2026 season · Week 5 · WR

Deebo Samuel Sr. vs Malik Washington: Who Should I Start in Week 5?

Toss-up between Samuel Sr. and Washington in PPR. Too close to call: 10.6 vs 10.6 projected PPR points; a 22.3 implied team total vs 17.8; SEA allows the fewest WR points (early-season DvP is a weak signal). In half-PPR scoring the call flips to Samuel Sr.. In standard scoring the call flips to Samuel Sr..

Scoring

Toss-up between Samuel Sr. and Washington in PPR

StartWR3 · #35tie

Deebo Samuel Sr.SFWR@ SEA

10.8 PPR pts

321

Floor 3 · median 9.4 · ceiling 21

Plays: 98%
Implied total: 22.3 (dog by 3)
Matchup: Tough · 1st
Target share: 21%▲7

Too close to call: 10.6 vs 10.6 projected PPR points; a 22.3 implied team total vs 17.8; SEA allows the fewest WR points (early-season DvP is a weak signal).

Medium

StartWR3 · #34tie

Malik WashingtonMIAWRvs CIN

10.8 PPR pts

320

Floor 3 · median 9.7 · ceiling 20

Plays: 98%
Implied total: 17.8 (dog by 7)
Matchup: Tough · 8th
Target share: 29%▲3

Too close to call: 10.6 vs 10.6 projected PPR points; a 17.8 implied team total vs 22.3; CIN allows the 8th-fewest WR points (early-season DvP is a weak signal).

Medium

Add more players in Who Should I Start Deebo Samuel Sr. stats and usage Malik Washington stats and usage All Week 5 projections

How this works

Both players come from the same weekly projection: a mean and an 80% range from 2,000 simulated games, scored in your format, and the chance he plays. Start goes to the higher expected points (chance to play × projection); within 10% is a Flex-level close call. The tier ranks each player against everyone at his position this week. Reasons are templates filled with the model's numbers.

Updated Tue, Oct 6, 2:39 PM ETFull methodology

Frequently asked questions

Should I start Deebo Samuel Sr. or Malik Washington in Week 5?

Toss-up between Samuel Sr. and Washington in PPR. Too close to call: 10.6 vs 10.6 projected PPR points; a 22.3 implied team total vs 17.8; SEA allows the fewest WR points (early-season DvP is a weak signal). In half-PPR scoring the call flips to Samuel Sr.. In standard scoring the call flips to Samuel Sr..

Who has the higher ceiling, Deebo Samuel Sr. or Malik Washington?

Deebo Samuel Sr.: his 90th-percentile outcome is 21 PPR points against 20 for Malik Washington, from 2,000 simulated games each.

Who is the safer start, Deebo Samuel Sr. or Malik Washington?

Malik Washington: a floor (10th percentile) of 3 PPR points vs 3, and a 98% chance to play vs 98%.

What are Deebo Samuel Sr.'s and Malik Washington's Week 5 projections?

PPR: Samuel Sr. 10.8, Washington 10.8; half-PPR: Samuel Sr. 9.0, Washington 8.7; standard: Samuel Sr. 7.3, Washington 6.5 (points if he plays).

Side-by-side comparison