Week 5 Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: Emeka Egbuka vs. Keon Coleman

Evaluating who to play in fantasy football this week between Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka and Buffalo Bills WR Keon Coleman.

Oct 4, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (2) runs with the ball against the Green Bay Packers at Raymond James Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There were many surprising performances from WRs in fantasy football in Week 4, giving them interesting outlooks now in Week 5. For instance, Buffalo Bills WR3 Keon Coleman had a standout game, while Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR1 Emeka Egbuka had an extremely down fantasy outing. With that, here is a breakdown of who fantasy managers should start between the two this week.

Keon Coleman

Oct 4, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman (0) celebrates after making a catch during the fourth quarter against the New England Patriots at New Highmark Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

WR1 for the Bills, DJ Moore, exited the Bills Week 4 contest against the New England Patriots early. Coleman’s role immediately rose in Buffalo’s offense, and he took full advantage of that opportunity, as he put forth one of the best games of his career. He had six receptions on seven targets for 116 yards and a TD. With Moore’s availability for Week 5 against the Los Angeles up in the air, Coleman could have another solid fantasy outing.

The Rams’ defense, although not playing to the overall level that many thought they would immediately in 2026, has been one of the more elite passing defenses in the NFL. They are currently allowing the second-fewest passing yards per game in the league:145.5.  Within that, in their last three games, not a single opposing WR has logged over 50 receiving yards.

Emeka Egbuka

Sep 20, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (2) warms up prior to the game against the Cleveland Browns at Raymond James Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Egbuka, in Week 5 against the Green Bay Packers, logged his worst statistical game in what has been a sophomore slump season thus far. Against the Packers, he had just two receptions for 13 yards on four targets. He will have a more favorable matchup in Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys.

The Cowboys are currently allowing the ninth-most passing yards per game in the NFL, 239.3. They have done fairly well limiting big fantasy games for opposing WR1s, outside of last week, when Houston Texans WR1 Nico Collins had seven receptions for 118 yards and two TDs. In the first three weeks, WR1s averaged 67.7 and 4.3 receptions per game, while none of them found the end zone.

Another factor that will weigh heavily in Egbuka’s outlook is Baker Mayfield being ruled out for Week 5. Rookie QB Jalon Daniels did not look sharp in his debut. He had just 148 passing yards and a 1-2 TD-to-INT ratio. With him starting, Egbuka certainly has a lower fantasy ceiling than he would with Mayfield. It was also concerning that Egbuka just had four targets in Week 4. That was the third-highest of Tampa Bay pass catchers, behind TE1 Cade Otton and WR2 Chris Godwin Jr. It is the first game in 2026 where Godwin Jr. had more targets than Egbuka.

Final Verdict

When it comes to who should start and who should sit in Week 5 in fantasy football between Egbuka and Coleman, Egbuka should start and Coleman should sit.

Egbuka has a better matchup, and despite having QB concerns, his fantasy ceiling and floor are higher than Coleman, who is going up against the Rams’ passing defense. If Moore does play in Week 5, then Coleman, despite his breakout fantasy performance in Week 4, should not be a player fantasy managers start in any scenario.

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