Panthers RB Miles Sanders lost a fumble and took a backseat to teammate Chuba Hubbard in Week 5’s loss vs. the Lions. The veteran still has a groin injury that he's working through, so it makes sense that Carolina spread the wealth around. Sanders only logged 7 carries for 32 yards, though Hubbard’s 9 attempts for 35 yards weren’t much better. Neither RB was effective in the contest against the Lions’ stout run D. It also didn’t help matters that WR Laviska Shenault Jr. siphoned off 5 carries, but sometimes weird stuff happens. It’s possible both Sanders and Hubbard could be viable deeper league options in a much better matchup vs. the Dolphins in Week 6.
Titans TE Chig Okonkwo nabbed a season-high 5 receptions for 33 yards in Sunday's loss to the Colts. His 9 targets beat his previous high by five, but the yardage remained unimpressive. Missing WR Treylon Burks (knee) and the team setting a season high for pass attempts certainly helped. Don't expect this game to change our outlook for Okonkwo going forward.
Panthers QB Bryce Young totaled 25 completions on 41 attempts for 247 passing yards with 3 TDs and 2 INTs in Week 5 vs. the Lions. After tossing his pair of INTs in the first half of the contest, the rookie turned his play around considerably and ended the fourth quarter with back-to-back 75-yard scoring drives. Those efforts weren’t enough to pull out a victory, but fantasy managers can be happy with 18.3 points in 4-point passing TD scoring. Next week, Young will have a tough test against the Dolphins.
Giants QB Daniel Jones had an X-ray on his injured neck and will get a scan on Monday. He said after the loss to Miami that his neck soreness and pain feels “similar” to what he had in 2021, according to insider Pat Leonard. Jones missed the final six games of 2021 with that neck injury. We'll keep you updated on his status.
Titans WR DeAndre Hopkins snagged 8 receptions for 140 yards on 11 targets in Sunday's loss to the Colts. He drew a target on 31.4% of Tennessee pass attempts, claimed 34.8% of the team's receptions, and accounted for 53% of the receiving yards. The numbers marked high points for Hopkins in receptions and yards with the Titans, while QB Ryan Tannehill matched his season high in pass attempts from Week 1. Missing WR Treylon Burks (knee) certainly didn't hurt Hopkins' role, but he has easily led the team's receiving through five games.
The initial diagnosis on Colts QB Anthony Richardson's right shoulder is an AC joint sprain, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. Richardson is set to undergo an MRI to get a better look at the damage. We should get an update on how much time he's expected to miss within the next 24 hours.
Kylen Granson led Colts TEs with 3 targets in Sunday's win over the Titans, but he saw negative development for his role. Andrew Ogletree led the position in snaps, playing 40 to Granson's 26, according to Pro Football Focus. Granson still led in routes, but that lead shrank to 12-9 -- with TE Mo Alie-Cox adding 7 routes (before leaving with a concussion). That 42.9% route rate marked a second straight dip vs. 56.7% in Week 4 and 67.3% in Week 3. Ogletree added 2-16 receiving on 2 targets, and Alie-Cox caught his lone target for 17 yards. With TE Jelani Woods still due back from IR soon, it's tough to see any Colts TE as worth rostering in redraft leagues right now.
Cardinals RB James Conner suffered a knee injury in the second quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Bengals. He's officially questionable to return. With RB Keaontay Ingram inactive with a neck injury, Arizona is down to RB Emari Demercado.
Week 5 turned up a memorable game for Steelers WR George Pickens. He snagged 6 of 10 targets for 130 yards, plus a game-winning deep-ball score. Call it a fortunate outcome for fantasy owners, as Kenny Pickett continued to struggle while playing through a knee injury. Pittsburgh failed to find the end zone before Pickens’ score late in the 4th. Pickens will remain a boom/bust fantasy option following a Week 6 bye. Diontae Johnson (IR, hamstring) should return for that one.
Patriots RBs Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott each received 8 carries in Week 5’s loss vs. the Saints for a combined 45 rushing yards. The New England pass-catchers didn’t perform much better in the 34-0 blowout either. WR Kendrick Bourne led the team in receiving with 43 yards on 2 catches. No other Pats player exceeded 25 receiving yards. This game is the second straight beating that this team has taken without much fantasy-relevant production. It’ll be curious to see if HC Bill Belichick makes a change at QB in Week 6 vs. the Raiders.
Patriots QB Mac Jones tried to play football in Week 5 vs. the Saints, but a pair of INTs and a lost fumble really got in the way of success. He completed just 12 of 22 passes for 110 yards before being benched for Bailey Zappe for the second week in a row. To make matters worse, one of Jones’ INTs was a pick-six TD, his third in 2023 alone. Jones started the year with some promising performances, but these last two weeks have to leave fantasy managers wondering how much longer it’ll be before New England makes a change at QB. We’ll see who’s under center in Week 6 vs. the Raiders.
Colts rookie WR Josh Downs caught all six of his targets for a team-high 97 yards in Sunday's win over the Titans. Downs actually had two other targets -- one completed, one not -- negated by offensive penalties. He made half of those receptions with each QB, in a game Anthony Richardson left early with a right shoulder injury. Downs remains third among Colts WRs in snaps and routes but continues to easily beat WR Alec Pierce in targets per route. He looks like a decent PPR WR3 for Week 6 at Jacksonville. Tougher matchups with Cleveland and New Orleans sit beyond that. WR Michael Pittman led Downs 7-6 in official targets against Tennessee, posting a 5-52 receiving line. No other Colt caught more than two passes.
Saints WR Michael Thomas hauled 4 of 7 targets for a team-leading 65 receiving yards in Week 5’s win vs. the Patriots. His teammate Chris Olave salvaged his 2-catch performance on Sunday was salvaged by finding the end zone but was otherwise nothing to write home about. Considering the Saints led this contest throughout and scored a defensive TD, there wasn’t a lot of offense to speak of. Week 6 vs. the Texans should be a much more competitive duel.
Saints RB Alvin Kamara shouldered a massive workload in Week 5, tallying 25 touches for 97 total yards vs. the Patriots. He didn’t see nearly as much receiving work in the game (3 catches), but that’s likely due to the fact that the Saints never trailed at any point in their 34-0 blowout win. Rookie Kendre Miller had a tremendous game, logging 37 rushing yards and contributing 4 catches for 54 receiving yards in the contest. With Jamaal Williams still sidelined with a hamstring injury, it’s conceivable that both Miller and Kamara will be solid options again next week vs. the Texans.
Saints QB Derek Carr completed 18 of 26 passes for 183 yards with 2 TDs in Sunday’s huge 34-0 victory over the Patriots. This isn’t the eye-popping production that’ll make fantasy managers excited, but it’s not bad considering Carr is still dealing with a shoulder injury on his throwing arm. We’ll continue to be cautious with him in Week 6 vs. the Texans.
Sunday's return by Colts RB Jonathan Taylor didn't stop RB Zack Moss from getting workhorse usage and posting big fantasy numbers against the Titans. Moss racked up 165 yards and 2 TDs on 23 carries, vs. just 6 attempts for Taylor. Moss added 30 yards on 2 receptions, with Taylor going 1-16 receiving on 1 target. Moss' big strike came from 56 yards out in the first quarter. but he also scored from the 3-yard line in the middle of the third quarter. We got indications before the game that Indy would ease Taylor back in. This drastic split in Moss' favor, though, has to make you wary of expecting too much for Taylor in Week 6 at Jacksonville. That said, the Colts didn't extend Taylor at $14 million a year to make him Moss' sidekick. So Taylor's slow start could extend the "buy" opportunity on the star back for at least one more week -- both in redraft and dynasty. Moss, on the other hand, looks like a potential "sell" across formats, especially if another manager in your league has Taylor and might be panicking.
Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill totaled 8 catches for 181 yards in Week 5. He added his fifth TD of the year. (Hill notched only 7 scores in 17 games last season.) The former Chief destroyed man coverage for a deep ball along the sideline for a 69-yard score. Hill also showed his run-after-catch wheels on a 64-yard gain later on. Entering a Week 6 date vs. Carolina, we’re not looking to sell high here.
Dolphins RB De’Von Achane broke off another long run in Sunday’s win over the Giants. Achane's 76-yard score showcased the latest example of his speed and acceleration to the edge. He matched Raheem Mostert in opportunities (12), while both backs fumbled. (Achane’s was lost.) In his current form, Achane will remain a must-start going forward. Next up is a cupcake matchup vs. Carolina.
Giants WR Wan’Dale Robinson snagged 5 of 6 targets for 18 yards in Week 5. Robinson remained exclusively a short-range target – necessary given the amount of pressure put on Daniel Jones. The Giants went without an offensive score in this one and now own just 5 offensive TDs all season. We’ll see if Daniel Jones – who left late with a neck injury – can get cleared ahead of Week 6.
Giants TE Darren Waller woke up with 8 grabs for 86 yards in a blowout loss to Miami. Waller set a season-high with 11 targets. Game flow always projected favorably for the veteran, and sure enough, New York quickly faced a double-digit deficit. Now, we’ll need to check on the health of QB Daniel Jones, who left in the 4th quarter with a neck injury. If he’s unable to go for Week 6 (at Buffalo), Tyrod Taylor will start.
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