Week 5 fantasy football projections: Vikings-Packers features Matt Asiata, Aaron Rodgers, Jordy Nelson

The Week 5 matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers features an impressive up-and-coming rush attack battling a well-oiled passing game. We've got the fantasy projections for you courtesy of numberFire.

When a rookie running back who's known for his explosiveness runs for 135 yards on 18 carries, the fantasy world has every right to get excited and put their waiver claim in. Those are the numbers that have made Jerick McKinnon a hot commodity this week after he and teammate Matt Asiata combined for three touchdowns and over 200 yards rushing against the Atlanta Falcons last week. Even though McKinnon looks to have a bright future, the Vikings' coaching staff will still use Asiata as the feature back for now due to his superior pass-blocking ability, which makes him more of a safe bet to put up numbers this week against the Packers given that he'll get more touches than McKinnon.

When the Vikings aren't running the ball, they'll be relying on another explosive star to make things happen in the passing game. Wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson was relatively quiet against the Falcons last week, catching two passes for 38 yards on just four targets. He's been pretty quiet since rushing for over 100 yards on just three carries in Week 1 and with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (ankle) far from a sure thing to start this week, Patterson could be in for a dud with third-stringer Christian Ponder under center. Even if he does put up some fantasy points, it's clear the Vikings will be heavily reliant on the running game in Week 5.

While the Vikings are reliant on their running game, the Packers' offense is definitely propelled by quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the passing game. Rodgers scorched the Chicago Bears in Week 4, throwing for 302 passing yards and four touchdowns. Although he has just a pair of touchdown passes in the team's two losses this season, he's thrown seven in the team's two victories. On Thursday, Rodgers will be up against a pass defense that has given up the fifth-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks. However, that didn't stop the Falcons' Matt Ryan from putting up a solid fantasy stat line last week and it shouldn't stop Rodgers in Week 5.

If Rodgers does succeed in overcoming the Vikings' pass defense, it'll in large part be thanks to wide receiver Jordy Nelson. Nelson torched the Chicago Bears for 10 catches, 108 yards and two touchdowns last week, making his opponents pay for leaving him in man-to-man coverage. Although the Vikings should cover Nelson a lot tighter, he is one of the premier receivers in football this year and should still find a way to see lots of targets and catches against the Vikings. He's always a must-start receiver these days, and a home game against a mediocre division rival doesn't change that.