UPDATED 10/3

Week 4 games were absolutely brutal in terms of injuries. Major players, first-round fantasy draft picks, and role players alike were not safe from season-ending injuries or even just minor issues that will cause constant frustration from managers. Not only that, but we also have the start of bye weeks, leaving fewer players in the pool of replacements. Let’s take a look at what is ahead of us for week 5.

WEEK 5 BYES: Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers

 

 


NFL Injury Report for Week 5: Fantasy Football Injuries 

NFL Week 5 Injury Report: Quarterbacks 

Brock Purdy/Mac Jones, San Francisco 49ers

Purdy suffered a setback in terms of the toe injury he had been dealing with. After seemingly being fine during and after the game, we got news today that Purdy had to call his coach and mention that it was hurting again. Jones, the backup, is also still dealing with a knee sprain after being even more limited than Purdy was in practices last week. This team cannot catch a break.

10/3 UPDATE

While we all know Purdy didn’t play Thursday, we did get some unfortunate news for fantasy managers. Kyle Shanahan stated that they do not have a timeline for Purdy, meaning this could be a week-to-week issue for managers. Mac Jones got the start, but aggravated his knee injury and had to adapt throughout the game. This offense cannot stay healthy right now and is hard to trust at this time.

J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings

10/3 UPDATE

McCarthy has officially been ruled out this week. This should not be a surprise, as we previously identified his injury as a 4-week issue, so Carson Wentz will lead the team against the Browns. 

Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders

Daniels missed another game this past weekend, but is hopefully going to be active this coming week. He was close to playing last week, and as long as he can progress throughout practice without a setback, I’m expecting Daniels to be back for fantasy managers this Sunday.

10/3 UPDATE

Daniels is officially off the injury report and returns to the starting lineups. This is great news for the Commanders and fantasy managers alike.

Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

Lamar had to exit their week 4 game against Kansas City due to a hamstring injury. We will need to monitor Lamar, as he may have been able to return but was held out due to the score of the matchup. 

10/3 UPDATE

Lamar has been determined to have a more severe hamstring injury and is expected not to return until after the team's bye week. This is a huge hit for the team, and its pass catchers alike, as fantasy managers now have to hope backup Cooper Rush can sustain Lamar’s level of production.

 

 

 

NFL Week 5 Injury Report: Running Backs 

Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Irving sustained some form of injury in week 4 and is scheduled to receive an MRI to determine the extent of the injury this week. Irving has been a bright spot in this offense, but if he goes down, Rachaad White should immediately jump back into his 2023/2024 workload levels, making him a weekly RB2.

10/3 UPDATE

Bucky is dealing with a foot sprain and a shoulder injury and is officially out this weekend. Rachaad White is expected to lead the backfield, with Sean Tucker being used as the RB2. Irving could be dealing with a multi-week absence as well. 

Trey Benson, Arizona Cardinals

10/3 UPDATE

Benson has officially been placed on the IR. Emari Demercado and Michael Carter are expected to take the majority of the work, but it remains to be seen how this split will work at this time. We’ve seen Carter dominate touches in the past in this offense, but Demercado has been trusted with work all season. 

Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers

10/3 UPDATE

Hubbard is expected to miss this weekend's game against the Dolphins. Rico Dowdle is expected to see the lion's share of the work, but rookie Trevor Etienne could steal touches as well. 

Miles Sanders, Dallas Cowboys

10/3 UPDATE

Sanders has not yet practiced this week, leading it to look more likely that he is inactive this Sunday. While Sanders hasn’t been overly used this year, this projects well for Javonte Williams to get more touches, as well as rookie Jaydon Blue to potentially finally get a look. 

Tyrone Tracy, New York Giants

10/3 UPDATE

Tracy will not practice this week, indicating that he will be inactive. This was expected after Tracy dislocated his shoulder. Devin Singletary and rookie Cam Skattebo will continue to split work, with Skattebo expected to keep leading the backfield.

Braelon Allen, New York Jets

10/3 UPDATE

Braelon Allen suffered a knee injury and is expected to miss 8-12 weeks per head coach Aaron Glenn. Allen had started to get more work of late, but Breece Hall and Isaiah Davis are expected to be the main focal points of the backfield. 

Joe Mixon, Houston Texans

We finally have an update on Joe Mixon, but it isn’t what we’d hoped for. Head Coach DeMeco Ryans stated that Mixon is not close to a return to play, meaning Nick Chubb and Woody Marks will continue to lead this backfield. Woods had a breakout game in week 4, so we will see if he can continue to build on that. 

Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans

Spears will have his 21-day practice window opened this week, leading to his chance to return for this offense that desperately needs playmakers. Spears should provide a bump for rookie QB Cam Ward, as he has shown pass-catching and blocking prowess out of the backfield in his young career.

10/3 UPDATE

Spears, who recently had his practice window opened, is listed as questionable and is expected to be active this weekend. The Titans have had an anemic offense, and the hope is that Spears can add some dynamic skills to this offense.

 

 


 

NFL Week 5 Injury Report: Wide Receivers

Ceedee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys

10/3 UPDATE

Lamb is still not practicing, which is no surprise at this point. Managers should expect to be without Lamb for at least a couple more weeks.

KaVontae Turpin, Dallas Cowboys

10/3 UPDATE

Turpin has been dealing with a foot injury and did not practice Thursday or Friday, and has now been ruled out.. Turpin had taken on a larger role in the offense of late, so this is yet another hit to the Dallas pass-catching room. Jalen Tolbert should continue to see an increased workload as a result. 

Malik Nabers, New York Giants

Unfortunately, Nabers suffered a torn ACL in Week 4, ending his sophomore season. This is a huge hit for fantasy teams, as Nabers was likely picked in the top two rounds by managers and now will have to be replaced. Nabers is good to be dropped as he will not return in 2025.

Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins

10/3 UPDATE

Yet another star suffering a season-ending knee injury, Hill suffered a dislocated knee and had surgery to repair damage this week. Hill will be out for the remainder of 2025. While this likely means more targets for Jaylen Waddle, Malik Washington is likely to be the one to step into Hill’s role in the offense, as this has happened previously when Hill has dealt with injuries.

Ricky Pearsall, San Francisco 49ers

Remember when I said that this team couldn’t catch a break? Pearsall seems to be dealing with a PCL injury, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan. The belief is that this is minor, but managers will have to monitor this one closely. 

Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

10/3 UPDATE

Evans has been ruled out for their matchup against the Seahawks. This is not surprising, and with the return of Chris Godwin, and the emergence of rookie Emeka Egbuka, Tampa will likely take their time getting Evans back into games.

Calvin Ridley, Tennessee Titans

Ridley was revealed to be playing on limited snaps in week 4 due to an undisclosed injury. While this offense has been nothing short of anemic in 2025 thus far, Ridley still has weekly flex upside that managers may be missing out on if Ridley can’t get back to a full workload.

10/3 UPDATE

Ridley did not practice on Thursday, but did return to practice on Friday in a limited fashion. Ridley has been nothing more than an upside start in 2025 thus far, but this shouldn’t impact managers too heavily if he were to miss.

Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders

McLaurin is “trending in the right direction,” according to JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington. McLauring getting to return to action with Jayden Daniels would be a huge boost for the Commanders and fantasy managers alike. Monitor the injury reports throughout the week for additional clarity here. 

Deebo Samuel, Washington Commanders

10/3 UPDATE

Deebo Samuel is dealing with a heel issue and was a non-participant on Thursday, but returned to practice on Friday. I lean towards Samuel being active, as the team has already ruled out Noah Brown and Terry McLaurin for their matchup. I would be prepared to replace him in lineups, but expect him to play at this stage.

Cedric Tillman, Cleveland Browns

Browns WR Cedric Tillman suffered a hamstring injury this weekend, and head coach Kevin Stefanski stated this injury will likely keep him out for weeks. Tillman started the season hot, with touchdowns in both games, but will now be out for the foreseeable future. 

 

 

 

NFL Week 5 Injury Report: Tight Ends 

Ja’Tavion Sanders, Carolina Panthers

10/3 UPDATE

Sanders continues to miss practice, indicating he is unlikely to play at this stage. Prepare to use a different streamer this week as a result.

Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints

While it remains to be seen how head coach Kellen Moore will utilize the versatile Hill, his 21-day practice window will be opened during week 5. This will give Hill a chance to return at any point, and he could be a huge fantasy streamer at times in the past. We’re hopeful that this can be the case again. 

Noah Fant, Cincinnati Bengals

Fant was unable to clear concussion protocol this week and will sit out Monday’s game against the Broncos. Fant will hopefully be able to return for managers in week 5, but that remains to be seen.

10/3 UPDATE

Fant has been practicing fully, indicating he will clear concussion protocol this week. Fant’s return to the lineup will give backup QB Jake Browning another target to use as they attempt to stay competitive in 2025. 

Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders

10/3 UPDATE

Bowers missed Thursday's practice after practicing on Wednesday and was not in uniform for their practice on Friday. At this point, I’m expecting Bowers not to be active this weekend, and managers should prepare for that scenario. If he does play, I’m firing him up, but tempering expectations as this knee issue isn’t going anywhere.