I've seen on other posts about this that a starter is still a good idea to "wake up" the yeast that's been sitting around in storage, usually cold in a fridge. It gets them up and ready to get straight to primary fermentation without a long lag time once pitched. I do 2.5 gallon batches and never had any problems without a starter and using just a single vial of liquid yeast, but the lag time was much, much longer before I began using starters.
Out of curiosity, what kind of yeast is it, and what kind of beer are you making with it? These variables make a difference, but almost certainly you'll get to where you need to go regardless. Good luck!
When are you brewing? Even if the starter only has overnight to do its thing, that has to be better than nothing in terms of getting your washed yeast up and going again. I'd say definitely don't let the cooled wort sit around for any amount of time once it reaches pitching temperatures, so if you're already brewing or brewing soon, just pitch whatever you've got once the wort is ready.
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