Fantasy Football Week 5 Wide Receiver rankings: Nico Collins vaults up ranks; bye weeks and injuries hit hard

Nico Collins is a top-20 wide receiver for Week 5, which is a testament to how good he’s been to open what has been a significant breakout season for him. 

However, so Michael Pittman, DeAndre Hopkins and Garrett Wilson are all top-20 wide receivers in my rankings for this week, despite pretty underwhelming starts to the season for all three of them across the board. And it’s not because I love any of those three players right now, and certainly not because I view them all as must-start Fantasy options. 

It’s because the wide receiver position is incredibly thin heading into Week 5. Injuries are a part of that, as Tee Higgins is a typical top-20 guy who isn’t ranked there right now because of a rib injury; Diontae Johnson (hamstring), Mike Williams (knee), and Cooper Kupp (hamstring) would all be in the top-20 discussion if they were healthy too, though at least Kupp might have a chance to get in there by the end of this week. And Higgins didn’t rule himself out when asked about his chances of playing Monday, so we’ll keep an eye on that one. 

But the bigger issue for Week 5 is clearly the bye weeks. Keenan Allen, Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Amari Cooper would all at least be in the discussion for the top-24 most weeks, and they’re all out this week, as are more fringe-y options like Josh Palmer, Elijah Moore, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and others. There’s an awful lot of star power missing from this week’s rankings.

So, yeah, Jordan Addison is still a top-36 wide receiver. So far both Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy. Robert Woods might be one too. Again, not because I necessarily think any of them are incredibly valuable Fantasy players, but because someone’s gotta be ranked there. This week, more than maybe any other this season, you might be choosing from some less-than-ideal options to fill out your WR spots.  

Here are my full rankings for Week 5 at wide receiver for PPR leagues: 

Week 5 Wide Receiver Rankings

1. Justin Jefferson vs. KC
2. Tyreek Hill vs. NYG
3. Stefon Diggs vs. JAX
4. Amon-Ra St. Brown vs. CAR
5. CeeDee Lamb @SF
6. Davante Adams vs. GB
7. Ja’Marr Chase @ARI
8. A.J. Brown @LAR
9. Puka Nacua vs. PHI
10. Chris Olave @NE
11. Devonta Smith @LAR
12. Jaylen Waddle vs. NYG
13. Deebo Samuel vs. DAL
14. Calvin Ridley @BUF
15. Brandon Aiyuk vs. DAL
16. Christian Kirk @BUF
17. Nico Collins @ATL
18. Michael Pittman vs. TEN
19. DeAndre Hopkins @IND
20. Garrett Wilson @DEN
21. George Pickens vs. BAL
22. Christian Watson @LV
23. Adam Thielen @DET
24. Michael Thomas @NE
25. Terry McLaurin vs. CHI
26. Tutu Atwell vs. PHI
27. Jakobi Meyers vs. GB
28. Tank Dell @ATL
29. D.J. Moore @WAS
30. Marquise Brown vs. CIN
31. Jordan Addison vs. KC
32. Jerry Jeudy vs. NYJ
33. Courtland Sutton vs. NYJ
34. Zay Flowers @PIT
35. Robert Woods @ATL
36. Tyler Boyd @ARI
37. Kendrick Bourne vs. NO
38. Romeo Doubs @LV
39. Jahan Dotson vs. CHI
40. Curtis Samuel vs. CHI
41. KJ Osborn vs. KC
42. Gabe Davis vs. JAX
43. D.J. Chark @DET
44. Van Jefferson vs. PHI
45. Drake London vs. HOU
46. Rashee Rice @MIN
47. Josh Reynolds vs. CAR
48. Brandin Cooks @SF
49. Darnell Mooney @WAS
50. Treylon Burks @IND
51. Michael Wilson vs. CIN
52. Jayden Reed @LV
53. Rashid Shaheed @NE
54. Josh Downs vs. TEN
55. DeVante Parker vs. NO
56. Allen Lazard @DEN
57. JuJu Smith-Schuster vs. NO
58. Parris Campbell @MIA
59. Allen Robinson vs. BAL
60. Darius Slayton @MIA
61. Calvin Austin vs. BAL
62. Rondale Moore vs. CIN
63. Kadarius Toney @MIN
64. Marquez Valdes-Scantling @MIN
65. Skyy Moore @MIN
66. Isaiah Hodgins @MIA
67. Mack Hollins vs. HOU
68. Randall Cobb @DEN
69. Michael Gallup @SF
70. Braxton Berrios vs. NYG
71. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine @IND
72. Terrace Marshall @DET
73. Alec Pierce vs. TEN
74. Deonte Harty vs. JAX
75. Quez Watkins @LAR