Adam Koffler's Fantasy Football Starts and Sits: Week 5 Sleepers, Busts

October 10, 2026

Adam Koffler's fantasy football starts and sits for Week 5 of the 2026 season. His top sleepers and busts on the start-sit bubble, including Emanuel Wilson and Devaughn Vele.

It's hard to believe we're almost a quarter of the way through the 2026 NFL season. But here we are, entering Week 5, a make-or-break week for a lot of fantasy managers.

Last week, our start calls weren't the best. Mack Hollins looked like he was going to crush, but suffered a mid-game injury, so we'll remove him from the metrics. Jakobi Meyers and J.K. Dobbins underperformed, but Alvin Kamara made up for it by catching five balls and scoring two touchdowns. Our sit calls didn't pan out either, as Tony Pollard, Omarion Hampton, and Ollie Gordon II all found paydirt in Week 4. Overall, just a 28.6% success rate.

Remember, the goal of this article is to provide actionable advice on players being talked about. Guys that come up in the most questions asked by you. Here are my top trending starts and sits for Week 5, with some bonus names provided.

Week 5 Fantasy Football Starts

Braelon Allen - RB, New York Jets vs. CLE

Things didn't break for Allen in Week 4, but the usage was second-to-none. He was on the field for 94% of the snaps and received 100% of the RB opportunities. Isaiah Davis played just 6% of the offensive snaps and didn't record a touch.

The Jets had the ball for just 17 minutes and 15 seconds and picked up just seven first downs the entire game vs. the Bears in Chicago. Despite that, Allen still produced 8.7 fantasy points.

Breece Hall, Adonai Mitchell and Mason Taylor are slated to miss another game, while Garrett Wilson will likely be shadowed by Denzel Ward. That should lead to a ton of work for Allen. Start him with confidence at home vs. a Browns defense allowing 4.6 yards per carry to opposing running backs.

Emanuel Wilson - RB, Seattle Seahawks vs. SF

Another week with no Zach Charbonnet, and of course Jadarian Price is now on IR. That gives us another week of Wilson as the clear-cut starter in Week 5. In Week 4, he saw 75.7% of the RB opportunities. That led to a career-high 27 fantasy points.

There's no reason to think it'll be any different in Week 5 at home vs. a 49ers defense that hasn't been challenged much this season. Expect another heavy dose of Wilson, who appears to have a stranglehold on a really good role for a really good team.

Wilson is a no-brainer start in Week 5.

Jaylen Waddle - WR, Denver Broncos @ LAC

I get it! How could you possibly start Waddle with all of the Broncos' woes on offense? Well, there are two things going his way heading into Week 5. First, Pat Bryant is out. Second, Sean Payton is taking over playcalling. Through four weeks, Davis Webb just hasn't gotten the job done, so now it'll be Payton, who prioritized trading for Waddle this offseason, making the decisions for the offense.

The Broncos' opponent, the Chargers, are allowing the eighth-most yards per completion (11.3) this season. Not to mention Waddle has faced four of the toughest pass defenses this season in the Chiefs, Jaguars, Rams, and 49ers.

Despite his early season struggles, Waddle has led the way for the Broncos in terms of usage, with a nearly 30% first-read target share and 0.24 targets per route run rate. No other Bronco has earned a target on more than 18% of their routes (Courtland Sutton). Start 'em!

Romeo Doubs - WR, New England Patriots vs. LV

It finally feels like Doubs and Drake Maye are on the same page. That'll become even more profound in Week 5 with Mack Hollins ruled out for the Patriots.

Last week, Doubs led the Patriots with a 26.3% first read target share and 15.4 expected fantasy points, nearly double that of any other pass-catcher (per Fantasy Points Data). He had five first downs and a 31.7% air yards share. And now, he's the clear-cut WR1 with Hollins out.

After a catch-less debut in New England, Doubs has averaged 67.7 yards per game in his last three. Now he gets a chance to show why the Patriots paid top-dollar for him in Free Agency. Start 'em.

Bonus starts: Roman Wilson vs. IND, Khalil Shakir @ LAR, Dontayvion Wicks @ JAX, MarShawn Lloyd vs. CHI, Tre Tucker @ NE

Week 5 Fantasy Football Sits

TreVeyon Henderson - RB, New England Patriots vs. LV

By advanced metrics, Henderson has been one of the worst performing backs this season. He ranks 56th among 60 running backs in rushing success rate (36.8%) and 44th in expected fantasy points per game (7.3).

Henderson is averaging just 4.1 fantasy points on 11.5 touches per game in two games Rhamondre Stevenson wasn't pulled for fumbling (Weeks 3 and 4). In those games, he's gotten exactly zero carries inside the five and three total targets.

The Raiders have been susceptible to the run this season, but as long as Stevenson is ready to go, as he states he is, Henderson probably won't see more than a third of the snaps in Week 5. And he has yet to show he can do much of anything with the snaps he's getting.

Sit 'em in what figures to be a tough matchup vs. the 3-1 Raiders.

Will Shipley - RB, Philadelphia Eagles @ JAX

Shipley, like Ollie Gordon II last week, was everyone's favorite pickup this week with Tank Bigsby going on IR and Saquon Barkley battling a hamstring injury. And just like Gordon in Week 4, I'm recommending sitting Shipley in Week 5.

Not only does he play a top-rated Jacksonville run defense allowing the second fewest rushing yards per attempt this season (3.3), but the Eagles are completely decimated heading into Week 5, and that includes the offensive line. No Lane Johnson (retirement) and no Cam Jurgens (traded to Baltimore).

Shipley has had double-digit carries just once in 35 career NFL games and the Eagles signed Dameon Pierce to the active roster this week. Pierce is not only a former starter in the league, but head coach Nick Sirianni referred to him as a "starting-caliber running back" this week.

With an implied point total of just 17 points in London, Shipley and this entire offense could struggle to get much going on the offensive side of the ball. And if that wasn't enough, the Eagles didn't leave for London until Friday. Remember what happened to the Rams in Week 1 when they decided to delay travel overseas to Australia?

Devaughn Vele - WR, New Orleans Saints vs. MIN

Vele always finds a way to look good in the box score, but the underlying efficiency leaves a lot to be desired. He caught a touchdown late in Week 4 but has been underwhelming the past two games with Chris Olave and Juwan Johnson going to work.

Vele actually leads the league in routes run (173) through four weeks. However, he's got just a 16.7% target share, a 0.17 targets per route run, and a 22% first read target share. That's similar to guys like Denzel Boston and Xavier Worthy, but you wouldn't know it based on his WR17 ranking to start the season.

The Saints' Week 5 opponent, the Vikings, are 4-0 and have allowed the fewest points in the NFL this season. The Saints' first four games have averaged 58.3 points per game, yet their Week 5 game vs. Minnesota has an over/under of just 41.5.

DK Metcalf - WR, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. IND

Metcalf is averaging 8.3 targets per game this season, but he hasn't done a whole lot with them. He's just the WR36, averaging a putrid 0.27 fantasy points per route run.

Per Fantasy Points Data, his 1.33 yards per route run ranks 69th among wide receivers who have run at least 50 routes. That's similar to Josh Palmer, Keenan Allen, Jahan Dotson, and Vele.

It won't get any easier for Metcalf in Week 5. He'll face off against Charvarius Ward and Sauce Gardner, two very solid outside corners. DK does most of his work on the outside, playing 80% of his snaps from out wide. The Colts allow just 1.51 yards per route run out wide compared to 2.27 (second most) from the slot.

This game in Pittsburgh also calls for rainy conditions, which could mean more "dinking and dunking" for Aaron Rodgers. That benefits Wilson, Pat Freiermuth, and Jaylen Warren. Sit Metcalf in Week 5.

Bonus sits: Alvin Kamara vs. MIN, Jacory Croskey-Merritt vs. NYG, Jakobi Meyers vs. PHI, KC Concepcion Jr. @ NYJ

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