We're back for Week 5 of the 2012 NFL season. Thursday Night Football got things going and the Rams and Cardinals struggled to get much going. Steven Jackson rushed 18 times for 76 yards, with Daryl Richardson grabbing an additional 35 yards on nine carries. Ryan Williams continued to struggle in place of Beanie Wells, rushing 14 times for 33 yards.
Fantasy football rankings 2012: RB projections for Week 5
We provide Week 5 NFL fantasy football projections for running backs courtesy of numberFire.com.
Dilip Vishwanat - Getty Images
We have been providing you with rankings all week long, but as Sunday dawns, it would be helpful to have some projections as well. Our Week 5 running back rankings are based on our pool of knowledge and often a bit of gut instinct. To improve your chances this year, we are going to provide Sunday projections courtesy of the folks at numberFire. numberFire uses a series of mathematical models to break down the action and figure out who exactly is performing well.They use the power of predictive and regressive modeling to more accurately project future performance.
The most significant difference would be Marshawn Lynch. While numberFire loves him at No. 2, SB Nation Fantasy is a little bit less bullish, ranking him No. 4 in standard leagues and No. 7 in PPR leagues. It is not a huge difference, but there is a distinction as you move below the top five.
numberFire claims a higher predictive rate than the major companies (ESPN, CBS, Yahoo!). However, as with anything in fantasy football, we at SB Nation Fantasy view numberFire as just one more weapon in your arsenal to claim victory. The numbers can help over the long term, but there are enough variables week-to-week that multiple sources can provide great value.
Click the drop-down menu to change between positions.
For more fantasy football news, rankings and analysis, check out SB Nation Fantasy! Our live chat Fantasy War Room is available Monday through Friday 4:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ET and Sunday 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Check out SB Nation’s Football Game, Pick 6!
