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Who Should I Start for Week 5? Fantasy Football outlooks for Mike Gesicki, Dalton Kincaid, T.J. Hockenson, Colston Loveland, Juwan Johnson, Isaiah Likely, Mark Andrews, Tucker Kraft, Brenton Strange.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 5 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Mike Gesicki, Dalton Kincaid, T.J. Hockenson, Colston Loveland, Juwan Johnson, Isaiah Likely, Mark Andrews, Tucker Kraft, Brenton Strange. 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 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.
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Week 5 Fantasy Football 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:
T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson had a monster game in Week 4, hauling in all 13 targets for 119 yards in the 15-10 win over the Miami Dolphins. With star receiver Justin Jefferson (ankle) out, Hockenson led the team in targets and played 83% of snaps.
Despite a slow start, hauling in just nine passes for 76 yards and a touchdown in the first three games, Hockenson operated as the lead receiver and showed strong chemistry with quarterback Kyler Murray. With Minnesota on bye in Week 6, the Vikings could be cautious with Jefferson if he isn't fully recovered from his ankle sprain. Even if Jefferson is active, Hockenson should be a viable option against a struggling New Orleans Saints defense in Week 5.
Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Brenton Strange put himself squarely on the waiver radar with his best game of the season Sunday. He caught seven of eight targets for 95 yards in the win over Cincinnati after entering Week 4 with seven catches for 72 yards through three games. The eight targets were a season high, and Trevor Lawrence leaned on him several times in important spots. Strange now has 14 catches for 167 yards and one touchdown on 18 targets.
The breakout is worth chasing in 12-team leagues, where RotoBaller currently has him second among tight end waiver options. The caution is that Jacksonville has several mouths to feed, and Strange is still better viewed as a matchup-based TE2 than an automatic weekly starter. Philadelphia is also a tougher Week 5 draw. Managers who need tight end help should add Strange, but there is no need to treat one big afternoon as a permanent jump into the TE1 tier.
Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals lost All-Pro wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (concussion) early in their Week 4 loss to the Jaguars, and as he has done numerous times throughout his career, tight end Mike Gesicki stepped up to fill the void, finishing the day with 40 yards and a touchdown to make him the TE6 on the week.
Chase's availability for Week 5 is unclear, and with Pro Bowler Tee Higgins (adductor) also leaving the game with an adductor injury that now has him considered day-to-day, Gesicki becomes a high-priority waiver add along with teammate Dohnte Meyers. The Bengals face a Dolphins team in Week 5 that has given up the fourth-most points above expectation to the tight end position, and if one or both of the team's top receivers should miss time, Gesicki slots in as a must-start.
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 - Mike Gesicki, Dalton Kincaid, T.J. Hockenson, Colston Loveland, Juwan Johnson, Isaiah Likely, Mark Andrews, Tucker Kraft, Brenton Strange. 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 (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 searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 5 for Mike Gesicki, Dalton Kincaid, T.J. Hockenson, Colston Loveland, Juwan Johnson, Isaiah Likely, Mark Andrews, Tucker Kraft, Brenton Strange.
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