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Fantasy football starts/sits for TNF, expert advice for all Buccaneers, Cowboys. Week 5 matchups on Thursday Night Football. Our start em, sit em picks for Emeka Egbuka, Bucky Irving, George Pickens and more.
Week 5 of the NFL season kicks off Thursday night as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will travel to Dallas to face the Cowboys. With many high-end fantasy assets in this game, managers will need to make some tough lineup calls at the start of the week.
In addition to our start/sit recommendation and matchup ratings for each player, you can also read the fantasy football outlooks for key players like Emeka Egbuka, Bucky Irving, George Pickens, Chris Godwin Jr., Jake Ferguson, and more. Which Buccaneers and Cowboys players should you start or sit in Week 5?
Make sure to set your winning lineups for Week 5, whether you're setting season-long or DFS lineups. We will have our fantasy football start/sit matchup charts available all season long -- focusing on who to start, who is on the fence, and who should find the bench -- so be sure to check back. Good luck in Week 5, RotoBallers!
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers Start/Sit Matchups
See the full stats in our Fantasy Football Matchup Ratings Projections
| Player | Start/Sit | Matchup Rating ▾ |
Pos. | Team | Game Matchup |
| Bucky Irving | Start | 108.5 | RB | TB | @ DAL |
| Chase McLaughlin | Start | 108.5 | K | TB | @ DAL |
| Emeka Egbuka | Risky Start | 103.4 | WR | TB | @ DAL |
| Chris Godwin Jr. | Risky Start | 102.1 | WR | TB | @ DAL |
| Kenny Gainwell | Sit | 101.6 | RB | TB | @ DAL |
| Jalon Daniels | Sit | 101.3 | QB | TB | @ DAL |
| Cade Otton | Sit | 101.1 | TE | TB | @ DAL |
| Tez Johnson | Sit | 100.8 | WR | TB | @ DAL |
| Ted Hurst III | Sit | 100.3 | WR | TB | @ DAL |
| Sean Tucker | Sit | 96.4 | RB | TB | @ DAL |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Sit | 96 | DEF | TB | @ DAL |
| Kameron Johnson | Sit | 95.6 | WR | TB | @ DAL |
| Baker Mayfield | Sit | 95 | QB | TB | @ DAL |
| Payne Durham | Sit | 94.4 | TE | TB | @ DAL |
| Bauer Sharp | Sit | 93.7 | TE | TB | @ DAL |
| Ko Kieft | Sit | 93.7 | TE | TB | @ DAL |
Jalon Daniels, QB, Buccaneers
In his first NFL start, Tampa Bay Buccaneers undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels completed 19 of 27 passes for 148 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions, in the 17-14 loss to the Green Bay Packers. He also added 55 rushing yards on eight carries, finishing with 11.4 fantasy points in his first career start.
With starter Baker Mayfield (thumb) not practicing ahead of the Week 5 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night, it appears Daniels will be the starter again for the Bucs. He goes from facing a top-12 pass defense in Green Bay to the 31st-ranked defense in Dallas. The Cowboys have also allowed the most rushing yards to quarterbacks this season, including big rushing days by Jaxson Dart (54 yards), Jayden Daniels (69 yards), and Lamar Jackson (50 yards).
Daniels should be considered a high-end QB3 in Week 5, with high upside given his running ability.
Bucky Irving, RB, Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving rushed for 61 yards on 16 carries during Sunday's Week 4 loss against the Green Bay Packers. However, he was not targeted in the passing game. The Bucs put up a real fight under undrafted quarterback Jalon Daniels, which allowed Irving to contribute as a ball-carrier. However, he wasn't able to live up to his full potential.
Daniels also rushed for 55 yards, taking away key volume from Irving in the rushing attack. Additionally, he had a touchdown vultured by Kenny Gainwell, who scored more PPR points on Sunday than each of his three games combined. We do expect Irving to get back to the lead-back role next week, but his upside is capped as long as Baker Mayfield (thumb) is sidelined.
Irving remains a mid-range RB2 heading into Week 5 against another soft defense, the Dallas Cowboys.
Dallas Cowboys Start/Sit Matchups
See the full stats in our Fantasy Football Matchup Ratings Projections
| Player | Start/Sit | Matchup Rating ▾ |
Pos. | Team | Game Matchup |
| CeeDee Lamb | Start | 121.9 | WR | DAL | vs TB |
| Dak Prescott | Start | 114.4 | QB | DAL | vs TB |
| Javonte Williams | Start | 110.7 | RB | DAL | vs TB |
| George Pickens | Start | 110.6 | WR | DAL | vs TB |
| Brandon Aubrey | Start | 107.9 | K | DAL | vs TB |
| Jake Ferguson | Risky Start | 103.2 | TE | DAL | vs TB |
| Dallas Cowboys | Risky Start | 103 | DEF | DAL | vs TB |
| Ryan Flournoy | Sit | 101.1 | WR | DAL | vs TB |
| Brevyn Spann-Ford | Sit | 95.5 | TE | DAL | vs TB |
| Tyler Goodson | Sit | 95.3 | RB | DAL | vs TB |
| Jonathan Mingo | Sit | 94.7 | WR | DAL | vs TB |
| KaVontae Turpin | Sit | 94.4 | WR | DAL | vs TB |
| Luke Schoonmaker | Sit | 94.2 | TE | DAL | vs TB |
| Emari Demercado | Sit | 91.3 | RB | DAL | vs TB |
| Camden Brown | Sit | 90.9 | WR | DAL | vs TB |
| Sam Howell | Sit | 90.9 | QB | DAL | vs TB |
| Hunter Luepke | Sit | 90.5 | RB | DAL | vs TB |
Javonte Williams, RB, Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams had a big day in his team's 34-30 Week 4 win over the Houston Texans. While Williams rushed for an inefficient 62 yards on 19 carries, he logged three rushing touchdowns. The 26-year-old also chipped in as a receiver, hauling in all five of his targets for 21 yards.
Through four weeks this season, Williams has now recorded 231 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 62 carries, along with 15 catches for 77 yards and a score on 17 targets. Williams hasn't been quite as productive on a per-touch basis as he was in 2025, as he's averaged just 3.7 yards per carry. However, he remains the clear workhorse back in Dallas, and the Cowboys clearly trust him in goal-to-go situations.
As long as he remains healthy, Williams profiles as a must-start running back for fantasy managers.
CeeDee Lamb, WR, Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb erupted in a 34-30 Week 4 win over the Houston Texans, recording 17 receptions (on 21 targets) for 189 yards (11.1 yards per reception) and a touchdown. Lamb's 12-yard, go-ahead touchdown with 40 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter proved to be the game-winner for the Cowboys. The targets, receptions and yardage were all season-highs in 2026 for Lamb.
No other Dallas receiver saw more than five targets, as Lamb reminded everybody why he is still considered a high-end WR1 in fantasy football. He will look to continue the momentum in a Week 5 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 5 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Emeka Egbuka, Bucky Irving, George Pickens, Chris Godwin Jr., Jake Ferguson. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 5.
Week 5 Player Decisions. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 5 of the 2026 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.
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's name. In the second box, search for the second player's 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, 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, enhanced search results with data to compare, and 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 circles), 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 (2026)? 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 Week 5 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool:
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