Former Alabama wide receivers used to be like unicorns in the NFL, but Crimson Tide pass-catching alumni now dominate Fantasy football rankings each week. The Falcons have two former Alabama greats, as Matt Ryan can complete passes to both Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley. Amari Cooper highlights a shockingly deep wide receiver corps in Dallas, while rookies Jerry Jeudy in Denver and Henry Ruggs III in Las Vegas are off to solid NFL careers.
Who can you trust with your Fantasy football picks considering Jones (hamstring) is a game-time decision, while Ridley put up a goose-egg last week? Before locking in your Week 5 Fantasy football lineups, be sure to check out the Week 5 Fantasy football rankings from the advanced computer model at SportsLine.
When it comes to ranking players, their model beat human experts in Fantasy football last season when there were big differences in ranking. Over the course of a season, that could literally be the difference between winning your league or going home empty-handed.
Last week, the model was extremely high on Packers tight end Robert Tonyan, saying he'd finish as a top-10 player at his position. The result: Tonyan hauled in six passes for 98 yards and three touchdowns against the Falcons. Anybody who had him in their lineup was well on their way to a huge week.
Now, the model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, has revealed its Fantasy football rankings for Week 5 of the 2020 NFL season. Head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top Fantasy football picks for Week 5
One player the model is extremely high on this week: Falcons running back Todd Gurley. The six-year veteran showed his old form last week, gaining rushing for 57 yards and two touchdowns. Although Gurley has gained only 254 yards on 65 carries so far this season, his four rushing touchdowns is tied for second in the NFL and substantially boosts his Fantasy value.
Gurley has another chance to find the end zone against the Carolina Panthers in Week 5. The Panthers have given up a league-worst seven rushing touchdowns to running backs, giving the former All-Pro opportunity to add to his 12 career rushing scores. The SportsLine model sees Gurley shining against Carolina, ranking him solidly inside the top 10 running backs for Week 5.
And a massive shocker: Dolphins wide receiver DeVante Parker, who caught 10 passes for 110 yards last week against the Seahawks, stumbles big-time and doesn't even crack the top 30 at his position. Parker is coming off his best performance of the season, securing 10 of 12 targets for 110 yards in the Dolphins' 31-23 loss to the Seahawks on Sunday.
The veteran receiver now boasts an excellent 82.8 percent catch rate on his 29 targets through four games. However, Parker and the Dolphins face a stiff test on the road against the 49ers on Sunday.
San Francisco's defense is giving up just 184 yards per game through the air thus far this season, which ranks second in the league. In addition, the 49ers have yet to allow more than one touchdown pass in a single game through their first four contests this season. With such a tough matchup on Sunday, Parker is a player to consider putting on the bench in Week 5.
How to set your Week 5 Fantasy football rankings
The model is also calling for a surprising quarterback you aren't even thinking about to finish in the top 10 of its Fantasy football rankings. This pick could be the difference between winning big and going home with nothing. You can see who it is here.
So who should you start and sit this week? And which surprising quarterback could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 5 Fantasy football rankings for every position, plus see which QB is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that out-performed experts big-time last season.
