15 Fantasy football scoring leaders from NFL Week 5

Fantasy football Week 5 is just about in the books, and you can catch up on anything you missed with our coverage throughout the day. In this post, check out the top 15 fantasy football scoring leaders from NFL Week 5.

Oct 9, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) congratules tight end Martellus Bennett (88) on his second quarter touchdown against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL treated us to another wild and crazy Sunday of fantasy football action, and hopefully things went well for your team. There were close, exciting finishes in Detroit, Oakland, Indianapolis, and Baltimore, and some big performances by players coming back. While some of the fantasy football scoring leaders were expected names, there were also some pretty big surprises including a big game from a QB that few owners started that ended up leading the way with the most fantasy points of Week 5.

In this weekly list of fantasy football scoring leaders, you can find the top options at each of the main fantasy positions. I try to highlight the players who went off and powered their fantasy teams to win. You want your players to be on this list and not on the fantasy football busts which will come out later today. Make sure to check back later today for the busts and our our fantasy football sleepers who emerged out of Week 5.

To stay tuned in to all our weekly coverage make sure to drop a bookmark on our fantasy football hub so that you’re ready to have your own bounce back week in Week 6. You can also check out our new start/sit tool and follow @FansidedFantasy on Twitter to help you get into the winners’ circle for next week.

The following 15 players powered their teams to wins with monster performances in Week 5. Some are stars who had big games, and others were more of a surprise. If you want to share your fantasy football success story about how these stars powered you to a win, feel free to drop your comment at the bottom of the page.

Let’s kick off our fantasy football scoring leaders for today with a look at the top fantasy defense that is carrying its real-life team to wins every week.

Oct 9, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; A Minnesota Vikings fan holds up a sign for the defense during the second quarter against the Houston Texans at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings defeated the Texans 31-13. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Vikings D/ST

The Vikings moved to 5-0 with their win over Houston this week, as they continue to ride their elite-level defense. The Vikings have allowed between 10-16 points ever week and have shut down their opponents week-in and week-out.

This week, they turned in a big fantasy performance as well. They forced Brock Osweiler to a miserable 19-of-42 passing and also picked him off once. They sacked Osweiler four times as a team and returned a punt for a touchdown.

The punt return came from CB Marcus Sherels, and Brian Robison led the pass rush with a pair of sacks. The Vikings don’t have one single stand-out star, but their team defense is among the best in the league. They’ll continue to shut down opponents and next will head on the road for good matchups against the Eagles and Bears.

Oct 9, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions running back Theo Riddick (25) runs the ball against Philadelphia Eagles free safety Jalen Mills (31) during the second half of a game at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

Theo Riddick-RB-Detroit Lions

The Chronicles of Riddick continue to be a wild ride as the Lions receiving-specialist continues to show plenty of boom-or-bust potential as the lead back in Detroit’s injury-riddled backfield. Riddick is a tricky player to project since he does what he does extremely well, but he can’t really run between the tackles like a lead back should be able to do.

On Sunday, it was definitely a boom for the Lions’ back who caught a pair of touchdowns to start Detroit’s win over Philadelphia. He finished with 33 yards and two touchdowns as a receiver and added a solid 49 yards rushing on his 11 carries. His 82 total yards and pair of touchdowns was enough to get him into the fantasy football scoring leaders for this week.

As long as he’s the starter, he is a high-risk RB2. When Dwayne Washington returns he could lose some early-down work, but his main value is in PPR leagues where is tendency to be over-used as a checkdown option makes him a fringe RB1 most weeks. The Lions have a tough matchup against the Rams this week, but LeSean McCoy had a good game against LA this week, so Riddick is still startable in Week 6.

Oct 9, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri (4) kicks a field goal against the Chicago Bears at Lucas Oil Stadium. Indianapolis defeated Chicago 29-23. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Adam Vinatieri-K-Indianapolis Colts

It’s very rare that we end up with a kicker in our fantasy football scoring leaders, but Adam Vinatieri’s big game on Sunday was anything but usual. The veteran ended up with 23 fantasy points in standard scoring leagues which was the ninth-highest fantasy point total for any player this week.

He connected on all five FG he attempted at Lucas Oil Stadium as the Colts beat the Bears. He made two long attempts from over 50 yards which earned him bonus points in some leagues and converted on both extra point attempts as well.

Vinatieri is a perfect 13-for-13 on FG attempts this year and 12-for-12 on XP. This is his 21st season in the league, but he has shown no signs of slowing down any time soon. He’ll continue to be a top kicker you can start every week especially when he’s at home in the dome.

Oct 6, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (11) catches a 29-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter as San Francisco 49ers strong safety Antoine Bethea (41) and cornerback Tramaine Brock (26) defend during a NFL game at Levi

Larry Fitzgerald-WR-Arizona Cardinals

Compared to 43-year-old Adam Vinatieri, Fitz is still a pup at just 33 in his 13th season out of Pittsburgh. The veteran receiver had a big week Week 5 even though he didn’t have Carson Palmer and earned his way onto our fantasy football scoring leaders as a result.

Back on Thursday Night Football, Fitzgerald found the end zone twice bringing his touchdown total to five on the season. He still hasn’t quite been able to get to 100 yards in any game this season after hauling in six catches for 81 yards against San Francisco.

Headed into week 6, Fitzgerald is a good play against the Jets who may or may not have Darrelle Revis. However, New York’s secondary has been bad whether they have Revis or not, so start Fitzgerald with confidence this week especially if Palmer returns as expected.

October 9, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper (89) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the San Diego Chargers during the third quarter at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Amari Cooper-WR-Oakland Raiders

The Raiders got a divisional win at home in a thrilling win over the Chargers thanks in large part to great play from Amari Cooper. Cooper makes his first appearance of the season in our fantasy football scoring leaders after posting a big game against a suspect Chargers secondary.

He ended up with six catches for 138 yards and a touchdown. It was the second-year receiver’s first touchdown of the season, and he came close to scoring on at least three other occasions in this contest. He was targeted 12 times, so there is still lots of room for growth in Cooper’s game moving forward.

I think Cooper is still a good start as a WR3 or flex play at this point, and he can definitely be your WR2 if you need him to be. The Raiders face another division foe this week as they welcome in the Chiefs, so continue to look for Cooper to produce solid stats in a growing offense.

October 9, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers (17) warms up before the game against the Oakland Raiders at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Phillip Rivers-QB-San Diego Chargers

The Chargers are who we thought they were… Keep it classy, San Diego.

The Chargers were ahead most of the day before letting the lead slip away in the third quarter. They still had a chance to tie the game with a late FG, but they muffed the snap resulting in another crushing, late loss. This time the final was 34-31 as they lost to Oakland.

Despite their 1-4 record, they have been within one score in each of their four losses. QB Phillip Rivers played pretty well yesterday finishing with  359 yards on 20-of-29 passes with four touchdowns, and two interceptions.

Rivers has been able to throw for at least 320 yards in three straight games and has multiple passing touchdowns in three of his last four contests. He’ll be in a tough matchup this Thursday against Denver, but he is still startable as  a QB1 since the game is at home and he has the offense rolling pretty well even though his head coach Mike McCoy is getting blasted everywhere after another implosion.

Oct 9, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) prepares to throw a pass against New York Jets defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson (96) during the first half of their game at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

Ben Roethlisberger-QB-Pittsburgh Steelers

Big Ben and the Steelers crushed the Jets at home winning 31-13 as they improved to 4-1 on the season. The “bumble bee” uniforms were back, and Ben made them look good throwing for four touchdowns and 380 yards while avoiding turnovers.

Big Ben has bounced back from a bad Week 3 with back-to-back 300-yard games and has thrown for nine touchdowns in his last two weeks. He has been excellent at home, and he continues to be one of the better QB plays every week.

He has another great matchup coming his way this week in Miami before a showdown with Tom Brady looms in Week 7. Roethlisberger will be a top-ten play as long as he’s healthy in offensive coordinator Todd Haley’s pass-heavy scheme.

Oct 9, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Chicago Bears running back Jordan Howard (24) runs with the ball against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Jordan Howard-RB-Chicago Bears

Howard was in my top matchups of the week and my RB sleepers from Sunday morning. Howard definitely came through and looks like the waiver wire find of the season to this point. He looked dominant against the Colts and got into the end zone for the first time in his NFL career.

Howard ended up with 118 yards on his 16 carries in Indy while adding 45 yards on three catches. His touchdown came on a 21-yard pass mid-way through the fourth quarter which gave the Bears the lead for the final time they would have it before the Colts’ comeback.

He should continue to be the focus of the Bears offense while Jeremy Langford is out of the next few weeks and may never give the job back to the former Spartan. Howard’s back-to-back weeks of over 100 yards makes him a great option moving forward especially next week against the Jaguars.

Oct 9, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; New England Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett (88) celebrates his second quarter touchdown against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

Martellus Bennett-TE-New England Patriots

The TE who earned his way into our fantasy football scoring leaders this week is Patriots’ TE Martellus Bennett. Bennett was making his first start with Tom Brady at QB as Brady returned from his four-game deflate-gate suspension.

Coming into week 5, there was rumors that Bennett had no chemistry with Tom Brady, but the duo definitely seemed connected once the game got going. Bennett was targeted eight times and finished with six catches for 67 yards and all three of Brady’s passing touchdowns. No other receiver at TE or WR caught three touchdown passes this week getting him into our fantasy football scoring leaders as the top tight end.

He probably won’t be the top tight end on his own team as the season goes on, though, since Rob Gronkowski is starting to get healthy. Gronk will be a TE1 going forward, but Bennett looks like he’ll be a low-end TE1 or TE2 with Brady under center. The Patriots offense will definitely be a source of good fantasy points with Brady back, so look for Bennett and Gronk to be regular targets going forward.

Oct 9, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Atlanta Falcons running back Tevin Coleman (26) celebrates after a touchdown in the third quarter against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Falcons won 23-16. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Tevin Coleman-RB-Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons got one of the biggest wins of the week as they went to Denver and knocked off the World Champions. Atlanta improved to 4-1 with the win, and they could be 5-0 except for a late loss to Tampa in Week 1.

One of the reasons for their success on Sunday was the effectiveness of Tevin Coleman as a receiver out of the backfield. He ended up with a massive 132 yards coming out of the backfield as a receiver in Week 5 and also scored a touchdown. He added 31 more yards on his six carries and remains very involved in the Falcons’ backfield even with Devonta Freeman still getting most of the carries.

Coleman is definitely a boom-or-bust flex option every week. He can go off like he did in this one or like he did in Week 3 when he scored three rushing touchdowns. Coleman, Freeman, and Julio Jones give Matt Ryan many ways to attack opposing defenses. They’ll all be in tough matchups next week, though, as they head to Seattle to face the Seahawks coming off their bye week.

Oct 9, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton (13) catches a pass for the winning touchdown against the Chicago Bears at Lucas Oil Stadium. Indianapolis defeated Chicago 29-23. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

T.Y. Hilton-WR-Indianapolis Colts

The Colts have been anything but boring this season with four of their five games finishing within one score. This week, they pulled out a late 29-23 win at home against the Bears, and with a big game T.Y. Hilton earned his way into our fantasy football scoring leaders.

For the second time in the last three weeks, Hilton caught the game-winning touchdown. In Week 3 he finished with 174 yards and a touchdown on eight catches, and he finished with a very similar line this week totaling 171 yards and a touchdown on his ten catches on Sunday.

Hilton will continue to get a ton of passes thrown his way with Donte Moncrief on the sidelines. He has a tougher matchup against the Texans next week, but he’ll remain a WR1 for as long as he’s the primary option in Indianapolis and Andrew Luck is constantly seems to be playing from behind.

Oct 9, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) celebrates his third quarter touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Ezekiel Elliott-RB-Dallas Cowboys

It didn’t take many carries for the Cowboys rookie running back to get into our fantasy football scoring leaders for the second week in a row. Dallas looked great in their home matchup against the Bengals, and Elliott powered them to a big early lead.

He took his 14 carries for 133 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He added 37 more yards on three catches, and is quickly rising to the top of the running back options every week in fantasy football.

Elliott has finished with over 130 yards in three straight weeks, and he has already totaled five touchdowns. He, David Johnson, and Le’Veon Bell are the top RB every week and are distancing themselves from the rest of the RB1’s.

October 6, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson (31) scores a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers during the third quarter at Levi

David Johnson-RB-Arizona Cardinals

In one of the best RB performances of the season, David Johnson dismantled the 49ers on Thursday Night Football totaling 157 yards on his 27 carries and getting into the end zone for a pair of touchdowns.

Johnson earned his way into our fantasy football scoring leaders for the first time this season with the monster game. It was a timely performance for Arizona since they were without Carson Palmer and needed their running game to produce.

Johnson, Zeke Elliott, and Le’Veon Bell remain the “Big 3” in the NFL every week at running back. So far this season, he has at least 80 yards rushing in four of his five games and has found the end zone five times. Johnson and the Cardinals are home the next two weeks against the Jets and Seahawks, and Johnson will continue to be an elite option.

Oct 9, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) yells out at the line of scrimmage against the Cleveland Browns during the first quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

Tom Brady-QB-New England Patriots

He’s back, and Tom Brady put the NFL on notice with a huge game against the Browns. In his first start of the season, Brady and the Patriots piled up enough of a lead that he was able to take most of the fourth quarter off letting Jimmy Garoppolo take care of mop-up work.

Before he left, Brady completed 28 of his 40 passes for a total of 406 yards. He threw three passing touchdowns and even added 14 yards on a couple of carries. He was better in the first half and took it easy late in the game. He didn’t lean on his go-to, well-known options of Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman instead showing a nice connection with Martellus Bennett for all three scores.

Moving forward, Brady is an elite QB option, and it’s time to reap the reward if you waited out his suspension. In DFS play, he’s also a nice play depending on his price. Next week, New England is at home as they welcome in the Bengals before heading on the road to Pittsbugh and Buffalo before their bye. Look for Brady to be a regular name in our fantasy football scoring leaders going forward.

Oct 9, 2016; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) attempts a pass in the game against the Miami Dolphins during the second half at Hard Rock Stadium. The Tennessee Titans defeat the Miami Dolphins 30-17. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Marcus Mariota-QB-Tennessee Titans

While everyone expected Brady to tear up the Browns, the quarterback that not many people expected to be in the fantasy football scoring leaders was Marcus Mariota who posted a big game in the Titans’ win against the Dolphins.

Mariota totaled four touchdowns in Tennessee’s 30-17 win in Miami throwing for three and adding a fourth on the ground. He ended up 20 of 29 for 163 yards through the air and adding an impressive 60 yards on his seven carries. Mariota bounced back from a rough stretch and took care of the ball avoiding turnovers and posting one of the best fantasy games of the week.

He has a very favorable schedule ahead with the Browns, Colts, Jags, and Chargers the next four weeks. Keep an eye on him to see if he can build on his momentum from the Titans’ big win. He could be a fill-in option if he plays like this through the bye-week season.

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