Week 5 in the NFL has dawned, and as a fantasy community we continue to be left reeling by a large number of injuries. And, with week 5 here, we now get to deal with the beginning of the bye weeks. If we thought we had a minefield to navigate so far, oooh boy, do I have news for you! For the bulk of the remainder of the fantasy regular season, in addition to injuries we are going to have to deal with teams simply having the week off.  It’s not all bad news, however, we do have reinforcements beginning to return from IR. Let’s get into the practice reports.

Quarterback

We begin with the quarterback position by discussing a guy, who I think shouldn’t have played last week, in Derek Carr. He is still dealing with a shoulder injury, but he has been able to get in a limited practice on both Wednesday and Thursday, so he is trending in the right direction. The next guy we are looking at is Kenny Pickett. After a scare last Sunday we were left wondering if he would play again this season, but he was removed from the injury report on Thursday and seems to be good to go, barring setbacks.  Jimmy G is still working his way through the concussion protocol, and has not yet been cleared. This is a Monday game, so unless you are in dire straits, I cannot recommend waiting on him.

Running Back

The running back position continues to be one that drives fantasy owners crazy with injuries. We do have some good news this week with Johnathon Taylor returning to practice, and seemingly in line to play this week. This is bad news for Zach Moss owners, but great news for the Colts. I do expect Moss to continue to have a role, but I expect Taylor to take the lead role. We also have Keaton Mitchell returning to practice for the Ravens. He is more of a stash piece currently, but I expect that he will have a role in this offense. Staying with the Ravens Justice Hill has gotten in a limited practice on both Wednesday and Thursday, and is trending toward playing this weekend. The Giants have some good news with Saquon Barkley getting in a couple of limited practices on Wednesday and Thursday. He seems to be trending in the right direction as well. In Arizona, Keontay Ingram was a DNP on Wednesday, but got in a limited practice Thursday. I doubt anyone is relying on him, but if you needed him on Sunday, I would look elsewhere. Javonte Williams is trending toward playing on Sunday, so those Jaleel McLaughlin FAAB bids may have been in vain. Williams was a DNP on Wednesday, but got in a limited practice on Thursday. Elijah Mitchell is still a DNP with a knee injury so it looks like the CMC handcuff is currently Jordan Mason. The Patriots Rhamondre Stevenson has been a limited participant in practice this week with a thigh injury. The Panthers have Miles Sanders on the injury report with a groin injury.

Wide Receiver

The wide receiver position has been holding up fairly well, but has been dealing with a fair number of significant injuries as well. I’m going to start with the good news again, and the Rams are getting Cooper Kupp back from IR, and based off these reports he is trending toward playing on Sunday. This isn’t great news for Nacua owners, but I still think he has a role as well.  The Jaguars have some good news with Zay Jones and Jamal Agnew both getting in limited practices this week. The Titans are a little banged up at receiver with Treylon Burks being a DNP on both Wednesday and Thursday, and Hopkins being limited with an ankle injury. In Detroit Amon-Ra St. Brown has been a DNP so far this week with an abdomen injury, this is a situation we need to monitor. In Baltimore Odell Beckham has been a limited participant in practice this week. I’m not sure I would trust him this week, but keep an eye out to see if he plays or not. Tee Higgins has been a DNP this week with a broken rib, and I would personally look elsewhere this week if you have any other options. For the 49ers Deebo Samuel has been a limited participant this week, and should be able to play this weekend. On the other side, CeeDee Lamb has also been a limited participant in practice this week.

Tight End

The only truly fantasy relevant injury at the tight end position this week is Pat Freiermuth. He has been a DNP on both Wednesday and Thursday, and does not seem to be trending in the right direction for playing this weekend. Personally, I would look elsewhere.

With the bye weeks here, I hope that your rosters are deep enough to survive both the bye weeks and the injury report. Good luck out there. As always, if I can assist please reach out on X(Twitter) @2fatguysff