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Who Should I Start for Week 5? Fantasy Football outlooks for Kenyon Sadiq, Dalton Schultz, Hunter Henry, Harold Fannin Jr., Tyler Higbee, Sam LaPorta, Tyler Warren, Michael Mayer, Pat Freiermuth.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 5 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Kenyon Sadiq, Dalton Schultz, Hunter Henry, Harold Fannin Jr., Tyler Higbee, Sam LaPorta, Tyler Warren, Michael Mayer, and Pat Freiermuth. 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 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:
Kenyon Sadiq, New York Jets
New York Jets rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq has been a focal point of the team's passing attack, despite a quiet Week 4 performance in the 23-12 loss to the Chicago Bears. In four games to start his NFL career, Sadiq has hauled in 12 of 18 targets for 143 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 8.2 half-PPR fantasy points per game.
With Mason Taylor (thumb) inactive, Sadiq played 22 of 32 snaps (69%), ran 12 of 18 routes (67%), and led the team in targets (4). With the Jets dominated by the Bears in Week 4, it was nearly impossible for any player to produce with only 32 offensive snaps.
With no timetable for Taylor's return, Sadiq will remain a focal point in New York's offense and should be rostered in all formats despite the tough outing. He carries top-12 upside heading into Week 5.
Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams
Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee has become a useful waiver option for managers who need help at the position. He caught five of six targets for 67 yards in Sunday's win over Philadelphia, giving him 13 catches for 129 yards and a touchdown on 17 targets over the last two games. Just as importantly, the volume held up with Puka Nacua back in the lineup.
Terrance Ferguson is now on injured reserve with a medial ankle sprain, leaving Higbee with a clearer path to targets for at least the next few weeks. RotoBaller has him third among its Week 5 tight end waiver options and recommends adding him in 12-team PPR leagues. Higbee is not a set-and-forget TE1, but six more targets against Buffalo would make him a usable streamer.
At a position where reliable volume is hard to find, he is worth a claim for managers who need short-term help in deeper 12+ team leagues.
Michael Mayer, Las Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer caught eight passes for 82 yards on 10 targets in a close Week 4 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. That's more involvement than we've ever seen the third-year tight end have in a game where he shared the field with TE Brock Bowers. The concussion injury to Raiders WR Jalen Nailor (head) likely played a part in this, but Mayer's performance was impressive nonetheless.
Las Vegas' head coach, Klint Kubiak, indicated that he'd like to get both his tight ends involved in the passing game. Mayer has excellent value for a tight end that's just seven percent rostered in Yahoo leagues, as he caught three passes for 32 yards and a touchdown last week. We could be in the midst of his breakout, in which case it would be exceedingly difficult to pick him up in a few weeks.
Finding weekly productive players at the TE position is rare, especially when they were largely undrafted in fantasy leagues, so Mayer should be added in all leagues with 12 or more teams ahead of Week 5.
Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth has scored twice in four games, but the weekly volume still makes him tough to push as anything more than a deeper-league option. He has 14 catches for 125 yards on 19 targets, with either four or five targets in every game. Darnell Washington has been right there with him, though, drawing 13 targets and turning them into 119 yards and a touchdown.
That split has kept Freiermuth from separating himself even when he finds the end zone, as he did on a three-catch, 17-yard night against Cleveland. Pittsburgh gets Indianapolis in Week 5, and Freiermuth is at least usable for managers digging through the bottom of the tight end pool.
RotoBaller ranks him TE20 for the week and lists him as an add in 14-team leagues. That is the right range. He is a deep-league streamer, not someone fantasy managers in standard 10- or 12-team formats need to prioritize.
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 - Kenyon Sadiq, Dalton Schultz, Hunter Henry, Harold Fannin Jr., Tyler Higbee, Sam LaPorta, Tyler Warren, Michael Mayer, Pat Freiermuth. 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 Kenyon Sadiq, Dalton Schultz, Hunter Henry, Harold Fannin Jr., Tyler Higbee, Sam LaPorta, Tyler Warren, Michael Mayer, Pat Freiermuth.
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