He didn’t practice all week. With Jonathon Brooks also out, it seems likely that Trevor Etienne will be activated to serve as Chuba Hubbard’s main backup. Hubbard will project to get most of the volume here and has stumbled into high-end RB2 value this week.
Panthers coach Dave Canales said Etienne would be activated off injured reserve for this week. Etienne practiced in full all week and, with AJ Dillon ruled out, the Panthers currently have just one healthy back on the 53-man roster. Perhaps he’ll be joined by a practice squad player as well. Either way, Etienne has no stand-alone value this week.
He upgraded to a full practice today. Waller will be a low-end TE2 with Jalen Coker (quad) playing in Week 6 against a Jalen Hurts-less Eagles outfit.
The rookie got in back-to-back limited sessions, but they must have indeed been quite limited for him to wind up with the rarely-used doubtful tag. It’s very unlikely he plays this weekend. Taylor Moton (blood clot) is questionable after three full practices and would seem to be the favorite to start at right tackle.
It was reported the day after the Falcons’ overtime loss to the Ravens that there was “optimism” that Penix would start in Week 6. After being upgraded to a full participant on Thursday’s practice, he seemed like a lock to be ready to go by Sunday, so Friday’s news isn’t all that unexpected. Penix has thrown for 719 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception this season, throwing one touchdown in each of his first three games. He’ll be on the fantasy radar in 2QB/Superflex leagues against a Bears defense that has allowed just two top-12 fantasy finishes to opposing QBs this season.
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said they’d make the decision on whether to activate him off injured reserve on Saturday, so at least Brown won’t be a game-time decision. Brown can be started with confidence if he’s active, though he’d potentially be in line for a pitch count to the point where he’d be more of a WR2 than a WR1 in his return.
Sampson practiced each of the last two days, but it was too little, too late, for Week 6. He stands a chance at returning in Week 7. As long as Quinshon Judkins is relatively healthy, Sampson won’t have standalone value.
He only got in a limited session on Friday, leaving us to conclude this is likely a true questionable situation. The viability of Jaleel McLaughlin as a FLEX play will probably be determined by if Judkins is active or not. It’s also possible Judkins plays on a pitch count. He’ll be a shaky low-end RB2 if active.
Jackson will miss a second straight game with his ankle injury despite reports at the beginning of the week that said he had a “realistic” chance to play in Week 6. It was also reported after the team’s overtime win against the Falcons that Lamar was “closer than people realized” to playing in Week 5. Jackson and the Ravens will now set their sights on having him ready to go in Week 7 at home against the Bengals, while Tyler Huntley will draw the start this week against the Browns.
Schwesinger played through a high-ankle sprain last year, so we anticipate he’s more likely to be active than not after returning to practice today. The second-year star linebacker will likely attempt to power through against the Ravens.
Concepcion will have some low-end WR3/FLEX appeal with four teams on bye in PPR leagues. He simply hasn’t been able to find much space with his opportunities so far, with two 25-yard catches and 16 other catches that went for just 99 yards in his first five weeks of action.
The Cardinals officially ruled Love out for this Sunday’s game against the Rams after he was. DNP in practice all week. Head coach Matt LaFleur said Love is not considered a candidate to be placed on injured reserve at this time, but the fact that he even has to mention that is cause for some concern that Love could be looking at a multi-week absence. LaFleur also added that Love’s lack of involvement in the passing game is due to his inability to run routes on his injured ankle. His practice status will be one to monitor next week when the Cardinals begin preparing for the Broncos. Tyler Allgeier should be in line for a busy day against the Rams and will be a volume-based RB2 play.
He’ll be a usable WR3 against the Ravens this week. Boston has returned at least 41 yards in every start this year while hitting a deep gain seemingly weekly. The 22-year-old should be Cleveland’s No. 1 target again this week.
His Wednesday DNP suggested worse, but Howard will try to play through the knee injury that cost him roughly half of Cleveland’s snaps against the Jets last week.
Jurgens has now missed each of his first two weeks with the Ravens as he tries to shake a brain injury he suffered while with the Eagles. Vega Ioane will likely man center again.
This is an improvement for Judkins, who was a DNP for the team’s first two practices this week. Head coach Todd Monken said earlier this week that Judkins was considered day-to-day, so we’ll see if he has a shot at playing when the team releases its final injury report in a couple of hours. It seems unlikely that Judkins will be fully removed from the injury report, meaning he’ll likely carry a questionable designation heading into the weekend.
All signs are pointing to Tyler Huntley making his second straight start. Jackson was a DNP for all three practices this week and will likely be ruled out in the next few hours, meaning Huntley will have a chance at a “revenge game” against a Browns team that he spent part of the 2024 and 2025 seasons with. Huntley threw for 201-2-0 in last week’s win over the Falcons and rushed for another 20 yards and one touchdown. He’ll have some appeal in 2QB and Superflex leagues on the road against the Browns.
After missing all of practice last week and being a DNP on Thursday, Diggs was back on the field Friday, which is a good sign for his Week 6 availability with one practice left to go in the week. The Commanders take on the 49ers on Monday Night Football this week and will likely announce Diggs’ availability sometime Saturday, but he could be on track to return in what is a must-win game for the 1-3-1 Commanders. Diggs has caught 18 passes for 170 yards and three touchdowns this season and would be in the mix as a fringe WR3/WR4 if active.
Cooper had his 21-day practice window opened earlier this week, but is officially set to return after logging a full practice on Friday. The rookie receiver could step into an immediate role for the Jets with Adonai Mitchell (finger) out for at least one more week, but he could still be a few weeks away from fantasy relevance. Cooper played on just five snaps in Week 1 before his injury, but did catch one pass for 30 yards.
Milton will join Tanner McKee and rookie Cole Payton on the Eagles’ 53-man roster. This move comes a day after it was revealed that Jalen Hurts would be out indefinitely due to a superficial blood clot that could sideline him for the next several weeks. Milton will likely serve as the Eagles’ emergency third QB on game days and seems unlikely to see any playing time at this point.
Winston has been a DNP in practice all week and has now been ruled out for Week 6’s game against the Colts. The second-year safety has started all four games he has appeared in this season, totaling 29 tackles and one forced fumble while earning a PFF coverage grade of 47.2.
Things have been trending in this direction for Hall all week. The 25-year-old back was a DNP on both Wednesday and Thursday, and will now miss a third straight game as a result of his injury. Braelon Allen will again lead the Jets’ backfield this week against the Patriots and has handled 44 of the Jets’ 48 running back opportunities since Week 4. Allen will be a volatile RB2 against a Patriots defense that ranks 18th against running backs in fantasy scoring this season.