Fantasy football injuries are starting to pile up, which could make setting your Week 5 Fantasy football lineups a challenge. The Colts announced that Jonathan Taylor (knee) is out for a Week 5 matchup with the Broncos, and losing one of the top Fantasy football picks is a huge blow to running back depth. To make matters even worse, Javonte Williams and Cordarrelle Patterson both landed on IR with knee injuries, while David Montgomery looks questionable for Week 5 with a knee injury of his own.
Who should you target in the Week 5 Fantasy football rankings at running back and every other position? Before setting your Fantasy football lineups, be sure to check out the Week 5 Fantasy football rankings from the advanced computer model at SportsLine.
When it comes to ranking players, SportsLine’s model beat human experts in Fantasy football for the past several seasons especially when there were big differences in ranking. Over the course of a season, that could literally be the difference between winning your league or going home empty-handed.
Last week, the model was extremely high on Lions running back Jamaal Williams, saying he’d finish as a top-10 player at his position. The result: Williams recorded 19 carries for 108 yards and two touchdowns in Detroit’s loss against the Seahawks. Anyone who had him in their lineup was well on their way to a huge week.
Now, the model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, has revealed its Fantasy football rankings for Week 5 of the 2022 NFL season. Head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top Week 5 Fantasy football picks
One player the model is high on this week: Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny. After leading the NFL by averaging 6.3 yards per carry and piling up 749 yards and six touchdowns in just 10 games last season, Penny had three relatively disappointing games to start the 2022 NFL season. However, his general lack of productivity looked like a product of game situation more than anything and those who stuck with him were rewarded in Week 4.
Penny rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns in a thrilling 48-45 win over the Lions last week and now he has another solid matchup against a Saints run defense that ranks 20th. Penny has played 69 percent of the offensive snaps in three of four games this season and, thus far, second-round pick Kenneth Walker III hasn’t infringed upon his workload. That’s a big reason why the model likes Penny as a top-10 running back in its Week 5 Fantasy football RB rankings. See who else to target here.
And a massive shocker: Steelers running back Najee Harris, who’s scored a touchdown in each of Pittsburgh’s road games this season, stumbles big-time and doesn’t even crack the top 20 at his position. Harris recorded 18 carries for 74 yards in Pittsburgh’s loss against the Jets last Sunday. Pittsburgh’s offense struggled to find a rhythm against the Jets and the Steelers are expected to start rookie QB Kenny Pickett moving forward.
That doesn’t bode well for Harris’ Fantasy value with teams expected to stack the box against an inexperienced signal-caller. Plus, Harris and the Steelers will square off against the Buffalo Bills, who are giving up just 234.5 yards per game this season, which ranks first in the NFL. With such a tough matchup on Sunday, Harris is a player to consider putting on the bench in Week 5. See who else to fade here.
How to set Week 5 Fantasy football rankings
The model is also calling for a surprising quarterback you aren’t even thinking about to finish in the top 10 of its Week 5 Fantasy football rankings. This pick could be the difference between winning big and going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.
So who should you start and sit this week? And which surprising quarterback could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 5 Fantasy football rankings for every position, plus see which QB is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that has outperformed experts big-time.
