Fantasy Football Week 5 Lineup Advice: Starts, Sits, Flex Plays & Touchdown Picks (Ep. 2249)

October 8, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Fantasy Football Week 5: Navigating Injuries, Uncertain Backfields, and Streamer Decisions

The FantasyPros crew—Ryan Warmley, Pat Fitzmorris, and Jake Seely—spent the episode working through the week's hardest lineup calls. A month into the season, injuries have reshaped several offenses, and the panel debated which opportunities are real and which are traps.

The Shipley Problem: Volume vs. Matchup

Will Shipley emerged as the week's most-discussed waiver add after injuries cleared the Eagles backfield. All three analysts agreed: starting him is an act of desperation, not confidence. Jake Seely was blunt: "Willing? I think the word should be desperate to start Will Shipley."

The case against Shipley runs deeper than his own talent. The Jaguars have been suffocating against opposing lead backs—since last season, no team's leading rusher has topped 74 yards against them except Jonathan Taylor, who did it twice. Even with volume, Shipley faces a broken Eagles offensive line after a trade and a retirement, plus a London travel schedule. Fitzmorris noted Shipley's pass-catching ability could help against a Jaguars defense that's given up the second-most catches and receiving yards to running backs, but Seely countered that Damian Pierce, newly activated, could split work enough to make Shipley's floor dangerously low. The consensus: Shipley is a high-end RB3, playable only i

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What you'll learn

1 (00:22) **Show Introduction & Week 5 Agenda** - Ryan Warmley welcomes Pat Fitzmorris and Jake Seely to discuss week 5 starts, sits, and touchdown picks.
2 (01:52) **Will Shipley as a Waiver Add** - The panel debates starting Will Shipley given the Eagles' injuries and tough matchup against the Jaguars.
3 (04:50) **Bengals Pass Catchers: Gesicki and Myers** - Discussion on starting Mike Gesicki and Dante Myers if Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are out against the Dolphins.
4 (10:09) **Plant Your Flag: CJ Stroud & Travis Etienne** - Jake and Fitz name their boldest starts of the week.
5 (15:08) **Running Back Debate: Aaron Jones vs. Quinshon Judkins** - Comparing two lead backs with strong workloads and favorable matchups.
6 (22:29) **Running Back Debate: Javonte Williams vs. Isiah Pacheco** - A comparison of two committee backs in messy backfields.
7 (28:51) **Wide Receiver Debate: Zay Flowers vs. Christian Watson** - The impact of Lamar Jackson's potential absence on Zay Flowers' value.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Ryan Warmley Pat Fitzmorris Jake Seely

Show Notes

Ryan Wormeli, Pat Fitzmaurice and Jake Ciely take on the Week 5 lineup calls fantasy managers are sweating most, starting with Will Shipley's sudden opportunity in Philadelphia and the uncertainty surrounding Zay Flowers without Lamar Jackson.

CJ Stroud and TreVeyon Henderson headline this week's Plant Your Flag picks before the guys debate Aaron Jones vs. Quinshon Judkins, Josh Downs vs. Carnell Tate and a long list of close flex decisions.

Stick around for the final lineup calls and Week 5 touchdown predictions as you get your roster ready for kickoff.

Timestamps: (May be off due to ads)

Intro - 0:00:00

Starting or Sitting Popular Waiver Wire Adds? - 0:01:30

Will Shipley - 0:01:35

Mike Gesicki & Dohnte Meyers - 0:04:32

Plant Your Flag - 0:09:48

CJ Stroud - 0:10:02

TreVeyon Henderson - 0:11:51

Polymarket - 0:14:11

Start/Sit Player Debates - 0:14:45

Quinshon Judkins vs. Aaron Jones - 0:14:49

Jacory Croskey-Merritt vs. Omarion Hampton - 0:19:52

Zay Flowers vs. Christian Watson - 0:26:17

Josh Downs vs. Carnell Tate - 0:30:47

FantasyPros Start/Sit Assistant - 0:35:01

Tony Pollard vs. Ollie Gordon - 0:35:28

Deebo Samuel vs. Romeo Doubs - 0:37:27

Will Shipley vs. DK Metcalf - 0:39:59

Tucker Kraft vs. Denzel Boston - 0:43:57

Jordan Addison vs. Blake Corum - 0:44:48

Devaughn Vele vs. Brian Robinson Jr. - 0:46:41

Jacoby Brissett vs. Jayden Daniels - 0:48:47

Colston Loveland vs. Juwan Johnson - 0:52:03

TD Calls Contest - 0:53:55

Bhayshul Tuten - 0:53:59

Parker Washington - 0:54:38

Harold Fannin - 0:55:23

Outro - 0:56:11

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