Who Should I Start for Week 5? Fantasy Football outlooks for Will Shipley, Romeo Doubs, Braelon Allen, Dontayvion Wicks, David Montgomery, Malik Washington, Rhamondre Stevenson.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 5 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Will Shipley, Romeo Doubs, Braelon Allen, Dontayvion Wicks, David Montgomery, Malik Washington, and Rhamondre Stevenson. 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:
Will Shipley, Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles running back Will Shipley has seen most of his usage on special teams since entering the NFL in 2024, recording just 76 total touches across 35 career games with the Eagles. However, the 24-year-old could get his chance to lead the Philadelphia backfield in the team's upcoming Week 5 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (hamstring) is considered unlikely to play against Jacksonville with a hamstring injury, and RB2 Tank Bigsby (core) is set to undergo core muscle surgery and will be placed on Injured Reserve. As a result, Shipley could be called upon to play a three-down role against the Jaguars. In leagues where he remains available on the waiver wire, Shipley profiles as a must-add running back for fantasy managers.
Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots
It appears that New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (knee) will at least be limited in Thursday's practice, according to Evan Lazar of the team's official website. Stevenson came out of the Week 4 win over the division-rival Buffalo Bills with a banged-up right knee, and he was also limited in the first practice of the week on Wednesday.
It does not appear that the 28-year-old's knee injury is very serious, but we will continue to keep a close eye on his status going into this weekend's game on Sunday at home against the Las Vegas Raiders.
If Stevenson were to be limited at all or out entirely, TreVeyon Henderson would have a much higher fantasy ceiling as the team's workhorse back. Stevenson has not been ruled out this week, but he might need to put in a full practice on Friday to avoid a questionable tag for Sunday's game.
The sixth-year RB has 163 rushing yards and a touchdown on 44 carries (3.7 yards per attempt) through four games, adding 12 receptions for 90 yards through the air while sharing backfield touches with Henderson.
Malik Washington, Miami Dolphins
Although Miami Dolphins wide receiver Malik Washington is still searching for his first touchdown through four games in his first season in South Beach, it is clear that he has become quarterback Malik Willis' go-to downfield target through the air. It has helped that rookie wideout Caleb Douglas has missed the last couple of games due to an ankle injury.
In the Week 4 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Washington led the Dolphins' receivers in snap count (34), catches (five), targets (five), and receiving yards (67), which were also a season high for him.
Through the first four games in 2026, the 25-year-old former sixth-rounder in 2024 from Virginia has 17 catches for 219 yards on 28 targets from Willis. Washington will be a decent WR3/flex option in Week 5 as the Dolphins seek their first victory of the year against the Cincinnati Bengals, especially if Douglas misses a third straight game due to his ankle injury.
He is not a sexy fantasy option because of the offense he is in, but he deserves a look off the waiver wire and is rostered in only 31% of Yahoo leagues. He holds viable deep-league FLEX value in Week 5.
Romeo Doubs, New England Patriots
New England Patriots wide receiver Romeo Doubs is starting to get into a rhythm with quarterback Drake Maye after a rough start to the season, and he's worth a look if you need wide receiver help from the waiver wire. Doubs started the year with a tough drop and a zero-catch game in Seattle but has been looking more comfortable in the Pats' offense the last few weeks.
Against the Bills in Week 4, he led the team with six catches on a team-high nine targets, and he hauled in a pair of touchdowns to help his team pull off the road upset in the division. Doubs got some extra attention after Mack Hollins (calf) left the game with an injury, and he had a big fantasy performance as a result, even if Efton Chism III stole the headlines with his spectacular, game-winning touchdown grab.
With Hollins uncertain for this week's contest against the Raiders and A.J. Brown (ankle) not eligible to return until Week 6, Doubs is a strong plug-and-play option from the waiver wire if available. Even though the Raiders have been solid against wide receivers this season, Doubs should be in position to get enough volume to still be a starting option in most formats.
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 - Will Shipley, Romeo Doubs, Braelon Allen, Dontayvion Wicks, David Montgomery, Malik Washington, Rhamondre Stevenson. 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 Will Shipley, Romeo Doubs, Braelon Allen, Dontayvion Wicks, David Montgomery, Malik Washington, Rhamondre Stevenson.
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