Congratulations! You’ve made it to Week 5 of the fantasy football season! And how should you be rewarded? How about with a slate of games that excludes major names like Saquon Barkley, Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, J.K. Dobbins, and even Tony Pollard?
If you’re lucky enough to be facing a team that rosters any of those guys, you could be in luck this week. But if those names are usually in your starting lineups, then if you don’t already have some contingency plans, it could be time to hit the waiver wire.
There is still plenty of fantasy goodness atop the fantasy rankings this week, but the depth is much more shallow thanks to those pesky bye weeks. Let’s break it all down.
WEEK 5 FANTASY RANKINGS
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Fantasy RB Rankings Week 5: Who to start, sit at running back
Rankings based on PPR scoring. These rankings were updated on Oct. 3 and will be updated throughout the week, so check back often.
Players who already played on Thursday are listed in italics.
| RANK | PLAYER NAME | TEAM | OPPONENT |
| 1 | Jordan Mason | SF | vs. ARI |
| 2 | Derrick Henry | BAL | at CIN |
| 3 | Alvin Kamara | NO | at KC |
| 4 | James Cook | BUF | at HOU |
| 5 | Kenneth Walker Jr. | SEA | vs. NYG |
| 6 | Bijan Robinson | ATL | vs. TB |
| 7 | Breece Hall | NYJ | at MIN |
| 8 | Kyren Williams | LAR | vs. GB |
| 9 | De’Von Achane | MIA | at NE |
| 10 | Josh Jacobs | GB | at LAR |
| 11 | Travis Etienne Jr. | JAC | vs. IND |
| 12 | James Conner | ARI | at SF |
| 13 | Najee Harris | PIT | vs. DAL |
| 14 | Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS | vs. CLE |
| 15 | Chuba Hubbard | CAR | at CHI |
| 16 | Aaron Jones | MIN | vs. NYJ |
| 17 | D’Andre Swift | CHI | vs. CAR |
| 18 | Javonte Williams | DEN | vs. LV |
| 19 | Zack Moss | CIN | vs. BAL |
| 20 | Kareem Hunt | KC | vs. NO |
| 21 | Jerome Ford | CLE | at WAS |
| 22 | Trey Sermon | IND | at JAC |
| 23 | Rachaad White | TB | at ATL |
| 24 | Rico Dowdle | DAL | at PIT |
| 25 | Austin Ekeler | WAS | vs. CLE |
| 26 | Bucky Irving | TB | at ATL |
| 27 | Alexander Mattison | LV | at DEN |
| 28 | Rhamondre Stevenson | NE | vs. MIA |
| 29 | Cam Akers | HOU | vs. BUF |
| 30 | Antonio Gibson | NE | vs. MIA |
| 31 | Zach Charbonnet | SEA | vs. NYG |
| 32 | Braelon Allen | NYJ | at MIN |
| 33 | Tyrone Tracy Jr. | NYG | at SEA |
| 34 | Justice Hill | BAL | at CIN |
| 35 | Chase Brown | CIN | vs. BAL |
| 36 | Tank Bigsby | JAC | vs. IND |
| 37 | Samaje Perine | KC | vs. NO |
| 38 | Raheem Mostert | MIA | at NE |
| 39 | Tyler Allgeier | ATL | vs. TB |
| 40 | Jaleel McLaughlin | DEN | vs. LV |
| 41 | Roschon Johnson | CHI | vs. CAR |
| 42 | Miles Sanders | CAR | at CHI |
| 43 | Ray Davis | BUF | at HOU |
| 44 | Ty Chandler | MIN | vs. NYJ |
| 45 | Ezekiel Elliott | DAL | at PIT |
| 46 | Dameon Pierce | HOU | vs. BUF |
| 47 | Jaylen Wright | MIA | at NE |
| 48 | D’Onta Foreman | CLE | at WAS |
| 49 | Emanuel Wilson | GB | at LAR |
| 50 | Dylan Laube | LV | at DEN |
| 51 | Carson Steele | KC | vs. NO |
| 52 | Jamaal Williams | NO | at KC |
| 53 | Trey Benson | ARI | at SF |
| 54 | Jeremy McNichols | WAS | vs. CLE |
| 55 | Khalil Herbert | CHI | vs. CAR |
| 56 | Isaac Guerendo | SF | vs. ARI |
| 57 | Emari Demercado | ARI | at SF |
| 58 | Eric Gray | NYG | at SEA |
| 59 | Tyler Godson | IND | at JAC |
Who are the best fantasy RBs for Week 5?
Between bye weeks, some injuries, and some disappointing starts to the fantasy season for some RBs, we have a shakeup atop the rankings. Jordan Mason sits atop the rankings with a plum matchup against the Cardinals. Arizona is not a defense to be feared and were just gashed by the Commanders. Look for the 49ers to jump out to an early lead and then utilize Mason to run some clock.
Alvin Kamara just continues to impress. While his significant role in the passing game was to be expected, he’s been even more prolific in the running game, which is a real turn-back-the-clock turn of events. It’s clear that Klint Kubiak is going to continue to prioritize the running game, so if Kamara’s usage continues down this same path, he will continue to smash based on where he was drafted this year.
And with the struggling New England Patriots up next, De’Von Achane of the Dolphins rounds out the top 3. The hope is that Tyler Huntley will provide more stability in the passing game than Skylar Thompson was giving the Dolphins, and if that’s the case, things should open up more for Achane as defenses won’t be able to stack the box.
WEEK 5 FANTASY ROSTER MANAGEMENT ADVICE
Stock Watch | Trade Advice | Sleepers | Busts | Start/Sit | Usage Report | Weather
Who are the QBs on byes in Week 5?
Philadelphia Eagles: Saquon Barkley heads up the list of running backs on a bye this week. After a very heavy workload with A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith on the sidelines, Barkley could use a breather. Kenny Gainwell and Will Shipley are the other names here on bye, but they aren’t typically fantasy relevant.
Detroit Lions: Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery are the names to be aware of here. Gibbs is a big-play threat any time he touches the ball, and Montgomery is a healthy source of touchdowns, so fantasy managers may have to get creative in trying to find replacements in Week 5.
Los Angeles Chargers: J.K. Dobbins has been one of the biggest surprises of the season, so far. Given his previous injury history, it could be a positive that Dobbins gets to rest his legs after a very busy first four weeks of the season. Gus Edwards is the other name that fantasy managers will have to make sure is not in their lineups in Week 5.
Tennessee Titans: Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears will have to be on fantasy benches for Week 5. Pollard has been the top option, but Spears isn’t far behind. Look for the committee approach to continue in Week 6 when they return.
WEEK 5 DFS ADVICE
Best Stacks | Sleepers & Values | TNF DFS Advice
Who are the best fantasy RB waiver pickups for Week 5?
Rico Dowdle is only rostered in 48% of Yahoo! leagues, and it looks like he’s sitting fairly firmly atop the running back depth chart in Dallas right now. He had a bigger role than Ezekiel Elliott in Week 3 in a bad loss, but he also led the way in a victory over the Giants on TNF in Week 4. Dowdle may not be an elite running back talent, but he’s the best Dallas has, and in an offense that can put up a lot of points when they’re clicking, he’s definitely worth using a waiver claim.
Tank Bigsby is another running back worth considering for deep teams that can afford to stash him or for teams really struggling with injuries. Rostered in just 11% of Yahoo! leagues, Bigsby provided the Jags with some juice in what was nearly a major upset victory over the Texans in Week 4. Bigsby’s 90 rushing yards on just 7 carries is very impressive, but even if you take out his 58-yard scamper, he still averaged 4.57 yards per carry, which was slightly higher than Travis Etienne. If things continue to unravel for the Jags, it’s possible Bigsby’s role will continue to increase.
Who are the best fantasy RB sleepers for Week 5?
Najee Harris and pretty much the entire Steelers offense has been a big disappointment so far this year, which isn’t exactly surprising from an Art Smith offense. But the Steelers get the Cowboys next, and Dallas is 6th-worse in the entire league in rushing yards given up per game. It’s possible Jaylen Warren will return to turn this back into a 3-headed-monster rushing attack, but Harris should have a chance to eat as the Cowboys’ defense will likely be without Micah Parsons.
Chuba Hubbard is our other sleeper this week. It’s been like night and day with the Panthers since Andy Dalton took over at quarterback from Bryce Young. With a competent passing attack, things have opened up in the running game for both Hubbard and Miles Sanders. Hubbard just rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown, and with the run funnel defense of the Bears up next, look for a repeat performance.
What are the biggest RB injuries for Week 5?
Brian Robinson popped up with a DNP Wednesday with a knee injury to the surprise and disappointment of his fantasy managers. He was a DNP again on Thursday, but on Friday, head coach Dan Quinn said he was trending in the right direction to play Sunday. Meanwhile, his backfield-mate Austin Ekeler was cleared from concussion protocol and will also be active Sunday. If Robinson has to sit, expect a bigger workload for Ekeler and for Jeremy McNichols to get a shot at replicating his surprise 2-TD performance in Week 4.
Kendre Miller was back at practice for the Saints. Miller hasn’t been seen yet this season as he’s been battling a hamstring injury. If Miller is active Sunday, it will be interesting to see if he starts eating away at Alvin Kamara’s surprisingly immense workload. Jamaal Williams is still part of the RB equation in New Orleans as well.
And Nick Chubb is back at practice for the Browns as his 21-day practice window has been activated as he has been recovering from a very serious knee injury that ended his ’23 season. He would need to be activated no later than Week 8 based on when his window opened. He won’t be active in Week 5, but his return is near, so it could be worth trying to acquire him if he’s been stashed on a struggling team’s roster.
