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Who Should I Start for Week 5? Fantasy Football outlooks for Keenan Allen, Calvin Ridley, Devonta Smith, Cooper Kupp, Brian Thomas Jr., Marvin Mims Jr., Tre Tucker, Jaylen Waddle, Khalil Shakir, Jakobi Meyers.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 5 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Keenan Allen, Calvin Ridley, DeVonta Smith, Cooper Kupp, Brian Thomas Jr., Marvin Mims Jr., Tre Tucker, Jaylen Waddle, Khalil Shakir, Jakobi Meyers. However, don't worry, we are here to help you make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 5. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 5 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Fantasy Football Matchup Outlooks
Below are some fantasy football outlooks written by our NFL team here at RotoBaller, bringing you their fantasy football analysis and advice on which players to consider starting in Week 5:
Calvin Ridley, WR, Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley (knee/elbow) did not practice on Wednesday. Ridley has struggled to start the 2025 season, catching just 10 of 24 targets for 141 yards with no touchdowns, ranking as the WR73 in PPR formats.
Head coach Brian Callahan revealed Ridley was battling through an in-game injury during last week's 26-0 loss to the Houston Texans, raising further concern about his availability. If Ridley is sidelined in Week 5, rookie Elic Ayomanor is expected to see a significant uptick in usage against the Arizona Cardinals.
Regardless of his injury status, Ridley's early-season struggles and difficult circumstances in the Titans offense make him a clear sit in fantasy lineups this week.
Marvin Mims Jr., WR, Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. (ankle, hip) is practicing on Thursday for the second straight day this week, according to Zac Stevens of DNVR Sports. Mims was limited on Wednesday, but it's unclear what his practice participation was on Thursday.
Either way, the fact that he's practiced two days this week means that he should be active for a showdown on the road in Week 5 against the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles. After three quiet weeks to begin the 2025 season, Mims caught all six of his targets for 69 yards in the Monday night win over the Cincinnati Bengals and added a rushing touchdown for his second score of the year.
Quarterback Bo Nix has been spreading the wealth on offense so far in his second season, making it hard to rely on any wideout in Denver every week in fantasy other than WR1 Courtland Sutton. Mims will be a boom/bust WR4/flex against Philly on Sunday if he's active. UPDATE: Mims was limited again on Thursday.
Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle is set to take on a true WR1 role with Tyreek Hill (knee) out for the season. Head coach Mike McDaniel emphasized that the team has always viewed Waddle as a top receiver, but Hill's absence ensures a heavier workload moving forward.
Through four games, Waddle has recorded 17 receptions for 185 yards and two touchdowns, and his speed and route running make him the most dangerous option left in Miami's passing game. The Dolphins have struggled offensively this season, ranking just 26th overall and 22nd in passing, but Waddle's expanded role gives him a chance to spark the unit.
Fantasy managers should view him as a must-start in Week 5 against Carolina and a strong candidate for weekly WR1 production going forward.
Khalil Shakir, WR, Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir has reestablished himself as the team's WR1. After a slow start, Shakir has hauled in all nine of his targets for 114 yards and two touchdowns over the past two weeks, ranking as the WR14 during that span.
Despite rookie Keon Coleman's explosive Week 1 performance, Shakir has now surpassed him in nearly every statistical category. Shakir draws a favorable Week 5 matchup against the Patriots, who have allowed the 11th-most fantasy points to wideouts this season.
While his usage in Joe Brady's offense remains limited, Shakir profiles as a low-end WR3 for the rest of the 2025 season.
Who Should I Start Tool
You can also see the Who Should I Start tool here.
Week 5 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Woody Marks, Michael Carter, Emari Demercado, Chase Brown, David Montgomery, Cam Skattebo, Chuba Hubbard, Jordan Mason, TreVeyon Henderson. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 5.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 5 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 5 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 5 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 5 for Keenan Allen, Calvin Ridley, Devonta Smith, Cooper Kupp, Brian Thomas Jr., Marvin Mims Jr., Tre Tucker, Jaylen Waddle, Khalil Shakir, Jakobi Meyers:
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