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Week 5 Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Preview

Here's a rundown of the top-60 fantasy Wide Receivers for Week 5

New York Jets vs. Minnesota Vikings 

Mike Williams, Jets

Williams is ramping up his playing time and snaps, but still falls behind Allen Lazard. There is some potential for Williams to be usable down the line, but even in a match-up where the Jets may have to throw a lot, he is a WR5 at best.

Allen Lazard, Jets

Lazard continues to out-snap Mike Williams and be the de facto number two WR on the Jets. Rodgers appears to trust Lazard and he will likely play upwards of 90% of snaps again this week. Even so, Lazard is nothing more than a desperation play this week.

Garrett Wilson, Jets

Wilson struggled against Patrick Surtain and the Broncos catching five passes for 41 yards. The schedule eases from here, and the Vikings have faced the most WR targets in the NFL. Aaron Rodgers will likely pepper Wilson with targets in an easier match-up, giving him WR1 upside.

Jordan Addison, Vikings

Addison scored two TDs against the Packers, one rushing and one receiving. Justin Jefferson will always get the majority of targets, but Addison has shown his big play ability at times. Against a tough Jets match-up, it isn’t the best week to use Addison, so he falls more as a WR4 this week.

Justin Jefferson, Vikings

Jefferson continues to dominate, catching six passes for 85 yards and a TD last week. He does go up against Sauce Gardner, which is one of the most difficult match-ups at CB in the league. The last time he played Gardner, though, Jefferson did catch a TD. He is a locked-in top-five option this week.

Cleveland Browns at Washington Commanders

Amari Cooper, Browns

Cooper’s drawn 8+ targets in each game. Next up is a Washington pass D that’s bottom-six in catches, yards, and TDs allowed to WRs.

Jerry Jeudy, Browns

Quietly, Jeudy’s racked up 6+ targets in each game. He currently sits top-12 in receptions. This week, the Browns should get TE David Njoku back, but Jeudy’s WR3/4 appeal remains in place. A key reason why: The matchup. No team has allowed more fantasy production to WRs than Washington. 

Terry McLaurin, Commanders

Aided by the play of Jayden Daniels, McLaurin has tallied 11 catches, 152 yards, and 2 scores over the past two weeks. Cleveland’s defense has regressed in 2024, boosting McLaurin’s WR2/3 profile.

Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots

Tyreek Hill, Dolphins

Hill came close to a couple of long TDs in Monday’s loss to the Titans. But that’s life with a fourth string QB. With Tyler Huntley set to start again – and a tough CB in Christian Gonzalez upcoming – Hill remains volatile.

Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins

Since a 100-yard opener, Waddle’s yardage counts have gone 41, 26, 36. He’s a risky WR4 with Tyler Huntley under center. 

Carolina Panthers vs. Chicago Bears

Rome Odunze, Bears

Odunze took a step back with Keenan Allen returning for the Bears, catching only one pass for 10 yards. He isn’t very usable until the Bears offense improves or Odunze clearly passes Allen. With a great match-up against the Panthers, Odunze could find the end zone though, making him a WR4 with big downside and upside.

Keenan Allen, Bears

Allen finally returned last week but only had three catches for 19 yards. The lack of passing in general from the Bears hurt Allen, but another week healthier along with a juicy match-up against a weak secondary could allow Allen to finally have a fantasy worthy game. He is a WR3, but if the Bears have to throw the ball, there is upside for more.

D.J. Moore, Bears

Moore finally got a TD, but he only caught three passes last week with the game script lending to a lot of Bears’ runs. He hasn’t even had a WR2 game yet in PPR. The Panthers secondary is weak, so it could be a potential break out game for Moore, or the Bears could have another run heavy game scrip., Moore is a mid range WR2 this week.

Xavier Legette, Panthers

Legette drew 10 targets last week from Andy Dalton for 25% of the team’s targets. The rookie has explosive potential and the Panthers could be behind in this game against the Bears. Even with a tougher secondary match-up, Legette is a WR4 with upside. 

Diontae Johnson, Panthers

Johnson has become a borderline WR1 with Andy Dalton in at QB. With 13 targets last week, Johnson caught seven for 83 yards and a TD. The Bears are his toughest opponent yet though witha top ten pass defense. Even so, the volume pushes Johnson into low end WR1 territory.

Las Vegas Raiders at Denver Broncos

Jakobi Meyers, Raiders

Meyers projects for a nice uptick in volume with Davante Adams sidelined. Current projections have the former Patriot for a hair over 7 targets vs. the Broncos. Just note: Denver’s done well to limit WR production, holding the position to bottom-five marks in catches and TDs.

Tre Tucker, Raiders

Davante Adams will miss this game with a hamstring. He vacates 9 targets per game. Tucker might see some of top CB Patrick Surtain on Sunday, but we don’t forecast a shadow situation. Following a buzzy summer, Tucker's tallied two straight useful games.

Courtland Sutton, Broncos

Sutton hits Week 5 slotted fifth in expected PPR PPG and seventh in WR targets. Surprising, right? Now past a tough part of his schedule, Sutton draws a Vegas pass D that sits third-worst in our strength of schedule metric.

Baltimore Ravens vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Andrei Iosivas, Bengals

Iosivas is still getting on the field, but he has clearly fallen behind Tee Higgins in terms of targets and opportunities. He is a low-end WR5 as the WR3 on the team, even if this game could set up for a heavy passing script.

Tee Higgins, Bengals

Higgins has 16 targets in the two games he has been back in the lineup. The opportunities have been there, but Higgins has only mustered a combined 99 yards and no TDs in those games. He has drawn two end-zone targets that both have drawn pass interference penalties as well. The time is coming for a big Higgins game, so he is a high end WR2 this week.  

Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals

Chase only caught three passes last week, but luckily, one was a 63-yard TD. TDs have propped up Chase’s fantasy numbers so far this season. As the Bengals offense improves, so should Chase’s targets and opportunities. He is a top-five option this week.

Zay Flowers, Ravens

As the Ravens turn more to the run game, Flowers has suffered. He had six targets over the last two weeks and only 30 yards receiving. There could be more schemed touches for him against a weak Bengals defense. Flowers settles as a high-end WR3. 

Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans

Curtis Samuel, Bills

Khalil Shakir’s absence should leave Samuel as Buffalo’s primary slot receiver this weekend. He'll get a plus individual matchup against Texans slot CB Jalen Pitre, who ranks 72nd among 86 qualifying CBs in Pro Football Focus' coverage grades. Samuel is in play as a WR4 or Flex in PPR leagues.

Keon Coleman, Bills

After being Buffalo's No. 4 WR in terms of playing time in Week 3, Coleman rebounded to a 73% route rate last week. And his 51 receiving yards ranked second on the team. It was a nice step forward for the rookie, but he's still not a recommended Week 5 fantasy starter against a tough pair of Texans outside CBs in Derek Stingley and Kamari Lassiter.

Nico Collins, Texans

Collins ranks top two among WRs in targets, catches, receiving yards, and fantasy points. The Bills rank fourth in adjusted fantasy points allowed to WRs and have been especially tough on outside receivers. But we're not betting against Collins in any matchup right now.

Stefon Diggs, Texans

Diggs gets his second Revenge Game of the season vs. the Bills this weekend. In the first vs. the Vikings, he tallied season highs with 12 targets, 10 catches, and 94 yards. The Bills are weaker against slot receivers than outside receivers. 55% of Diggs' routes this year have come from the slot.

Tank Dell, Texans

Dell looks likely to return from his rib injury for Sunday's game vs. the Bills. He got off to a slow start over the first three games of the season. But he just missed on a few big plays and saw fine usage: An 81% route rate and 15.2% target share. He's an upside WR3 in Sunday's game against the Bills that has shootout potential.

Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars

Christian Kirk, Jaguars

Even with Jacksonville’s pass offense continuing to struggle, Kirk has seen 10+ targets and caught 7+ passes each of the past two weeks. Now comes a high-upside matchup with a soft Colts defense that appears likely to miss slot CB Kenny Moore for the second straight game.

Brian Thomas Jr., Jaguars

Thomas has garnered 9 targets in two straight games. The continued struggles of QB Trevor Lawrence keep him from being an attractive option, but the talented rookie gets an upside matchup with the Colts this week. Indy ranks 18th in pass-defense DVOA so far, with one outside CB (Jaylon Jones) sitting 122nd in PFF coverage grade and the other spot manned by fill-in Samuel Womack III. (JuJu Brents is out.) That’s enough to make Thomas a WR3 option on this four-team bye week.

Michael Pittman, Colts

Pittman did catch two long passes from Anthony Richardson before the QB exited last week’s game. That offers some rebound hope. But it doesn’t erase the fact that Pittman totaled just 11 catches over the first three weeks and failed to exceed 36 yards in any of those contests. An upside matchup with Jacksonville helps. But Richarson needs to show improvement over at least a full game before we can comfortably rank Pittman higher than flex territory.

Josh Downs, Colts

Downs delivered an 8-82-1 receiving line on 9 targets in Week 4, with almost all of that coming from backup QB Joe Flacco. Anthony Richardson appears likely to play this week, which figures to be especially bad news for Indy’s shorter-range WR. Downs managed just 3 receptions for 22 yards with Richardson the week before.

Gabe Davis, Jaguars

Christian Kirk and Brian Thomas Jr. have each gotten plenty of targets and delivered usable numbers the past two weeks. Davis, meanwhile, totaled 3 receptions for 16 yards over that span. He even managed to go minus-0.4 yards per target last week at Houston. Avoid.

Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers

Deebo Samuel, 49ers

Samuel landed outside the top 40 fantasy WRs in last week’s return from injury. But his playing time was fine, and his 5 targets tied for second on the team – one behind leader Jauan Jennings (again) and an OK 18.5% of QB Brock Purdy’s total attempts. Jennings’ emergence threatens to keep affecting Samuel’s target shares. But we might even get a boost to Samuel’s playing time now that he’s off the injury report. And we’re simply willing to bet on any San Francisco offensive pieces against a Cardinals D ranked 29th in DVOA.

Marvin Harrison Jr., Cardinals

In three games since his empty opener at Buffalo, Harrison has ranked third among WRs in target share and sixth in air-yards share. That has meant top-28 fantasy finishes each of the past three weeks, even as his QB threw for just 207 and 142 yards the past two games. Expect passing volume to rise against a San Francisco team that heads in as a 7.5-point favorite.

Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers

Aiyuk tied Deebo Samuel for just second on the team in targets last week (one behind Jauan Jennings) but led the WR group in playing time. Expect better efficiency this week even if the passing volume remains down. Brock Purdy completed just 55.6% of his throws against the Patriots in Week 4. That marked his second-lowest completion rate for any game he has started and just his fourth game south of 60%, including the playoffs. Arizona arrives as the No. 29 defense in pass DVOA.

Jauan Jennings, 49ers

Jennings led the 49ers in targets for the second straight game last week, despite the return of WR Deebo Samuel. But he edged Samuel and Aiyuk by just one and trailed them in playing time. Jennings had 66.7% route participation, compared with 83.3% for Samuel and 90% for Aiyuk. That has us still betting on the top two leading Jennings this week. But his performance over the past two games makes Jennings worth flex consideration – especially against Arizona’s No. 29 defense in pass DVOA.

Michael Wilson, Cardinals

Wilson has suffered for Kyler Murray’s struggles, falling short of 40 yards in three of four game – despite a 70% catch rate for the season. Arizona figures to need elevated passing volume in this game, against the 7.5-point favored 49ers. But that’s no lock. The Cardinals got stomped by Washington last week and finished with just 22 pass attempts (vs. 32 rushes).

Greg Dortch, Cardinals

Dortch’s target volume has fallen off as Marvin Harrison Jr.’s shares have increased. The slot man has totaled just 12 targets and 9 receptions over the past three games, with last week’s 4-38 receiving line the best of the span.

Green Bay Packers at Los Angeles Rams

Jayden Reed, Packers

Reed has posted 4-138-1 and 7-139-1 in his two games with QB Jordan Love this season. Next up is a Rams defense that ranks 21st in adjusted fantasy points allowed to WRs. They've already coughed up three games of 24+ PPR points to WRs this year.

Dontayvion Wicks, Packers

Wicks has been awesome on a per-route basis through his first 19 NFL games and will get a big boost in playing time this weekend with WR Christian Watson out. The cherry on top: A matchup against a Rams defense sitting 21st in adjusted fantasy points allowed to WRs. Los Angeles has particularly struggled defending on the perimeter, where Wicks will run most of his routes.

Romeo Doubs, Packers

Doubs missed Thursday's practice for a personal issue, so his status bears monitoring into the weekend. He's already been a full-time player this season, so he won't get more playing time with WR Christian Watson out. But he could draw more targets. On plays with QB Jordan Love on the field and Watson not over the last two seasons, Doubs has drawn a target on 25% of his routes. That trails WR Jayden Reed (30%) but is ahead of Dontayvion Wicks (23%). Doubs also gets a plus matchup on Sunday against the Rams' 21st-ranked WR defense.

Tutu Atwell, Rams

Atwell has led the Rams with 93 and then 82 receiving yards the past two weeks. He's totaled just 11 targets over that span and remains reliant on big plays. But you could do worse for a Week 5 flier than Atwell vs. the Packers' 27th-ranked WR defense.

Jordan Whittington, Rams

Whittington drew some buzz in August and has earned a target on an impressive 24% of his routes this season -- a top-25 mark among all WRs. He played a full-time role last week, running a route on 97% of dropbacks. Sunday's game vs. the Packers has some shootout potential. And Green Bay ranks 27th in adjusted fantasy points allowed to WRs.

Demarcus Robinson, Rams

Robinson has totaled just three catches on seven targets for 69 scoreless yards with Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua out the past two weeks. Even in Sunday's plus matchup against the Packers, Robinson can't be trusted in fantasy lineups.

New York Giants at Seattle Seahawks

DK Metcalf, Seahawks

Metcalf hasn’t held the team target lead by himself in any game yet. But he’s the season target leader for the league’s leader in passing volume. That has him tied for sixth among all WRs in targets through four weeks. Metcalf’s also tied for eighth in receptions and third (by himself) in yards. Now comes a Giants defense unlikely to be able to stop anything Seattle wants to do.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seahawks

JSN ranks second on his own team in target so far but tied for 11th among all WRs. His wild swings in targets and receptions week to week show the range of outcomes that you get with a loaded passing game. But the upside is well worth betting on in WR2 range. The Giants arrive as the league’s No. 24 defense in DVOA.

Tyler Lockett, Seahawks

Lockett has caught 5+ passes in three of four games so far. And the only week he didn’t reach that number found him playing his largest snap share to date. Lockett’s a decent flex play in this week’s high-ceiling matchup against the Giants, playing in the league’s No. 1 offense for passing volume. But he trails clearly behind D.K. Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba in route participation, targets, and air yards.

Wan’Dale Robinson, Giants

Malik Nabers’ concussion leaves Robinson as the likely lead receiver for a matchup that finds his team a 6.5-point underdog. If the game goes that way, expect elevated passing volume from Daniel Jones, who especially struggles to throw deep. That’s good news for Robinson’s potential target count, which stands at 9.5 per contest so far and has already reached 12+ in two of four games. He’s an interesting PPR option for WR3 or flex spots.

Darius Slayton, Giants

Slayton has seen just 15 targets through his team’s 1-3 start, with no more than 3 receptions in any week. His downfield game doesn’t help when paired with a QB who struggles to throw deep. There is some volume upside, at least, in a game that finds the Giants heavy underdogs and rookie WR Malik Nabers sidelined (concussion).

Dallas Cowboys at Pittsburgh Steelers

CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys

Lamb enters the weekend with a strong chance to hit 10+ targets. The absence of Brandin Cooks (knee) removes nearly 5 targets per game. 

George Pickens, Steelers

Pittsburgh remains a run-centric offense, but it’s clear that Pickens is the focal point when Justin Fields drops back. Pickens is up to a huge 28.1% target share, while he’s seen 50% of the team’s total end zone targets.

New Orleans Saints vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Xavier Worthy, Chiefs

Worthy will be the top WR for the Chiefs with Rashee Rice on IR, but he still has never had more than four targets in a game. Andy Reid will have to scheme some touches for Worthy, but he still needs an explosive play to be counted on for fantasy. He is a high end WR3 with upside.

Rashid Shaheed, Saints

After a goose egg two weeks ago, Shaheed caught eight passes for 83 yards last week. He continues to run a ton of routes and more targets found Shaheed in his role again. This could be a good match-up for Shaheed’s downfield ability with upside for a long score. He is a solid WR2.

Chris Olave, Saints

Olave finally saw a bit of a breakout catching 8 of 10 targets for 87 yards and a TD. The Saints appear to be scheming Olave open finally, so it should be a shift to more consistent production. The Chiefs have shut down opposing WR1s pretty well this season, but Olave is among the best they have seen so far. He is a low end WR1.

Shane Hallam, Writer

Shane has over 20 years of experience creating content and playing every fantasy football format including redraft, dynasty, devy, IDP, and more. He is a multi-year winner of $500 dynasty leagues on the FFPC and utilizes deep film and scheme study to enhance his fantasy performance.