Fantasy Football Week 5 Rankings: Guide for Top Players and Sleepers

Week 4 of the 2023 NFL season saw a number of familiar faces make major noise in the fantasy football world.

Christian McCaffrey found the end zone four times. A.J. Brown caught nine passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns. Josh Allen threw for four scores and ran for another. Stefon Diggs hauled in three touchdown receptions. David Montgomery bulldozed his way to 121 rushing yards and three scores.

It was the kind of week that made a lot of preseason projections look really good.

So, will Week 5 follow a similar script and yield monster performances from the high-end players expected to deliver them? Or might some surprises be in store during the campaign’s first week with bye games? We’ll tackle those topics by laying out our top-10 player rankings and spotlighting a sleeper at each of the four skill positions.

Top 10

1. Patrick Mahomes, KC (at MIN)

2. Josh Allen, BUF (vs. JAX)

3. Lamar Jackson, BUF (at PIT)

4. Jalen Hurts, PHI (at LAR)

5. Tua Tagovailoa, MIA (vs. NYG)

6. Justin Fields, CHI (at WAS)

7. Kirk Cousins, MIN (vs. KC)

8. Anthony Richardson, IND (vs. TEN)

9. C.J. Stroud, HOU (at ATL)

10. Matthew Stafford, LAR (vs. PHI)

Sleeper: Joshua Dobbs, ARI (vs. CIN)

While there wasn’t initially any reason to expect any fantasy relevance from Dobbs this season, he might be changing that narrative. He has had at least 40 rushing yards in each of his last three games, throwing all four of his touchdown passes and running for his lone rushing touchdown in this stretch.

The numbers are looking more impressive by the game, and they only look better when considering the competition he’s gone against (San Francisco in Week 4, Dallas in Week 3). Cincinnati is by far an easier matchup (11th-most fantasy points allowed to the position, per Yahoo), so if you need a streamer this week, Dobbs looms as an increasingly interesting option.

Top 10

1. Christian McCaffrey, SF (vs. DAL)

2. Bijan Robinson, ATL (vs. HOU)

3. Tony Pollard, DAL (vs. SF)

4. Josh Jacobs, LV (vs. GB)

5. Alvin Kamara, NO (at NE)

6. Derrick Henry, TEN (at IND)

7. David Montgomery, DET (vs. CAR)

8. Joe Mixon, CIN (at ARI)

9. Travis Etienne, JAX (at BUF)

10. D’Andre Swift, PHI (at LAR)

Sleeper: De’Von Achane, MIA (vs. NYG)

Achane’s numbers over his last two outings are the kind Madden players only wish they could produce. The rookie third-rounder has handled 33 touches and turned them into 353 yards and six touchdowns.

Obviously, he won’t keep this up, but it’s hard to imagine this heater hasn’t earned him a chance to expand his role. If he keeps up this level of involvement, he could have another big day against a Giants defense allowing the sixth-most fantasy points to running backs.

Top 10

1. Justin Jefferson, MIA (vs. KC)

2. Tyreek Hill, MIA (vs. NYG)

3. Stefon Diggs, BUF (vs. JAX)

4. Amon-Ra St. Brown, DET (vs. CAR)

5. Davante Adams, LV (vs. GB)

6. CeeDee Lamb, DAL (at SF)

7. A.J. Brown, PHI (at LAR)

8. Deebo Samuel, SF (vs. DAL)

9. DeVonta Smith, PHI (at LAR)

10. Chris Olave, NO (at NE)

Sleeper: Marquise Brown, ARI (vs. CIN)

Dobbs isn’t the only Cardinal commanding more attention from fantasy managers. Brown is a big reason why this Arizona offense is coming alive. In each of his last three games, he’s had either 90-plus receiving yards or a touchdown catch. He has been targeted 27 times in this stretch and collected 18 of those passes.

The Cardinals should continue finding ways of utilizing Brown’s game-breaking burst. He’s had at least one 20-yard play in every game so far, including a 29-yard carry in Week 1.

Top 10

1. Travis Kelce, KC (at MIN)

2. T.J. Hockenson, DET (vs. KC)

3. Mark Andrews, BAL (at PIT)

4. Sam LaPorta, DET (vs. CAR)

5. George Kittle, SF (vs. DAL)

6. Darren Waller, LV (at MIA)

7. Hunter Henry, CAR (vs. NO)

8. Evan Engram, JAX (at BUF)

9. Zach Ertz, ARI (vs. CIN)

10. Cole Kmet, CHI (at WAS)

Sleeper: Dalton Kincaid, BUF (vs. JAX)

Kincaid has produced next to nothing so far (15 catches for 99 yards and no scores), but that’s unfortunately true of a lot of players at this position. So, if you’re throwing a dart at a tight end streamer anyway, you might as well toss it at someone with his talent and opportunity volume. He has had at least four targets in three games, including five or more in two of his last three.

At some point, these chances will start to produce more yards and at least a few scores, and if you make the investment before that happens, you’ll look awfully smart when they do.