The injury report is partially clearing up on Friday, but not entirely. Expect a number of truly questionable players heading into Sunday and we will hope for a Sunday morning update before the Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars kick off at 9:30 AM ET. This piece will be updated throughout the day as the Friday injury reports continue to stream in.
Kyle Monangai ruled out for Week 5
We began the week worried about Monangai's thumb and Swift being benched for fumbling. On Friday, we found out Monangai's toe is actually the bigger issue, and he won't play this week. Swift becomes a must-start RB1, projected for near 20 touches. He still carries a little bit of fumble risk, but not nearly as much with Monangai sidelined. If you are desperate for a flex or low-end RB2, we're projecting Johnson for double-digit touches as well; he'll be ranked as a top 30 option.
Stefon Diggs out, Jayden Daniels and Rachaad White in, Terry McLaurin a game-time decision
What a whirlwind week for the Commanders. They're getting Daniels and White back, missing Diggs, and no one knows for sure about McLaurin. It's a pretty bad week at quarterback, so we're starting Daniels, though he'll be downgraded to a low-end starter if McLaurin is out as well. The running back situation is a complete mess, and we don't want to start any of them but Croskey-Merrit is our favorite if you have to. McLaurin will be a borderline WR2 if he is active. The big wildcard here is Antonio Williams. If McLaurin is active, we'll view the rookie as a high upside flex. If McLaurin is out, Williams gets elevated into WR3 consideration. Stay tuned.
Malik Nabers is good to go
Coach Harbaugh said Nabers will play after a missed practice on Wednesday and a partial practice on Thursday. Nabers has been dealing with knee soreness and has a shoulder issue as well. Our staff is divided on whether he's a high-end WR2 or a borderline WR2, but you should probably be starting him regardless. He does carry some reinjury risk, and Jameis Winston has been mostly abysmal this year.
Lamar Jackson ruled out
Jackson suffered an ankle injury in Week 4 and Tyler Huntley will start in Week 5. He really limits the upside of Zay Flowers and Mark Andrews. Huntley has averaged fewer than 160 passing yards per game in his 16 career starts. We're still starting Flowers as a WR2 if Huntley is under center but we would like to get away from Andrews. The Falcons defense has been surprisingly good this season and they are a good streaming option in Week 5.
Ja'Marr Chase working his way through concussion protocol, Tee Higgins returns on Friday
We may have this one backward. Because the Bengals said Higgins was day-to-day, we have him in our rankings and we have Chase out because we don't rank players in the concussion protocol. Chase's participation on Thursday and Friday is a positive sign, but no guarantee he'll complete all the steps needed to play by Saturday. As for Higgins, he got in some work on Friday and will be questionable. Joe Burrow is a low-end starter as long as one of these guys start with a great matchup against the Dolphins. If both of the Bengals' starting wide receivers miss, then Dohnte Meyers and Mike Gesicki might both be must-start options at their respective positions.
Ashton Jeanty not seen at Friday practice
This will probably be updated later on Friday, but the most important thing right now is to see if Mike Washington is on your waiver wire. He wouldn't take 100% of the work if Jeanty is out, but he would take enough that we would rank him as a top-24 running back, probably even higher.
Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison both limited
We are more optimistic about Addison than Jefferson as of Friday afternoon, but there are a lot of moving parts here. Let's start with the easy one: If Jefferson plays, start him and maybe only him in the Vikings passing game. If Jefferson or Addison misses Week 5, then T.J. Hockenson is a must-start tight end. If Jefferson is out, then Addison is a borderline WR2. Watch closely on Friday.
Keenan Allen limited again on Friday
Allen was limited all week and should be viewed as truly questionable. He would be tanked as a WR3 if he's active on Sunday and could help your Fantasy team, but he hurts the value of Josh Downs and Tyler Warren if he's back. Warren is a guy we are starting either way, but Downs would fall from the top 20 to the high-end WR3 range if Allen is back.
Rico Dowdle limited again on Thursday
We don't want to play Dowdle, even if he's active this week, but he would lower Jaylen Warren from a must-start RB1 to a mid-range RB2 if he can play. Warren was the better back early in the season and has been spectacular without Dowdle. We would expect Warren to maintain a larger share of the workload than he had in the first two weeks.
DJ Moore not seen at Thursday practice
We aren't expecting Moore to play, which is why Keon Coleman and Khalil Shakir were so popular on the waiver wire. I agree with adding them, but I am a little worried about starting them against a Rams defense that hasn't given up more than 50 yards to a receiver all season. I prefer Coleman to Shakir but both are in the flex area of the rankings. If Moore plays through his injury again, he will be ranked as an upside WR3.
Michael Pittman out for multiple weeks
Here's something we can feel more confident in. With Pittman out, we like DK Metcalf as a WR2, Roman Wilson as a high-end WR3, and Germie Bernard as a boom/bust flex. Pittman's absence doesn't impact Rodgers' ranking because Pittman's presence hasn't really impacted their offense.
Dallas Goedert limited again
We haven't heard anything that suggests Goedert will play, but back-to-back limited sessions are a good sign. We expect the team to be without DeVonta Smith and Saquon Barkley, so Goedert could have a huge role if he reaches 100% before Sunday. We would likely rank him as a low-end TE1 if he's cleared, because he carries some risk of reinjury or a snap-count role, and because the Eagles offense hasn't exactly looked functional. Goedert's return would hurt the value of Dontayvion Wicks, Makai Lemon, and Darius Cooper. Wicks was also added to the injury report, so make sure he's okay Friday if you are counting on him.
