Fantasy Football Week 5 Running Back Rankings

The 2026-27 NFL season has officially kicked off, and with that, the fantasy football season as well. After Week 4 of the NFL season, the landscape for the best options for your fantasy football team has already started to take shape, with surprise performances, breakout players and fantasy duds all changing week to week. The season is still early, but let’s take a look at my fantasy football rankings for running backs going into Week 5.

Key:

Must Start- A player who is in your lineup regardless of the matchup or most circumstances. They will likely finish near the top of the league in points that week and in most weeks.

Starting RB1- A player who makes fantasy owners comfortable starting week after week. Regardless of the matchup, this player has a solid floor.

Low-End Starter- A player who may not be a lock to start for a team every week, but will start more times than not because of depth at the position. Their production is based on whether they can get in the end zone or not. It can be the difference between a top-10 performance or a top-25 performance.

Deep League Starter- A player whose ceiling isn’t high but should put up enough production to be started in deep leagues. When a player like this is started, it is because their production, though it will likely be low, will be better than a few other options.

Updates for Week 5:

• Kenneth Walker and Chuba Hubbard are both on bye this week, so fantasy managers should replace both talented backs with options off the bench.
• Saquon Barkley’s status is uncertain for the Eagles’ matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars after suffering a hamstring injury in Week 4. With backup Tank Bigsby also dealing with an injury, Will Shipley could be in line to start for the Eagles if Barkley is unable to play.
• Seahawks rookie running back Jadarian Price was placed on IR with a chest injury. Seattle’s running back depth is a bit thin at the moment, with Zach Charbonnet still working his way back from an ACL injury. Emanuel Wilson could be in line for a significant role this week against the 49ers, with George Holani also in the mix.

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