RADIO
Who Should I Start for Week 5? Fantasy Football outlooks for Jalen Hurts, Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, Trevor Lawrence, Jared Goff, Deshaun Watson, Brock Purdy, Jameis Winston, Joe Burrow.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 5 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Jalen Hurts, Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, Trevor Lawrence, Jared Goff, Deshaun Watson, Brock Purdy, Jameis Winston, Joe Burrow. 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:
Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers turned in his second performance in a row of over 23 fantasy points in a Week 4 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Rodgers, despite his age, is still a productive passer, and has a trio of competent wideouts to throw the ball to as well as an offensive-minded head coach that has a history of aiding productive passing games. Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy has put together a good offensive scheme so far this season, and as a result, Rodgers has racked up nearly 600 passing yards across his last two games.
On film, Rodgers is still able to get zip on the ball and find his targets downfield. Week 5 and Week 6 feature the Indianapolis Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers as opponents for Rodgers and co., and those two squads have among the NFL's worst pass defenses. Rodgers is hardly rostered, but is a legitimate waiver target even in 1QB leagues, and should be 100 percent rostered in 2QB leagues. He's a startable QB1 for the next two weeks as well.
Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion is committed to keeping quarterback Jalen Hurts under center despite the team's early struggles with play action, according to Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer. When Mannion was asked if the Eagles will continue to keep Hurts under center, even though they have been among the worst in the NFL at it, the OC said that Hurts "can do it" and that "we believe in it."
Through the first four weeks of the 2026 campaign, the 28-year-old three-time Pro Bowler is outside of the top 10 in overall fantasy points at the position, throwing for 713 yards, seven touchdowns, and three interceptions while adding 21 carries for 105 yards and one score on the ground. Hurts ranks 31st out of 38 qualifying QBs in adjusted yards per attempt on passes while under center, and he has a putrid 18% success rate under center.
The Eagles' offense was stuck in the mud in Sunday's loss to a tough Los Angeles Rams defense, and it did not help that both star running back Saquon Barkley (hamstring) and receiver DeVonta Smith (hamstring) were injured. If both Smith and Barkley miss the Week 5 game in London against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Hurts should be viewed as more of a high-end QB2 than a legitimate QB1 for fantasy lineups.
Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has surprisingly been reliable through the first four games of the season. Heading into Week 5, Watson has thrown for 855 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions. He has also rushed for 127 yards on 31 rushing attempts this season.
Watson carries a 69.6 percent completion rate into this Week 5 matchup against the New York Jets. A defensive unit that has struggled to contain quarterbacks this season. Watson is currently the QB12 heading into this big road matchup against the Jets. Given that some teams are on bye, Watson is looking like a priority streaming appeal for this weekend while he enjoys a career resurgence.
Jameis Winston, New York Giants
New York Giants quarterback Jameis Winston assumed the role of starter after the season-ending injury to Giants QB1 Jaxson Dart in Week 2. Winston struggled the next week, but racked up 20 PPR fantasy points (in four-point passing TD PPR leagues) by throwing three touchdowns and 250 passing yards. He also tossed two picks, but he's a gunslinger that isn't afraid of pushing the ball deep even if it means turning it over. In 2QB leagues where he's not rostered, he's an absolute top priority on waivers and an every-week starter for the rest of the season.
In 1QB leagues, he's also an excellent player to add, as he has top-8 upside at the QB position due to his raw productiveness. He's a talent elevator, but having wide receiver Malik Nabers to throw to certainly helps his passing output. A game with the porous Washington Commanders pass defense is coming up, and Winston will be a good start to make in all leagues for that contest. He can be vulnerable to poor games against tough defenses, but he absolutely should be rostered in all leagues with 12 or more teams and those with superflex spots that allow a second QB in their starting lineups.
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 - Jalen Hurts, Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, Trevor Lawrence, Jared Goff, Deshaun Watson, Brock Purdy, Jameis Winston, Joe Burrow. 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 Jalen Hurts, Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, Trevor Lawrence, Jared Goff, Deshaun Watson, Brock Purdy, Jameis Winston, Joe Burrow.
More Fantasy Football Analysis
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
