It’s Week 5 in the NFL season, so Chris Allen and Jorge Martin dive into the injury roundup impacting fantasy football. Make sure to check out the Inactive Tool for the latest information.

 

Happy football Sunday everyone. Inactives have been announced for the 1 p.m. ET games for Week 5, so it’s time to get the intel on some of the players who may be missing this week. And we’ll also give some recommendations on players to target for those who are missing. As always, we'll kick off with the most important position in football.

Quarterback

Anthony Richardson

Joe Flacco was seen taking most of the first-team reps at Friday’s practice, which is an indication that Richardson will get a rest in Week 5. Anthony Richardson has an oblique strain, which will relegate him to watching from the sideline this week. It's been a rough start for a player essentially in his rookie campaign, after he played just four games last season. 

Flacco may give the Colts a boost, as the offense hit 27 points against a good Steelers defense, with Michael Pittman and Josh Downs both hitting 9 targets and surpassing 80 receiving yards.

With Flacco going bombs away, Pittman and Downs could really benefit against a Jaguars defense that’s allowing the second-most receiving yards to WRs (193.2).

Jordan Love

With Love a full practice participant as of Thursday, it’s a sign that his MCL sprain is further in the rear-view mirror. We saw how dominant Love could be once he shook the rust off with most of his 389 passing yards and all 4 TDs coming after the Packers were down 28-0. The Rams are No. 8 in most passing yards allowed per game (233), so expect Love fireworks. Upgraded utilization is coming for Packers pass catchers.

Aaron Rodgers

Rodgers’ knee was hurt in Week 4, but it does not appear to be a deterrent in the London matchup against the Vikings, who are allowing 277 passing yards per game thus far.

Will Levis

With the Titans on a bye, there has been no update on Levis’ sprained AC joint. This is a rest-and-rehab injury, so we’ll just have to wait to see the practice reports heading into Week 6 to get updates on his status.

Running Back

Jonathan Taylor

Jonathan Taylor will be inactive in Week 5 with a high-ankle sprain, so Trey Sermon figures to receive quite a bit of work in the backfield. Waiting on the other side are the Jaguars and a run defense allowing just 82.8 rush that is tied for 10th in fewest allowed per game to RBs.

Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby

Both RBs have been limited in practice, so they should both be expected to play on Sunday. The matchup against the Colts is inviting, as they are fourth in allowing the most rushing yards to the position. 

Tyler Badie

Badie has been ruled out of this game against the Raiders and has been placed in IR, so he’ll miss at least the next four games. The Las Vegas defense is allowing 114.5 rushing yards per game to RBs. Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin should split the work in tough timeshare. 

Cordarrelle Patterson and Jaylen Warren

Both Patterson (ankle) and Warren (knee) have been ruled out for Sunday, leaving the backfield almost solely in the hands of Najee Harris. The Dallas defense is 10th with 104.8 rushing yards allowed to RBs.

Nick Chubb

Chubb’s 21-day practice window was opened this week as he was taken off IR. There is no exact timeline for his return to play, but the fact that he’s practicing is encouraging a little more than a year after he suffered a multi-ligament knee injury. Keep an eye on practice reports for signs he’ll play. 

Devin Singletary

For some reason, I still can't believe his nickname is “Motor.”

Anyway, Singeltary indicated he was on the mend Thursday. However, two DNPs and a limited session beg to differ with the player's assessment. Without Singletary (and Malik Nabers, more on him in a bit), the Giants' backfield will be split between Tyrone Tracy (a summer favorite for drafters) and Dante "Turbo" Miller (again, I need a cooler nickname).

Tracy's largest touch count in a single game is 7. It's hard to see him taking the majority of the carries. However, with the Giants likely playing from behind, Tracy's receiving acumen may offer some value in deep-league formats.

Joe Mixon

Three DNPs in a row led to an expected OUT status. This is going to be Cam Akers’ backfield again, as Dameon Pierce barely returned to a limited practice on Friday, after missing the previous two days. Akers will face a Buffalo defense that just got gashed by Derrick Henry for 199 rushing yards. This will be a great offensive environment for Akers in a game that has an over/under of 47.5, third highest of Week 5.

Wide Receiver

Christian Watson

Watson is expected to miss Week 5 with an ankle injury, and it could be a multi-week injury. With Romeo Doubs being suspended for violating team rules, the target tree becomes more narrow for the Packers. Jayden Reed upgrades to WR6 in Dwain McFarland’s projections, and summer darling Dontayvion Wicks is top 24 at the position going against a Rams defense that is giving WRs a fantasy boost of 3.8 points per week, No. 8 in the league. 

Rashee Rice

Rice was placed on IR and underwent a knee procedure to determine the extent of his injury. The fact that he has not been ruled out for the season with a torn ACL is cause for encouragement. As expected, Travis Kelce saw an increase in volume with 9 targets, catching 7 for 89 yards. He’ll be the lead target as long as Rice is out, though the lead dog in the WR is TBD. Keep an eye on JuJu Smith-Schuster and Justin Watson to see if their target share goes up. Xavier Worthy needs to be monitored, because he has yet to see more than 4 targets in a game. If his game matures, he’s a player to target.

Brandin Cooks

Brandin Cooks had been on the upswing with respect to usage over the last three weeks. After just 2 targets in Week 2, the veteran receiver's target share (4.9% to 15.4%) and air yards (4.9% to 27.8%) jumped to make him a viable option in the Cowboys' passing game. However, after logging two DNPs to start the week, Cooks' knee infection will keep him sidelined for at least Week 5.

Cooks' absence brings Jalen Tolbert back into the limelight. The third-year wideout has been getting cardio workouts each week (+75.0% route rate). However, as Cooks got going, Tolbert fell behind (3 targets in Week 4). To his credit, he's matched CeeDee Lamb in target rate from the slot (20.5%), and Tolbert has also seen work in the red zone (second-most targets behind Lamb). With fewer options for Dak Prescott, Tolbert's worth an add in deep-bench leagues.

Khalil Shakir

Shakir still tied for a team-high 73.0% route rate, but early speculation was he hurt his ankle on a routine catch-and-run to keep the Bills' offense moving. With the potential for a high-ankle sprain, Shakir has been ruled out for this week.

In Shakir's stead, Keon Coleman and Curtis Samuel become FLEX options. Coleman has maintained a +15.0% TPRR in three straight games, but his routes have oscillated (31.4% route rate in Week 3). Samuel has the better matchup (HOU has allowed the 12th-most PPG to slot receivers), but hasn't cracked more than 3 targets in a game. Regardless, with Josh Allen as their QB, either are worth stashing if Shakir misses multiple weeks.

Malik Nabers

"Hey, Leek. You good?"

"Nah."

Fantasy managers knew what Week 5 would bring for the Giants' WR1 before Monday. Malik Nabers has seen double-digit targets in three straight games. It's essentially Nabers and everyone else.

Well, actually, "everyone else" means Wan'Dale Robinson. If Daniel Jones can't get the ball to Nabers, Robinson has become the Giants' safety blanket. Robinson had TPRR rates over 25.0% in back-to-back games. In PPR formats, Robinson vaults into the WR3 conversation in what should be a negative game script for the G-Men. 

Tight End

Taysom Hill

Hill appeared to be in some pain after putting up two scores early against the Falcons. On top of missing the second half of Week 4's contest, Hill hasn't made an appearance at practice ahead of their MNF matchup against the Chiefs. I mention the fact New Orleans plays in prime time, as it presents fantasy managers with two options.

First, which you've likely already done, grab a replacement off the wire. We highlighted Tucker Kraft as the best option to acquire via free agency. But guys like Hunter Henry or Erick All have some viability. However, if you missed out on them, the second option could be Juwan Johnson.

Johnson hit a season-high in routes run (27, 71.1%) along with earning 3 targets in Week 4. The journeyman TE has been working his way back from offseason foot surgery, but Johnson does get a favorable matchup against the Chiefs' defense that allowed 26.1 and 12.6 PPR points, respectively, to opposing TEs in back-to-back weeks.

George Kittle

George Kittle injured his ribs during the 49ers' Week 4 matchup against the Patriots. He missed part of the game, but returned after catching a TD pass from Brock Purdy.

Luckily, beat reporters have seen Kittle working off to the side at practice, but two missed practices to kick off the week are a cause for concern. Hopefully, Friday's participation gives us a better idea as to if Kittle will be available on Sunday.

Meanwhile, we've already seen what this offense looks like without its TE1 on the field. Backup TEs, Eric Saubert and Jake Tonges, combined for 2 targets when Kittle sat out Week 3. Purdy spread the love to the rest of his playmakers (Jauan Jennings, Brandon Aiyuk). So, if you felt like trying to grab a piece of San Francisco's offense should Kittle miss out on the Week 5 action, let someone else beat you to that decision. It looks like Kittle is going to play. 

Kittle has a tough matchup, as the Cardinals are allowing an average of 36.8 receiving yards to TEs.