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Who Should I Start for Week 5? Fantasy Football outlooks for Marshawn Lloyd, Keaton Mitchell, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, KC Concepcion Jr., Rico Dowdle, Keenan Allen, Austin Ekeler, Darius Cooper.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 5 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like MarShawn Lloyd, Keaton Mitchell, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, KC Concepcion Jr., Rico Dowdle, Keenan Allen, Austin Ekeler, 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.
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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:
Keaton Mitchell, Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers running back Keaton Mitchell has seen his usage increase week over week, and in Sunday's close loss to the Seahawks, he led all Chargers backs with a 36.6% snap share. Mitchell, Omarion Hampton, and Kimani Vidal all saw at least 25 snaps on Sunday, signaling a potential shift to a true committee approach.
Through four weeks, both Mitchell and Vidal have been more efficient than the more highly touted Hampton while seeing more involvement in the passing game, though none can currently be relied on as a weekly fantasy start. However, with Mitchell having the most obvious big-play ability and earning more trust from the coaching staff each week, he's a Week 5 waiver target with long-term upside. He is a viable FLEX play in deeper leagues this weekend.
Rico Dowdle, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rico Dowdle (toe) is making progress after missing the past two games. Head coach Mike McCarthy told Nick Farabaugh on Monday that Dowdle is working his way back, though there still isn't a firm return date. Jaylen Warren has made the most of Dowdle's absence, piling up 302 scrimmage yards over the last two games while getting 17 carries in each.
That workload could change once Dowdle is ready. McCarthy said he still expects the two backs to operate as a "one-two punch," pointing toward a shared backfield rather than Warren continuing to handle the same amount of work. Dowdle had 15 carries for 37 yards and four catches for 28 yards before the toe injury. His practice participation this week should give a better idea of when that committee might be back together.
Austin Ekeler, Washington Commanders
Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler just joined the Commanders last week, but he stepped right into a significant role in Week 4. He played 27% of snaps against the Colts in London, which was the second-most of the running backs available.
The 31-year-old veteran had four carries for 29 yards and tacked on an 11-yard catch on his two targets. He was a passing-down back last year in Washington before sustaining a torn Achilles, and he's rejoined the team in a similar role.
Ekeler may have gotten extra playing time with Rachaad White (shoulder) out, and when White returns, it will be an interesting three-back rotation with Jacory Croskey-Merritt likely getting most of the early-down work and White and Ekeler rotating in. Ekeler is worth a look in deep leagues since he will have a role, but he'll be a high-risk play on a week-to-week basis if all three running backs are healthy.
Darius Cooper, Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Darius Cooper made the most of his expanded opportunity in Week 4, catching three of seven targets for 33 yards and two touchdowns against the Rams.
He was on the field for 90% of Philadelphia's offensive snaps, a major jump with DeVonta Smith sidelined by a hamstring injury. Cooper now has three touchdowns over his last three games, although the five catches for 59 yards on the season show why fantasy managers should keep expectations reasonable. The immediate appeal depends heavily on Smith's availability.
If Smith misses another game, Cooper should again have a path to significant snaps when Philadelphia faces Jacksonville in Week 5. RotoBaller currently ranks him 42nd among all waiver options and recommends adding him in 12-team leagues. Cooper is worth a short-term claim, but his role could shrink quickly once the Eagles get healthier.
MarShawn Lloyd, Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers running back MarShawn Lloyd got off to a relatively slow start this season, but he seems to have turned the corner after the first four weeks. Lloyd is coming off his highest-volume game this year, as he played 55% of the snaps and logged 12 touches (including five catches) in Week 4 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His rushing numbers were quite poor, averaging just 1.9 yards per carry. However, he was much more valuable as a receiver, turning his five targets into five receptions for 36 receiving yards.
The Packers have been looking for someone to separate themselves from the rest of the backfield ever since Josh Jacobs was placed on the commissioner's exempt list, and it seems like they have finally found their new lead running back, even if he looked better as a receiver than a ball-carrier.
Lloyd is still a very solid waiver wire target, especially since he has RB3/flex appeal from now until Jacobs' return. He has managed to rank as the overall RB36 in PPR scoring this fall and can be a low-end fantasy starter for Week 5 against Chicago.
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 - Marshawn Lloyd, Keaton Mitchell, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, KC Concepcion Jr., Rico Dowdle, Keenan Allen, Austin Ekeler, 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 Marshawn Lloyd, Keaton Mitchell, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, KC Concepcion Jr., Rico Dowdle, Keenan Allen, Austin Ekeler, Darius Cooper.
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