Fantasy Football Week 5 Running Back Projections and Rankings: Will Shipley, Braelon Allen Climb
The vast majority of running backs in the fantasy football top-10 are as expected. Jahmyr Gibbs leads the charge; Kenneth Walker III and Bijan Robinson follow. Derrick Henry, Jonathan Taylor, and Ashton Jeanty also reside within the top 10. Running back is perhaps the least volatile position. However, injuries do happen, and things do shift. Below are the Week 5 running back projections.
Top-12 Running Backs
The sun rose today; the grass is green, and Jahmyr Gibbs is RB1. He is averaging 25.5 touches per game and 28 fantasy points per game.
As long as Rico Dowdle is inactive, Jaylen Warren should be a top-10 fantasy running back. In Week 4, Warren had 20 touches for 127 total yards. Week 5 looks to bring even more: 25 total touches. Neither backup is a threat, as the next-best Steeler, Lew Nichols, is ranked RB65.
In Week 4, the Vikings ran 23 total backfield attempts. Jones had 20 of those. His volume without Jordan Mason is undeniably elite, adding another 7 targets and more than a 22% target share against the Dolphins.
High Upside Plays
Emanuel Wilson had 21 rushing attempts compared with George Holani's 7 this past week. Wilson averaged 1.3 more yards per attempt, and in Week 5, he is projected to account for about 70% of the team's rushing offense, which is projected to be top-5 in expected run rate.
The Eagles are elevating RB Dameon Pierce to the 53-man roster, per source.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) October 7, 2026
RB help needed due to injuries to Saquon Barkley and Tank Bigsby.
The Eagles signed Dameon Pierce Wednesday morning as a short-notice backup to Will Shipley. Both Saquon Barkley and Tank Bigsby will be out. Despite adding Pierce, Shipley should have a competent load of this offense. Expect Philadelphia to be a bit more pass-heavy, but Shipley should ultimately have north of 50% of the rushing offense in Week 5.
Breece Hall has a near-zero chance of playing in Week 5. Do not be fooled by optimism. His quad injury means he is out at least until Week 6. Thus, Braelon Allen carries the load. He had every single rushing attempt for the Jets in Week 4.
Fade These Running Backs
Cam Skattebo has the volume, but he absolutely lacks production. On 17 rushing attempts per game, Skattebo is averaging 3.5 yards per attempt. In fact, he has one touchdown all year and three fumbles. The Commanders, this week's opponent, are 6th-best in fantasy points allowed to running backs.
Maybe TreVeyon Henderson is just not good? He is averaging 3.7 yards per attempt on 10 touches per game, 0.5 of which are receptions. His matchup against the Raiders is good, but the RB44 in fantasy football offers little upside and is mediocre.
Sleeper of the Week
Keaton Mitchell is averaging 6.8 rushing attempts per game and, more importantly, 1.0 rush for 10+ yards per game. He leads the team in yards per attempt (4.6), and Mitchell gets a favorable matchup against the Broncos.
Denver is 7th-worst in fantasy points allowed to running backs. They are 2nd-worst in Defensive Rush EPA Allowed per Play.
Week 5 Projected Leaders
- Attempts: James Cook (25.9)
- Rushing Yards: Jahmyr Gibbs (111.4)
- Rushing Touchdowns: Jahmyr Gibbs (0.94)
- Targets: Jahmyr Gibbs (8.5)
- Receptions: Jahmyr Gibbs (6.3)
- Receiving Yards: Jahmyr Gibbs (52.8)
- Receiving Touchdowns: Jahmyr Gibbs (0.43)
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.