Week 5 Fantasy Football Defense Rankings: Minnesota At The Top Of The List

The fifth week of the fantasy football season is here, and with it come the first batch of byes. In fact, nine of the next 10 weeks on the league’s slate will include at least two bye-week teams. This week, the Bears, Falcons Packers, and Steelers are all off the board, so countless managers will need some lineup replacements.
The Week 5 defense rankings will have a few new members among the top 10, including the Cardinals and Browns, who both have great matchups. I also have the Colts and Rams listed as fantasy starters and viable streaming options.
On the flip side, defenses like the Commanders, Jaguars and Broncos have slipped a bit this week, based on either a bad matchup, poor play or a combination of both scenarios. The same goes for the Patriots and Buccaneers.
With that said, here are my complete fantasy football defense rankings for the fifth week of the NFL season.
Be sure to check back all week for daily updates!
All Positions: QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | FLEX | Ks
Week 5 Fantasy DST Rankings
RK | Player | TM | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Vikings | MIN | at CLE |
2 | Cardinals | ARI | vs. TEN |
3 | Lions | DET | at CIN |
4 | Rams | LAR | vs. SF |
5 | Browns | CLE | vs. MIN |
6 | Colts | IND | vs. LV |
7 | Texans | HOU | at BAL |
8 | Bills | BUF | vs. NE |
9 | Seahawks | SEA | vs. TB |
10 | Saints | NO | vs. NYG |
11 | Giants | NYG | at NO |
12 | Chiefs | KC | at JAC |
13 | Eagles | PHI | vs. DEN |
14 | Dolphins | MIA | at CAR |
15 | Cowboys | DAL | at NYJ |
16 | Chargers | LAC | vs. WAS |
17 | Ravens | BAL | vs. HOU |
18 | Jets | NYJ | vs. DAL |
19 | Broncos | DEN | at PHI |
20 | Panthers | CAR | vs. MIA |
21 | Buccaneers | TB | at SEA |
22 | 49ers | SF | at LAR |
23 | Jaguars | JAC | vs. KC |
24 | Titans | TEN | at ARI |
25 | Commanders | WAS | at LAC |
26 | Raiders | LV | at IND |
27 | Patriots | NE | at BUF |
28 | Bengals | CIN | vs. DET |

Michael Fabiano is a fantasy football analyst for Sports Illustrated. His weekly rankings and Start 'Em, Sit 'Em articles are must-reads for fantasy players. He is also the co-host of the Fantasy Dirt Podcast on SI. Before joining SI in August 2020, he worked for CBS Sports, NFL Network and SiriusXM. He also contributes to Westwood One Radio. Fabiano was the first fantasy analyst to appear on one of the four major TV networks and is a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame.
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