Giants WRs Sterling Shepard (hamstring) and Darius Slayton (hamstring) are out for Sunday's game vs. the Cowboys. Last week, Kadarius Toney replaced Shepard in the slot, with John Ross taking over Slayton's field-stretcher role. Toney is a viable Week 5 fantasy play after racking up a team-high 9 targets last week.
Dolphins WR DeVante Parker (shoulder, hamstring) is listed as questionable for this weekend's game vs. the Bucs. He was limited early in the week with the shoulder and then dealt with hamstring soreness late in the week. Parker is obviously a risky play if he suits up on Sunday -- although the matchup is good against a banged-up Tampa secondary.
Bucs RB Gio Bernard (knee) is listed as questionable for this weekend's game vs. the Dolphins. He put in a full practice on Friday, though, so he figures to play. Bernard isn't a Week 5 fantasy option but will likely steal a few targets from RB Leonard Fournette.
The Packers have ruled CB Jaire Alexander out for Sunday's game against the Bengals, and it sounds like we should expect him to miss time beyond that. HC Matt LaFleur said Friday that the team plans to let Alexander's injured shoulder heal in hopes that he can avoid what would be season-ending surgery. "We're hopeful that it'll heal the right way and he'll be back with us in a matter of weeks," the coach said, according to Packers Wire. Alexander's absence enhances the matchup for opposing WRs.
The Giants have ruled S Jabrill Peppers out for Sunday's game against the Cowboys. He suffered a hamstring injury in the Week 4 win over the Saints that kept him from practicing this week. His absence can only help the tackle upside for fellow Giants DBs Logan Ryan and Xavier McKinney.
Jets WR Elijah Moore (concussion) isn’t listed on the final Week 5 injury report after getting in full practices on Thursday and Friday. He’ll return for Sunday morning’s game vs. the Falcons in London but is only a desperation fantasy play at this point.
Bears RB David Montgomery (knee) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Raiders. He’s expected to miss 4-5 weeks but hasn’t yet been placed on IR. Damien Williams should operate as Chicago’s clear lead back this weekend, with rookie Khalil Herbert as the #2 RB.
The Browns list multiple defensive starters as questionable for Sunday's game against the Chargers. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, however, reports that the team is "expecting most of their defensive nucleus intact." DE Myles Garrett is officially questionable, listed with knee and ankle issues that kept him out of Friday's practice. Garrett said earlier Friday that he expects to play, though. Also questionable are DE Jadeveon Clowney (elbow), CB Denzel Ward (neck) and LB Malcolm Smith (abdomen). Garrett is easily the biggest IDP factor of the group, so his optimism is good news. The late-afternoon Sunday kickoff makes it tougher to wait on any of them, and the other 3 probably aren't worth the wait in most cases. We'll update them all when game inactives come out, though.
Titans WR Julio Jones (hamstring) is out for Sunday's game vs. the Jaguars. He remained sidelined in practice all week and has no timetable for return.
Washington RB Antonio Gibson revealed Friday that he has a stress fracture in his shin. Gibson played through the issue last week and said it "doesn't hurt badly." It's obviously a concern, though, especially after Gibson played a season-low 55% of offensive snaps last week. He's a risk/reward RB2 in Week 5 fantasy lineups.
Bucs TE Rob Gronkowski (ribs, lung) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Dolphins. His status for Week 6 and beyond is uncertain. Cameron Brate gets another game as Tampa’s lead TE this weekend. He ran a route on 69% of pass plays and garnered 6 targets last week.
The Panthers list RB Christian McCaffrey (hamstring) as doubtful for Sunday's game vs. the Eagles. McCaffrey practiced all week and is clearly making good progress in his rehab. But Carolina is wisely playing it safe with the stud back. Chuba Hubbard will again operate as the Panthers' lead back this weekend, but he lost passing-down work to RB Rodney Smith last week. The role leaves Hubbard as a lower-end RB2.
Vikings RB Dalvin Cook (ankle) is listed as questionable for this weekend's game vs. the Lions. We're still waiting to see if he practiced on Friday, but HC Mike Zimmer suggested that Cook will be a game-time decision. It'd make a lot of sense for Minnesota to hold Cook out considering he's obviously nowhere near 100%. We'll get his game status by noon ET on Sunday. Cook's absence would turn Alexander Mattison into a fantasy RB1.
Update: Cook got in a limited practice on Friday.
Broncos QB Teddy Bridgewater is expected to clear the concussion protocol today and play vs. the Steelers on Sunday, according to insider Mike Klis. We'll see how he's listed on the final injury report later today. Bridgewater's availability would be good news for all of Denver's skill-position players.
Bengals HC Zac Taylor said RB Joe Mixon (ankle) will practice on Saturday before the team determines whether he'll play vs. the Packers on Sunday. Mixon didn't practice on Wednesday or Thursday -- and it sounds like he won't practice today, either. He seems likely to miss Week 5, but we'll continue to keep an eye on the situation.
Bengals WR Tee Higgins (shoulder) "looked great" in practice this week and will play vs. the Packers on Sunday, HC Zac Taylor said Friday. Higgins opened the season with 4-58-1 and 6-60-1 receiving lines on 15 total targets before missing the past 2 weeks. He's a nice Week 5 fantasy play vs. a Green Bay secondary missing top CB Jaire Alexander.
The Buccaneers have ruled S Antoine Winfield out for Sunday's game against the Dolphins because of a concussion. With CBs Carlton Davis and Sean Murphy-Bunting already on IR, that means the Tampa Bay secondary will look quite different from its season-opening version. The Bucs will at least get CB Jamel Dean back from a knee injury that knocked him out early in Week 3 and kept him out last Sunday night. HC Bruce Arians also said EDGE Jason Pierre-Paul is ready to return from the shoulder injury that cost him the past 2 games, according to Greg Auman of The Athletic.
Dolphins HC Brian Flores said Friday that WR DeVante Parker is dealing with hamstring "soreness" and might be a game-time decision for this weekend's game vs. the Bucs. Parker was limited in Wednesday and Thursday's practices but listed on the injury report with a shoulder. It's unclear when the hamstring trouble started. We'll see how he's listed on Miami's final injury report this afternoon.
Rams QB Matt Stafford injured his right index finger in the 2nd quarter of Thursday night's win over the Seahawks but was able to play through it after getting a tape job. “I don’t know (what happened),” Stafford said afterward. “I looked down at a certain point on a drive in the second quarter, I think the one we kicked a field goal on, and I just looked down and felt a little pressure (in the finger). I maybe got it on a handoff or a snap or something. Not 100 percent sure. I looked down, felt a little bit of pressure in there and it was just a little bit out of place. Was able to put it back in and keep going, it didn’t affect me too much, to be honest with you.” Stafford missed a few throws in the win, although it's unclear if the misfires were caused by the finger injury. We'll keep an eye on the situation when the Rams get back to work next week, but Stafford should be fine for Week 6's matchup with the Giants.
Seahawks QB Russell Wilson has yet to miss a start through 9+ NFL seasons. But NFL Network's Ian Rapoport believes that streak is "in some doubt" after Wilson hurt his right middle finger in Thursday night's loss to the Rams. HC Pete Carroll described Wilson's injury as a "bad sprain" after the game and wouldn't put a timeline on Wilson's return. Wilson is set for more testing on Friday, and surgery hasn't been ruled out, per Rapoport. We'll let you know as soon as we know more. Geno Smith would step in as Seattle's starter if Wilson misses time.
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