MIAMI, Oct. 1 (UPI) — Xavier Worthy and Allen Lazard are among my five must-start wide receivers for Week 5 of the fantasy football campaign.
CeeDee Lamb leads my Week 5 Top 50 rankings, which are listed below. Ja’Marr Chase, D.K. Metcalf, Justin Jefferson and Mike Evans also land inside the Top 5 of my rankings.
Jayden Reed, Marvin Harrison Jr., Nico Collins, Malik Nabers and Michael Pittman Jr. join those pass catchers in my Top 10. Pittman, Dontayvion Wicks and Tee Higgins join Worthy and Lazard as my five must-start plays.
Those who roster Davante Adams, Tank Dell, Malik Nabers and other players dealing with injuries should monitor their status before plugging them into starting lineups.
Wide receivers from the Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans should be benched or dropped, as those teams serve Week 5 byes.
Players also will be removed from or adjusted within the rankings based on injuries. My top free agent targets for Week 5 are available here.
Michael Pittman Jr.
Pittman likely isn’t leaving a lot of starting lineups in redraft leagues outside of his bye week or potential injuries, but I think he will be a big reason that his stockholders are happy in Week 5. He also is a great daily fantasy play.
The Indianapolis Colts playmaker totaled a season-high 113 yards on six catches in a Week 4 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. This week, Pittman and the Colts will take on a Jacksonville Jaguars defense that allowed the fifth-most fantasy points and third-most receiving yards — 193.5 per game — to wide receivers through four weeks.
The Jaguars also just surrendered 244 yards to Houston Texans wide receivers, including 151 yards and a score from Nico Collins, in Week 4. They allowed two Buffalo Bills wide receivers to score touchdowns in Week 3 and surrendered 100-yard performances to Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle of the Miami Dolphins in Week 1.
Look for Pittman, my No. 10 play, also to provide elite WR1 production.
Xavier Worthy
Worthy can be plugged in as a low-end WR1 this week when the Kansas City Chiefs host the New Orleans Saints. The Chiefs rookie found the end zone three times through his first four games, with two scores in Week 1 and another in Week 4.
While Worthy hasn’t gotten a ton of touches, he should see an increase in workload because of the injury absence of Rashee Rice, who led the Chiefs with 29 targets.
I expect the rookie playmaker to find the end zone at least once in Week 5. He is my No. 14 option.
Tee Higgins
Ja’Marr Chase might have provided more highlight footage in a Week 4 win over the Carolina Panthers, but Higgins was the Cincinnati Bengals’ most-targeted wide receiver. Higgins drew 10 looks, compared to Chase’s six targets last week and should continue to earn opportunities for the Bengals offense, which appears to be gaining steam.
This week, the Bengals will host the Baltimore Ravens in an important AFC North division battle. The Ravens allowed the ninth-most fantasy points and eighth-most receiving yards to wide receivers through four weeks.
Higgins, who scored twice in his last game against the Ravens in 2023, should get plenty of opportunities to find the end zone again in what should be a high-scoring matchup Sunday in Cincinnati. He is my No. 15 option and can be plugged in as a high-end WR2.
Allen Lazard
Lazard is a solid low-end WR2/high-end WR3 option for Week 5. The New York Jets veteran totaled at least 48 yards in three of four games and scored three times during that span.
Lazard is a touchdown-or-bust play, but should see enough action to find the end zone for his fourth score of the season. The Jets also will be facing a Minnesota Vikings defense that allowed a league-high 221.5 receiving yards per game and the fourth-most fantasy points to wide receivers so far this season.
Lazard is my No. 29 play.
Dontayvion Wicks
Wicks sits at No. 34 in my rankings and can be plugged in as a low-end WR3 if you need a streaming option. The Green Bay Packers are expected to play without Christian Watson this week, which should result in more targets for Wicks and their other pass catchers.
Wicks scored the third-most points among wide receivers last week, when he caught 5 of 13 targets for 78 yards and two scores. That large target share came after he received just nine looks through the first three weeks of the season.
Wicks already showed an ability to make plays in the red zone and should provide more end zone antics Sunday against a Los Angeles Rams defense that tied for allowing the second-most touchdowns — 1.8 per game — to wide receivers through four weeks of 2024.
He is worth a look if you are in a league that requires starting three wide receivers.
Week 5 wide receiver rankings
1. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys at PIT
2. Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals vs. BAL
3. DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks vs. NYG
4. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings vs. NYJ
5. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at ATL
6. Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers at LAR
7. Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals at SF
8. Nico Collins, Houston Texans vs. BUF
9. Malik Nabers, New York Giants at SEA
10. Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts at JAX
11. Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at ATL
12. Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers vs. ARI
13. Garrett Wilson, New York Jets at MIN
14. Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs vs. NO
15. Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals vs. BAL
16. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins at NE
17. George Pickens, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. DAL
18. Diontae Johnson, Carolina Panthers at CHI
19. Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns at WAS
20. D.J. Moore, Chicago Bears vs. CAR
21. Rashid Shaheed, New Orleans Saints at KC
22. Stefon Diggs, Houston Texans vs. BUF
23. Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens at CIN
24. Drake London, Atlanta Falcons vs. TB
25. Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints at KC
26. Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders vs. CLE
27. Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars vs. IND
28. Khalil Shakir, Buffalo Bills at HOU
29. Allen Lazard, New York Jets at MIN
30. Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers vs. ARI
31. Christian Kirk, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. IND
32. Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland Browns at WAS
33. Wan’Dale Robinson, New York Giants at SEA
34. Dontayvion Wicks, Green Bay Packers at LAR
35. Jordan Addison, Minnesota Vikings vs. NYJ
36. Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers at LAR
37. Xavier Legette, Carolina Panthers at CHI
38. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks vs. NYG
39. Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins at NE
40. Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks vs. NYG
41. Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos vs. LV
42. Jakobi Meyers, Las Vegas Raiders at DEN
43. Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals at SF
44. Tutu Atwell, Los Angeles Rams vs. GB
45. Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts at JAX
46. Tank Dell, Houston Texans vs. BUF
47. Brandin Cooks, Dallas Cowboys at PIT
48. Darnell Mooney, Atlanta Falcons vs. TB
49. Jauan Jennings, San Francisco 49ers vs. ARI
50. Mike Williams, New York Jets at MIN
