Rams RB Kyren Williams (hip) returned to a limited practice on Thursday. He's expected to be available for this weekend's game vs. the Eagles, but we'll see how Williams is listed on the final injury report tomorrow.
Bengals TE Irv Smith (hamstring) was upgraded to full participation in Thursday's practice. He's on track to return for this weekend's game vs. the Cardinals. Cincinnati could certainly use Smith to step up in a struggling offense that'll likely be without WR Tee Higgins. But Smith would be tough to trust in Week 5 fantasy lineups after totaling just five catches for 27 yards over the first two weeks of the season.
Bengals WR Tee Higgins (rib) remained sidelined for Thursday's practice. He's looking like a long shot to play vs. the Cardinals this weekend, but we'll see how he's listed on the final injury report tomorrow.
Bills S Jordan Poyer followed a limited Wednesday practice with full participation Thursday. That seems to put him on track to play Sunday against the Jaguars in London. Poyer missed the Week 4 win over the Dolphins with a knee injury. We'll watch his status the rest of the week.
Steelers QB Kenny Pickett (knee) was upgraded to full participation in Thursday's practice. It's confirmation that he'll be able to play vs. the Ravens this weekend. Pickett sits at the very bottom of our Week 5 QB Rankings.
Bills Edge Greg Rousseau has missed the first two practices this week with a foot injury. That makes him look pretty iffy for Sunday morning's game against the Jaguars. We'll watch for his Friday participation and weekend outlook. The Buffalo D-line might get Edge Von Miller back. He is reportedly traveling with the team to London, though it's not yet clear if he'll play. Miller is coming off an early December ACL tear, so he shouldn't be in your IDP lineup even if active. But his status will be interesting to watch. We'd bet on the Bills easing him back in to make sure he's ready for December and the playoffs.
Bears S Jaquan Brisker is active for tonight's game against the Commanders. He popped up on the Wednesday injury report with a hamstring issue and entered tonight questionable. But Brisker said he would be ready to play, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. There's obviously added risk to Brisker with the hammy, but he already sat low in our Week 5 DB rankings. Here's hoping you don't need to use him. An already iffy Bears secondary is also missing CB Jaylon Johnson and S Eddie Jackson, who were each ruled out.
Giants RB Saquon Barkley (ankle) remained limited in Thursday's practice. He told reporters afterward that his ankle "is in a better spot than it was last Thursday" but stopped short of saying that he'll play vs. the Dolphins this weekend. "Each day it gets better," Barkley said. "It's a tough injury. Just taking it one day at a time. Trying to improve each day. ... Definitely encouraged but don't want to make guarantees. Just continue trusting my body and trusting the training staff." We'll see what Barkley does in Friday's practice and how he's listed on the final injury report. But fantasy owners should make sure they have a backup plan in place for Week 5. Barkley seems no better than 50/50 to play against Miami.
Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown told reporters on Thursday afternoon that he expects to play vs. the Panthers this weekend. “I’m feeling pretty good," St. Brown said. "I was running today. Actually I might’ve hit one of my top speeds the other day. So, I’m feeling pretty good.” St. Brown added that his injury is more of a pain-management issue. He can stay penciled into fantasy lineups for now. We'll get another update on his status tomorrow.
Raiders WR Davante Adams (shoulder) did not practice on Thursday. He was able to play through the injury last week, so he should be available for Monday night's game vs. the Packers. But we'll keep an eye on Adams over the next few days.
Packers TE Luke Musgrave has cleared concussion protocol, according to ESPN's Rob Demovsky. The rookie will be back on the field for Monday night's game vs. the Raiders after suffering the head injury in the first half of Week 4. Musgrave totaled 15 targets over the first three games of the season and is a fringe TE1 play vs. Vegas' 26th-ranked TE defense.
Giants QB Daniel Jones wants to get TE Darren Waller the ball more going forward. “I think it’s important [he’s a bigger part of offense],” Jones said, via ESPN's Jordan Raanan. “He’s a talented player and poses a big threat for defenses. I have to do a better job of finding him and getting him the ball. I think there are just some opportunities that I have to get him the ball and give him a chance to make plays.” Jones was strangely invisible in the passing game for most of Monday night's loss to the Seahawks. Part of that was due to the Giants needing him to help out in pass protection. We'll see what HC Brian Daboll comes up with for a game plan vs. the Dolphins this weekend, but we'd expect more volume for Waller. He totaled a solid 20 targets over the first three games of the season.
Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (abdomen) did not practice on Thursday. He did get "significant work" with a trainer off to the side, according to Pride of Detroit's Jeremy Reisman. We'll see what St. Brown does on Friday and how he's listed on the final injury report for this weekend's game vs. the Panthers.
Colts RB Jonathan Taylor confirmed on Thursday that his surgically repaired ankle is no longer an issue. “It feels really good to be healthy," Taylor said. "The main goal was to be healthy and play football.” He didn't go into details about the off-the-field stuff but did say that the contract demands were an offseason thing, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "If somebody wasn't committed, they wouldn't be here," Taylor added. Rapoport concluded that Taylor "sounded like someone who is ready to play this week." We just added Taylor to the Week 5 RB Rankings.
Broncos LB Josey Jewell (hip) and S Justin Simmons (hip) each put in limited practices Wednesday. Both players missed Week 4, so we'll need to watch their participation through the week. This marks improvement for Jewell, who missed Wednesday and Thursday practices last week. Simmons opened Week 4 limited as well.
Texans LB Denzel Perryman (hand) put in a full practice Wednesday. He missed the past two games but appears to be on track to play this week against the Falcons. Perryman should return to most IDP lineups if active.
49ers WR Deebo Samuel (knee, ribs) will be "less than 100%" for Sunday night's game vs. the Cowboys, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Samuel played his normal snap rate with the knee and rib injuries last week but didn't draw a single target. He got in a limited practice on Wednesday after missing all three practices this week, so it looks like he's healthier heading into Week 5. But Samuel's fantasy profile takes a hit until we see that he's back to 100%.
Chargers RB Austin Ekeler (ankle) said Tuesday that he expects to play in Week 6. Los Angeles gets a Week 5 bye and then plays the Cowboys on Monday night of Week 6, so Ekeler even gets an extra day to get ready for that one. We'll track his practice participation next week.
49ers WR Deebo Samuel (ribs, knee) was limited in Wednesday's practice. That's an improvement over last week, when he didn't practice at all. Samuel didn't draw a single target last week but played 87% of San Francisco's offensive snaps. He should be healthier for Sunday night's game vs. the Cowboys.
49ers RB Elijah Mitchell (knee) did not practice on Wednesday. RB Christian McCaffrey got back up to an 85% snap rate and 27 touches with Mitchell out last week. CMC is THE RB1 regardless of Mitchell's availability for Sunday night's game vs. the Cowboys, but he gets a slight boost if Mitchell is out again.
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