Patriots WR Tyquan Thornton (shoulder) has been designated to return from IR. He'll practice this week and is eligible to play on Sunday vs. the Raiders. New England could use Thornton with WRs JuJu Smith-Schuster and Demario Douglas in concussion protocol. But Thornton showed nothing last year or this offseason to make him a legitimate fantasy option right now.
Cardinals RB James Conner (knee) has been placed on IR. He'll miss at least the next four games vs. the Rams, Seahawks, Ravens, and Browns. We'll see if he's ready to play when first eligible in Week 10. Sitting 18th among RBs in PPR points, Conner is worth keeping stashed in most fantasy leagues. His absence leaves Arizona's backfield to RBs Emari Demercado, Keaontay Ingram, and Tony Jones. We broke down the situation in this week's waiver wire report.
Steelers WR Diontae Johnson (hamstring) expects to be ready to play Week 7, following the team's Week 6 bye. Johnson has been on IR since going down with a hamstring injury in Week 2. He managed just a 3-48-0 line in the Week 1 blowout loss to the 49ers but will return as a big part of Pittsburgh's passing game. It'll be interesting to see how big a target share Johnson claims after WR George Pickens' success in his absence.
The Rams traded WR Van Jefferson and a 2025 seventh-round pick to the Falcons for a 2025 sixth-rounder, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Jefferson played just two snaps for Los Angeles last week with WR Cooper Kupp back. He'll find opportunity for playing time in Atlanta, with Mack Hollins currently serving as the No. 2 WR. But, considering WR Drake London and TE Kyle Pitts have struggled to find enough volume, Jefferson is a long shot for fantasy relevance.
Chiefs TE Travis Kelce (ankle) will practice on Tuesday, HC Andy Reid said. That should put Kelce on track to play vs. the Broncos on Thursday night. We'll watch his status over the next couple of days.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero calls Browns QB Deshaun Watson's status for Sunday's game vs. the 49ers "TBD." Pelissero adds that Watson is dealing with a rotator cuff contusion. We'll keep a close eye on his status throughout the week, but Watson shouldn't be in your fantasy plans this week with a bum shoulder in a brutal matchup. Cleveland will be in major trouble if forced to start QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson against San Francisco.
Titans HC Mike Vrabel said, "we'll see" when asked if WR Treylon Burks (knee) will be back for Sunday morning's game vs. the Ravens in London. "(We're) hopeful that he can try to get out and start running around," Vrabel added. We'll keep tabs on Burks' practice participation over the next few days.
Patriots QB Mac Jones is expected to start Sunday's game vs. the Raiders, according to The Athletic's Jeff Howe. "I’m told this is still an important week of practice for [Jones] as the Patriots evaluate every position on the roster on the heels of the worst two losses of Bill Belichick’s career," Howe adds. Jones has been awful the past two weeks: 56% completion rate, 6.1 yards per attempt, 0 TDs, and four INTs. It sounds like there's still a chance that a bad week of practice sends him to the bench in favor of QB Bailey Zappe. Either way, you should be avoiding this situation in Week 6 fantasy lineups.
Jaguars WR Zay Jones is considered "day-to-day" with the knee injury he suffered in Sunday's win over the Bills, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Jones has injured the same knee twice in the last four weeks. He missed two games the first time, so we're tentatively expecting him to miss at least this Sunday's game vs. the Colts. We'll track his progress throughout the week.
Cardinals RB James Conner is expected to miss "multiple weeks" with the knee injury he suffered in the Week 5 loss to the Bengals, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. We'll see if Conner ends up landing on IR, which would cost him four games. His absence leaves Arizona's backfield to Emari Demercado, Keaontay Ingram, and the just-acquired Tony Jones. Ingram has missed the past two weeks with a neck injury but did get in a couple of limited practices last week. We'll see if he makes it back for Sunday's game vs. the Rams, but Demercado will be the best fantasy bet in this backfield at least for Week 6.
Lions HC Dan Campbell said WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (abdomen) is "closer to probable" for this weekend's game vs. the Bucs. "I feel pretty good about the possibility of him playing this week," Campbell added. "We’ll see how this week goes." St. Brown can be penciled back into Week 6 fantasy lineups. We'll track his progress throughout the week.
Dolphins RB De'Von Achane is expected to miss "multiple weeks" with the knee injury he suffered against the Giants, according to multiple reports. The rookie is a candidate for IR, though the team reportedly hasn't decided on that yet. We'll watch for more specifics on that front. ESPN's Adam Schefter adds that Miami is expected to get RB Jeff Wilson Jr. back at practice this week. He has been on IR with hand and rib injuries. Wilson's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, has long said his client would return to the field when eligible. That window opened in Week 5.
The Vikings will be placing WR Justin Jefferson on IR for the hamstring injury that knocked him out of Sunday's loss to the Chiefs. That means he'll miss at least the next four games. Jefferson's absence will obviously leave a bunch of targets for his Vikings teammates. Jefferson drew 47 through the first four games, 30% of QB Kirk Cousins' total attempts over that span. That makes rookie WR Jordan Addison a weekly starting candidate over the next month. He drew a season-high 9 targets in the K.C. game, reaching 6 receptions for the second time in three weeks. It also makes WR K.J. Osborn worth picking up in many leagues. But there's also a chance Jefferson's absence shifts the offensive approach. Minnesota leads the league in pass attempts through five weeks, sits tied for the lead in pass rate, and ranks third in pass rate over expected. Losing Jefferson figures to hurt the offense overall and could push a little more work to the running game. We're certainly not upgrading RB Alexander Mattison for this, but we'll be watching the offense's reaction over the next couple of weeks. Cousins clearly loses upside with the absence of arguably the league's best WR. Fortunately for him -- and fantasy managers -- the Vikings visit a bad Bears defense in the first game without Jefferson. That will help everyone's fantasy outlooks. An ominous Monday night date with the 49ers waits on the other side of that, however.
The Saints get S Marcus Maye back this week after his three-game suspension under the league personal-conduct policy. Maye's ban came from a 2021 DUI charge that didn't get resolved until this summer. Jordan Howden has been the primary fill-in, but Maye should immediately reclaim his post. The veteran collected 13 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 INT over this season's first two games. He's not a high-level IDP option but worth being aware of in deeper leagues.
Raiders WR Jakobi Meyers hauled 7 of 10 targets for a team-high 75 yards with a TD on Monday night vs. the Packers. Fantasy managers hoping for a big “revenge game” from WR Davante Adams went to sleep disappointed. The former All-Pro had been targeted 33 times over the last two games but only saw 1 target in the first half of Week 5. He ended the game with 4 catches for 45 yards. Definitely a bit of a bummer. Next week, Adams will have a chance to bounce back against the Patriots.
Raiders RB Josh Jacobs posted 20 carries for 69 yards and a rushing TD in Week 5 vs. the Packers. He also roped in all 5 targets for an additional 20 yards as a pass-catcher in the contest. Jacobs got off to a bit of a slow start in 2023, but fantasy managers who stuck it out with the reigning rushing champ have been rewarded with back-to-back TD games. It’s also worth noting that Jacobs leads all RBs with 30 targets through five weeks. Even if he again fails to eclipse the century mark in rushing yards next week vs. the Patriots, managers can feel comfortable knowing that Jacobs will see his fair share of receiving involvement.
Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo completed 22 of 31 attempts for 208 passing yards with 1 TD and INT apiece in Week 5 vs. the Packers. He did just enough in the contest to crack double-digit fantasy points but was otherwise his typical boring, game-manager self. Next up on the agenda is a Week 6 matchup vs. the Patriots.
Packers TE Luke Musgrave hauled 6 of 7 targets for 34 yards in Week 5 vs. the Raiders. Excluding last week’s contest vs. the Lions in which he suffered a concussion, the rookie has now posted at least 8 PPR points in three of his four healthy games. Fantasy managers looking for TE help ought to take notice here. WR Christian Watson recorded a team-high 91 receiving yards on Monday night but was only able to connect 3 catches on 7 targets in the contest. For as bad of an offensive performance as the Packers put on display, there’s some good here to hang your hat on. Next up on the schedule is a road game against the Broncos.
Packers RB A.J. Dillon managed to barrel his way to 76 rushing yards with a TD in Week 5’s loss vs. the Raiders. It wasn’t a particularly efficient performance, as it took 20 carries for Dillon to reach these totals, but fantasy managers can’t be too upset with him. We’re still talking double-digit fantasy points here. Still, this Packers’ rushing attack hasn’t been particularly good since RB Aaron Jones went down with a hamstring injury in Week 2. Hopefully, Jones will make it back in time for a primo matchup against the lowly Broncos defense in Week 6.
Packers QB Jordan Love had a nightmarish Monday night, completing 16 of 30 attempts for 182 passing yards with 3 INTs vs. the Raiders. He now leads the NFL with 6 INTs since Week 3. Whatever magic Green Bay’s offense had early in the season has seemed to rub off. As a unit, they only sustained two drives that extended beyond 30 yards in this contest. Next week’s matchup vs. the Broncos will give Love an opportunity to turn his fortunes around against one of the league’s worst defenses, but he’ll still be challenging to trust as a starter in 1QB leagues.
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