Fantasy football rankings 2015: Wide receivers for standard leagues, Week 5

Through four weeks of the 2015 NFL season, there are 28 wide receivers on pace for 1,000 yards (27 guys with 250-plus yards, plus Kendall Wright, who has had his bye). Accounting for attrition from some injuries, and some other guys rising up, that’s about right. There were 21 wide receivers with 1,000-plus yards last year, 23 in 2013 and 19 in 2012 (including Lance Moore, somehow).

So four weeks in, I thought I’d look at the players who are on pace (or close) and see what names come as a surprise. Some players we never would have expected to put up the numbers they have so far. Will they keep it up?

Travis Benjamin, Browns (328 yards so far, pace of 1,312): Benjamin had exactly one game of more than 52 yards in his career entering this season, and that was a one-catch, 69-yard game late in 2012. So far this year, though, he’s had 79 or more yards in three of his four games, and has seen 10 targets a game in the two games since quarterback Josh McCown returned from injury. If Benjamin can keep amassing quantity, that’ll be more promising than the random long catches he was having the first couple weeks.

Allen Hurns, Jaguars (314, 1,256): Hurns had almost 700 yards as a 2014 rookie, following up big games with small games so often that you had no idea what to expect. It’s changed this year, with at least 60 yards in all four games, maxing out with Week 4’s 11 of 15 for 116 yards. That came when teammate Allen Robinson was covered by Vontae Davis (seriously, you always want to start “No. 2 receiver against Indianapolis”), but 1,000 yards is just 62.5 a game, and that’s right where Hurns is. Expect at least 900, and 1,000 is totally in-play.

James Jones, Packers (317, 1,268): Jones has 21 targets so far, the second-most yards by anyone with that many targets or fewer is Seattle’ Jermaine Kearse, who is almost 100 yards behind Jones. In short, I just can’t see this production (the yardage or the touchdowns) keeping up without a corresponding spike in his targets. Either Jones will get the ball thrown to him more, or he’ll start to have less success. One of those has to happen.

Rishard Matthews, Dolphins (278, 1,112): Everyone knew about Jarvis Landry and Jordan Cameron entering this season, but some combination of Kenny Stills, Greg Jennings and DeVante Parker were supposed to be bigger parts of the Miami passing game than Rishard Matthews. Instead, Matthews has put up 44 fantasy points in four games. You have to wonder if the regime change in Miami will hurt him, though, along with the integration of Parker into that offense. Here’s betting Matthews cools.

(DK: Daniel Kelley; AM: Andrew Miller; JD: John Daigle; SK: Scott Kaliska; Dan Ciarrocchi has the week off. Carolina, Miami, Minnesota and the New York Jets are on bye)

SB Nation presents: NFL Week 5 sit/start fantasy football advice