Fantasy Football Week 5 Wide Receiver Projections and Rankings: CeeDee Lamb Has Arrived, Makai Lemon Has Not

Start-sit decisions, I firmly believe, are the hardest aspect of fantasy football. How can I precisely know for sure whether I must start Michael Wilson or Emeka Egbuka? Nothing is certain, and any opinion is likely based on one key aspect while ignoring the other. My weekly projections weigh every single aspect from matchup to weather, coaching, and beyond. The Week 5 wide receiver projections below show what fantasy managers can expect.

Top-12 Wide Receivers

Jaxon Smith-Njigba holds a slight advantage over CeeDee Lamb for the WR1 honor in fantasy football. He is averaging fewer yards per game, but has two more touchdowns than Lamb, and that makes the difference. The duo retains their 1-2 status as the top two in Week 5 fantasy football.

As of Wednesday afternoon, there is no clear signal on whether Ja'Marr Chase or Tee Higgins will be available. Thus, a handicap has been placed. Higgins sounds more likely to be active, so he is a variable WR11 this week. If he plays, start him, as you would Chase.

Mike Evans was clearly hurting in Week 4 with that rib injury, but he managed to get a still-good volume. The expectation is that he is even healthier in Week 5 with no setbacks, as he enters the top-10 at wide receiver.

High Upside Plays

Zay Flowers still maintains tremendous upside, but Lamar Jackson's absence will cloud his outlook. We can't know for sure how Declan Doyle will run this offense under Tyler Huntley, but I favor it being very run-heavy, which would reduce Flowers' volume.

Keon Coleman has the second-most routes run of any Bill. He is averaging 4.0 targets and 3.5 receptions per game. Without DJ Moore in the lineup, his volume is high enough for WR2 status and a must-start.

The efficiency of the Giants offense under Jameis Winston is volatile, to say the least. As Shannon Sharpe said on his show, Nightcap, "Winston will keep both teams in the game." Nabers may have a lot of targets, but his expected catch rate sinks. Nonetheless, you have to start him on talent alone.

Fade These Wide Receivers

Do not trust both Dontayvion Wicks and Makai Lemon. In Week 4, minus DeVonta Smith, they combined for 9 receptions and only 45 yards. The fact that Darius Cooper scored twice proves that neither Eagles pass-catcher is as highly touted as they are, as they freely swung the ball to everyone. On 12 completions, Hurts connected with six different players.

Emeka Ebguka and Chris Godwin are both dicey starts themselves. Jalon Daniels averaged 3.9 yards per completion and 7.8 yards per target in Week 5. The Buccaneers are running a very shallow passing game, and with an undrafted quarterback, the ceiling can only be so high.

Sleeper of the Week

It might be crazy to call Marvin Harrison Jr. a sleeper, but that's exactly what's happening. He is the WR84 in fantasy football, and even though he is liked this week, Harrison Jr.'s projection falls outside the top 60.

Fantasy managers may take a liking to Harrison Jr. because of his matchup. The Lions are 3rd-worst in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers. They rank 31st in points allowed (31.8 per game) and 32nd in passing yards allowed. If a breakout ever happens for the former top-5 draft pick, it will be this Sunday.

Week 5 Projected Leaders

Targets: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (12.5)
Receptions: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (8.24)
Receiving Yards: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (113.0)
Touchdowns: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (9.3)

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