Volume rules fantasy football, but wide receivers can explode for huge points—especially in PPR formats. While Rico Dowdle and Jonathan Taylor dominated as the top non-quarterback plays in Week 5, a handful of receivers delivered game-changing performances. Emeka Egbuka stole the spotlight as the WR1 with seven receptions for 163 yards and a touchdown, while Ja’Marr Chase wasn’t far behind, bouncing back with six catches, 110 yards, and two scores of his own.
In PPR fantasy football formats, chain-moving wideouts can often rack up tons of points. That’s why it’s not surprising to see guys who operate out of the slot such as Puka Nacua, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Emeka Egbuka, and Jaxon Smith-Ngigba dominating the wide receiver position.
Through five weeks, here are the top 10 wide receivers in PPR formats:
- Puka Nacua: 134 points
- Amon-Ra St. Brown: 112.4 points
- Emeka Egbuka: 102.4 points
- Jaxon Smith-Ngigba: 98.5 points
- Garrett Wilson: 95.2 points
- George Pickens: 88.7 points
- Deebo Samuel: 88.6 points
- Quentin Johnston: 86.4 points
- Ja’Marr Chase: 86.3 points
- Courtland Sutton: 80.5 points
Nacua has been the most consistent option in all of fantasy football. He has yet to tally fewer than 22 fantasy points in a single outing and is leading the way despite just one receiving touchdown on the season, which came in the Rams’ Week 5 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Meanwhile, Egbuka is making a case for Offensive Rookie of the Year as he has catapulted up the Buccaneers depth chart and is currently operating as Tampa Bay’s WR1 with Mike Evans sidelined and Chris Godwin still getting back to full speed.
CeeDee Lamb’s injury has resulted in George Pickens’ meteoric rise, but that won’t last long once Lamb returns to the lineup. However, Pickens remains a WR1 until the superstar returns from his high-ankle sprain. And Deebo Samuel likely wouldn’t be this productive if not for Terry McLaurin’s injury. However, McLaurin is looking like he’s on pace to return in Week 6.
The biggest surprise on this list is Quentin Johnston, who has easily outproduced Ladd McConkey and Keenan Allen. The Chargers are a run-heavy offense but after Omarion Hampton landed on Injured Reserve, Los Angeles could decide to let Justin Herbert sling it in Week 6 and beyond. Johnston could absolutely continue to flirt with WR1 numbers.
Now in Week 6, bye weeks become a critical landmine that fantasy football managers need to strategically set lineups around. Last week, there were four times that were idle so seeing just the Minnesota Vikings and Houston Texans off this week isn’t nearly as bad. However, fantasy managers will need to find replacements for guys like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Nico Collins this week.
With Week 6 set to kick off on Thursday night as the Philadelphia Eagles head to Jersey to take on the New York Giants, let’s take a look at the best and worst wide receivers across the fantasy football landscape.
T-Mac is the WR25 in PPR formats and has yet to score a touchdown in his NFL career through five games of the season. However, he’s built an instant rapport with Bryce Young is the clear-cut WR1 in this offense. The rookie produced 100 receiving yards back in Week 2 but had yet to clear 75 yards in any of his additional four games. That being said, he still is racking up receptions and being peppered with targets.
In Week 6, McMillan faces off with a Dallas Cowboys secondary that has allowed the most fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers. Let’s take a look at how the top receiver of each of the Cowboys opponents has fared:
See a theme? Outside of that Week 1 showing where the Eagles refused to throw the ball, Dallas has been surrendering a ton of yardage and touchdowns to opposing top pass catchers. McMillan has an excellent chance at scoring his first NFL touchdown this week, which is why he’s currently the WR12 in our PPR rankings. I’m projecting six receptions, 80 receiving yards, and one touchdown, good for 20 fantasy points.
Hunter put together a career-high 64 receiving yards in Jacksonville’s shocking Monday Night Football upset over the Kansas City Chiefs. He caught all three targets thrown his way. However, it’s been less than encouraging to see the rookie fail to find the end zone through three weeks. And it’s not like he’s seeing a ton of volume either.
The second overall pick in this year’s draft is just the WR62 in PPR formats after five weeks and has a tough Week 6 matchup with a stifling Seattle Seahawks defense. Seattle is allowing the 11th-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers. And after Brian Thomas Jr.’s big catch late in the fourth quarter to set up Trevor Lawrence’s game-winning rushing touchdown, something tells me that BTJ is the receiver who could get going in a tough home matchup against the Seahawks. Fantasy managers simply can’t trust Hunter until he proves otherwise.
In his first game without Tyreek Hill lining up opposite him, Waddle went off, hauling in six of nine targets for 110 yards and a touchdown. Fantasy owners have been waiting for this moment for nearly two years, and now it’s finally safe to plug Waddle into your lineup every week. With Hill out of the picture, Waddle should consistently see double-digit targets in Miami’s high-octane, shootout-prone offense.
Even though the Dolphins face a Los Angeles Chargers secondary that ranks fourth-best in limiting fantasy points to opposing wide receivers, Waddle is set to be the primary focus of Tua Tagovailoa’s passing attack. Unless Darren Waller suddenly becomes the go-to weapon, Waddle is primed for another big Week 6 performance. De’Von Achane will see touches, but with Miami likely playing from behind, expect Tua to throw early, often, and mostly to his top chain mover: Waddle.
Now it’s time to see how all the wide receivers across the NFL stack up in our Week 6 rankings.
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