2026 Fantasy Football: Week 5 RB Rankings

This week, it was Saquon Barkley who left with an injury. He’s expected to be out a few weeks with a hamstring injury, but choosing his replacement shouldn’t be too difficult. That’s because, unfortunately, Tank Bigsby is also injured. It brings us to Will Shipley as the target, but the competition on the waiver wire will be fierce for him. And if the fantasy football running back landscape wasn’t hard enough, bye weeks are now introduced as well for Week 5. There are just two teams on bye week, but it also means we have to replace the production of Kenneth Walker and Chuba Hubbard. Now, let’s take a look at our Week 5 RB rankings for fantasy football.

More Fantasy Football Fun!: | Sneaky Starts | Fantasy Football Waiver Wire | Weekly Sleepers & Streamers | Starts & Sits | Skrip’s Week Winners | Players You Can Drop | NFL DFS | NFL Player Props | IDP Analysis | Bold Predictions | Re-Draft Trade Targets | Survivor Picks | NFL Injury Report | Dynasty Trade Targets | Dynasty Risers and Fallers | Weekly Rankings | Game Previews

Running Back Notes

Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals

Yes, Brown is at the top of the list of my recommendations for Week 5 even though he rushed for just 10 yards on nine carries last week. The running back hasn’t found the end zone since Week 1 in what’s been a very pedestrian season to this point. Brown plays a limited role in the passing game, but last week was different. We’d like it to think that his 11 catches for 71 yards is a sign of things to come, but prior to that, Brown had a combined 10 catches for 32 yards.

It’s unclear whether Ja’Marr Chase will be active, and given the opponent, I’d argue that he’s not even needed. Given the state of the Miami Dolphins, it’s not a surprise that they are winless. Additionally, we shouldn’t be shocked that they allow the fourth most fantasy points to opposing running backs. Everything sets up for Brown to dominate in Week 5.

Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers

Talk about taking advantage of your opportunity. Warren got off to a solid start this season, but he was in a timeshare with Rico Dowdle. Now that the latter has been out for the last two, and potentially three, weeks, Warren has capitalized. In each of the last two games, Warren has 17 carries, and he has gained 127 and 93 yards, respectively.

The Pittsburgh offense isn’t especially explosive, but Warren is consistently involved in the passing game. He has 13 catches for 143 yards on the season, which does provide for nice supplemental production when paired with production on the ground. Warren should also benefit from a favorable matchup against the Indianapolis Colts this week, who are in the bottom third of defenses against opposing running backs.

On draft day, Warren was likely overlooked, but he’s becoming more interesting to me by the week. While predicting touchdowns isn’t easy, Warren’s now gone four weeks without finding the end zone. Given the touches and his success, it should be coming.

Emanuel Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

While Zach Charbonnet is getting closer to returning, he’s not back yet. Additionally, Jadarian Price is on the Injured List, so there are touches up for grabs in Seattle’s backfield. Enter Wilson, who is poised to take advantage of the situation.

In two of the last three weeks, Wilson has done just that. After carrying the ball 21 times for 92 yards in Week 2, Wilson had 21 carries for 81 yards and a touchdown last week. He’s excelling this season with a top-ranked 77.9% of his yards coming after contact. Additionally, with an 18.9% missed tackle rate, Wilson is putting himself in position to capitalize on the available targets.

Check out all of our Week 5 Rankings: Flex Rankings | QB Rankings | RB Rankings | WR Rankings | TE Rankings | MOP Rankings

Week 5 Running Back Rankings

Make sure to check out all of our Week 5 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!