Week 5 fantasy football rankings: 30 risers and fallers

Admin September 30, 2024

The 2024 NFL season is the gift that keeps on giving for fantasy managers.

D’Andre Swift, Chase Brown, and Jeremy McNichols finished as top-five running backs in Week 4. Jordan Addison and Dontayvion Wicks were the WR3 and WR4, respectively. And the three top tight ends were Taysom Hill, Pat Freiermuth, and Tucker Kraft. It’s been that kind of a season.

With many already looking ahead to next week, here’s a look at my way-too-early Week 5 fantasy football rankings. Toggle between standard, half PPR (point per reception), and full PPR to see where players rank in your league’s format.

Our team at USA TODAY Sports has you covered with plenty of content to help with your Week 5 lineup and roster decisions. Wondering who the best waiver-wire claims are? We have that covered. Need to know what players you can drop? We have that as well. We also have a list of the 10 best buy low/sell high candidates for this week.

Please note: These rankings will change significantly as the week goes on. Check back on Sunday morning for final updates.

Week 5 fantasy football quarterback rankings: Risers and fallers

UP: Jordan Love – He’s fresh off a QB2 overall performance and will face a Rams defense that’s allowed the fifth-most points to the position.
UP: Anthony Richardson – He might not miss any time with the hip pointer injury that knocked him out in Week 4. If he plays, he’ll go against a Jaguars team that’s surrendered the most points to opposing quarterbacks.
UP: Aaron Rodgers – The 40-year-old has posted QB12, QB10, and QB17 finishes over his last three games. Minnesota has ceded more than 290 passing yards in three straight games.
DOWN: Kyler Murray – He has only posted one performance better than QB15 through four games. The 49ers have ceded the 10th-fewest fantasy points and fourth-fewest rushing yards to quarterbacks.
DOWN: Patrick Mahomes – The two-time MVP hasn’t had a finish better than QB14 in nine straight games. That is unlikely to change against a Saints team that’s fifth-stingiest versus signal-callers.
DOWN: Kirk Cousins – A league-high 54% of the fantasy points the Bucs have given up to quarterbacks have come on the ground, and Captain Kirk has a grand total of -2 rushing yards this year. He has ranked as the QB23 or lower in three of his four games in 2024.

Week 5 fantasy football running back rankings: Risers and fallers

UP: Joe Mixon – He returned to practice last Friday, which suggests he has a good chance of suiting up in Week 5. If he plays, he’ll face a Bills front that’s ceded the most fantasy points to opposing backfields this season.
UP: Chuba Hubbard – He’s the RB3 in fantasy since Andy Dalton took over and the Bears have surrendered the ninth-most fantasy points to running backs.
UP: D’Andre Swift – Back from the dead, Swift more than doubled his total yards in Week 4 with a 165-yard, one-touchdown performance. He’ll be in a mouthwatering spot against a Panthers squad that just surrendered 170 yards and three scores to Chase Brown and Zack Moss.
UP: Kareem Hunt – He looked like the RB1 in his first game back with Kansas City, totaling 14 carries and three targets. With Rashee Rice out, Hunt figured to be someone the Chiefs have to lean on.
DOWN: Bijan Robinson – In half-PPR, Bijan has finished higher than RB10 just twice in his last 19 games. He’s outside the top-five until further notice.
DOWN: Travis Etienne – The 25-year-old seems to be in a committee at this point. In Week 4, he played just over half of the snaps and totaled just 11 carries. He has yet to tote the rock more than 13 times in any game this season.
DOWN: Zack Moss – The veteran had just one more touch than Chase Brown last week, and a tough matchup with the Ravens awaits.
DOWN: Carson Steele and Samaje Perine – The activation of Kareem Hunt has rendered Steele useless (from a fantasy perspective). Against the Chargers, he totaled three touches for six yards and a fumble. Meanwhile, a touchdown saved Perine’s day in Week 4, but his usage dropped to just five touches after totaling nine in Week 3.

Week 5 fantasy football wide receiver rankings: Risers and fallers

UP: Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks – The injury to Christian Watson narrows the target tree for Green Bay. Reed has finished as the WR1 and WR2 in Jordan Love’s two starts. Wicks was targeted a whopping 13 times against Minnesota and racked up 78 yards and two tuddies.
UP: Amari Cooper – A phantom holding call prevented Cooper from finishing as a top-five receiver for the second week in a row. This week, he’ll face a Commanders secondary that’s given up the most fantasy points to wideouts in 2024.
UP: Xavier Worthy – The injury to Rashee Rice creates a huge gap in Kansas City’s offense, as the second-year receiver ranked second in the league with a 33.7% target share through Week 3. Though they are vastly different targets, Worthy should be one of the prime beneficiaries.
UP: Tutu Atwell – He’s not winning you any matchups, but Atwell has quietly finished as the WR41 or better in three straight games. He’s a decent flex play in Week 5.
DOWN: Garrett Wilson – The 24-year-old has posted WR33, WR33, WR26, and WR56 finishes through four games. He has a tasty matchup, but it’s hard to rank him inside the top-15 until his rapport with Aaron Rodgers improves.
DOWN: Brandon Aiyuk – It might be rust, but Aiyuk has yet to rank higher than WR40 this year. A matchup with the Cardinals keeps him in the WR2 conversation, but temper expectations.
DOWN: D.J. Moore – Despite ranking seventh among receivers in targets, Moore’s best finish on the season has been WR31. The presence of Keenan Allen in Week 4 resulted in a season-low six targets.
DOWN: Michael Pittman Jr. – It’s simple: If Joe Flacco starts in Week 5, Pittman is a borderline top-20 play. If Richardson starts, Pittman reverts back to “flex if you must” territory.

Week 5 fantasy football tight end rankings: Risers and fallers

UP: Travis Kelce and Noah Gray – With Rice out of the lineup, Kelce could revert back to being in the overall TE1 discussion. Gray could also be a viable play in larger leagues.
UP: Tucker Kraft – As was mentioned in the wide receiver section, the injury to Watson should narrow the Packers’ target allotment. Kraft was one of the beneficiaries in Week 4, garnering nine looks against the Vikings.
DOWN: Mark Andrews – You and I have the same number of catches as Andrews over the last two weeks. What more needs to be said?
DOWN: Mike Gesicki – It’s going to be tough to trust Gesicki with Tee Higgins back in the lineup. In Week 4, he managed just one reception for -9 yards.
DOWN: Dalton Schultz – He finished as the TE18 with Tank Dell out of the lineup last week. Feel free to drop him.