(Shanna Lockwood, USA TODAY Sports)

NOTE: These player rankings track a player’s value for the remainder of the season and are intended to be used as a tool, not necessarily a definitive guide to player valuation. The scoring system is performance PPR.

There is no exact science behind season-long rankings, considering all of the variables and situational uncertainties at work. Defensive teams have been added but will not have analysis.

QUARTERBACKS

Rk	Mv	Player	Team	Bye
1		Patrick Mahomes	KC	12
2		Deshaun Watson	HOU	10
3		Lamar Jackson	BAL	8
4		Matt Ryan	ATL	9
5	4	Aaron Rodgers	GB	11
6	9	Dak Prescott	DAL	8
7		Carson Wentz	PHI	10
8	11	Russell Wilson	SEA	11
9		Tom Brady	NE	10
10		Jared Goff	LAR	9
11		Kyler Murray	ARI	12
12		Jameis Winston	TB	7
13	8	Baker Mayfield	CLE	7
14		Philip Rivers	LAC	12
15		Jacoby Brissett	IND	6
16		Josh Allen	BUF	6
17		M. Stafford	DET	5
18		Daniel Jones	NYG	11
19	22	Gardner Minshew	JAC	10
20		Jimmy Garoppolo	SF	4
21		Kirk Cousins	MIN	12
22	18	Cam Newton	CAR	7
23		Derek Carr	OAK	6
24		Drew Brees	NO	9
25	33	Sam Darnold	NYJ	4
26		Mason Rudolph	PIT	7
27	30	M. Trubisky	CHI	6
28		Marcus Mariota	TEN	11
29		Kyle Allen	CAR	7
30		Joe Flacco	DEN	10
31	25	Andy Dalton	CIN	9
32		Josh Rosen	MIA	5
33		Teddy Bridgewater	NO	9
34		Dwayne Haskins	WAS	10
35		Case Keenum	WAS	10
36		R. Fitzpatrick	MIA	5
37		Nick Foles	JAC	10
38	38	Chase Daniel	CHI	6
39		Ryan Tannehill	TEN	11
40		Eli Manning	NYG	11

QUARTERBACK MOVEMENT

Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
Seattle’s offense still starts with the run, but Wilson has been playing exceptional football thus far, taking Rodgers-esque care of the ball and bringing his best in big games — granted, he did some stat padding in the loss to New Orleans, but his work in tight wins over Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and the Rams was first rate. I’m giving him an overdue bump up the rankings.

Others of note

While it feels a little weird to move Dak Prescott up after his mistake-filled performance Sunday, I like what Dallas has at receiver following the return of Michael Gallup. I could see a lot more 300-plus-yard games from Prescott in 2019… It sounds like Mitchell Trubisky (shoulder) doesn’t have a long-term injury, and Chase Daniel undid a lot of good will in London. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Trubisky back under center in Week 7 … Mason Rudolph (concussion) took an ugly hit on Sunday. I know players tend to get cleared fairly quickly, but I could see him missing a game or two … Considering that the Jets gave Sam Darnold (illness) first-team reps in practice I imagine he’s close to returning, so I’m moving him up from the dregs … There was no shortage of fingers to point in that Monday night debacle, but Baker Mayfield did nothing to inspire confidence.

RUNNING BACKS

Rk	Mv	Player	Team	Bye
1		C. McCaffrey	CAR	7
2		Ezekiel Elliott	DAL	8
3		Dalvin Cook	MIN	12
4		Alvin Kamara	NO	9
5		Nick Chubb	CLE	7
6		Le’Veon Bell	NYJ	4
7		Aaron Jones	GB	11
8	10	David Johnson	ARI	12
9		Mark Ingram II	BAL	8
10		Todd Gurley II	LAR	9
11	13	Josh Jacobs	OAK	6
12	14	L. Fournette	JAC	10
13		Derrick Henry	TEN	11
14	16	Marlon Mack	IND	6
15	9	James Conner	PIT	7
16	20	M. Gordon III	LAC	12
17		Joe Mixon	CIN	9
18		Chris Carson	SEA	11
19		Kerryon Johnson	DET	5
20	31	Saquon Barkley	NYG	11
21		Sony Michel	NE	10
22	24	Phillip Lindsay	DEN	10
23	19	Devonta Freeman	ATL	9
24		James White	NE	10
25	21	D. Montgomery	CHI	6
26		Austin Ekeler	LAC	12
27		Matt Breida	SF	4
28	26	Duke Johnson	HOU	10
29		Carlos Hyde	HOU	10
30	39	Jordan Howard	PHI	10
31	27	Damien Williams	KC	12
32		LeSean McCoy	KC	12
33		D. Singletary	BUF	6
34		Miles Sanders	PHI	10
35	37	Ronald Jones II	TB	7
36		Peyton Barber	TB	7
37	34	Royce Freeman	DEN	10
38		Latavius Murray	NO	9
39	45	Frank Gore	BUF	6
40	38	Tarik Cohen	CHI	6
41	52	Tevin Coleman	SF	4
42		Kenyan Drake	MIA	5
43		A. Mattison	MIN	12
44		Chris Thompson	WAS	10
45		Kareem Hunt	CLE	7
46		Rashaad Penny	SEA	11
47	43	Jaylen Samuels	PIT	7
48		Jamaal Williams	GB	11
49		Nyheim Hines	IND	6
50	41	Raheem Mostert	SF	4
51	57	Ito Smith	ATL	9
52		Adrian Peterson	WAS	10
53		Justice Hill	BAL	8
54		Tony Pollard	DAL	8
55		Darrel Williams	KC	12
56		Kalen Ballage	MIA	5
57		D. Henderson	LAR	9
58	47	Malcolm Brown	LAR	9
59		Dion Lewis	TEN	11
60	36	Wayne Gallman	NYG	11
61	69	R. Armstead	JAC	10
62	NR	Reggie Bonnafon	CAR	7
63		Jalen Richard	OAK	6
64		Derrius Guice	WAS	10
65		Darren Sproles	PHI	10
66		Ty Montgomery	NYJ	4
67		Giovani Bernard	CIN	9
68	61	Jeff Wilson	SF	4
69		Justin Jackson	LAC	12
70		Rex Burkhead	NE	10
71		T.J. Yeldon	BUF	6
72		Ty Johnson	DET	5
73		Chase Edmonds	ARI	12
74		Mike Davis	CHI	6

RUNNING BACK MOVEMENT

Saquon Barkley, New York Giants
Probably the most interesting development since last week’s column was news that Barkley pushed hard to return for Week 5. He ultimately didn’t, and with a Thursday game against New England, it seems unlikely he’ll return this week, either. Barkley looks to be on pace to come back about a month before what was originally believed. I’ve started the process of moving him up, but he won’t get the big jump until he’s officially back. Meanwhile, Wayne Gallman (concussion) was concussed early Sunday and has already been declared out for Week 6. His stock tumbles dramatically.

Los Angeles Chargers
I think what we saw Sunday, with Melvin Gordon getting most of the carries and Austin Ekeler staying involved in the passing game, is the general direction that backfield is headed. I’m moving Gordon up a bit as I expect him to round into form and keeping Ekeler around that RB2/RB3 threshold.

Others of note

Update: Jaylen Samuels was reduced before the true severity of his knee injury was known. Expect a greater reduction in the next release.

I’m starting to develop concerns about Christian McCaffrey — very similar to those I carry about Deshaun Watson — that his body can’t hold up to this kind of usage. Cramps forced him to the sideline on Sunday and allowed Reggie Bonnafon to flash. I’d previously ranked Jordan Scarlett but have replaced him with Bonnafon, who feels like a priority handcuff … David Johnson (back) put up the kind of dual-threat performance I wanted to see in Week 5. Yes, it was against the Bengals, but I like where the Cardinals offense is headed as it relates to Johnson … Atlanta’s running game is a complete mess, so I’m dropping Devonta Freeman into the 20s, and I could see dropping more in the coming weeks … Tevin Coleman returned on Monday and had a larger role than Raheem Mostert so I’m essentially swapping the two. Matt Breida remains my top back in San Francisco.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Rk	Mv	Player	Team	Bye
1		DeAndre Hopkins	HOU	10
2		Julio Jones	ATL	9
3		Davante Adams	GB	11
4		Michael Thomas	NO	9
5		Mike Evans	TB	7
6		Keenan Allen	LAC	12
7	5	O. Beckham Jr.	CLE	7
8		Cooper Kupp	LAR	9
9		Amari Cooper	DAL	8
10	11	Chris Godwin	TB	7
11		J. Smith-Schuster	PIT	7
12		Adam Thielen	MIN	12
13		Kenny Golladay	DET	5
14	20	Tyler Boyd	CIN	9
15		Julian Edelman	NE	10
16	13	Brandin Cooks	LAR	9
17		T.Y. Hilton	IND	6
18		Tyler Lockett	SEA	11
19		Tyreek Hill	KC	12
20	18	Robert Woods	LAR	9
21		DJ Moore	CAR	7
22		S. Shepard	NYG	11
23		Josh Gordon	NE	10
24		Stefon Diggs	MIN	12
25		L. Fitzgerald	ARI	12
26		Calvin Ridley	ATL	9
27	39	DJ Chark Jr.	JAC	10
28		Mike Williams	LAC	12
29		A. Robinson II	CHI	6
30	34	John Brown	BUF	6
31		Tyrell Williams	OAK	6
32	27	Marquise Brown	BAL	8
33	36	Terry McLaurin	WAS	10
34		Alshon Jeffery	PHI	10
35	40	Will Fuller V	HOU	10
36		Jarvis Landry	CLE	7
37	43	C. Sutton	DEN	10
38	32	Sammy Watkins	KC	12
39		Christian Kirk	ARI	12
40		E. Sanders	DEN	10
41	50	Michael Gallup	DAL	8
42	33	Robby Anderson	NYJ	4
43	49	DK Metcalf	SEA	11
44		Curtis Samuel	CAR	7
45		A.J. Green	CIN	9
46	46	Dede Westbrook	JAC	10
47	55	Mecole Hardman	KC	12
48		Corey Davis	TEN	11
49		DeSean Jackson	PHI	10
50		M. Jones Jr.	DET	5
51	57	Golden Tate	NYG	11
52		A.J. Brown	TEN	11
53	63	Mohamed Sanu	ATL	9
54	47	M. Valdes-Scantling	GB	11
55		Deebo Samuel	SF	4
56	59	Diontae Johnson	PIT	7
57		Kenny Stills	HOU	10
58		DeVante Parker	MIA	5
59		Demarcus Robinson	KC	12
60	80	Willie Snead IV	BAL	8
61		Trey Quinn	WAS	10
62		Tre’Quan Smith	NO	9
63		Cole Beasley	BUF	6
64	52	Jamison Crowder	NYJ	4
65	62	P. Dorsett II	NE	10
66		KeeSean Johnson	ARI	12
67		Dante Pettis	SF	4
68		G. Allison	GB	11
69		Antonio Callaway	CLE	7
70		Hunter Renfrow	OAK	6
71		Taylor Gabriel	CHI	6
72	78	Anthony Miller	CHI	6
73	79	Adam Humphries	TEN	11
74		Randall Cobb	DAL	8
75	81	Keke Coutee	HOU	10
76		P. Richardson Jr.	WAS	10
77		Nelson Agholor	PHI	10
78	94	D. Thomas	NYJ	10
79		Chris Conley	JAC	10
80		J. Washington	PIT	7
81		Danny Amendola	DET	5
82	42	John Ross	CIN	9
83		Zay Jones	OAK	6
84		Donte Moncrief	PIT	7
85		Albert Wilson	MIA	5
86		Ted Ginn Jr.	NO	9
87		M. Goodwin	SF	4
88		Miles Boykin	BAL	8
89		B. Perriman	TB	7
90		D. Hamilton	DEN	10
91		Rashard Higgins	CLE	7
92		P. Williams	MIA	5
93		Andy Isabella	ARI	12
94		Devin Funchess	IND	6
95		Antonio Brown	FA	—

WIDE RECEIVER MOVEMENT

Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals
A receiving corps already missing A.J. Green (foot), who has been ruled out of practicing for the coming week, will now function without John Ross (shoulder). That leaves Boyd alongside names like Auden Tate and Alex Erickson, who suffered a concussion in Week 5. Somebody has to catch passes in Cincinnati, and Boyd has real talent. I expect him to get his numbers going forward.

Kansas City Chiefs
I’ve mentioned this before, but it bears repeating: Patrick Mahomes is the star of the Chiefs’ passing game, and everyone outside of Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill (clavicle) is interchangeable from one week to the next. That’s why I don’t trust players like Demarcus Robinson and Byron Pringle, especially with Hill seemingly close to a return. The changes I did make were moving Sammy Watkins (hamstring) down after his injury and sliding Mecole Hardman up, as the rookie seems to be the most consistent beyond that core trio of Mahomes, Hill and Kelce.

Others of note

D.J. Chark (doo doo doo doo doo doo) has topped 100 yards, scored or done both in four of his team’s five games this season. I’m moving him into WR2 orbit, but I still prefer him as a WR3 … Will Fuller has had monster games before. I need to see more consistency before jumping him up dramatically, though, and even then his durability will remain a concern… I’m moving Courtland Sutton ahead of Emmanuel Sanders based on the steadiness of his weekly opportunities. I could also see the latter wearing another uniform in the near future, which could mean a bigger role for Sutton … Golden Tate is back from his suspension, and there isn’t a ton of talent outside for the G-Men … I think Mohamed Sanu has reached the point where he should be owned in most leagues. The Falcons can’t run and are likely to be playing from behind a lot … Michael Gallup returned and didn’t miss a beat. I really like his potential as the No. 2 target behind Amari Cooper.

TIGHT ENDS

Rk	Mv	Player	Team
1		Travis Kelce	KC
2		Zach Ertz	PHI
3		Evan Engram	NYG
4		George Kittle	SF
5		Austin Hooper	ATL
6		Darren Waller	OAK
7		Mark Andrews	BAL
8	10	Will Dissly	SEA
9		Delanie Walker	TEN
10		Greg Olsen	CAR
11	13	Jared Cook	NO
12		Vance McDonald	PIT
13		O.J. Howard	TB
14		T.J. Hockenson	DET
15		Hunter Henry	LAC
16		Eric Ebron	IND
17		Jimmy Graham	GB
18	31	Gerald Everett	LAR
19	20	Jack Doyle	IND
20	31	Chris Herndon	NYJ
21		Jason Witten	DAL
22		Tyler Eifert	CIN
23		Kyle Rudolph	MIN
24	29	Jordan Akins	HOU
25	28	Noah Fant	DEN
26		Vernon Davis	WAS
27	19	Trey Burton	CHI
28	26	Dallas Goedert	PHI
29		Cameron Brate	TB
30	36	Hayden Hurst	BAL
31		Mike Gesicki	MIA
32		Nick Vannett	PIT
33		Jordan Reed	WAS
34		David Njoku	CLE
35		Demetrius Harris	CLE
36		Matt LaCosse	NE
37		Jonnu Smith	TEN
38		Tyler Higbee	LAR
39		C.J. Uzomah	CIN

TIGHT END MOVEMENT

Others of note Maybe it’s simply been injuries or game situation, but Gerald Everett has been targeted 19 times over the past two weeks, catching a dozen of those for 180 yards and a TD. With so much talent on the outside, it’s a safe bet he’ll see single coverage. I’m moving him to TE2, but if your current TE1 has worn out his welcome you could roll the dice … Will Dissly just keeps making plays. In a down year for the position statistically I’ve moved him into my top 10 … There were finally some signs of life from Jared Cook down in New Orleans. I haven’t given up on him just yet. … Jets TE Chris Herndon returns in Week 6 but will have competition for short-area touches from Le’Veon Bell and Jamison Crowder.

DEFENSE

Rk	Mv	Team	Team	Bye
1		Bears	CHI	6
2		Patriots	NE	10
3	5	Vikings	MIN	12
4		Rams	LAR	9
5		Ravens	BAL	8
6	8	Bills	BUF	9
7		Packers	GB	11
8		Texans	HOU	10
9	6	Chargers	LAC	12
10		Jaguars	JAC	10
11	14	Seahawks	SEA	11
12		Eagles	PHI	10
13	15	Saints	NO	9
14		Cowboys	DAL	8
15	19	Titans	TEN	11
16	20	49ers	SF	4
17	23	Colts	IND	6
18		Chiefs	KC	12
19		Lions	DET	9
20	19	Browns	CLE	7
21		Steelers	PIT	6
22		Panthers	CAR	6
23		Broncos	DEN	10
24		Buccaneers	TB	7
25		Cardinals	ARI	5
26		Raiders	OAK	11
27		Bengals	CIN	12
28		Giants	NYG	7
29	25	Falcons	ATL	5
30	26	Jets	NYJ	4
31		Redskins	WAS	10
32		Dolphins	MIA	7