The Week 5 Fantasy football rankings don’t have as many players on the roster as the byes. With just two teams on the road in the Chiefs and Panthers, you may have to give your Fantasy football picks a little extra thought over the next two months. Some players showed up last Sunday as Ollie Gordon, Keon Coleman and Carnell Tate all had 100-yard games. Given that there are fewer options available to you to bye certain players, the aforementioned guarantee is part of your Week 5 Fantasy football starting-sit decisions.
This is only one part of your Fantasy football strategy, as you also need to factor in injuries. Lamar Jackson (ankle), Breece Hall (quad), DeVonta Smith (hamstring) and Saquon Barkley (calf) Marvin Harrison Jr. is among those excluded due to pending trade. Meanwhile, Ja’Marr Chase (concussion), DJ Moore (shoulder) and Ashton Jeanty (ankle/foot) are among those uncertain for Week 5, perhaps causing you to turn around when it comes to Week 5 Fantasy football picks.
Before setting your Week 5 Fantasy football lineups, be sure to check out the Week 5 Fantasy football rankings from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
When it comes to player rankings, the SportsLine model has outperformed human experts in Fantasy football over the past few seasons, especially when there have been large differences in rankings. Over the course of a season, it can literally be the difference between winning your league or going home empty-handed.
The same model has a proven track record of providing Fantasy football advice, including being ahead of the curve on players like AJ Brown, Jonathan Taylor, Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara and Jahmyr Gibbs. Anyone who relied on players like this could win their league.
Now, a model that simulates every NFL game 10,000 times has released its Fantasy football rankings for Week 5 of the 2026 NFL season. Head over to SportsLine now to see them.
The best Week 5 fantasy football picks
One surprise in Week 5: The model isn’t high on Vikings tight end TJ Hockenson, despite his top-10 position in Fantasy points. Much of Hockenson’s production came Sunday with Justin Jefferson (ankle) as the tight end had a career-high 13 grabs for 119 yards. However, Jefferson could be back in Week 5 and Minnesota won’t be able to play Miami every week like it did on Sunday. Hockenson will face the Saints in Week 5, and New Orleans has kept Sam LaPorta, Mark Andrews and Kyle Pitts under 50 yards and out of the end zone this season. So Hockenson barely cracked the top 20 at his position this week.
Another curveball: the model is high on Chiefs running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt despite being RB35 through four weeks. Croskey-Merritt has averaged between 43 and 56 yards per game this year, but his prospects are higher Sunday against the Giants, who will be down DB Jason Pinnock (concussion) and DL Chauncey Golston (neck). He has surpassed 80 rushing yards four times in his career, two of them coming against New York last year, and has scored a touchdown in each contest. Since Croskey-Merritt is a top 15 Fantasy RB, this year the Giants have allowed five RBs to have at least 92 rushing yards or a touchdown in just four games. Be sure to check out the rest of the Week 5 Fantasy football rankings for more fantasy football start/sit advice.
How to set your Week 5 Fantasy football rankings
The model also calls for a surprising quarterback you wouldn’t expect to finish in the top six of the Week 5 Fantasy football rankings ahead of Josh Allen and Brock Purdy. This choice can be the difference between winning big and going home with nothing. See all of the model’s Week 5 Fantasy football rankings for PPR and standard leagues here.
So who should you start and bench this week and which surprising QB could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now for the Week 5 Fantasy football rankings for each position, plus see which quarterback will come out of nowhere to crack the top six from the model that beat the experts big time.