Week 5 Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Rankings: Tetairoa McMillan Breaks Out

Volume is king in fantasy football, but wide receivers can rack up points at a dizzying pace—especially in PPR formats. In Week 4, Puka Nacua (36 fantasy points) even outscored the top quarterback, Dak Prescott, by five points—and George Pickens did the same. Nacua, however, has been the true standout this season, averaging an eye-popping 27.4 fantasy points per game. Those chain-moving wideouts consistently produce elite PPR value.

Tre Tucker emerged as one of the hottest waiver-wire pickups after his Week 3 breakout, posting 145 receiving yards and three touchdowns for a jaw-dropping 40.9 fantasy points. Week 4, however, saw just two catches for 13 yards. Despite the dip, Tucker remains a WR1 in fantasy scoring—but consistency wins leagues, and Nacua, who has topped 20 points in four straight weeks, enters Week 5 as the clear top wide receiver.

The Best Wide Receivers In 2025 Fantasy Football Leagues

Through four weeks, here are the top 10 wide receivers in PPR formats:

Puka Nacua: 109.5 points
Amon-Ra St. Brown: 94.4 points
Rome Odunze: 79.6 points
Quentin Johnston: 79.5 points
Garrett Wilson: 76.1 points
George Pickens: 75.0 points
Jaxon Smith-Ngigba: 71.3 points
Emeka Egbuka: 71.1 points
Keenan Allen: 65.1 points
Deebo Samuel: 65.0 points

Some of these names you’d expect to see on this list such as Nacua, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and perhaps Jaxon Smith-Ngigba. But nobody saw Quentin Johnston’s breakout coming. And most anticipated the Chargers struggling to support two relevant receivers in fantasy due to their run-heavy offense. But veteran Keenan Allen has been one of the most consistent players through four weeks.

Injuries have also played a critical role in point totals as Emeka Egbuka has become the focal point of the Buccaneers offense with Mike Evans sidelined, George Pickens has emerged as Dak Prescott’s go-to option in the wake of CeeDee Lamb’s ankle injury, and Deebo Samuel has dominated targets with Terry McLaurin out.

Now in Week 5, bye weeks become a critical landmine that fantasy football managers need to strategically set lineups around. This week, the Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, and Pittsburgh Steelers are all off. That means fantasy managers will need to find replacements for weekly starters such as Drake London, Rome Odunze, DJ Moore, Romeo Doubs, DK Metcalf, and more.

With Week 5 underway after Puka Nacua and Kendrick Bourne led their respective teams in fantasy football point totals at the wide receiver position, let's take a look at where the rest of the league's pass catchers stack up in our Week 5 rankings.

Latest Wide Receiver Updates

Week 5 Fantasy Football Must-Start Wide Receiver: Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay Buccaneer — Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (2) receives a pass against the New York Jets in the second quarter at Raymond James Stadium. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

WR Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

First up is Tampa Bay Buccaneers standout Emeka Egbuka, who continues to shine in his debut season. The rookie exploded again in Week 4 with a highlight-reel deep touchdown, burning two defenders for six. Egbuka is averaging 70.5 receiving yards per game, commanding a 23% target share with four touchdowns already on the year. With Mike Evans sidelined, Egbuka’s role as the focal point of the passing attack should only grow. We have him ranked as our WR6 in PPR, compared to the WR10 consensus — a gap that underscores his elite weekly upside.

WR Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina Panthers

Meanwhile, Carolina Panthers WR Tetairoa McMillan is firmly in the must-start conversation for Week 5 as he chases the first touchdown of his NFL career. Through four games, McMillan has caught 18 passes for 278 yards on 35 targets, pacing for 77 receptions and 1,182 yards over a full season. His opportunity metrics rank inside the league’s top 10, though his 51.4% catch rate has capped his fantasy output so far. Miami presents a tough matchup (8th vs. WRs in PPR), but with eight targets in every game and elite route participation, McMillan is flirting with WR1 territory — our WR11, compared to a WR17 ECR.

WR Jalen Tolbert, Dallas Cowboys

Our Week 5 deep sleeper and streamer is Dallas Cowboys WR Jalen Tolbert, ranked WR36 — ten spots higher than consensus. Tolbert has quietly emerged as a volume-based sleeper, seeing six targets in each of the last two games, and should continue to see steady usage with CeeDee Lamb sidelined. After a slow start to the season, Tolbert has gained 85 of his 101 total yards in just the last two weeks. Facing a vulnerable Jets secondary, he’s poised to deliver another strong showing and could easily outperform expectations once again.

Week 5 Wide Receiver Rankings Storylines

Week 5 Fantasy Football Stud: Garrett Wilson, New York Jets — New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson (5) runs with the ball past Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey (5), Sunday January 5, 2025, in East Rutherford. | Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Garrett Wilson Sneaks Into Top 5 Against Vulnerable Dallas Cowboys Defense

Wilson is now the WR5 on the young season after producing 20+ fantasy points in three of his first four outings. He’s coming off a Monday night performance in which he caught six of eight targets for 82 yards and a touchdown. The Jets know they need to get Wilson as involved as possible and with the chemistry that he has shown with Justin Fields, expect the former Ohio State Buckeye to be peppered early and often with targets in Week 5.

The winless Jets take on a Dallas Cowboys secondary that has been absolutely abysmal this season. They are allowing the most fantasy points per game to opposing receivers, including a whopping nine touchdowns! Expect Wilson to eclipse 100 yards for the first time this season and for him to find the end zone for the fourth time in his first five outings. Fantasy managers shouldn’t hesitate before firing him up. While it may sometimes be tough to start Wilson due to New York’s run-heavy offense, the Jets will likely fall behind in this one, resulting in a very favorable game script for Wilson and the Jets’ aerial attack.

Terry McLaurin And Noah Brown Ruled Out Setting Stage For Deebo Samuel in Week 5

Although Deebo Samuel missed Thursday's practice with his own heel injury, he's poised to see a massive increase in target share with Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown officially ruled out for the Commanders Week 5 clash against the Los Angeles Chargers. Fantasy managers will want to monitor Samuel's status but he's currently the WR17 in our PPR rankings.

Ladd McConkey Drops Out Of WR2 Territory

2025 Fantasy Football Bust: Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Charger — Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey (15) makes the touchdown catch against the New England Patriots in the third quarter at Gillette Stadium. | David Butler II-Imagn Images

I am the first to admit that I was a Ladd McConkey truther after his breakout rookie season in 2024. While I expected his value to dip slightly following the addition of veteran Keenan Allen, I did not anticipate production dropping off a cliff this quickly.

McConkey has become little more than a distant WR3 in Los Angeles, coming off another disappointing outing with just one catch on six targets for 11 yards. That brings him to 16 receptions for 174 yards and zero touchdowns through four games. It’s time to accept that he was a bust for fantasy purposes—starting him risks tanking your lineup each week.

Behind Quentin Johnston and Allen on the pecking order, and with the Chargers set to feature rookie Omarion Hampton heavily, McConkey’s upside is extremely limited. Even with a Week 5 matchup against a Washington secondary allowing the ninth-most fantasy points to wide receivers, McConkey projects as little more than a flex—and at worst, a bench stash—until he proves otherwise.

Jaylen Waddle Cracks The Top 15 Following Tyreek Hill’s Injury

Monday Night Football delivered a gut punch for Dolphins fans as Tyreek Hill went down with a devastating knee injury, ending his season—and potentially his time in Miami—with the long-term outlook for his career now uncertain. It’s a tough pill to swallow, and we all hope to see Hill back on the field someday.

That said, Jaylen Waddle now assumes the WR1 role in Miami. He’s always had the talent; he just didn’t need to carry the load with Hill opposite him. Expect Waddle to be a weekly must-start, and keep an eye on Malik Washington, who now becomes a sneaky fantasy option with more opportunity looming.

Through four games, Waddle is the WR29 in PPR formats after posting 17 receptions for 185 yards and two scores. While he has a tough matchup against a Panthers defense that has allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing wideouts, there isn't much depth beyond Waddle, so he should be peppered with targets in Week 5.

Let's take a look at where the rest of the receivers across the NFL stack up in our Week 5 rankings.