Week 5 Rankings

Updated 10/6/2013 at 12:35 PM ET.

Travelling to San Francisco to take on one of the league’s top run defenses just three days after being acquired, Trent Richardson was never expected to have a big first week as a Colt. He didn’t, rushing 13 times for 35 yards. But his second week? Against a Jaguars’ run defense that entered Week 4 allowing 167.7 yards per game and 5.2 yards per carry? He was expected to go off. To look like the player that two separate teams have now made a first-round investment in. But once again, he didn’t. It wasn’t for lack of opportunity. With no Ahmad Bradshaw (neck) around to siphon carries, T-Rich got the rock 20 times on the ground, but somehow managed only 60 yards against a Run D that made Darren McFadden look “back” in Week 2.

What gives?

Film review reveals it certainly isn’t a talent issue. T-Rich is built like a fullback, but still looks every bit his 4.48 40-yard dash time once he gets a head of steam. And when he gets a head of steam … man, he’s hard to bring down. Even Sunday he was ping-ponging off of defenders, and dragging them with him when he wasn’t running headlong into a 5-6 man pile. But here’s where we arrive at our problem: T-Rich was running into too many piles. There were many reasons why. Although not sub-par, the Colts’ run blocking was far from stellar. OC Pep Hamilton was also getting too cute. He seemingly wanted to get Richardson up to speed on every play in the playbook, while too many of his zone-blocking calls took too long to develop. At one point, CBS play-by-play man Kevin Harlan quipped that Richardson was “going to see every play in this playbook, isn’t he.”

But much like T-Rich’s talent, neither the Colts’ blocking nor play-calling were ultimately the issue: It was T-Rich’s head. In a nutshell, he was taking too many “thinking steps.” Too often, T-Rich took the rock and then stood around with it, letting the defense come to him instead of taking the fight to the defense. On one hand, it’s admirable that a runner so violent at heart could be so patient. But while T-Rich was thinking about where to take the rock, the defense was penetrating. More often than not, it resulted in 2-3 yard runs for a player who very much has the ability to average five yards per carry. T-Rich is simply giving the defense too much time to react. He needs to turn off his brain and just go. Occasionally, it’s going to result in some “brick wall” runs. But T-Rich is fast enough to hit the hole before the defense knows what hit them, and strong enough to drag them once he does.

No matter what Richardson does Sunday, it’s going to be tough sledding against the Seahawks’ run defense. Pete Carroll’s ground unit is tougher than the numbers (4.1 yards per carry, 109 yards per game) suggest. Richardson isn’t going to be a new runner overnight. But he could learn more on the sideline than he does on the field. All he needs to do is watch his Seattle counterpart Marshawn Lynch, who hits the hole first and asks questions later. Richardson has Beast Mode’s violence. He just needs to start using it as soon as he gets the rock, and not once he’s in the company of four defenders.

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Week 5 Quarterbacks

QB Notes: The Peyton Manning Express rolls into Dallas this week, where the Cowboys are allowing 305 passing yards per game and 7.8 yards per attempt. Monte Kiffin’s unit is one week removed from allowing Philip Rivers to complete 35-of-42 passes. Perhaps Manning will remain on pace for 64 touchdowns, after all. … The Bears’ formerly imposing defense is relying entirely on creating turnovers this season, allowing enemy passes to average 8.3 yards per attempt. That’s fourth worst in the NFL, and up two whole yards from the Bears’ 2012 mark. They aren’t going to slow down Drew Brees. … Michael Vick is locked in as a top-five option against the Giants’ barely-there defense, but has seen his fantasy effectiveness decline three straight weeks. With injury nearly an inevitability, Vick is a sell-high candidate. He should remain a QB1, but he’ll never be more valuable than he is now.

That didn’t last long. Tom Brady’s QB1 status was up in the air, for what … two weeks? Brady was up to his old tricks against the Falcons, elevating the play of everyone around him while producing his most fantasy points of the season. With Danny Amendola (groin) possibly returning this week and Rob Gronkowski (back) not far behind, Brady’s early-season struggles are going to seem like a distant memory this time next month. … When we last left Cam Newton in Week 3, he was dynamiting what remained of the Giants’ once stout defense. The sledding won’t be much tougher against an Arizona pass defense that’s gotten lit up by every non-Mike Glennon quarterback it's faced. … We talked about it at length on Monday, but the short of it? Maybe Philip Rivers’ isn’t all the way “back,” but he’s definitely no longer the shell-shocked, turnover-happy has been he was under Norval Turner. Rivers is completing 73.9 percent of his passes. The Raiders are allowing a league-worst 72.1 completion percentage. You know what to do.

Matt Ryan is the No. 5 fantasy quarterback through four weeks, but coming off a game where he missed a number of easy throws behind his ramshackle offensive line, he’ll be feeling the heat against the Jets defense. Gang Green ranks fifth in opponent’s YPA (6.2), and is tied for third in sacks (14). Ryan is still a QB1, but a lower-end one for Week 5. … Maybe Colin Kaepernick’s solid Week 4 against the Rams wasn’t enough to convince you he’s “back.” But then again, the joke’s on you for thinking he ever went away. Kaep didn’t suddenly stop being one of the league’s most dynamic dual-threat players overnight. You can either trust what you’ve seen with your own eyes — his gazelle-like running ability, his laser arm and uncommon accuracy — or think that one week in Seattle and another without Vernon Davis “exposed” a quarterback who was one play away from winning the Super Bowl. … Tony Romo is off to a slow fantasy start, averaging just 6.72 yards per attempt. He’s on pace for only 4,060 yards, which would be his lowest total in a non-injury shortened season since his rookie year. Encouraging, however, is his 8:1 TD:INT ratio. He’s a safe QB1 against a Broncos’ pass defense that hasn’t played quite as well as the hype would suggest.

The matchup is imposing for Andrew Luck, but unless you’ve got a backup like Philip Rivers waiting in the wings, you stick with your stud. Luck is already to the point where no opponent makes him a bench option. He’s simply too good, run-heavy offense and all. … The Seahawks are currently calling on Russell Wilson to attempt only 24 passes per game, which is over two fewer than he averaged during the infamously conservative eight-game stretch to begin his career. The ‘Hawks are eventually going to open things up — perhaps once Percy Harvin returns — but for now Wilson is just a borderline QB1 despite his solid peripherals. … We’ve seen a bit of everything from Terrelle Pryor this season. Good plays with his arm, great plays with his legs, some bad plays with both, injury. What we haven’t seen is that one game that really makes him pop as a QB1 disruptor. Despite all the hype, he’s still averaging just 19.6 fantasy points per start, putting him behind the likes of Ryan Tannehill and Geno Smith. The matchup is admittedly inviting in the Chargers — no team is allowing more fantasy points to opposing QBs — but the idea of Pryor is still more intriguing than the reality. He’s a legit, high-end QB2, but still not a player you sit your studs for. At least not yet.

On one hand, Eli Manning has managed just 336 yards and one touchdown over his past two starts. On the other, he’s playing the Eagles, who are allowing 325 yards per game through the air. Manning might end up a better fantasy than “real life” player for Week 5, but that’s what we’re here for, right? … Jay Cutler is on pace for 32 touchdowns. He’s also on pace for 32 turnovers. We’ve seen glimpses of a “new” quarterback under Marc Trestman — a much higher completion percentage, more spreading the ball around — but more than enough of the “old Jay” that he can’t be considered more than a QB2. … Sam Bradford was abominable in Week 4 after being horrid in Week 3. Bradford’s line and supporting cast — the Rams don’t have a run game — remain issues as big as ever, but at some point, something’s got to give. If there was a football god, it would be OC Brian Schottenheimer’s job. … Matt Schaub’s slump isn’t going to end on the road in San Francisco. … Brian Hoyer’s start has been encouraging, but it’s a bit early to trust him in the Thursday night game, which has become the league’s weekly house of horrors.

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Week 5 Running Backs

RB Notes: Jamaal Charles is getting stronger every week. Matchups aren’t going to matter for the sixth-year back this season, particularly since he’s averaging 5.75 catches per game. … The only running back catching as many balls as Charles? Matt Forte. It’s the main reason why Forte has made the leap from back-end RB1 to top-five RB1 under new coach Marc Trestman. His 4.6 yards per carry — which would be the second highest of his career — hasn’t hurt. … How good has Reggie Bush been in the Motor City? He’s ninth in yards from scrimmage despite missing Week 3. He’s on pace for 2,165 YFS, which would be tied for 29th all time. Again, this is despite the fact that he’s missed a game. That’s the problem with Bush — he’s been known to miss games — but whenever he’s on the field, he’s a locked-and-loaded RB1 in Detroit’s elite offense.

We talked at length about Arian Foster last week. The short of it? Maybe his best days are behind him, but he’s still very much a higher-end NFL back. He looked to be trying to prove as much against the Seahawks, totaling 171 yards from scrimmage, but averaging only 3.8 yards per carry. Foster’s 2010-12 heights appear to be gone, but he still has the workload and juice to make him an every-week RB1, regardless of matchup. … Coming into Week 4, Frank Gore demanded a bigger workload, both with his words and his play. He got it, surpassing 11 carries for the first time since Week 1. How did he respond? By taking the rock 20 times for 153 yards against the Rams. It’s not a recipe the 49ers are going to go away from against a Texans team that’s much stouter against the pass than the run. … Facing two soft run defenses the past two weeks, DeMarco Murray has averaged 6.13 yards per carry. The going will be tougher against Denver, but having been held to less than 90 yards from scrimmage just once in four games, Murray has been one of the few reliable RB1s to start off the season.

They don’t make disappointments more mammoth than Ray Rice, who’s yet to surpass 36 yards on the ground, has just one touchdown and is playing through a hip injury. Rice got the ball all of five times in Sunday’s loss to the Bills, including only twice after halftime. The silver lining, however, is that he came out of the game healthy. Expect “re-establish the run or give me death” to be the Ravens’ motto against the Dolphins. … Chris Johnson is averaging 3.3 yards per carry through his first four games. His reward? A matchup with a Chiefs Run D that’s far more stout than the numbers suggest. Throw in that Johnson is no longer a part of the passing game, isn’t the Titans’ preferred option at the goal and gets the Seahawks and 49ers after the Chiefs, and he might be the rare player worth selling low on. Then again, slow starts have become CJ?K’s thing the past few seasons, while his schedule lightens up after the Titans’ Week 8 bye. It’s your call.

Eddie Lacy returns from his Week 3 concussion to a matchup with a Lions team permitting 5.2 yards per carry. Throw out the fact that Lacy has just 15 total carries, and fire him up in a game that will almost certainly restart his hype train. … The DeAngelo Williams miracle isn’t going to last, but he’s yet to run for fewer than 85 yards in a game. Even in a tough matchup against Arizona, he’s a must-start RB2 in a week with so little clarity at fantasy’s most important position. … Bilal Powell: It’s all about the workload. The dude is also a little more talented than we thought, even if he’s still not a special player. … Knowshon Moreno’s biggest problem so far is that Denver’s games keep getting too out of hand early, giving them little incentive to use their lead back in the second half. Just 20 of Moreno’s 54 touches have come after the break, which is unusual for a volume back on a team that’s milking big second-half leads every week. He’s not a bad sell-high. … Lamar Miller is thoroughly out-playing Daniel Thomas, but until the Dolphins abandon their inane timeshare, he’s still an RB2 diceroll. OC Mike Sherman has promised more of the frustrating same in Week 5.

The Giants’ release of Da’Rel Scott is a huge vote of confidence in David Wilson. Coming off his best game of the season, the talented second-year back is now in for a much-bigger role, particularly in the passing game. In other words, if he can’t make it happen against the Eagles’ swinging-gate defense, we’ll officially have another Ryan Mathews on our hands. … There’s no point in wishing away reality: Stevan Ridley is the lead back of a committee. How long it lasts depends on how long LeGarrette Blount can keep averaging 4.6 yards per carry. History suggests it won’t be long. Ridley’s health is also a concern. He could end up being removed from the ranks. … Check out Evan Silva’s Matchups column for the dope on C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson Thursday evening. … Rashad Jennings is carrying the mail for Oakland this week. Averaging just 2.97 yards per carry since the start of last season, however, he’s nothing more than a middling FLEX option against the Chargers’ soft run defense. … Avoid Rashard Mendenhall if at all possible. It’s never a good sign when a coach publicly rips a player. … Daryl Richardson has admitted (before backtracking) he’s no longer the Rams’ lead dog. He’s a bench option for all but the most desperate of owners.

Week 5 Wide Receivers

WR Notes: Leading the NFL in receiving through four weeks, Julio Jones is on pace for 132 catches, 1,924 yards and eight touchdowns. … Demaryius Thomas has 19 catches over his past two games, but only 180 yards. The YAC is coming. … Brandon Marshall is averaging 10.5 targets per game after averaging 12.1 in 2012. He’s on pace for just 116 fewer yards, however. … Limited to 51 yards or fewer in three straight games, A.J. Green will be contending with Aqib Talib and the Patriots’ “don’t let the other team’s No. 1 option beat you” philosophy. … The only thing stopping Andre Johnson this season are his minor nicks and bruises, and even those are doing a poor job. On pace for 136 catches for 1,472 yards, Johnson will find the end zone soon enough. … Victor Cruz has cleared 118 yards in three of four games, and has been a bright spot for the otherwise moribund Giants. “Slot receiver” or not, he’s one of the most consistently productive players in football, and an every-week WR1.

Torrey Smith has 435 yards … on 21 catches. That comes out to 20.7 yards per pop, a number which would have led the NFL by 1.5 yards last season. Smith has diversified his route tree, but the boom-or-bust nature of his game will still lead to the occasional dud — just don’t let it fool you into thinking he’s not a top-15 fantasy receiver. He is. … Going into the second half of Sunday’s win, Larry Fitzgerald had just seven catches for 97 yards in five halves of football since injuring his hamstring. Then he finally let the world know he was OK. Fitz posted a 6/68/1 line after the break, and finally laid to rest any lingering doubts about his hammy. There are other concerns — most glaringly, Carson Palmer’s erratic play — but Fitz’s health should no longer be a weekly headache. … DeSean Jackson has followed up his monster start with one ordinary performance and one dud. He’s a good bet to get back on track against a Giants defense getting smoked in all phases of the game.

Wes Welker already has as many touchdowns as he did in all of 2012, but is on pace for his fewest catches (104) and yards (1,064) since his pre-Patriots days if you wipe out his 2010 comeback from a torn ACL. There will be down weeks in the Broncos’ subway-car crowded offense. … Remember when that dude dropped Eric Decker? Decker is averaging 7.3 catches for 103 yards since his Week 1 faceplant. … Josh Gordon can be confidently started as a WR2 against a Bills defense allowing the second most fantasy points to enemy receivers. … Steve Smith has yet to clear 52 yards in three tries this season. If there’s one man who can go toe-to-toe with the league’s top cornerbacks at age 34 and still win, it’s Smiff, but he’ll have his hands full with Patrick Peterson in the desert. …. Hakeem Nicks has appeared old and ineffective this season. That’s a problem considering he’s just 25. At least he hasn’t offered up any excuses. That could change if he can’t take advantage of a juicy matchup in the Eagles.

Roddy White was finally back to being an every-snap player in Week 4, but could still manage just three catches for 28 yards even though New England was preoccupied with stopping Julio Jones and Tony Gonzalez. NBC’s Cris Collinsworth noted the great difficulty White appeared to be having making sharp cuts. White’s slump will be hard to bust against the Jets’ stout Pass D. … Danny Amendola: Believe it when you see it. We’ll do our best to read the tea leaves and smoke signals. His status will be updated daily on the Player News Page. … James Jones is not for the faint of heart, but is as good of a WR3 bet as there is in this crazy world. … Off to an inconsistent start, Stevie Johnson could have a long night on Joe Haden Island Thursday. … In Week 2, the Dolphins moved Mike Wallace all over the formation, helping to generate a 9/115/1 line. Bafflingly, he’s been mostly limited to clearout routes every other week. As OC Mike Sherman’s Tuesday quotes on his running back situation attest, he is not an inventive play-caller. That’s a problem for fantasy owners who want more than the occasional WR3 blowup from “60 Minutes.”

Alshon Jeffery is 12/158/1 over his past two games after going 6/53/0 in Weeks 1-2. He’s firmly in the WR3 conversation. … When we last left Justin Blackmon, he had drawn at least 11 targets in four straight games. He’ll likely be broken in slowly Sunday, but he could make himself a weekly top-30 option in a hurry. … Julian Edelman is going to fade to “emergency WR3” status in standard leagues if Danny Amendola returns this weekend. … The breakout probably isn’t coming for T.Y. Hilton against Seattle’s imposing secondary, but if he can get past stiff-hipped Brandon Browner a few times … look out. … Chris Givens’ start hasn’t been quite as bad as the Twitter talk would suggest. He could go off against Jacksonville. … Kenbrell Thompkins’ playmaking ability is undeniable, but his hands have been DHB-level inconsistent thus far. For now, he’s a WR4. … Brandon Gibson is still more of a PPR-league option than legit standard-league starter.

Week 5 Tight Ends

TE Notes: So, uhh, hope you guys have been starting Jimmy Graham. … Can Jordan Cameron keep it up? It’s always hard to completely trust the new kid on the block — particularly when they’re coming off two nondescript years under former management — but Cameron has been held below 90 yards only once and drawn at least 11 targets in three of four games. His five touchdowns are tied for the second most in the league. That’s real enough for No. 2 overall for the time being. … About Antonio Gates’ bad feet: They haven’t stopped him from racking up more yards after the catch than any other tight end in the league. The primary beneficiary of Philip Rivers’ resurgence gets a Raiders team ill-equipped to stop a tight end of his caliber this weekend.

That’ll do, Tony Gonzalez, that’ll do. … Julius Thomas has just 127 yards since his Week 1 eruption. His red-zone prowess keeps him locked in as a TE1, but don’t be surprised if he starts slipping further down the ranks on a weekly basis. … Same old inconsistent Vernon Davis? It’s still too early to judge, but he’s on notice. The Texans have been extremely stingy against tight ends this season. … Greg Olsen has been good for at least 4/54 every week, locking him in as an every-week, if low-end, TE1. … Jason Witten has yet to surpass 70 yards in a game, and is on pace for just 768, which would be his lowest total since 2006. … Martellus Bennett is going to be inconsistent and fairly touchdown dependent in Chicago, but he’s quickly established himself as a TE1 in his new home.

Jared Cook hasn’t been formidable since Week 1, but has been just good enough to keep himself on the TE1 radar. He has a solid matchup in a Jaguars defense allowing the 10th most fantasy points to opposing tight ends. … Jermichael Finley is coming off of a serious concussion, but was a big part of the game plan in both Weeks 1 and 2. He’s a safe option. … Charles Clay: This is starting to get serious. The H-Back has gone at least 4/40 every week out, and is averaging 5/61. He’s inching toward every-week TE1 status. … Coby Fleener had a great Week 4. Now let’s see him do it again in Week 5. … Don’t count on Rob Gronkowski (back) returning this week. He’ll likely be pulled from the ranks on Friday.

Week 5 Kickers

Week 5 Defense/Special Teams