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Who Should I Start for Week 5? Fantasy Football outlooks for Denzel Boston, Carnell Tate, Keaton Mitchell, Dohnte Meyers, Quinshon Judkins, DJ Moore, Terry McLaurin, Rico Dowdle, Darius Cooper.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 5 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Denzel Boston, Carnell Tate, Keaton Mitchell, Dohnte Meyers, Quinshon Judkins, DJ Moore, Terry McLaurin, Rico Dowdle, and Darius Cooper. 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:
Carnell Tate, Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans Wide Receiver Carnell Tate finally delivered the type of performance his underlying usage and separation metrics had been hinting at all season. Tate caught nine of 12 targets for 145 yards against Baltimore, accounting for nearly two-thirds of Cam Ward's passing yardage.
It was the most receiving yards by a Titans rookie since A.J. Brown in 2019. Tate now leads Tennessee with 22 receptions and 268 receiving yards through four games, including 21 targets and 203 yards over the last two weeks alone. His Week 4 target share was a massive 42.9%, and the rookie continues to win on his routes even when Ward doesn't always deliver the ball accurately or on time. Tate gets another appealing matchup Sunday, at least on paper.
Houston ranks 28th against the pass and just allowed CeeDee Lamb to catch 17 passes for 189 yards and a game-winning touchdown last week. Tate dealt with some back tightness late this week and is still listed as questionable, but head coach Robert Saleh said he's "good to go."
He is still not a completely safe fantasy start given Tennessee's offense and the talent Houston possesses in the secondary, but Tate is firmly in the WR3/FLEX conversation and is easily the best option among Tennessee pass-catchers.
Rico Dowdle, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rico Dowdle (toe) is questionable for Sunday's matchup with Indianapolis, according to Nick Farabaugh of PennLive. Dowdle has missed the past two games after dislocating a toe against New England in Week 2, but he's making progress. He returned to limited practice Wednesday and Thursday after being sidelined for more than two weeks.
Jaylen Warren has been excellent in his absence, rushing for 220 yards on 34 carries while adding six catches for 82 yards over the past two games. Head coach Mike McCarthy has indicated he still plans to use both backs when Dowdle returns, although Warren has certainly earned his touches. Dowdle managed just 37 rushing yards on 15 carries before getting hurt.
Even if he's cleared for Sunday, his workload could be limited in his first game back, making him a risky fantasy option against the Colts.
Darius Cooper, Philadelphia Eagles
Due to injuries in the wide receiver corps for the Philadelphia Eagles, Darius Cooper is expected to have an increased role against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5 in London. The Eagles will be without No. 1 wide receiver DeVonta Smith (hamstring) and fellow wideout Hollywood Brown (ankle) against the Jaguars.
Meanwhile, starting running back Saquon Barkley (hamstring) and backup running back Tank Bigsby (abdomen, IR) are both out, while wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks (hamstring) is expected to play but is dealing with a hamstring issue he suffered during the practice week. Cooper will likely work with Wicks and rookie Makai Lemon as Philadelphia's top receiver trio in Week 5.
With Smith, Brown and tight end Dallas Goedert all out in a Week 4 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Cooper played 55 offensive snaps. He saw seven targets, and while he only recorded three receptions, Cooper made the most of them with two touchdowns and 33 yards. His seven targets, 33 receiving yards and two touchdowns all led the team, while his three receptions were tied for the most on a day when quarterback Jalen Hurts only threw for 93 yards.
While Goedert is expected to return in Week 5, there should still be plenty of opportunities for Cooper. According to Pro Football Focus, Cooper ranks fourth in the NFL in fantasy points per touch (5.28). He has recorded just five receptions for 59 yards so far in 2026, but three of his five catches have been touchdowns. Cooper ranks as RotoBaller's No. 63 wide receiver for Week 5, and he is projected to score 5.6 fantasy points against the Jaguars.
He is a touchdown-dependent boom-or-bust flex play at best this week, but it is probably best to leave Cooper out of lineups for Week 5.
Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders
Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin (hamstring) is questionable to play in Week 5 against the division-rival New York Giants, according to the team's official website. McLaurin missed last week's loss to the Indianapolis Colts in London on Sunday, and he missed the first two practices of the week on Wednesday and Thursday.
The good news for the 31-year-old veteran is that he returned to a limited practice on Friday and appears to be trending in the right direction. Head coach Dan Quinn told The Washington Post's Tashan Reed that McLaurin "looked good" on Friday.
However, McLaurin could still be a game-time decision for the Commanders this weekend. The team ruled fellow receiver Stefon Diggs (hamstring) out, so if McLaurin misses a second straight game, Antonio Williams could be quarterback Jayden Daniels' top option through the air in a divisional battle in D.C.
McLaurin will have added upside in fantasy if he makes his return against the G-Men with Diggs sidelined and Daniels returning under center. In his first three games in 2026, McLaurin has caught 10 of his 22 targets for 141 yards and one touchdown.
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 - Denzel Boston, Carnell Tate, Keaton Mitchell, Dohnte Meyers, Quinshon Judkins, DJ Moore, Terry McLaurin, Rico Dowdle, Darius Cooper. 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 Denzel Boston, Carnell Tate, Keaton Mitchell, Dohnte Meyers, Quinshon Judkins, DJ Moore, Terry McLaurin, Rico Dowdle, Darius Cooper.
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