Wide receiver non-PPR rankings for Week 5 fantasy football

Final injury report

The NFL wrapped up practices on Friday most of the schedule, which brings the final injury report. The teams still completing practices over the weekend are the Broncos, Patriots, Saints, Chargers, Titans, and Bills. Saints-Chargers is a go for Monday Night Football. Broncos-Patriots is scheduled for Monday and Bills-Titans is scheduled for Tuesday so long as there are no more positive Covid-19 tests. We’ll add those six teams’ players as their final injury reports arrive.

Out: WR Bryan Edwards (ankle, foot), WR K.J. Osborn (hamstring), DeSean Jackson (hamstring), WR Alshon Jeffery (illness, foot)
Doubtful: WR Breshad Perriman (ankle), WR John Ross (illness)
Questionable: WR Chris Hogan (ribs, knee), WR Julio Jones (hamstring), WR Marquise Brown (knee), WR Chris Moore (thigh, finger), WR Rico Gafford (hamstring), WR Henry Ruggs (knee, hamstring), WR Jakeem Grant (illness), WR Deebo Samuel (illness)

Removed from final injury report: WR Jamison Crowder (hamstring), WR Calvin Ridley (thigh, knee), WR Odell Beckham (toe), WR Jarvis Landry (hip), WR Laviska Shenault (hamstring), WR Mecole Hardman (hamstring), WR Tyreek Hill (heel), WR Dontrelle Inman (foot), WR Terry McLaurin (thigh), WR DeVante Parker (ankle), WR Dante Pettis (knee), WR Trent Taylor (ankle), WR Adam Thielen (shoulder), WR David Moore (ankle), WR J.J. Arcega-Whiteside (calf), WR Diontae Johnson (toe), WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee)

Wednesday injury report

The NFL returned to practice on Wednesday to get Week 5 going, and the day closed with the first injury report of the week. The wide receiver position requires a little more patience on the injury report on Wednesday. We see a lot of DNPs on Wednesday that we can assume will be upgraded as the week moves along. Diontae Johnson and JuJu Smith-Schuster are the best examples of that. We’ll check back on these guys on Thursday.

DNP: Breshad Perriman (ankle), John Brown (calf), Andre Roberts (ankle), Julio Jones (hamstring), K.J. Hamler (hamstring), Bryan Edwards (ankle, foot), Dontrelle Inman (foot), Terry McLaurin (thigh), Steven Sims (toe), Diontae Johnson (toe), JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee)
Limited: Chris Hogan (ribs, knee), Cole Beasley (foot), A.J. Brown (knee), Calvin Ridley (thigh, knee), Marquise Brown (knee), Chris Moore (thigh, finger), Julian Edelman (knee), Odell Beckham (toe), Laviska Shenault (hamstring), Henry Ruggs (knee, hamstring), DeVante Parker (ankle), Dante Pettis (knee), Trent Taylor (ankle), Adam Thielen (shoulder), DeSean Jackson (hamstring), Alshon Jeffery (foot)
Full: Jamison Crowder (hamstring), Jarvis Landry (hip), Mecole Hardman (hamstring), Tyreek Hill (heel), David Moore (ankle), J.J. Arcega-Whiteside (calf)

No wide receiver had a more eventful Week 4 outing than Odell Beckham Jr., who amassed 154 scrimmage yards topped off with two receiving touchdowns and a rushing score. Beckham Jr. was making plays all over the field, and his creative usage was a much-needed refreshment. Over the last three games, Beckham has been on a 16-game pace for 1,141 receiving yards and has scored four touchdowns.

The wide receiver corps in Dallas can’t quit either. Both Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb ranked as top-five wide receivers in non-PPR scoring formats, combining for 17/213/3. Michael Gallup’s usage continues to be a cause for concern, seeing just four targets in Week 4 with no targets in the end zone.

We saw 12 players exceed 100 receiving yards on the day and four to rack up two or more touchdowns. There are plenty of points to be scored by high-powered offenses if we can sort through the weeds in Week 5.

Injury news

Several big names were ruled out in Week 5 that left a major ding on your fantasy football rosters. Saints WR Michael Thomas has been trending towards playing after getting in limited practice time before being ruled out for Week 4. He gets an extra day of recovery time given the Saints Monday Night Football game against the Chargers, but given the nature of his high ankle sprain, there’s always a chance he’ll be limited. He had just three catches for 17 yards in his 55 offensive snaps in Week 1.

Week 4’s matchup between the Titans and Steelers may have been disappointing, but it did give WR AJ Brown another week to bounce back from his bone bruise. If he does suit up for this week’s outing against the Bills, we may need to temper expectations, likely to see plenty of coverage from DB Tre’Davious White. His absence has provided WR Corey Davis and TE Jonnu Smith a bump in production.

We did see 49ers WR Deebo Samuel return after starting the season on IR, recovering from offseason foot surgery. He had a quiet game, posting just three receptions for 35 yards, but the release of veteran receiver Mohamed Sanu likely means the team is likely confident in his bounce back to come.

Bye weeks

The Week 5 bye for the Green Bay Packers may be a blessing in disguise. Star wideout Davante Adams has been out for the last two weeks nursing a hamstring injury and was nearly on track to return on Monday Night Football. Another week of rest won’t hurt. Given the recent injury to the team’s WR2 Allen Lazard, Marquez Valdes-Scantling will continue to get some looks following the bye.

The Lions haven’t been seen QB Matthew Stafford return to 2019 form just yet, but it’s been nice for fantasy managers to see the return of WR Kenny Golladay following a two-game absence. Golladay strained his hamstring prior to Week 1 and has managed a steady target share and two touchdowns since back in the lineup. Marvin Jones has been a disappointment so far this season, averaging just 34.5 yards per game. He’d be droppable in redraft formats even if he weren’t heading into a bye.

Streaming options

Justin Jefferson, Vikings

This LSU rookie has to be in consideration for flex plays in Week 5 after two back-to-back 100+ receiving yard performances. Jefferson has racked up 348 yards to start the season - the fourth-most receiving yards among rookie wideout in his first four games since 1980. This week, the Vikings face the Seahawks who will continue to #LetRussCook and lead the league in passing yards allowed. Seattle has allowed seven wide receivers to surpass 100 receiving yards in their first four games of 2020.

Darius Slayton, Giants

Daniel Jones is in serious need of a confidence boost after a winless start, throwing two touchdowns and five interceptions over the first four weeks. A matchup versus Dallas may be just the ticket to help him bounce back. Second-year WR Darius Slayton showed off his big-play prowess in Week 1 with 102 yards and two touchdowns. The Cowboys and Seahawks are one in the same; neither can stop a thing through the air. Another 100-yard game wouldn’t be a surprise.