Yes, Will Shipley is the de facto Week 5 starter. Here's the situation:
- Saquon Barkley — week-to-week with a hamstring strain, missed Wednesday practice. Likely out for the London game (from the [Saquon Barkley page]).
- Tank Bigsby — on IR with core muscle surgery, out minimum through Week 8 (from the [Tank Bigsby page]).
- Will Shipley — "now the last man standing for the Eagles' backfield," per the wiki. He played 29 snaps in relief (6 carries for 23 yards, 1 target, 15 routes run), and the Eagles view his pass-catching as critical to the game plan (from the [Will Shipley page]).
The caveats: The Eagles' offensive line is suddenly in shambles — Lane Johnson retired mid-season and Cam Jurgens was just traded — so the run blocking is a real concern. Jacksonville also has a stout run defense. The fantasy projections have Shipley as a desperation flex play — he'll get the lead-back volume, but the efficiency ceiling is low.
On Fantasy Football Today, they cautioned: "It's really hard to count on Will Shipley suddenly having a large share of the goals just because Saquon Barkley is out. He won't be the only runner... That offensive line is battling" — .
Bottom line: Shipley starts, but temper expectations. He's a volume-based flex in deep leagues, not a smash play.