Week Five Positional Rankings

The 2020 season has posed challenges, though foreseen, unlike any other season. In many of my leagues, commissioners are allowing managers to announce backups for key players, and it looks like that may be a necessary aspect of leagues moving forward this season. One of the most challenging aspects of providing this article each week is the possibility of COVID delays. Hence, I will assume that – as of this writing – all games will be played. That way, I can provide the most information possible for you in case these games do wind up occurring.

In this series, I’ll give you my top 30 quarterbacks, 60 running backs, 60 wide receivers, and 30 tight ends each week to help you with your start/sit decisions in your leagues. To generate this list each and every week, I examine team trends, Vegas over/unders, implied points, pace of play, among various other factors to build a projection for each player and subsequently adjust rankings for upside and more detailed matchup specifics.

Among the rankings, there will surely be some that surprise you or that you may disagree with. At the end of each position section, I’ll give you my thoughts on some players that perhaps are ranked higher/lower than you might expect and insights as to why they are a good/bad play this week. Ultimately, these rankings should help your start/sit dilemmas and ensure you have the requisite resources to make an informed decision.

Without further ado, let’s dive into week five’s positional rankings!

Quarterback

Pos	Player	Matchup	Rank
QB	Patrick Mahomes II	LV	1
QB	Russell Wilson	MIN	2
QB	Lamar Jackson	CIN	3
QB	Dak Prescott	NYG	4
QB	Kyler Murray	@NYJ	5
QB	Josh Allen	@TEN	6
QB	Deshaun Watson	JAC	7
QB	Matt Ryan	CAR	8
QB	Drew Brees	LAC	9
QB	Jared Goff	@WAS	10
QB	Kirk Cousins	@SEA	11
QB	Gardner Minshew II	@HOU	12
QB	Teddy Bridgewater	@ATL	13
QB	Joe Burrow	@BAL	14
QB	Ben Roethlisberger	PHI	15
QB	Daniel Jones	@DAL	16
QB	Justin Herbert	@NO	17
QB	Tom Brady	@CHI	18
QB	Philip Rivers	@CLE	19
QB	Ryan Tannehill	BUF	20
QB	Baker Mayfield	IND	21
QB	Nick Foles	TB	22
QB	Jimmy Garoppolo	MIA	23
QB	Derek Carr	@KC	24
QB	Carson Wentz	@PIT	25
QB	Ryan Fitzpatrick	@SF	26
QB	Brett Rypien	@NE	27
QB	Kyle Allen	LAR	28
QB	Joe Flacco	ARI	29
QB	Jarrett Stidham	DEN	30

Start ‘em: Deshaun Watson, QB HOU

Watson is thought of among the top tier of quarterbacks in dynasty leagues, but his performance to date hasn’t reflected that valuation. With a brutally difficult start to the schedule, Watson is just the QB13 in total fantasy points on the season. While this has certainly been a disappointment for fantasy players, Watson is on track for a bounce-back week five performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The 0-4 Texans are 6.5 point favorites against the Jaguars, which should be reason enough to play Watson. Houston has an implied team total of 30.25 entering Sunday, and the Jaguars have allowed the tenth-most points to opposing quarterbacks on just the eight-fewest passing attempts. Watson should be efficient and productive in a week five “get right” game; unless you have one of the top tier quarterbacks, Watson should be in every one of your lineups and is also a great daily fantasy play.

Sit ‘em: Baker Mayfield, QB CLE

The Colts defense has been absolutely stout against opposing quarterbacks this season. While also allowing a league-low 703 passing yards on the season, the Colts are also just one of two teams with more interceptions than passing touchdowns allowed. Mayfield has shown significant progress from last season; through four games he has a better completion percentage, touchdown rate, passer rating, and adjusted net yards per attempt than he did last season.

This week, though, having lost star running back Nick Chubb, the Browns offense is projected to struggle against this Colts defense. Cleveland has just a 22.25 implied team total, on par with lesser offenses such as the Bears and Raiders. Particularly in start-one quarterback leagues, Mayfield can safely be on your bench this week.

If you’re desperate: Teddy Bridgewater, QB CAR

After a slow start to the season on his new team, Bridgewater finally had a breakout performance that fantasy managers were waiting to see. In a surprising upset win against Arizona, Bridgewater completed over 60% of his passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns, adding another 32 yards and a touchdown on the ground. What has particularly helped Bridgewater stay fantasy-relevant even in his more average performances this season has been the emergence of Robby Anderson as a legitimate weapon.

Anderson and DJ Moore make up on of the best performing duos in fantasy football at the moment. It’s no surprise that their quarterback, Bridgewater, in a plus matchup finds himself highlighted in this series. The Panthers have an implied team total of 26.25 points as they take on a Falcons team that has allowed the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. Bridgewater is a desperation high-end QB2 option this week.

Running Back

Pos	Player	Matchup	My Rank
RB	Ezekiel Elliott	NYG	1
RB	Alvin Kamara	LAC	2
RB	Dalvin Cook	@SEA	3
RB	Clyde Edwards-Helaire	LV	4
RB	Josh Jacobs	@KC	5
RB	Kareem Hunt	IND	6
RB	Jonathan Taylor	@CLE	7
RB	James Robinson	@HOU	8
RB	Chris Carson	MIN	9
RB	Mike Davis	@ATL	10
RB	Todd Gurley II	CAR	11
RB	Jerick McKinnon	MIA	12
RB	Derrick Henry	BUF	13
RB	David Johnson	JAC	14
RB	Joe Mixon	@BAL	15
RB	Miles Sanders	@PIT	16
RB	Melvin Gordon III	@NE	17
RB	Kenyan Drake	@NYJ	18
RB	Devin Singletary	@TEN	19
RB	James Conner	PHI	20
RB	Antonio Gibson	LAR	21
RB	David Montgomery	TB	22
RB	Myles Gaskin	@SF	23
RB	Joshua Kelley	@NO	24
RB	Damien Harris	DEN	25
RB	Ronald Jones II	@CHI	26
RB	Darrell Henderson	@WAS	27
RB	Mark Ingram II	CIN	28
RB	Le’Veon Bell	ARI	29
RB	Chase Edmonds	@NYJ	30
RB	James White	DEN	31
RB	Zack Moss	@TEN	32
RB	Nyheim Hines	@CLE	33
RB	Ke’Shawn Vaughn	@CHI	34
RB	Devonta Freeman	@DAL	35
RB	J.K. Dobbins	CIN	36
RB	Malcolm Brown	@WAS	37
RB	D’Ernest Johnson	IND	38
RB	Latavius Murray	LAC	39
RB	Justin Jackson	@NO	40
RB	Jeff Wilson Jr.	MIA	41
RB	Rex Burkhead	DEN	42
RB	Duke Johnson Jr.	JAC	43
RB	Giovani Bernard	@BAL	44
RB	Alexander Mattison	@SEA	45
RB	Tony Pollard	NYG	46
RB	Gus Edwards	CIN	47
RB	Boston Scott	@PIT	48
RB	Dion Lewis	@DAL	49
RB	Brian Hill	CAR	50
RB	Matt Breida	@SF	51
RB	Darrel Williams	LV	52
RB	J.D. McKissic	LAR	53
RB	Chris Thompson	@HOU	54
RB	Jordan Howard	@SF	55
RB	Jalen Richard	@KC	56
RB	Jordan Wilkins	@CLE	57
RB	Benny Snell Jr.	PHI	58
RB	Frank Gore	ARI	59
RB	Darwin Thompson	LV	60

Start ‘em: Todd Gurley, RB ATL

On the other side of the Carolina-Atlanta matchup, Gurley and his usage in the Falcons offense boasts one of the best floor-ceiling combinations in week five. While Gurley may not be what he once was, the veteran back has seen over 70% of Atlanta’s running back rushes. Gurley’s lack of passing game volume has kept him as a usual RB2 play, but this week against Carolina, the matchup is too good to stray away from.

The Panthers dating back to last season have been the worst team in the NFL against opposing running backs, and that’s continued here in 2020. Carolina ranks second-worst behind the Raiders in running back fantasy points allowed. In a game where the Falcons two-point favorites and have an implied team total of 28.25 points, Gurley is a must-start low-end RB1.

Sit ‘em: D’Ernest Johnson, RB CLE

After Nick Chubb’s week four injury, Johnson commanded 13 carries for an outstanding 95 yards: over seven yards per carry. This production likely lead to Johnson being one of if not the highest coveted free-agent pickups of the week. If you were the lucky manager to acquire his services, it would be best to leave him on the bench this week if possible. For similar reasons as why Baker Mayfield is a “Sit ‘em” play this week, Johnson faces a very tough Colts defense that has allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs.

Johnson will likely be a solid FLEX play over the next few weeks while Chubb is sidelined, but he offers very little in the passing game and will more than likely be a game-script-dependent backup for Kareem Hunt – think Gus Edwards to Mark Ingram last season. Overall, Johnson will likely command around ten touches on the week, offering a decent floor for managers in a pinch. However, his lack of passing upside and a difficult matchup rank him as an RB4 play on the week.

If you’re desperate: Chase Edmonds, RB ARI

Through four weeks, the Arizona backfield has been split between Kenyan Drake and Edmonds. The former was drafted as an RB1 in redraft leagues this summer in hopes he would continue to perform similarly to 2019, and Edmonds was viewed as simply a flier backup. However, Edmonds has seen a significant percentage of his snaps as a passing game option, outpacing Drake 17 to five in targets on the season. Last week, Drake did not receive a single target while Edmonds saw six.

While Drake continues to lead the offense in carries and overall opportunity, there’s room for Edmonds to continue to contribute both in real life and on your fantasy teams. In a prime matchup against the Jets this week – who have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing running backs – the Cardinals are massive 8.5 point favorites with an implied team total of 27.25. They should score early and often, and Edmonds makes for a good desperation FLEX option.

Wide Receiver

Pos	Player	Matchup	Rank
WR	DeAndre Hopkins	@NYJ	1
WR	Tyreek Hill	LV	2
WR	Adam Thielen	@SEA	3
WR	Amari Cooper	NYG	4
WR	D.K. Metcalf	MIN	5
WR	Calvin Ridley	CAR	6
WR	Allen Robinson II	TB	7
WR	Tyler Lockett	MIN	8
WR	Keenan Allen	@NO	9
WR	Cooper Kupp	@WAS	10
WR	Robert Woods	@WAS	11
WR	Stefon Diggs	@TEN	12
WR	Mike Evans	@CHI	13
WR	D.J. Chark Jr.	@HOU	14
WR	D.J. Moore	@ATL	15
WR	Justin Jefferson	@SEA	16
WR	Will Fuller V	JAC	17
WR	Terry McLaurin	LAR	18
WR	Odell Beckham Jr.	IND	19
WR	Robby Anderson	@ATL	20
WR	Jamison Crowder	ARI	21
WR	DeVante Parker	@SF	22
WR	CeeDee Lamb	NYG	23
WR	JuJu Smith-Schuster	PHI	24
WR	Marquise Brown	CIN	25
WR	Tyler Boyd	@BAL	26
WR	Darius Slayton	@DAL	27
WR	Julian Edelman	DEN	28
WR	Michael Gallup	NYG	29
WR	Jarvis Landry	IND	30
WR	Diontae Johnson	PHI	31
WR	John Brown	@TEN	32
WR	Golden Tate	@DAL	33
WR	Laviska Shenault Jr.	@HOU	34
WR	Tee Higgins	@BAL	35
WR	Brandin Cooks	JAC	36
WR	Brandon Aiyuk	MIA	37
WR	Deebo Samuel	MIA	38
WR	Tre’Quan Smith	LAC	39
WR	N’Keal Harry	DEN	40
WR	Curtis Samuel	@ATL	41
WR	Mecole Hardman	LV	42
WR	Randall Cobb	JAC	43
WR	Jerry Jeudy	@NE	44
WR	Russell Gage	CAR	45
WR	A.J. Green	@BAL	46
WR	Hunter Renfrow	@KC	47
WR	T.Y. Hilton	@CLE	48
WR	Emmanuel Sanders	LAC	49
WR	Isaiah Ford	@SF	50
WR	Henry Ruggs III	@KC	51
WR	Sammy Watkins	LV	52
WR	Tim Patrick	@NE	53
WR	Darnell Mooney	TB	54
WR	Cole Beasley	@TEN	55
WR	Scotty Miller	@CHI	56
WR	Greg Ward	@PIT	57
WR	Keelan Cole	@HOU	58
WR	Anthony Miller	TB	59
WR	Nelson Agholor	@KC	60

Start ‘em: Justin Jefferson, WR MIN

This is a second-straight Start ‘em featuring a rookie wide receiver, and last week’s Ceedee Lamb pick did not disappoint. Jefferson has been the wide receiver Minnesota hoped he would be after they traded star receiver Stefon Diggs to the Bills this off-season. In back-to-back games, Jefferson has gone over 100 yards and had at least 25 yards per reception. He has become both a big-play and volume fantasy football play, commanding at least a 22% target share in each of the last two games.

The Vikings play the Seahawks in week five, and it shouldn’t be a shocker to see the rookie here as a clear high-end play this week. Expect both Jefferson and Adam Thielen to find success as top 18 options this week against a dreadfully bad Seahawks defense against wide receivers.

Sit ‘em: Raiders WRs

The Raiders have targeted their wide receivers at the second-lowest rate in the league; just over 40% of Derek Carr’s targets have gone to the wide receiver position. First-round selection Henry Ruggs may be back in the lineup this week, and former first-round pick Nelson Agholor had a good game last week. However, the combination of a lack opportunity, as well as a difficult matchup in week five, make none of these options a worthy FLEX play if possible.

The Chiefs defense has allowed just the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing wide receivers on the season. Overall, in a week where the Raiders have an implied team total of just 21.25 points, it’s best to stay away from the team’s wide receivers.

If you’re desperate: Brandin Cooks, WR HOU

Going hand-in-hand with Deshaun Watson as the start of the week, one of his top weapons makes the list as a desperation play. Cooks should be considered a clearly good play this week, but the former multi-1,000-yard receiver just put up a whopping zero fantasy points in week four and hasn’t looked like his former self in over a year.

Cooks has eclipsed 25 yards just once in four games thus far, but he’s played 87% or more of Houston’s offensive snaps each of the last three weeks. He is an every-down player on a Houston offense that projects to score a lot of points against Jacksonville in week five. While his ceiling is perhaps not what it once was, Cooks is an upside play (though will a clearly scary floor) as a low-end WR3 for those who are desperate.

Tight End

Pos	Player	Matchup	Rank
TE	George Kittle	MIA	1
TE	Travis Kelce	LV	2
TE	Darren Waller	@KC	3
TE	Mark Andrews	CIN	4
TE	Zach Ertz	@PIT	5
TE	Hunter Henry	@NO	6
TE	Tyler Higbee	@WAS	7
TE	Mike Gesicki	@SF	8
TE	Hayden Hurst	CAR	9
TE	Dalton Schultz	NYG	10
TE	Austin Hooper	IND	11
TE	Mo Alie-Cox	@CLE	12
TE	Evan Engram	@DAL	13
TE	Jonnu Smith	BUF	14
TE	Logan Thomas	LAR	15
TE	Eric Ebron	PHI	16
TE	Jimmy Graham	TB	17
TE	Rob Gronkowski	@CHI	18
TE	Greg Olsen	MIN	19
TE	Drew Sample	@BAL	20
TE	Ian Thomas	@ATL	21
TE	Chris Herndon IV	ARI	22
TE	Jordan Akins	JAC	23
TE	Tyler Eifert	@HOU	24
TE	Jack Doyle	@CLE	25
TE	Kyle Rudolph	@SEA	26
TE	Dawson Knox	@TEN	27
TE	Gerald Everett	@WAS	28
TE	Darren Fells	JAC	29
TE	Irv Smith Jr.	@SEA	30

Start ‘em: Mo Alie-Cox, TE IND

One of the few true breakout tight ends of the 2020 season, Alie-Cox has scored at least eight PPR points in each of the last three weeks. While his overall volume has been on the lower-end considering the Colts have been one of the least pass-happy offenses in the league, his target share remains steady at around 10%. Alie-Cox has ranked as the TE14 in PPR scoring on the season and has consistently contributed to fantasy lineups.

This week, against the Cleveland Browns, Alie-Cox ranks as the TE12. While the Colts have a relatively low implied team total at 24.25 points, the Browns have had their struggles against opposing tight ends. Cleveland has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points against tight ends, and Alie-Cox stands to be a focal point of the Colts offense in week five. While he’s not a top tier option on the week, you should feel confident starting Alie-Cox if needed.

Sit ‘em: Dawson Knox, TE BUF

The Buffalo offense has been on a roll all season long lead by Josh Allen. While most Buffalo Bills players have exceeded expectations so far this season, second-year TE Knox has largely been a disappointment to date. After posting one of the most efficient per-target season as a rookie, many had high hopes for Knox entering year two.

However, with the emergence of Stefon Diggs as the true alpha of this Bills team, the Bills have targeted the tight end position at the third-lowest rate in the NFL. Overall, Knox has yet to exceed three targets so far in a game this season. While a breakout is certainly not out of the question, Knox should be on your bench until he proves his upside.

If you’re desperate: Ian Thomas, TE CAR

At the tight end position, desperation plays are all about upside. In week five, few tight ends have more upside relative to their usual point total than Ian Thomas. A popular late-round tight end option amongst fantasy players in 2020, Thomas has been largely uninvolved in Carolina’s passing attack. The third-year tight end has yet to catch more than two passes in a game nor surpassed 20 yards receiving.

However, in week four Thomas scored a touchdown and managed five targets on the day, good for a 13.5% target share. While not overwhelming, should this usage continue Thomas could be in line for a big fantasy day. The Atlanta Falcons defense has been atrocious, and they are fresh off a Monday night performance allowing Robert Tonyan to score three touchdowns. Overall the Falcons have allowed the most fantasy points to the tight end position. If you’re absolutely desperate for TE production, Thomas is as good as it gets.

That concludes this week’s rankings article! As this series is released before Thursday’s game, be sure to follow any lingering injuries and changing injury status updates for players as Sunday approaches. If you’re wondering about a player I didn’t dive into detail about, feel free to reach out to me @FFzinger on Twitter. Best of luck this week, and I’ll be back next week to give week six’s positional rankings.