Who Should You Draft With the 5th Pick in Fantasy Football?

Being in the middle of your fantasy draft has both positives and negatives. The downside to having the fifth pick is that Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson likely won’t be available when you’re on the clock in the first round. However, being in the middle helps you avoid being left out of a position run as the draft moves along. Let’s break down the options and discuss who to take with the fifth pick in fantasy football for various formats. ADP data comes from 4for4’s Multi-Site ADP.

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The Candidates

Puka Nacua, Rams (ADP 4)

Puka Nacua was the focal point of the Rams’ passing attack again last year. He had a 28.5% target share on his way to producing 129 receptions for 1,715 yards and 10 touchdowns. He has appeared in at least 16 games in two of his three seasons in the NFL. In both of them, he finished with at least 160 targets, 105 receptions, and 1,486 receiving yards.

The stars are aligning for Nacua to produce another stellar stat line. Coming off an MVP season, Matthew Stafford still looks to be at the top of his game. Opposing defenses must also worry about Davante Adams in coverage, while Kyren Williams and Blake Corum are a dangerous duo on the ground. The Rams should score a lot of points with Nacua right in the thick of the action. Nacua’s ADP is four, but if he falls to the fifth selection, he makes for an excellent pick.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seahawks (ADP 5)

Nacua has an excellent running mate in Adams. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is an army of one at wide receiver for the Seahawks. That resulted in him receiving 162 targets and posting a 35.7% target share for Seattle last year. They weren’t on shallow routes, either, given his average depth of target of 11.1 yards. That’s significantly more than Nacua, who had an average depth of target of 9.0 yards.

The Seahawks brought back Rashid Shaheed and Cooper Kupp as the primary wide receivers behind Smith-Njigba, so there shouldn’t be any shortage of targets for him again this season. The Seahawks might even throw the ball more with Kenneth Walker now a member of the Chiefs. It’s splitting hairs between Nacua and Smith-Njibga, so both are excellent options for the fifth pick.

Christian McCaffrey, 49ers (ADP 6)

Christian McCaffrey appeared in all 17 games last season after playing just four games the year prior. For the first time in his career, he finished a season with at least 300 rushing attempts and 100 receptions. Among non-quarterbacks, he finished second in fantasy points per game in standard scoring leagues (18.5), per 4for4’s Fantasy Points Browser. In half-PPR (21.5) and PPR leagues (24.5), he finished first.

As good as McCaffrey was last year, he isn’t the safest of fantasy options. Health has been an issue with him playing fewer than eight games in four of the last seven seasons. Including last year, he has three seasons in his career with at least 270 rushing attempts. The first two times he reached that threshold, he appeared in three and four games the next two seasons, respectively. He is also 30 years old now, which could make last season’s heavy workload even more troublesome. He is more of a boom-or-bust option.

Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions (ADP 7)

Like Nacua and Smith-Njigba, Amon-Ra St. Brown comes with a high floor in fantasy. In each of the last three seasons, he had at least 115 receptions, 1,263 receiving yards, and 10 touchdowns. In each of the last four seasons, he had a target share of at least 26.4%. Last year, that number jumped to 31.0%, thanks to a career-high 172 targets. Another thing fantasy managers like to see is that St. Brown has played at least 16 games in all five seasons of his career.

The Lions allowed 24.3 points per game last season, which required their offense to throw a lot to try and keep pace. They finished eighth in pass attempts, scoring 28.3 points per game along the way. With Jameson Williams and Sam LaPorta alongside him, opposing defenses have plenty to worry about in the passing game outside of St. Brown. That’s not even mentioning Gibbs, who is arguably the most dynamic running back in the league. St. Brown is a stellar WR1 in fantasy for what should be one of the best offenses in the league again.

Jonathan Taylor, Colts (ADP 8)

For just the second time in his career, Jonathan Taylor played 17 games last season. He couldn’t have performed much better, rushing 323 times for 1,585 yards and 18 touchdowns. He also had career highs in targets (55), receptions (46), and receiving yards (378). Teams had a difficult time bringing him down in both facets of the offense. He averaged 3.4 yards after contact, as well as 9.5 yards after the catch. In standard scoring leagues, he led all running backs by averaging 18.6 fantasy points per game. He finished second in half-PPR (20.0) and fourth in full PPR (21.3).

Daniel Jones will be back under center for the Colts after tearing his Achilles in Week 14 last year. He won’t have Michael Pittman Jr., though, who is now on the Steelers. Alec Pierce and Josh Downs are the top wide receivers for the Colts, and Pierce isn’t even healthy as he continues to recover from ankle surgery. Tyler Warren is one of the best tight ends in the league, but make no mistake about it. This offense is only going to go as far as Taylor can carry them.

Who Should You Pick?

Let’s assume that Puka Nacua is off the board by the time the fifth pick rolls around, since his ADP is four. Christian McCaffrey can certainly carry a fantasy team, but I’m eliminating him from consideration because I worry about his health after the massive workload that he had last year. In standard scoring formats, an argument can be made for Jonathan Taylor. However, regardless of format, I want to take Jaxon Smith-Njigba with the fifth pick. He has the rare combination of a hefty target share and a deep average depth of target. Not only is his floor extremely high, but he could easily finish the season as the WR1 in fantasy.