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Who Should I Start for Week 5? Fantasy Football outlooks for Jacoby Brissett, Kirk Cousins, C.J. Stroud, Drake Maye, Kyler Murray, Bo Nix, Tyler Shough, Justin Herbert, Sam Darnold, Jayden Daniels.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 5 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Jacoby Brissett, Kirk Cousins, C.J. Stroud, Drake Maye, Kyler Murray, Bo Nix, Tyler Shough, Justin Herbert, Sam Darnold, and Jayden Daniels. 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:
Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett is coming off an ugly Week 4, but the schedule gives fantasy managers a reason to go right back to him. Brissett completed 21 of 35 passes for 166 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions against the Giants, his first three-pick game of the season. He has still attempted at least 35 passes in three of four starts, and that volume matters heading into a home matchup with Detroit.
The Lions have been the most generous defense to fantasy quarterbacks through four weeks, allowing 27.9 points per game at the position. RotoBaller lists Brissett as its top quarterback waiver option for Week 5 and recommends a 2-4% FAAB bid in one-quarterback leagues, with a much larger investment in Superflex. The turnovers make him difficult to trust long term, but this is exactly the kind of matchup where Brissett makes sense as a short-term streamer.
Drake Maye, New England Patriots
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye came into Week 4 with zero touchdowns and three interceptions over his last two games. The 24-year-old rebounded hugely during Sunday's victory over the Buffalo Bills. He completed 22-of-37 passing attempts for 269 yards with three touchdowns and one interception during the three-point dub.
The Pats were on the verge of losing this game until Maye charged down the field and connected with Efton Chism for a 23-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter. This was a much-needed bounce-back performance for Maye. Fantasy managers can be hopeful that Maye can carry this momentum into next week's matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks
Since returning from the hip injury that knocked him out of his team's season opener, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold has completed 65.7% of his pass attempts for 547 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions.
Darnold was not forced to throw much in Seattle's Week 4 win over the Los Angeles Chargers after the Seahawks opened up a big lead early in the game. However, the 29-year-old proved he can put up huge numbers when the game script calls for it, throwing for 379 yards and four touchdowns in Seattle's Week 3 loss to the Washington Commanders.
In Week 5, the Seahawks could be forced into another high-scoring affair with the San Francisco 49ers. Particularly in deeper league formats, Darnold carries waiver-wire appeal as a quarterback streamer heading into Week 5.
Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
The goal is for Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (elbow) to have a full week of practice and start on Sunday in the Week 5 contest versus the division-rival New York Giants at home, head coach Dan Quinn told Zach Selby of the team's official website. Daniels dislocated his left (non-throwing) elbow for the second time in the Week 2 loss to the division-rival Dallas Cowboys and has missed the last two games as a result.
The 25-year-old former second overall pick from LSU returned to limited practice last week, though, and as long as he can upgrade to full practice this week, he should be in line to play this weekend. It is good timing for the Commanders, too, with veteran backup Marcus Mariota (knee) spraining his MCL in Sunday's blowout loss to the Indianapolis Colts in London in Week 4.
Mariota is expected to miss some time going forward after spraining the same knee in the preseason, which means that Athan Kaliakmanis would serve as Daniels' backup under center if he returns to face the Giants.
Kirk Cousins, Las Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins has played his way into the waiver conversation after another productive afternoon. Cousins threw for a season-high 365 yards and two touchdowns against Kansas City, completing 31 of 52 passes and adding one interception. He has now thrown multiple touchdowns in all four games and owns 1,026 passing yards with 11 scores against four picks.
The Week 5 matchup at New England is not ideal, so Cousins is not the top one-week streamer on the board. His value goes beyond this Sunday, though. Las Vegas has been willing to put the ball in his hands, and there is little reason to worry about his starting job after three straight 22-point fantasy performances. Cousins should be rostered in Superflex leagues and is worth adding in standard formats for managers who want a quarterback with staying power beyond one matchup.
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 - Jacoby Brissett, Kirk Cousins, C.J. Stroud, Drake Maye, Kyler Murray, Bo Nix, Tyler Shough, Justin Herbert, Sam Darnold, Jayden Daniels. 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 Jacoby Brissett, Kirk Cousins, C.J. Stroud, Drake Maye, Kyler Murray, Bo Nix, Tyler Shough, Justin Herbert, Sam Darnold, Jayden Daniels.
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