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Who Should I Start for Week 5? Fantasy Football outlooks for Josh Downs, Alvin Kamara, Mike Evans, DK Metcalf, Michael Wilson, Brian Robinson, Jaylen Warren, Woody Marks, Tre' Harris.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 5 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Josh Downs, Alvin Kamara, Mike Evans, DK Metcalf, Michael Wilson, Brian Robinson, Jaylen Warren, Woody Marks, and Tre' Harris. 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:
Brian Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons running back Brian Robinson rushed 14 times for 62 yards and three touchdowns and caught one pass for five yards in his team's blowout win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 4. It was surprising to see Robinson have so much standalone value when backing up elite starting RB Bijan Robinson, who's one of the best RBs in the league. Robinson (Bijan) only had two touchdowns.
But the Falcons offense is rolling, and they did a good job slowing down New Orleans' offense. Atlanta built such a lead so quickly that they didn't have to keep their starting RB on the field as much as possible, which allowed Robinson (Brian) to have a big game. It's likely that in closer games, Robinson (Bijan) will still handle the majority of the touches while Robinson (Brian) only handles a handful of touches.
But with how well Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is playing, more blowout wins could be in the future, and the potential for Robinson (Brian) to have league-winning upside is huge if Robinson (Bijan) gets hurt. So the former Washington Commander should be added in all leagues, at least as a handcuff, ahead of Week 5.
Woody Marks, Houston Texans
Houston Texans running back Woody Marks is rostered in 54 percent of Yahoo fantasy leagues ahead of Week 5, so he's not exactly a widely-available waiver pickup target at this point. But he is emerging as a solid buy-low candidate, as he's now outscored Texans RB1 David Montgomery in fantasy football in three consecutive games.
While neither of them have had impressive box scores, Marks has seen more targets and is averaging slightly more yards per carry on the season. The Texans' offensive line is one of the worst in the NFL, and hasn't given either Montgomery or Marks much room to run. This could lead Houston to start calling fewer runs further away from the goal line, which could benefit Marks, as he was a solid pass-catching back last season.
In addition, Marks has two rushing touchdowns in his last two games, and is getting carries at the goal line over Monty, who's been stuffed often. Neither of these players seem to have a ton of upside for fantasy football right now, but a shift in the backfield work designations could see Marks come out on time and start taking a majority of the touches as well as receptions out of the backfield.
Tre' Harris, Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Tre' Harris has been the team's leading receiver this season and could see an even bigger role in Week 5. Through four games, Harris has caught 13 of 21 targets for 209 yards, including more than 60 yards in back-to-back games. In last week's 30-23 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Harris played 66 of 71 snaps (93%) and ran 39 of 43 routes (91%), both leading the team.
With Ladd McConkey (foot) uncertain to play in Week 5, Harris could become Justin Herbert's clear number one receiver. With the Denver Broncos next up and star cornerback Pat Surtain (ankle) unlikely to play, Harris could be in line for a solid outing in Week 5. Fantasy managers should add Harris as both a short-term and long-term option this season.
Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (back) returned to a limited practice on Thursday after he was a non-participant on Wednesday due to a back injury, according to the team's official website. Kamara tweaked his back in the Week 4 Monday night loss to the division-rival Atlanta Falcons.
The veteran RB had only seven carries for 23 yards, but he saved his fantasy day with his first two rushing touchdowns and also added five receptions on seven targets for 35 yards as a receiver. Remember, Travis Etienne Jr. (hamstring) is on Injured Reserve and will miss at least three more games, so Kamara will operate as New Orleans' primary backfield option if his back injury does not keep him from suiting up this weekend at home against the Minnesota Vikings.
Kamara's fantasy managers need to have Kendre Miller rostered as a handcuff right now, as Miller would jump into lead-back duties if Kamara's back injury keeps him limited or out in Week 5. The 31-year-old Kamara does not have the upside he once did, but with more volume with Etienne out, he will continue to have RB2 upside. He is averaging just 3.0 yards per carry on 25 rushing attempts for 74 yards in three games, adding 11 catches for 47 yards.
Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren has served in a workhorse role for the Steelers in the last two weeks with backfield mate Rico Dowdle (toe) out injured. Warren has yet to find the end zone for Pittsburgh in 2026 through four games, but he has 34 rushing attempts for 220 yards (6.5 yards per attempt) and six catches for 82 yards through the air in the last two games.
In the first two weeks with Dowdle involved, Warren handled 21 rushing attempts for 89 yards (4.2 yards per carry) while catching seven passes for 61 yards. The 27-year-old has been the Steelers' clear lead back of late, but head coach Mike McCarthy plans to go back to a committee approach with Warren and Dowdle when Dowdle is cleared to return, possibly as soon as this weekend against the Indianapolis Colts.
Still, even upon Dowdle's return, Warren will have RB2 upside for his strong start to the 2026 campaign with Dowdle injured.
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 - Josh Downs, Alvin Kamara, Mike Evans, DK Metcalf, Michael Wilson, Brian Robinson, Jaylen Warren, Woody Marks, Tre' Harris. 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 Josh Downs, Alvin Kamara, Mike Evans, DK Metcalf, Michael Wilson, Brian Robinson, Jaylen Warren, Woody Marks, Tre' Harris.
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