Amari Cooper, Cowboys

Amari Cooper, Cowboys

Cowboys vs. Giants
Michael Thomas, Saints

Michael Thomas, Saints

Saints vs. Chargers
Allen Robinson, Bears

Allen Robinson, Bears

Bears vs. Buccaneers
Mike Evans, Buccaneers

Mike Evans, Buccaneers

Buccaneers @ Bears
Keenan Allen, Chargers

Keenan Allen, Chargers

Chargers @ Saints
Stefon Diggs, Bills

Stefon Diggs, Bills

Bills @ Titans
DK Metcalf, Seahawks

DK Metcalf, Seahawks

Seahawks vs. Vikings
Calvin Ridley, Falcons

Calvin Ridley, Falcons

Falcons vs. Panthers
Tyler Lockett, Seahawks

Tyler Lockett, Seahawks

Seahawks vs. Vikings
Robby Anderson, Panthers

Robby Anderson, Panthers

Panthers @ Falcons
Odell Beckham Jr., Browns

Odell Beckham Jr., Browns

Browns vs. Colts
DJ Chark, Jaguars

DJ Chark, Jaguars

Jaguars @ Texans
D.J. Moore, Panthers

D.J. Moore, Panthers

Panthers @ Falcons
DeVante Parker, Dolphins

DeVante Parker, Dolphins

Dolphins @ 49ers
JuJu Smith-Schuster, Steelers

JuJu Smith-Schuster, Steelers

Steelers vs. Eagles
Cooper Kupp, Rams

Cooper Kupp, Rams

Rams @ Washington

Will Fuller, Texans

Will Fuller, Texans

Texans vs. Jaguars
CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys

CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys

Cowboys vs. Giants
Terry McLaurin, Washington

Terry McLaurin, Washington

Washington vs. Rams
A.J. Brown, Titans

A.J. Brown, Titans

Titans vs. Bills
Tyler Boyd, Bengals

Tyler Boyd, Bengals

Bengals @ Ravens
Darius Slayton, Giants

Darius Slayton, Giants

Giants @ Cowboys
Diontae Johnson, Steelers

Diontae Johnson, Steelers

Steelers vs. Eagles
Marquise Brown, Ravens

Marquise Brown, Ravens

Ravens vs. Bengals
Jamison Crowder, Jets

Jamison Crowder, Jets

Jets vs. Cardinals
Justin Jefferson, Vikings

Justin Jefferson, Vikings

Vikings @ Seahawks
T.Y. Hilton, Colts

T.Y. Hilton, Colts

Colts @ Browns
Julian Edelman, Patriots

Julian Edelman, Patriots

Patriots vs. Broncos
Robert Woods, Rams

Robert Woods, Rams

Rams @ Washington
Jerry Jeudy, Broncos

Jerry Jeudy, Broncos

Broncos @ Patriots
Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers

Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers

49ers vs. Dolphins
Deebo Samuel, 49ers

Deebo Samuel, 49ers

49ers vs. Dolphins
Russell Gage, Falcons

Russell Gage, Falcons

Falcons vs. Panthers

Best of the rest

37 Golden Tate, NYG @ DAL
38 Greg Ward Jr., PHI @ PIT
39 Emmanuel Sanders, NO vs. LAC
40 John Brown, BUF @ TEN
41 Scotty Miller, TB vs. CHI
42 N'Keal Harry, NE vs. DEN
43 Cole Beasley, BUF @ TEN
44 Christian Kirk, ARZ @ NYJ
45 Jarvis Landry, CLE vs. IND
46 Zach Pascal, IND @ CLE
47 Curtis Samuel, CAR @ ATL
48 Sammy Watkins, KC vs. LV
49 Olamide Zaccheaus, ATL vs. CAR
50 Laviska Shenault Jr., JAX @ HOU
51 Tre'Quan Smith, NO vs. LAC
52 Tim Patrick, DEN @ NE
53 Mecole Hardman, KC vs. LV
54 Michael Gallup, DAL vs. NYG
55 A.J. Green, CIN @ BAL
56 Tee Higgins, CIN @ BAL
57 Hunter Renfrow, LV @ KC
58 Brandin Cooks, HOU vs. JAX
59 Jeff Smith, NYJ vs. ARZ
60 Kalif Raymond, TEN vs. BUF
61 Henry Ruggs III, LV @ KC
62 Jalen Guyton, LAC @ NO
63 Isaiah Ford, MIA @ SF
64 David Moore, SEA vs. MIN
65 Preston Williams, MIA @ SF
66 John Hightower, PHI @ PIT
67 Randall Cobb, HOU vs. JAX
68 Darnell Mooney, CHI vs. TB
69 Chase Claypool, PIT vs. PHI
70 Damiere Byrd, NE vs. DEN
71 Andy Isabella, ARZ @ NYJ
72 Dontrelle Inman, WAS vs. LAR
73 Keelan Cole, JAX @ HOU
74 Nelson Agholor, LV @ KC
75 Anthony Miller, CHI vs. TB
76 James Washington, PIT vs. PHI
77 Josh Reynolds, LAR @ WAS
78 Larry Fitzgerald, ARZ @ NYJ
79 Gabriel Davis, BUF @ TEN
80 Kendrick Bourne, SF vs. MIA
81 Demarcus Robinson, KC vs. LV
82 Chris Hogan, NYJ vs. ARZ
83 Miles Boykin, BAL vs. CIN
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