Worthy, Lazard among 5 must-start Week 5 fantasy football wide receivers

MIAMI, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Xavier Worthy and Allen Lazard are among my five must-start wide receivers for Week 5 of the fantasy football campaign.

CeeDee Lamb leads my Week 5 Top 50 rankings, which are listed below. Ja'Marr Chase, D.K. Metcalf, Justin Jefferson and Jayden Reed also land inside the Top 5 of my rankings.

Marvin Harrison Jr., Nico Collins, Michael Pittman Jr., Deebo Samuel and Garrett Wilson join those pass catchers in my Top 10. Pittman, Dontayvion Wicks and Tee Higgins join Worthy and Lazard as my five must-start plays.

Those who roster players dealing with injuries should monitor their status before plugging them into starting lineups.

Wide receivers from the Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans should be benched or dropped, as those teams serve Week 5 byes. Players from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons -- who played Thursday -- were removed from my rankings.

Players also will be removed from or adjusted within the rankings based on injuries. My top free agent targets for Week 5 are available here. My Week 5 quarterback, running back and tight end rankings also are available.

Michael Pittman Jr.

Pittman likely isn't leaving a lot of starting lineups in redraft leagues outside of his bye week or potential injuries, but I think he will be a big reason that his stockholders are happy in Week 5. He also is a great daily fantasy play.

The Indianapolis Colts playmaker totaled a season-high 113 yards on six catches in a Week 4 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. This week, Pittman and the Colts will take on a Jacksonville Jaguars defense that allowed the fifth-most fantasy points and third-most receiving yards -- 193.5 per game -- to wide receivers through four weeks.

The Jaguars also just surrendered 244 yards to Houston Texans wide receivers, including 151 yards and a score from Nico Collins, in Week 4. They allowed two Buffalo Bills wide receivers to score touchdowns in Week 3 and surrendered 100-yard performances to Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle of the Miami Dolphins in Week 1.

Look for Pittman, my No. 8 play, also to provide elite WR1 production.

Xavier Worthy

Worthy can be plugged in as a low-end WR1 this week when the Kansas City Chiefs host the New Orleans Saints. The Chiefs rookie found the end zone three times through his first four games, with two scores in Week 1 and another in Week 4.

While Worthy hasn't gotten a ton of touches, he should see an increase in workload because of the injury absence of Rashee Rice, who led the Chiefs with 29 targets.

I expect the rookie playmaker to find the end zone at least once in Week 5. He is my No. 11 option.

Tee Higgins

Ja'Marr Chase might have provided more highlight footage in a Week 4 win over the Carolina Panthers, but Higgins was the Cincinnati Bengals' most-targeted wide receiver. Higgins drew 10 looks, compared to Chase's six targets last week and should continue to earn opportunities for the Bengals offense, which appears to be gaining steam.

This week, the Bengals will host the Baltimore Ravens in an important AFC North division battle. The Ravens allowed the ninth-most fantasy points and eighth-most receiving yards to wide receivers through four weeks.

Higgins, who scored twice in his last game against the Ravens in 2023, should get plenty of opportunities to find the end zone again in what should be a high-scoring matchup Sunday in Cincinnati. He is my No. 12 option and can be plugged in as a high-end WR2.

Allen Lazard

Lazard is a solid low-end WR2/high-end WR3 option for Week 5. The New York Jets veteran totaled at least 48 yards in three of four games and scored three times during that span.

Lazard is a touchdown-or-bust play, but should see enough action to find the end zone for his fourth score of the season. The Jets also will be facing a Minnesota Vikings defense that allowed a league-high 221.5 receiving yards per game and the fourth-most fantasy points to wide receivers so far this season.

Lazard is my No. 24 play.

Dontayvion Wicks

Wicks sits at No. 29 in my rankings and can be plugged in as a low-end WR3 if you need a streaming option. The Green Bay Packers are expected to play without Christian Watson this week, which should result in more targets for Wicks and their other pass catchers.

Wicks scored the third-most points among wide receivers last week, when he caught 5 of 13 targets for 78 yards and two scores. That large target share came after he received just nine looks through the first three weeks of the season.

Wicks already showed an ability to make plays in the red zone and should provide more end zone antics Sunday against a Los Angeles Rams defense that tied for allowing the second-most touchdowns -- 1.8 per game -- to wide receivers through four weeks of 2024.

He is worth a look if you are in a league that requires starting three wide receivers.

Week 5 wide receiver rankings

1. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys at PIT

2. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals vs. BAL

3. DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks vs. NYG

4. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings vs. NYJ

5. Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers at LAR

6. Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals at SF

7. Nico Collins, Houston Texans vs. BUF

8. Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts at JAX

9. Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers vs. ARI

10. Garrett Wilson, New York Jets at MIN

11. Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs vs. NO

12. Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals vs. BAL

13. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins at NE

14. George Pickens, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. DAL

15. Diontae Johnson, Carolina Panthers at CHI

16. Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns at WAS

17. D.J. Moore, Chicago Bears vs. CAR

18. Rashid Shaheed, New Orleans Saints at KC

19. Stefon Diggs, Houston Texans vs. BUF

20. Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens at CIN

21. Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints at KC

22. Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders vs. CLE

23. Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars vs. IND

24. Allen Lazard, New York Jets at MIN

25. Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers vs. ARI

26. Christian Kirk, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. IND

27. Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland Browns at WAS

28. Wan'Dale Robinson, New York Giants at SEA

29. Dontayvion Wicks, Green Bay Packers at LAR

30. Jordan Addison, Minnesota Vikings vs. NYJ

31. Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers at LAR

32. Xavier Legette, Carolina Panthers at CHI

33. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks vs. NYG

34. Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins at NE

35. Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks vs. NYG

36. Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos vs. LV

37. Jakobi Meyers, Las Vegas Raiders at DEN

38. Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals at SF

39. Tutu Atwell, Los Angeles Rams vs. GB

40. Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts at JAX

41. Tank Dell, Houston Texans vs. BUF

42. Jauan Jennings, San Francisco 49ers vs. ARI

43. Mike Williams, New York Jets at MIN

44. Keenan Allen, Chicago Bears vs. CAR

45. Tre Tucker, Las Vegas Raiders at DEN

46. Jordan Whittington, Los Angeles Rams vs. GB

47. Jalen Tolbert, Dallas Cowboys at PIT

48. Darius Slayton, New York Giants at SEA

49. Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills at HOU

50. Gabe Davis, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. IND