Mariota will miss his second straight contest and third of the season when the Commanders face the 49ers on Monday Night Football. Athan Kaliakmanis will continue to serve as the primary backup.
Good news. Metcalf missed practice Friday and was listed as questionable, but has since been removed from the injury report and is expected to play this week. With the Steelers missing Michael Pittman Jr., Roman Wilson and Ben Skowronek, Metcalf could see even more targets than usual against Tampa Bay.
Freiermuth popped up on the injury report Saturday afternoon with a calf injury. He’s questionable for this weekend against the Buccaneers. Freiermuth would’ve been in line for a sizable workload with the Steelers down multiple wide receivers. Coming off a two touchdown performance in Week 5, fantasy managers need a backup plan in case Freiermuth is ultimately ruled out against Tampa Bay.
No surprise here. Croskey-Merritt has been dealing with a groin injury since the start of the season. This week he couldn’t practice and has since been officially ruled out for the Commanders’ Monday Night Football matchup against the 49ers. Croskey-Merritt will get a two-week break with Washington on bye in Week 7. Rachaad White and Austin Ekeler figure to handle the majority of the backfield touches in his absence with White being the preferred fantasy option between the two.
Croskey-Merritt has dealt with a groin injury all season despite playing in the Commanders’ first five games. He missed multiple practices this week and will now get two weeks off with missing the game against the 49ers ahead of Washington’s bye week. For now, expect Rachaad White and Austin Ekeler to handle the majority of the backfield touches for the Commanders.
While nothing is official yet, Lane practiced in full all week, which is another good sign for his availability against the Browns this weekend. Lane was one of the most impressive rookies this offseason and preseason. Rashod Bateman isn’t on the injury report, but missed practice during the week with a shoulder. Lane could conceivably operate as the second option in the Ravens passing game behind Zay Flowers as early as this week.
Mayfield didn’t practice this week, but according to Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles he threw on Monday and was pushing to play before his “thumb swelled up on him.” It seems like Mayfield is trending in the right direction and that he could return against the Panthers in Week 7 if the swelling is no longer an issue. Jalon Daniels is starting for Tampa Bay again in Week 6 against the Steelers.
No surprise here. Pierce shed his cast earlier this week, but there was also a report from the Athletic’s James Boyd that he “didn’t get the sense” Pierce was close to a return. Pelissero reports that Pierce isn’t expected to return to practice next week when he’s eligible. It’s difficult to justify holding Pierce in leagues without IR spots given the circumstances.
The Packers play the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football on NBC and Peacock in Week 6, but Parsons still isn’t practicing. According to Pelissero, it’s unlikely the 27-year-old defensive end plays before Green Bay’s matchup with the Patriots in Week 9 at the earliest. The Packers’ defense has certainly struggled without Parsons, but they have enough offensive firepower to win shootouts, which only adds to the fantasy floor for Jordan Love and Green Bay’s skill players.
According to Pelissero, teams have called Chargers GM Joe Hortiz, but he’s not interested in potential trade offers despite Los Angeles’ 0-5 record. The Chargers have one game left before their bye week and if they lose to the 4-0 Chiefs, falling to 0-6, this could all change. For now, the Chargers GM doesn’t want to deal, but trade calls on veteran players aren’t going to stop without a massive turnaround. Pelissero mentions Khalil Mack, Bud Dupree, Daiyan Henley, Donte Jackson, Denzel Perryman, Dalvin Tomlinson, and Tuli Tuipulotu as potential trade candidates in the final year of their contracts with the Chargers. He adds that he wouldn’t be surprised if teams that need running back or receiver help call about Keaton Mitchell, Kimani Vidal, and Quentin Johnston.
Brown returned to practice this week after going on injured reserve with a high-ankle sprain. While nothing is official yet, it’s a great sign that Rapoport is anticipating a return for the 29-year-old wide receiver in Week 6 against the Jets. Brown may not play a full complement of snaps in his first game back, but is still essentially a must-start for fantasy managers.
The Titans are 0-5 and have won only three games since Borgonzi joined the team prior to the 2025 season. Despite this, Nihill told ESPN’s Turron Davenport that he feels a “sense of stability” in the organization. Davenport, in turn, notes that the Titans “have fired a coach or general manager every year since 2022.” Nihill apologized to Titans fans, saying ownership and team executives feel “a sense of grief” about the endless losses, and “feel the sense of responsibility to deliver” for fans moving forward. We wish them luck.
Normally, social media posts don’t count for much. However, earlier today, Bears coach Ben Johnson said that the Bears should have more clarity on Williams’ status by the end of the day, after the medical team put Williams through “the final stress tests” in his return-to-play program. We are inferring that Williams’ social media post suggests he passed the final medical testing, though we have not officially received word that this is indeed the case. For now, we tentatively expect Williams to play on Sunday. He can be treated as a mid-to-low QB1.
Kirk’s inability to practice fully despite his lengthy injured reserve stint suggests he might need another week or two to get ready for an NFL game. Still, the 49ers don’t face the Commanders until Monday night. If active, he could end up warranting FLEX treatment with Mike Evans (ribs/Achilles) ailing.
Fowler reportedly spoke to “some people who are hopeful” that Hurts can avoid injured reserve. He described the situation as being “very much touch and go” and said Tanner McKee will “probably” start multiple games. The Eagles go on bye in Week 10, so if Hurts does land on injured reserve, the Eagles’ Week 11 game against the Steelers would be his earliest possible return.
Fowler is surprisingly saying the quiet part out loud here, though this has been the general consensus for fans and analysts for a while. Jacobs is scheduled to come off the NFL’s Commissioner Exempt list on Monday. The NFL is reportedly trying to get hold of the video, and Jacobs has sued to block its release. Fowler adds that the woman’s attorney said her client has not participated in the league’s investigation due to privacy concerns. If the video stays under wraps, Jacobs could be allowed to continue playing in the NFL.
The Commanders added a “rest” designation to McLaurin’s report, so fantasy managers should not be alarmed by today’s absence. The veteran wide receiver played through the injury last week and should be expected to do so again this week. McLaurin is a WR2 against the 49ers in Week 6’s Monday Night Football game.
Croskey-Merritt has played through multiple injuries this year. We still think he has a chance to face the 49ers in Week 6’s Monday Night Football game. Rachaad White (shoulder) sported a red non-contact jersey for the first time this week, and was downgraded to limited today.
Ekeler continues to practice in a limited capacity while wearing a red non-contact jersey. He has a chance to play on Monday night, but he is clearly hurting. Jacory Croskey-Merritt (groin) remains sidelined and Rachaad White (shoulder) has been downgraded to limited. It’s an ailing backfield.
One of these days, Bowers will be removed from the injury report for good. For now, we will continue to let you know that the Raiders’ star player gets a half day on Wednesday before practicing in full for the rest of the week. Bowers is the overall TE1 in fantasy football each week. Start him accordingly.
The Raiders’ starting running back is good to go for what should be a fantasy-friendly game environment. The Raiders encouragingly stopped listing Jeanty with an ankle injury this week. Hopefully, his remaining plantar fasciitis issue subsides before long as well. Jeanty is a low-end RB1 in Week 6.
Even for an iron man like Evans, this is a little concerning. Frankly, we still expect Evans to play, but two missed practices due partially to Achilles “soreness” are less than ideal. The 49ers face the Commanders on Monday night. Making a backup plan is worthwhile at this time.
Bosa is on the wrong side of questionable despite prior reports and coaching comments indicating he has a chance to face the Commanders on Monday night. For now, we expect Bosa to miss another week, though the extra day off could help him return.
Free agent running backs Ulysses Bentley and Josh Pitsenberger also worked out for the Patriots. TreVeyon Henderson (ankle) is questionable to play in Week 6 against the Jets. Perhaps the Patriots are making backup plans.