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Should I start Deebo Samuel, Tetairoa McMillan, Chris Olave for Week 5? Fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks and recommendations for the 2025 NFL season.
In some leagues, you'll see New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave, Carolina Panthers WR Tetairoa McMillan (calf), and Washington Commanders wideout Deebo Samuel Sr. (heel) locked into starting lineups without question.
But in leagues with 10 or fewer teams, you might have other options available on your rosters that might seem like better players to put in your lineups. This is especially true for two of them, who are dealing with injuries.
Sometimes you have stacked teams in 10-team leagues, and picking the right players in their boom weeks is very important. That's a challenging task, but taking a closer look at the data can help you find answers. So let's dive in ourselves to determine who we should start this week!
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Should I Start Chris Olave for Fantasy Football?
Through four games, Olave has been targeted at one of the highest rates in the NFL. There are a few reasons for this. The first is that he's his team's WR1, so it makes sense. But the Saints have been passing the ball very heavily, too, and they run a boatload of plays every game.
Starting quarterback Spencer Rattler is fourth in the NFL this season in pass attempts, having thrown the ball 146 times. That's over 40 times per game. The high passing volume has obviously led to Olave receiving extremely high target numbers. We didn't quite see that in Week 4, though.
Over the course of three weeks, he was averaging extremely high target numbers. Last week, he saw just six, catching three targets for 20 yards. A touchdown saved his fantasy day, and he ended up with 10.0 PPR fantasy points after throwing an interception.
Olave's yards per target are abysmal, at just 4.3 on the season. That ranks 93rd of 101 receivers with 50 or more routes run this year. But it's a softer matchup against the New York Giants, so he's at least worth starting as a flex in 12-team leagues. In 10-team PPR leagues, he's a fine start. In standard, I'd look elsewhere.
Should I Start Tetairoa McMillan for Fantasy Football?
McMillan is dealing with a calf injury, but he practiced in full, so he should play in Week 5. With that in mind, he has played well enough to this point that he probably shouldn't be benched in any leagues. He's the WR33 in PPR leagues, though, and though he's made a lot of highlight-reel-worthy plays, he's only caught 18 passes so far.
He ranks 22nd of 101 wide receivers in separation score, who have 100 or more routes run. He needs to get the ball a bit more. Unfortunately, the Panthers' offense has struggled often this season. Quarterback Bryce Young has failed to eclipse 155 passing yards in three of his four contests.
Tetairoa McMillan NFL Ranks when aligned in the slot, per NFL Pro
4th in EPA/Target
9th in Yards per Route RunI wanna see the volume increase a lot more if teams are going to get weird with their coverage vs him outside. #Panthers pic.twitter.com/v1988A8ILn
— Unnecessary Bluntness Owner/Coach/QB (@DuncOnDemand) October 2, 2025
McMillan has a very nice matchup this week against the Miami Dolphins, who have one of the league's worst defenses and have been a sieve in the passing game. If there's any game in which he eclipses 25.0 PPR fantasy points for the first time, it should be this one.
Should I Start Deebo Samuel Sr. for Fantasy Football?
Samuel is currently dealing with a heel injury and missed his team's practice on Wednesday and Thursday. His status for Week 5 is thus currently up in the air, and you should stay updated on his injury. For now, we'll presume that he does play. If he doesn't, you can obviously disregard the recommendations below.
Samuel shouldn't be put on the bench. He has unique value in both non-PPR and PPR leagues because of how he's used as both a receiver and a runner. The potential to pick up a decent amount of extra yards on the ground, handle a lot of easily catchable passes on short targets, and his yards after catch skills are essential.
Additionally, it looks like starting Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (knee) will play in Week 5. He was cleared for full practice this week after suffering a knee sprain that held him out for two weeks. The matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers defense is tough, but it could lead to a high-passing-volume game script.
MARIOTA. DEEBO. TD.
WASvsATL on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/VcvP6C7px5
— NFL (@NFL) September 28, 2025
Samuel clearly is not washed, and even in games that Washington WR1 Terry McLaurin plays, he still has enough upside to lock him into all your starting lineups.
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 5 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Chris Olave, Tetairoa McMillan, and Deebo Samuel Sr. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 5. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 5 of the 2025 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.
Week 5 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Chris Olave, Tetairoa McMillan, Deebo Samuel Sr. 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's name. In the second box, search for the second player's 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, 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, enhanced search results with data to compare, and 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 circles), 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 (2025)? 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 Week 5 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Chris Olave, Tetairoa McMillan, Deebo Samuel Sr. compared to others:
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