Week 6 NFL Power Rankings: 1-32 poll, plus fantasy surprises for every team
-
NFL Nation, ESPN
Week 6 of the 2024 NFL season is here!
The Minnesota Vikings and the Kansas City Chiefs picked up wins to remain undefeated, while the Jacksonville Jaguars won their first game of the season Sunday.
In Week 5, the Miami Dolphins and the New York Giants got back on track with wins. Meanwhile, the San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals suffered losses to both fall below .500. So how do all 32 team stack up in our Power Rankings this week?
We also asked our NFL Nation reporters to pick fantasy surprises for every team. They each picked one player (good or bad) who has exceeded expectations or is off to a rough start.
Let’s check out the new 1-32 rankings below.
Our power panel of more than 80 writers, editors and TV personalities evaluates how NFL teams stack up against one another, ranking them from 1 to 32.
Previous rankings: Preseason | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5
Jump to a team:
ARI | ATL | BAL | BUF | CAR | CHI | CIN
CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | HOU | IND
JAX | KC | LAC | LAR | LV | MIA | MIN
NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF
SEA | TB | TEN | WSH
Week 5 ranking: 1
Fantasy surprise: TE Travis Kelce
Kelce got off to a slow start with eight catches, 69 yards and no touchdowns in the first three games before bouncing back with a big game against the Chargers (seven catches for 89 yards) in Week 4 and against the Saints on Monday (nine catches for 70 yards). Still, after the Chiefs lost their top pass catcher Rashee Rice (knee), it’s natural to wonder whether opponents will return to their early-season tactics and shade their coverage Kelce’s way to try to eliminate him as a threat. — Adam Teicher
Week 5 ranking: 2
Fantasy surprise: QB Sam Darnold
Both Darnold and running back Aaron Jones have performed well, but if there has been a surprise, it’s that the Vikings are largely attacking via the air from the low red zone. Six of Darnold’s 11 touchdown passes have come on goal-to-go situations, and as a result Jones has only one rushing touchdown this season. (He has also caught a red zone scoring pass.) This certainly hasn’t hurt the Vikings’ outcomes and, based on the way the team has been built, has probably enhanced it. But part of the reason the team signed Jones in the offseason was to have more scoring options near the goal line. Darnold is averaging 16.5 fantasy points this season, while Jones is averaging 15.7. — Kevin Seifert
Week 5 ranking: 8
Fantasy surprise: WR Nico Collins
When the Texans traded for running back Joe Mixon and former All-Pro wideout Stefon Diggs, the expectation was that all the targets would have to share the rock. That has been far from the case as Collins has become the go-to playmaker for the Texans and leads the league in receiving yards (567). The Texans’ passing attack flows through Collins, as coach DeMeco Ryans called him an “All-Pro” and quarterback C.J. Stroud called him “the best receiver in the league.” — DJ Bien-Aime
Week 5 ranking: 4
Fantasy surprise: WR Jameson Williams
After a slow start to his NFL career, stalled by an ACL injury and gambling suspension, the No. 12 overall pick in 2022 is experiencing a breakout season. Through four games, Williams leads the Lions in receiving yards (289) and yards per catch (22.2), and is tied for the lead in receiving touchdowns (two). He’s on pace for his first 1,000-yard season, as the Lions are using him as a big-play option next to All-Pro receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. “He’s matured and he’s worked and he’s grinded and he wants it,” coach Dan Campbell said. — Eric Woodyard
Week 5 ranking: 7
Fantasy surprise: TE Mark Andrews
Andrews is coming off his best game of the season (four catches for 55 yards), but he hasn’t come close to being a top-five tight end like previous years. With the Ravens relying more on the run, Andrews has seen his snaps decrease, which has led to him ranking 28th among tight ends in PPR (22 points). He also hasn’t scored a touchdown in the first five weeks of a season for the first time in his seven-year career. The most productive tight end on the Ravens has been Isaiah Likely, who has 16 catches for 180 yards and three touchdowns. — Jamison Hensley
2:06
Stephen A.: Lamar has ‘very little chance’ of winning MVP
Stephen A. Smith explains how Derrick Henry’s stellar numbers could take the MVP award away from Lamar Jackson.
Week 5 ranking: 3
Fantasy surprise: WR Curtis Samuel
There’s no denying just how underwhelming Samuel has been. Through five games, he has nine receptions on 13 targets for 48 yards and no touchdowns. By coming to Buffalo, Samuel reunited with offensive coordinator Joe Brady from the Panthers’ 2020 season. Yet, the production and opportunities have just not been there. Without leading receiver Khalil Shakir (ankle) against the Texans, coach Sean McDermott pointed to Samuel as someone he was thankful to have, but Samuel finished the game with one reception, one rush for minus-1 yards and 0.9 fantasy points. — Alaina Getzenberg
Week 5 ranking: 10
Fantasy surprise: QB Jayden Daniels
Daniels being the No. 2 fantasy quarterback (averaging 22.7 fantasy points) behind Lamar Jackson and Baker Mayfield was not anticipated. Daniels is throwing 227.0 yards per game, and he’s on pace for 14 touchdown passes and 14 rushing touchdowns. He’s also on pace to throw for more than 3,800 yards and rush for more than 1,000. That’s quite a combination, and it’s a key reason he has become such a good fantasy player and a dangerous quarterback overall. — John Keim
Week 5 ranking: 5
Fantasy surprise: QB Baker Mayfield
Mayfield’s mark of 21.9 fantasy points per week is third most in the NFL among quarterbacks, behind only Lamar Jackson and Jayden Daniels. His average last year was 16.1 fantasy points per week. While most assumed Mayfield would take a step forward in Year 2 with the Bucs, he has taken several, with 13 total touchdowns (11 passing and two rushing) — the most by any player at any position. — Jenna Laine
Week 5 ranking: 11
Fantasy surprise: TE Tucker Kraft
Before the season, Kraft might not have been projected as the top tight end on his team; Luke Musgrave probably got that nod. Now, Kraft is one of the most productive tight ends in the league. While his 16 catches do not crack the top 10 among tight ends this season, his 218 receiving yards rank seventh among all tight ends, and he already has more touchdowns (three) than he did last season (two). — Rob Demovsky
Week 5 ranking: 15
Fantasy surprise: WR CeeDee Lamb
Although Lamb finished last season as the top fantasy receiver and was the consensus No. 1 WR in this season’s drafts, he ranks 13th after five weeks. For Lamb to be an elite fantasy receiver, he needs to be heavily involved in the Cowboys’ offense, and that hasn’t happened enough this season. In 2023, he led the NFL in targets and catches, but he is currently tied for 11th in targets (41) and 15th in receptions (25). Lamb hasn’t had a 100-yard game after posting eight last season, but it’s safe to assume his time will come. — Todd Archer
Week 5 ranking: 13
Fantasy surprise: QB Jalen Hurts
Hurts scored the fifth-most fantasy points in 2023 (357) and was ranked second among quarterbacks behind Josh Allen. It has been a different story this season. Hurts is currently QB12 in average points per game (16.9). He has six total touchdowns and seven turnovers — the second-most giveaways in the NFL entering Week 5. His two rushing scores are a byproduct of both the turnovers and the high impact of running back Saquon Barkley (five total touchdowns). Hurts’ overall numbers should climb with star receiver A.J. Brown (hamstring) expected back in the lineup for the first time since Week 1. — Tim McManus
Week 5 ranking: 6
Fantasy surprise: RB Zach Charbonnet
The Seahawks’ No. 2 running back stepped in when Kenneth Walker III missed two games and part of a third because of an oblique injury. With that extra work on top of his usual role as the power complement to Walker, Charbonnet has racked up 301 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns through five games. This was after last year’s second-round pick finished his rookie season with 671 yards and one touchdown in 16 games. — Brady Henderson
0:31
Why Fulghum likes the Seahawks as an underdog vs. the 49ers
Tyler Fulghum explains why he likes the Seahawks against the spread and on the moneyline when they take on the 49ers in Week 6.
Week 5 ranking: 9
Fantasy surprise: RB Jordan Mason
Apologies to Jauan Jennings, who has also stepped up big in the early season, but Mason has been Mr. Consistency in replacing Christian McCaffrey (Achilles/calf), the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year. Mason is second in the NFL in rushing yards (536), third in scrimmage yards (602), has three rushing scores and hasn’t posted fewer than 77 rushing yards in any of his five games. It’s still unclear when McCaffrey will return, but Mason has earned the right to keep getting steady work if and when McCaffrey is back. — Nick Wagoner
Week 5 ranking: 17
Fantasy surprise: WR Darnell Mooney
Mooney was a favorite target of fellow offseason signing QB Kirk Cousins in training camp, which has extended into the regular season. The former Bears wideout had only three receiving touchdowns in the past two seasons. He now has that many in 2024. Mooney was the third-highest-scoring receiver (31 points) in ESPN Fantasy for Week 5, and he’s averaging 15 points per game this season. He’s 16th in the NFL in targets (40), just four fewer than Falcons leading WR Drake London. — Marc Raimondi
Week 5 ranking: 12
Fantasy surprise: WR George Pickens
Pickens played a career-low 34 snaps in the loss to the Cowboys — which coach Mike Tomlin explained as “snap management” — and hasn’t scored a touchdown this season. That’s hardly the production the Steelers need from their WR1, especially after missing out on an offseason blockbuster wide receiver trade. Though the Steelers’ quarterback situation has been fluid with Russell Wilson‘s calf injury, Pickens appeared to have a solid connection with Justin Fields in camp and in earlier games this season. That was absent against the Cowboys. — Brooke Pryor
Week 5 ranking: 14
Fantasy surprise: RB Alvin Kamara
Kamara entered the season ranked 28th overall and the 12th RB on ESPN’s top 300 players in PPR leagues. After Monday’s game, Kamara ranks first in fantasy points scored by running backs (119.2) and is second behind Saquon Barkley in average RB fantasy points per game (23.8). There were questions about Kamara this season due to his age and past two years of output, but so far, he has answered them all. — Katherine Terrell
Week 5 ranking: 20
Fantasy surprise: RB D’Andre Swift
The Bears running back has turned things around after a dismal start to the season in which he averaged 1.8 yards per carry in Weeks 1-3. Swift’s spike in production began against the Rams in Week 4 when he rushed for 93 yards and a touchdown and caught a season-high seven passes for 73 yards. He continued to shine as Chicago’s featured back versus the Panthers on Sunday when he recorded 21 carries for 72 yards and a touchdown. His 89 touches rank ninth among running backs, and his 68.9 fantasy points have him at 17th. — Courtney Cronin
Week 5 ranking: 18
Fantasy surprise: QB Justin Herbert
Because of the running focus of coach Jim Harbaugh-led teams, Herbert having less gaudy passing stats was somewhat expected. Still, his numbers are worse than anticipated. He has thrown for 578 yards this season, his fewest in any four-game span in a season in his career. His previous low was 785 yards from Weeks 11 to 14 last season. Some of the struggles could be related to a high right ankle sprain from Week 2, but Herbert is attempting just 22.7 passes per game. Before this season, he averaged 39.1 passes per game. — Kris Rhim
Week 5 ranking: 22
Fantasy surprise: WR Marvin Mims Jr.
Coach Sean Payton has repeatedly said that Denver needs to find more opportunities for Mims, but the receiver has played 59 snaps over five games (18% of the team’s offensive snaps). He was expected to slide into the WR2 role vacated by Jerry Jeudy and become a fantasy contributor. Mims has only three catches on five targets. He’s explosive and showed his potential boost to a balky offense with his 17-yard run in Sunday’s win over the Raiders — but it was one of just two touches in that game. — Jeff Legwold
Week 5 ranking: 26
Fantasy surprise: WR Michael Wilson
Wilson has quietly put up a productive season through five games, catching 19 passes for 216 yards and a touchdown. His catches are second most on the Cardinals behind tight end Trey McBride, and his yardage is also second behind wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. He has run the second-most routes for Arizona this year, but the most telling part of Wilson’s production is that his catch percentage of 73.1% is 10.5% above expectation. — Josh Weinfuss
Week 5 ranking: 16
Fantasy surprise: WR Allen Lazard
On an offense with running back Breece Hall and receiver Garrett Wilson, who could’ve guessed that Lazard would be leading the team with four touchdowns? This is the same Lazard who signed a four-year, $44 million contract last season — and got benched. Lazard (240 receiving yards) is playing much better than last season, and QB Aaron Rodgers trusts him because of the chemistry they previously built in Green Bay. Lazard is still prone to hiccups (three drops Sunday), but he gets a steady amount of targets. — Rich Cimini
2:01
Is now the time for fantasy managers to trade Garrett Wilson?
Field Yates, Stephania Bell, and Daniel Dopp discuss Garrett Wilson’s fantasy stock in the coming weeks given the Jets’ offensive struggles.
Week 5 ranking: 19
Fantasy surprise: WR Alec Pierce
While the volume of usage hasn’t been significant, Pierce is putting up some eye-popping numbers, leading the NFL in yards per catch with 28.3 and already matching a career high with two touchdown receptions. Pierce established a career best with 134 receiving yards in Sunday’s loss at Jacksonville, once again making the most of his opportunities (three targets and three catches). — Stephen Holder
Week 5 ranking: 23
Fantasy surprise: WR Tyreek Hill
Hill started the season with a vintage seven-catch, 130-yard performance in Week 1, but he recorded 16 catches for 156 yards over the Dolphins’ next four games. With starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve and fledgling rapport with current starter Tyler Huntley, Hill is on pace for 972 receiving yards, his fewest as a Dolphin. He’s currently WR26 in standard leagues despite being drafted as WR3 — although his 69 receiving yards in Week 5 were his most since Week 1. Hill has received 25% of his team’s targets this season, which might not get back to the 30% range he’s used to until Tagovailoa returns. — Marcel Louis-Jacques
Week 5 ranking: 24
Fantasy surprise: RB Chase Brown
Despite not being the Bengals’ featured back, Brown has been a steal for fantasy managers. Over the past two weeks, he has been among the top 10 scorers among running backs in PPR leagues, according to ESPN Research. Brown has scored three touchdowns in the past two weeks and is Cincinnati’s big-play threat on the ground. Among backs with 25 carries or more, Brown is second in the league in percentage of runs that go for 10 or more yards (22%), trailing only Atlanta’s Tyler Allgeier. There’s also belief inside the building that the combo of Brown and Zack Moss will improve as the season continues. — Ben Baby
Week 5 ranking: 28
Fantasy surprise: WR Malik Nabers
We knew that the rookie receiver was going to be good. But we didn’t know Nabers would average 13 targets and 22.9 fantasy points per game. That’s massive. In fact, he has the second-most targets through five weeks (behind only the Jets’ Garrett Wilson) and that is with missing a game. Even in Nabers’ absence (concussion), the value of his role in the Giants’ offense was highlighted. Darius Slayton got 11 targets and had more than 100 yards playing in Nabers’ position against the Seahawks. — Jordan Raanan
Week 5 ranking: 21
Fantasy surprise: TE Brock Bowers
The Raiders expected semi-big things from Bowers when they drafted him with the No. 13 pick. But leading all NFL tight ends in fantasy points (66.5) through five weeks? That wasn’t conceivable for the rookie, especially with so many questions at quarterback before the season. Bowers has been the Raiders’ most dependable safety blanket with 28 catches for 313 yards. And with receiver Davante Adams likely on his way out of town, Bowers should become an even more attractive option, not only to Raiders QBs, but also to fantasy managers. — Paul Gutierrez
Week 5 ranking: 25
Fantasy surprise: WR Jordan Whittington
For the second year in a row, the Rams have had a Day 3 draft pick contribute because of injury. While Los Angeles was high on Whittington, he has an increased role without Cooper Kupp (ankle) and Puka Nacua (knee). “He’s done a really nice job with those opportunities in the pass game and in the run game for us,” quarterback Matthew Stafford said Sunday after Whittington led the team with 89 receiving yards. Whittington’s average draft position was 169.7, but he has scored 38.1 fantasy points through five weeks. — Sarah Barshop
Week 5 ranking: 29
Fantasy surprise: QB Will Levis
It seemed like Levis would make a big jump this season given new coach Brian Callahan’s previous success with quarterbacks and his offensive scheme. Adding free agent receivers Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd also made a Levis breakout season more likely. Unfortunately, the promising outlook has taken a turn for the worse. Through four games, Levis has passed for only 604 yards and four touchdown passes and has averaged only 7.8 fantasy points. He leads the NFL in turnovers (nine) and is tied for the most interceptions (six). — Turron Davenport
Week 5 ranking: 30
Fantasy surprise: RB Tank Bigsby
The Jaguars’ plan was for Bigsby to be a complementary back to Travis Etienne Jr., but Bigsby has out-rushed Etienne by 42 yards after five games. He also leads the NFL in yards per carry (8.0). He has had runs of 58 and 65 yards over the past two weeks, and he has two touchdowns. Bigsby is coming off a season-high 25.9-point performance against the Colts. — Michael DiRocco
Week 5 ranking: 27
Fantasy surprise: WR Amari Cooper
Cooper has struggled after recording a career-high 1,250 receiving yards in 2023. He hasn’t been able to form a consistent connection with quarterback Deshaun Watson and has had a couple of critical drops. Cooper’s 20 catches through five games are the third fewest in his career, and his 4.4 yards per target is the second-lowest mark among qualifying pass catchers this season. His 10.6 fantasy points per game rank 46th among wide receivers. — Daniel Oyefusi
6:38
Should the Browns bench Deshaun Watson?
Stephen A. Smith, Shannon Sharpe and Dan Orlovsky break down Deshaun Watson’s future with the Browns.
Week 5 ranking: 31
Fantasy surprise: WR Diontae Johnson
So many questions on this team to muddle through, but let’s go with why Johnson hasn’t consistently been a bigger factor. You would have thought during training camp that he would be on pace for 200 catches. He had two good weeks after Andy Dalton became the starting QB with 15 catches on 27 targets but disappeared again Sunday with three catches for 23 yards. — David Newton
Week 5 ranking: 32
Fantasy surprise: RB Rhamondre Stevenson
There are not many positive options to choose from for a team averaging 12.4 points per game. Stevenson was the 24th-rated RB entering the season but was a sleeper candidate in fantasy. However, he is just the 20th-rated RB in scoring through five weeks (averaging 13.3 points). And it has been a roller coaster with little fantasy consistency or reliability. He started the season hot in Weeks 1-2 with 46 carries for 201 yards and two touchdowns, then cooled off in Weeks 3-4 with 19 carries for 66 yards and no touchdowns. And while Stevenson was one of the team’s few bright spots in Week 5 with 89 yards and a touchdown, he came off the bench. — Mike Reiss
