Rams QB Matthew Stafford technically threw for 308 yards in Sunday's loss to the Cowboys. But 75 yards of that (and his only TD) came via a short throw and long run by WR Cooper Kupp. Outside of that play, Stafford averaged just 5.7 yards per pass attempt. He remains a weak fantasy option. Kupp's long TD beefed up a receiving line that finished at 7-125-1 on 10 targets. TE Tyler Higbee got another 10 targets and caught 7 balls for 46 yards. WR Ben Skowronek checked in 3rd with 8 targets, 6 receptions and 41 yards. And Allen Robinson did just enough to remind us that he's alive.
Cowboys RB Tony Pollard delivered a 57-yard TD run in Sunday's win over the Rams ... but not a whole lot else. He rushed just 7 other times in the game (for 29 yards) distantly trailing Ezekiel Elliott's 22 attempts (for 78 yards). Elliott also continued to run ahead of Pollard as a receiver: 9 routes to 4, according to Pro Football Focus numbers. We'd love to see Pollard's displayed explosiveness force Dallas coaches to give him more touches. But his continued limited playing time makes Pollard bench fodder in most fantasy football leagues.
Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb posted a mediocre 5-53 receiving line on 8 targets in Sunday's win over the Rams. Those 8 targets marked a 50% share of Cooper Rush's 16 attempts, though. WR Michael Gallup checked in 2nd with 5 targets (31.3%). WR Noah Brown (2) and TE Dalton Schultz (1, left early) were the only other Dallas players to get any looks. Lamb has been targeted on 34% of Dallas pass attempts for the season. Once Dak Prescott is back to full health, Lamb could be a fantasy football difference-maker the rest of the way.
Niners HC Kyle Shanahan says EDGE Nick Bosa has a groin strain, according to ESPN's Nick Wagoner. He'll be re-evaluated Wednesday, we assume to determine whether Bosa will be ready to practice and/or play this week. We'll watch for further updates, but it continues to sound like a minor injury.
49ers TE George Kittle showed progress with 5 catches for 47 yards in Week 5 at Carolina. He made a few impressive contested catches, although he did lose one fumble. His 6 targets ranked 2nd on the team and represented a decent 20% team share. The veteran entered Sunday with only 50 yards on 6 catches across his first 2 appearances. A low-volume passing game will keep the volatility high going forward, but we’re still likely to see some spike weeks soon. Week 6 turns up a positive scoring matchup at Atlanta.
Ravens HC John Harbaugh said Monday that WR Rashod Bateman (foot) "might" be back for this weekend's game vs. the Giants. Bateman didn't practice at all last week and didn't seem close to playing against Cincinnati on Sunday night. We'll track his practice participation this week, but fantasy owners should plan on being without him again at least for now.
Bengals HC Zac Taylor on Monday labeled WR Tee Higgins "day-to-day" with a sprained ankle. Higgins, of course, ended up going catch-less on just 10 snaps in Sunday night's loss to the Ravens. He was limited in practice all week leading up to that game and listed as questionable on the final injury report. We'll keep a close eye on his practice participation this week. He'll need to get in at least 1 full practice to be a comfortable Week 6 fantasy start.
49ers WR Deebo Samuel mustered only 2 catches for 20 yards in Week 5. He added a score, but the story here was strong coverage from CB Jaycee Horn, who eventually departed in the 3rd quarter with a hip injury. Samuel handled only 2 carries (for 12 yards) and witnessed a sharp decline in his backfield snaps. Starting in Week 1, his RB snaps have gone: 9, 11, 8, 8, 1. Samuel will look for more in a positive Week 6 matchup at Atlanta.
49ers RB Jeff Wilson popped off for 17 carries, 120 yards and 1 score in Week 5. Tevin Coleman mixed in for 8 carries, with 5 of them and a garbage time TD coming deep in the 4th. Coleman did catch a 1st quarter TD, however, while he out-targeted Wilson 3-2. Elijah Mitchell (knee) remains at least a couple of weeks away from returning to action. So Wilson — who’s hit 74+ yards in 4 straight — will remain a viable RB2 in the short-term. Next up is a road matchup with Atlanta.
Titans RB Derrick Henry ran for 102 yards and a pair of TDs on 28 carries in Sunday's win over the Commanders. It was his 2nd straight game with 100+ rushing yards and 4th consecutive game with a TD. Henry also added 30 yards on 2 receptions. Dontrelle Hilliard ranked 2nd on the team with 5 targets for the game, catching 4 for 23 yards and a TD. He has edged Henry in pass routes each of the past 2 weeks. He has just 5 carries through 4 games, though, and isn't really a standalone fantasy option (despite the 3 TDs in 4 games.
Dyami Brown was the big producer among Commanders WRs in Sunday's loss to the Titans. He caught just 2 passes among 4 targets for the game, but both went for scores -- from 75 and 30 yards out. Brown ranked just 5th among Washington wideouts in playing time, though. Curtis Samuel led the group, and led the team in targets for the 5th straight game. He caught 6 of 8 looks for 62 yards. Terry McLaurin trailed Samuel and J.D. McKissic but posted a solid 5-76 receiving line on his 6 targets.
Commanders rookie RB Brian Robinson checked in 3rd among the team's RBs in playing time in his 1st NFL action Sunday, but he immediately claimed the lead in carries. Robinson rushed 9 times for 22 yards in Sunday's loss to the Titans, tripling Antonio Gibson's 3 carries (for 6 yards). Gibson added 3 catches for 33 yards among 4 targets but also trailed J.D. McKissic in playing time and targets. McKissic caught 5 balls for 37 yards among 7 looks, which ranked 2nd on the team. Gibson looks like no more than a handcuff going forward -- and a weak one at that. Washington's running game hasn't been very good so far, and Gibson would still have to share receiving work with McKissic even if Robinson were to go down again. As for the rookie, we'd bet on his role growing from here. We'll see just how much receiving work he can claim. No Washington RB looks truly attractive for fantasy use at the moment.
Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown returned from his ankle sprain for Sunday's loss to the Patriots but played at limited role. He checked in just 4th among Detroit wideouts in playing time for the game, trailing Josh Reynolds (10 targets), Kalif Raymond (7) and Tom Kennedy (1) in playing time. St. Brown did still claim 6 targets to rank 3rd on the team, catching for for 18 yards. He drew a target on 37.5% of routes for the game, pointing to the opportunity upside that awaits as St. Brown works back to full health. A Week 6 bye should help.
Lions RB Jamaal Williams once again easily led the team in rushing in Sunday's loss to the Patriots, taking 15 carries for 56 yards. Craig Reynolds and Justin Jackson combined for another 9 carries. Reynolds gained 24 yards on 6 rushes while also leading the backfield in routes (17) and targets (3). Jackson garnered 3 carries and 1 target, while also running 1 more route than Williams. Detroit now gets a Week 6 bye, and then RB D'Andre Swift is expected to be ready to return. Expect Williams to remain a rushing factor beyond Swift's return. But he doesn't look like a great bet to own the receiving work if Swift goes down again.
Patriots WR Jakobi Meyers returned from 2 games missed with a knee sprain to rack up a 7-111-1 receiving line in Sunday's win over the Lions. He drew a team-high 8 targets (38.1% of team pass attempts), as rookie QB Bailey Zappe filled in for Mac Jones Zappe proved efficient, completing 17 of 21 passes for 188 yards (8.95 per attempt). Meyers has now drawn a target on 31.4% of Patriots pass attempts. He looks like at least a weekly WR3 for PPR lineups going forward.
Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson took advantage of a league-worst Lions run defense and Damien Harris' early hamstring injury to deliver a big rushing line Sunday: 25 carries, 161 yards. He also caught both targets for 14 yards. Stevenson would obviously be set up for another workhorse role in another upside matchup at Cleveland in Week 6, if Harris isn't ready to return. Ty Montgomery is eligible to come off IR, but HC Bill Belichick said he doesn't expect Montgomery to be ready to practice this week.
Bengals RB Joe Mixon posted 14 carries for 78 yards in Sunday’s loss at Baltimore. He finally found some room to run, leading to a season-best 5.5 YPC. His passing-game contributions remained minor, though. With 3 catches for 10 yards, he’s now been held under 15 receiving yards in 3 straight. Backup Samaje Perine beat Mixon in targets (4-3), although Perine did trail Mixon in routes run (12-20). Despite a league-high 15 carries inside the 10, Mixon remains stuck on 1 total score. Week 6 turns up a road matchup with New Orleans.
Panthers QB Baker Mayfield suffered a high-ankle sprain in Sunday's loss to the 49ers, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "That means he’ll miss time, but how much will be determined by more tests and opinions," Rapoport adds. With QB Sam Darnold still out with his own ankle injury, Carolina will turn to QB P.J. Walker. The 27-year-old owns a 57% completion rate and 6.2 yards-per-attempt average on 128 NFL passes. So, as bad as Mayfield has been, don't expect Walker to be an upgrade.
Seahawks HC Pete Carroll confirmed Monday that RB Rashaad Penny needs season-ending surgery. He broke his fibula and damaged his tibia in the loss to the Saints. It's another tough break for a guy who's struggled with a plethora of injuries over the past 5 seasons. Penny will turn 27 in February and is scheduled to hit free agency in March. His absence leaves 2nd-round rookie Kenneth Walker as Seattle's clear lead back. We'll see how much passing-game work he's able to garner. But rushing production alone should make him at least a weekly RB2 in fantasy lineups.
The Panthers fired HC Matt Rhule. His former team is sitting at 1-4 after going 10-23 over his first 2 seasons. Carolina's ranks in total yards: 21st, 30th and 32nd. Defensive Pass Game Coordinator/Secondary Coach Steve Wilks will take over as interim HC, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. He was HC for the Cardinals' 3-13 2018 season. It sounds like OC Ben McAdoo will be sticking around. We're not expecting the change to help Carolina's floundering offense (although it can't hurt).
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