Fantasy Football Week 5 News & Notes: John Ross injury impact, Golden Tate returning

Ben Gretch gets you up to speed on the latest headlines for Fantasy Football in Week 5.

By Ben Gretch

Oct 2, 2019 at 10:56 am ET • 4 min read

John Ross suffered a shoulder injury in the Bengals' Monday Night Football loss to the Steelers and has been placed on IR, meaning he'll be out at least eight weeks.

It's an obviously disappointing result for a guy who has dealt with injury issues throughout his collegiate and professional career, and was just starting to hit his stride at the NFL level in Year 3. Ross is droppable in all but deep leagues, but his early-season production and heavy usage in the Bengals' three-wide sets does make him worth stashing in deep formats and Dynasty.

The injury comes right before what would have been a dream matchup with the Cardinals, and there is now plenty of room for the Bengals' other pass-catchers to step up. Auden Tate is a popular name, but it's worth noting that while he's been productive over the past two weeks, he's already been playing a full snap share in the 11-personnel-heavy scheme Zac Taylor brought to Cincinnati. Tate's a solid streaming option, but the biggest playing time beneficiary to Ross's injury will be whichever receiver takes over as the third wide receiver, likely either UDFA Damion Willis or perhaps veteran Alex Erickson. The Bengals also promoted Stanley Morgan from the practice squad.

I do think Tate is a reasonable Week 5 option but also see scenarios where Tyler Boyd dominates targets or Tyler Eifert continues the trend of tight ends crushing against the Cardinals. It's also a great bounce-back spot for Joe Mixon, who has had a lot of trouble getting things going behind Cincinnati's banged up offensive line. All of these Bengals are in play in Week 5, but while they all make sense in various formats, it's not a lock all will be productive in an offense that has really stumbled in recent weeks.

Here are the rest of the news and notes on what is a slow news week:

Golden Tate has been activated ahead of the Giants' Week 5 matchup with the Vikings, and if there was any uncertainty about his role, the Giants cleared that up by releasing two wide receivers, Bennie Fowler and T.J. Jones. Clearing out their depth at the position seems to indicate Tate will immediately return to a substantial role. The issue is the matchup, as Minnesota won't make production easy to come by.
Rashaad Penny has been practicing in full and is expected to be ready to return to the Seahawks lineup for their Thursday night matchup with the Rams. It's a potentially slight downgrade for Chris Carson, but he's still very much a strong start as a home favorite, one week after Pete Carroll announced he'd stick with Carson despite his fumble issues and then backed that up, giving him 26 touches and playing him on a very strong 76% of the Seahawks' offensive snaps, way up from Carson's 45% snap share in Week 3 (which came, it should be noted, in worse game script).
Josh Allen is in the concussion protocol and it's unclear whether he'll be ready for Week 5. If he's not able to go, Matt Barkley would likely get the start.
Washington has also not yet named a Week 5 starting quarterback, and for them there are three potential options. Case Keenum was benched in Week 4 for Dwayne Haskins, but Haskins struggled, and with Colt McCoy now reportedly healthy, it's possible the former Texas Longhorn will get the call.
Mitchell Trubisky won't need surgery on the shoulder injury that knocked him from the Bears' Week 4 win over the Vikings, and isn't likely to miss extended time. But with a Week 6 bye looming, Trubisky is unlikely to play in Chicago's Week 5 matchup with Oakland in London.
Bradley Chubb, the fifth overall pick in the 2018 draft, suffered an ACL injury that will put him out for the season for the Broncos. The second-year pro had 12 sacks last season and is a significant loss for the Broncos' defense.
After suffering a high-ankle sprain in Week 4, star offensive tackle Tyron Smith is unlikely to suit up in Week 5. Smith has missed some time over the past two seasons, and outside of a Week 17 game last year where Dak Prescott shredded a disinterested Giants' defense, Smith's absence has caused problems for the Cowboys' passing offense, notably causing a spike in Prescott's pressure rate. The Cowboys have reportedly not yet ruled out Michael Gallup for Week 5, and he was expected to practice Wednesday, but even if he's active we might be in line for another run-heavy game plan against a Packers' defense that has been much more susceptible to the run than the pass so far in 2019.
Chargers kicker Mike Badgley suffered a setback in his rehab and is a couple weeks away from returning. Los Angeles had been using punter Ty Long on field goals awaiting Badgley's return, but this week the Chargers signed undrafted rookie Chase McLaughlin. The Chargers have a solid Week 5 implied team total and face a Broncos defense that is tied for the league lead with 11 field goal attempts allowed, so McLaughlin is a reasonable streamer.