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Who Should I Start for Week 5 TNF? Fantasy Football outlooks for Bucky Irving, Emeka Egbuka, Jake Ferguson, Chris Godwin Jr., Dak Prescott, Kenny Gainwell, Cade Otton, Javonte Williams, CeeDee Lamb.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 5 TNF fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Bucky Irving, Emeka Egbuka, Jake Ferguson, Chris Godwin Jr., Dak Prescott, Kenny Gainwell, Cade Otton, Javonte Williams, and CeeDee Lamb. 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.
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Week 5 TNF 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:
Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving has failed to give fantasy managers much value over the last two weeks. Irving has been less effective on the ground lately, but that'll hopefully change in Week 5. The 24-year-old draws a juicy matchup against the Dallas Cowboys defense on Thursday.
A defensive unit that has allowed four rushing touchdowns and nearly 100 rushing yards per game through its first four contests.
The absence of Baker Mayfield (thumb) could mean that the Bucs try to pound the ball on the ground with Jalon Daniels under center. Irving has seen 15 or more carries in three of the first four games this season. He'll offer RB2 upside for the Thursday Night matchup in Dallas.
Kenny Gainwell, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Kenny Gainwell was able to find the end zone for the first time during last week's loss to the Green Bay Packers. Gainwell hasn't seen as much attention in the offense as fantasy managers expected coming into the season. Last week, Gainwell carried the ball three times for five yards, while hauling in two receptions for 22 yards and one touchdown in the loss.
It has been a down year for Gainwell, but he heads into a plus-matchup against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5. A defense that has struggled to contain both the passing and running game. Gainwell hasn't given fantasy managers many reasons to have faith in him, but he could be a flex option in deep leagues for this favorable matchup in Dallas.
Javonte Williams, Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams averages just 3.7 yards per carry this season, but he's on one of the NFL's better offenses and has handled a dominant share of his team's backfield touches. This has given him excellent spike week potential, and he now averages 24.6 PPR fantasy points across his best three contests of the season.
He'll have plenty of opportunities against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football in Week 5, and should capitalize as such. He handles the goal-line work for the Cowboys, who have found themselves in the red zone often this season.
As a result, he has five rushing touchdowns already. He's also caught 15 passes for 77 yards and another score, and ranks as the RB7 in fantasy football leagues as a result. His efficiency has taken a substantial hit from last season, likely due to the absence of elite run-blocking right guard Tyler Smith (thumb). The All-Pro guard returned to practice this week, though, and upgraded to full participation on Wednesday, though he's officially listed as questionable for Thursday's game.
His return would give Williams even more upside, but whether or not Smith plays, Williams should be firmly entrenched as an RB1 in all fantasy football leagues with week-winning upside against a struggling 0-4 team.
Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka has certainly been a disappointment to fantasy managers through the first four games of the season. Heading into Week 5, Egbuka has hauled in 15 of his 24 targets for 154 receiving yards and one touchdown.
It has been a rough year for the 23-year-old, but the talent is certainly there. This is not a good situation for Egbuka right now with an underperforming offense and an undrafted rookie under center for the foreseeable future. The hope is that Egbuka and Jalon Daniels build more chemistry over the next few weeks.
He'll draw a favorable matchup against the struggling Dallas Cowboys defense in Week 5. There's hope that Egbuka can bounce-back because he does have big-play ability, but fantasy managers cannot trust him as more than a flex option right now.
Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson has taken a backseat to star Cowboys wideout CeeDee Lamb for most of this season, as he typically does. Ferguson's two-touchdown, 20.3 PPR fantasy point game in Week 2 was the exception rather than the rule for him, as he's failed to eclipse double-digit PPR fantasy points in each other game. Cowboys RB Javonte Williams has done a great job punching the ball in at the goal line this season, and when he's been effective, Dallas hasn't had much need to pass the ball on goal-to-go plays.
Ferguson does have three touchdown receptions this season, but his target share simply isn't enough to support consistent fantasy results. After four games, he ranks as just the TE20 in PPR fantasy football leagues, meaning he's better suited as an auxiliary piece for best ball leagues rather than an every-week starter in redraft.
Football is too random a sport to predict the games in which he'll get touchdowns, and he's mired in a snare of too much target competition from Lamb and WR George Pickens. Ferguson is a solid start at TE in very deep leagues, but there are better options out there, even on waivers in many weeks. He's a mid-range TE2 for now.
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 - Bucky Irving, Emeka Egbuka, Jake Ferguson, Chris Godwin Jr., Dak Prescott, Kenny Gainwell, Cade Otton, Javonte Williams, CeeDee Lamb. 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 Bucky Irving, Emeka Egbuka, Jake Ferguson, Chris Godwin Jr., Dak Prescott, Kenny Gainwell, Cade Otton, Javonte Williams, CeeDee Lamb.
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