Week 5 Fantasy PPR RB Rankings

Austin Ekeler has been the No. 2 fantasy football running back this year, thanks in part to his 24 catches (one behind Christian McCaffrey), 270 receiving yards, and three TDs. While he could continue to maintain his heavy presence in the Chargers' receiving game, the return of Melvin Gordon dims his outlook going forward. In fact, Ekeler has fallen out of the top 10 in our Week 5 PPR RB rankings, trailing such notable non-receivers as Derrick Henry and Marlon Mack.

Mack brings his own set of worries this week. An ankle injury knocked him out of Week 4's loss to the Raiders early, but a favorable Sunday night matchup against the Chiefs awaits in Week 5. If Mack can't go, Jordan Wilkins would take over lead-back duties, but Nyheim Hines would likely also see a big PPR boost. The Colts could easily find themselves in comeback mode in that game, which would mean plenty of checkdowns to Hines like we saw last week (six catches on six targets). 

WEEK 5 NON-PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

Wayne Gallman made his mark on the PPR world by catching six passes (seven targets) for 55 yards and a score in Week 4. It was part of a 24-touch day for Saquon Barkley's backup, and that kind of volume gives him plenty of value even in a tough matchup against Minnesota this week. Gallman likely won't see as many touches if the Giants aren't playing with the lead, but he can still rack up catches and PPR points.

WEEK 5 PPR RANKINGS: Wide receiver | Tight end

Devonta Freeman (@ Texans) is in a similar spot. He hasn't run particularly well this year, but Houston is allowing the most RB receptions (34) and third most RB receiving yards (62.8) this year. Matchups against Alvin Kamara, Leonard Fournette, Austin Ekeler, and Christian McCaffrey have certainly inflated those numbers, but Freeman currently sits seventh in RB receptions (17) and is coming off an 8-72 receiving day on nine targets. Perhaps he doesn't hit those numbers if Atlanta isn't in comeback mode, but he still has more PPR upside this week.

Josh Jacobs is also an interesting case against the Bears, who have allowed 29 RB receptions (tied for second most). Jacobs isn't Oakland's primary receiving back, but Jon Gruden has talked about getting the rookie more involved in the passing game virtually all year. There's more upside than you think here.

WEEK 5 DFS LINEUPS:
Y! cash | Y! GPP | FD cash | FD GPP | DK cash | DK GPP

Another surprising PPR back to watch is Royce Freeman (@ Chargers), who actually has one more catch and the same amount of targets as Phillip Lindsay. Aaron Jones (@ Cowboys) would also see an uptick in targets if Jamaal Williams (concussion) is out. 

MORE WEEK 5 DFS: Stacks | Values | Lineup builder

Reminder: Check back for frequent updates during the week. For standard-league RB analysis, click here.

WEEK 5:
Top waiver pickups | FAAB planner | Trade values | Snap counts

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Week 5 Fantasy PPR Rankings: RBs

These rankings are for full-point PPR leagues.