Week 4 marked Robinson’s second consecutive game going over 100 yards with two touchdowns on the ground, this time aided by a 59-yard touchdown run on his first touch of the game. The Falcons tied a franchise record with five rushing scores, with backfield mate Brian Robinson adding three to the two of Bijan. The return of quarterback Michael Penix has given the Falcons the threat of passing after dropping their first two games of the season behind suboptimal play from the position, and nobody has benefited more from reduced numbers in the box than Robinson. He’ll look to keep the momentum going as a top-tier RB1 when the Falcons host the Ravens in Week 5.
Robinson watched from the sidelines as Bijan cashed in on two first quarter rushing scores, getting in on the fun in the second quarter with a touchdown from four yards out. He would add one from eight yards out in the third quarter and cap off his outburst with an 11-yard touchdown scamper in the fourth quarter to send the Falcons to a 2-2 record ahead of a Week 5 meeting with the Ravens. Brian Robinson remains an elite handcuff but is unlikely to return consistent fantasy production for as long as Bijan remains healthy, despite the eruption against the Saints.
Barkley departed the team’s Week 4 loss to the Rams in the second quarter and did not return, with Ian Rapoport relaying that the team views him as “week-to-week,” for the time being. Rapoport added that the team does not view the injury as a long-term issue. Regardless, Barkley appears set to miss multiple games with the soft tissue injury, leaving the team paper thin at running back after backup Tank Bigsby inured a core muscle that requires surgery. Will Shipley is the only other back currently on the active roster, while Dameon Pierce, Carson Steele, and Jaydon Blue are with the team on the practice squad. Shipley warrants a waiver addition while managers in deeper leagues can consider taking an early flier on Blue.
Mixon failed to stick with an NFL franchise during the 2025 season after starting 14 games for the Texans in 2024. The 30-year-old back has over 1,800 carries at the professional level to his name and brings a veteran presence to a Seattle backfield reeling the wake of rookie Jadarian Price’s placement on injured reserve. Zach Charbonnet saw his 21-day practice window activated as he attempts to return from injured reserve, although it could take him another week or two to be activated considering the timing of his knee injury a season ago. Emanuel Wilson could see another week of lead-back usage alongside George Holani as Mixon gets up to speed with the offense.
Fant was originally listed as questionable but is ultimately unable to go, shocking fantasy managers that took a gamble on him following his two-touchdown game a week ago. Rookie Oscar Delp appears most likely to serve as the next man up while starter Juwan Johnson could take on additional volume at the position. Also inactive for the Saints are QB Zach Wilson, CB Decamerion Richardson, EDGE Anfernee Jennings, DL Christen Miller, LB Kaden Elliss, and EDGE Carl Granderson.
Rush will serve as the emergency quarterback over Jack Strand. LB Samsom Ebukam, who came into the weekend listed as questionable, will play against the Saints. The Falcons look to move into a tie atop the NFC South against their divisional opponent after beating the Packers in Week 3.
McVay said he expects Donald to practice this week and hopefully play when the Rams take on the Bills on Monday Night Football in Week 5. Donald has totaled four tackles in his first two games with the Rams this season and has yet to record a sack in 68 defensive snaps. The Rams will release their first injury report on Thursday, so we’ll get a better sense of Donald’s status then.
Rapoport reports there are hopes that Bigsby will be back “in six weeks or shorter.” The 24-year-old back will be required to miss at least four games now that he’s headed for an IR stint. With Saquon Barkley (hamstring) also at risk of missing at least one game, third-string RB Will Shipley could be in line for a busy day in Week 5 against the Jaguars. Shipley rushed six times for 23 yards in Sunday’s loss to the Rams, but could be a sneaky option in PPR leagues given his pass-catching profile during his days at Clemson, when he caught 85 passes over three seasons. It also wouldn’t be surprising if Dameon Pierce or Jaydon Blue were promoted off the practice squad and saw early down touches while Shipley serves in more of a third-down role. There’s a lot to figure out here over the next few days.
McCarthy said he expects Dowdle and Jaylen Warren to be a “one-two punch” once Dowdle returns to the field. Warren has totaled 34 rushes over the last two weeks while rushing for 220 scoreless yards, but had a 21-89-0 line during the first two weeks of the season when Dowdle was active. Both backs will likely fall in the RB3/FLEX range if Dowdle suits up for Week 5’s game against the Colts.
This is the third straight season-ending injury for Johnson, who also ended the 2024 and 2025 seasons on injured reserve due to knee injuries. The Cardinals picked up Johnson’s fifth-year option earlier this offseason, so he will return for the 2026 season. That said, this recent string of injuries doesn’t bode well for him earning a long-term contract extension this offseason, despite his strong play when healthy. Johnson allowed seven pressures and one sack on 174 pass-blocking snaps, per PFF, and has allowed 10 sacks in his last 30 games played. Assuming all goes well with his rehab, Johnson should be ready in time for training camp next season.
Mayfield is expected to miss “anywhere from three to six weeks” with his thumb injury, so it’s not at all surprising to see him listed as a DNP for Monday’s practice. We wouldn’t expect Mayfield to practice at all this week in the days leading up to Thursday’s matchup against the Cowboys. We’ll see if things change next week when the Bucs begin prepping for Week 6 against the Steelers. Rookie UDFA Jalon Daniels is expected to make his second career start on Thursday.
It’s hard to know what to make of this, but Douglas has missed back-to-back games with his injury and could be at risk of missing a third straight game if he can’t get on the practice field ahead of Week 5’s game against the Bengals. Douglas did not practice at all last week, so even getting on the field in a limited capacity would be an improvement. His name will be one to keep an eye on when the Dolphins release their first injury report on Wednesday.
Monangai seemingly winds up on the injury report every other week, but he keeps playing and keeps playing well. We wouldn’t be surprised to see him listed again this week, but it sounds like he’s very much in line to play against the Packers.
Taylor said that the team would see where he is at this week. It sounds like the practice reports will loom large for Higgins ahead of next Sunday’s game. Dohnte Meyers took on a big role in the absence of Ja’Marr Chase (concussion) Sunday and could have even more of a runway if both Higgins and Chase are sidelined this week.
Chase exited Week 4’s game against the Jaguars with a brain injury and didn’t return to the game. He will now need to clear a series of tests in the coming days if he hopes to be cleared in time to play in the Bengals’ Week 5 game against the Dolphins. Chase caught three passes for 27 yards before leaving Sunday’s game against the Jaguars and has caught 21 passes for 212 yards and three touchdowns this season. If he’s unable to play, Dohnte Meyers, who has seen 14 targets over the last two weeks, could be worth a stash in deeper leagues with Tee Higgins (adductor) also considered day-to-day to start the week.
The Ravens didn’t have the results of the imaging yet and punted on a real answer here, meaning we’ll have plenty more updates on Lamar Jackson’s ankle injury as the week goes on. This will probably get a sourced update tonight and, if not, then on Tuesday. Welcome back to LamarWatch, a subsidiary of Rotoworld industries.
He’ll be eligible to return in Week 9. Harmon had shown some increased pass rush ability in his four games so far this season and this is a tough loss for the Steelers defense in the short-term.
Barkley went down early in Sunday’s loss to the Rams and did not return to the game. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said earlier on Monday that Barkley’s injury “does not seem to be overly serious,” but with the Eagles taking on the Jaguars in London next week, it wouldn’t be surprising if he missed at least one game. Backup Tank Bigsby led the Eagles with 55 rushing yards on 14 carries and could be a viable RB2 if Barkley is out.
Greenard was downgraded from questionable return to doubtful during last week’s loss to the Rams, but it sounds like he’ll have a chance to suit up in Week 5 against the Jaguars if he’s able to log a few days of practice this week. Greenard missed the first two games of this season due to an oblique injury and has totaled just one tackle on the year.
Phillips went down with a hamstring injury late in Sunday’s game against the Lions and didn’t return to the field. For a player with Phillips’ injury history, there were immediate concerns regarding the severity of the injury, but with a Week 5 bye on tap, the hope is Phillips won’t miss much time, if any. Phillips has totaled two sacks in his first four games of the season. In addition to Phillips, the team is also hopeful that OT Monroe Freeling (knee) will be able to return in Week 6.
Smith’s 21-day practice window will now open, giving the team three weeks to officially activate him from IR or rule him out for the season. Smith was placed on injured reserve before the start of the season after undergoing surgery to correct an issue that he had previously put off. Smith, a three-time Pro Bowler and 2023 second-team All-Pro can be activated at any time.
Thornton is having surgery “within the week” with the hopes of being able to return late in the season or in the playoffs for the Chiefs. Xavier Worthy will likely shift up in the target pecking order absent an outside addition. Cyrus Allen could also get more run than he has over the first month of the season.
He’ll undergo surgery. Jackson had a 59.4 PFF blocking grade as a rookie and had raised that to 61 in his sophomore season. 2025 UDFA Joe Huber took over at guard for Jackson in last week’s win over the Dolphins and will presumably start going forward.