NFL Player News

Jones became redundant when the Raiders signed Michael Crabtree, a younger player with similar skills. Jones became expendable when the Raiders drafted Amari Cooper. 31 years old, Jones led Oakland in receptions (73) last season, but averaged a pathetic 9.12 yards per catch. He was a sub-pedestrian slot receiver and has never been an efficient separator on the perimeter. We wouldn’t be completely shocked if Jones has played his last NFL down.

Mariota is dealing with an MCL sprain. He went down early in Week 4 and did not return. Luckily for the Commanders, Jayden Daniels appears ready to return to the lineup. Barring a setback, he will start in Week 5 against the Giants. Athan Kaliakmanis will serve as his backup.

A limited session to start the week is usually a non-issue, but JCM’s role was already suspect before getting banged up. He ran nine times in Week 4. Austin Ekeler, Kaytron Allen, and Craig Reynolds all combined for nine attempts. Rachaad White is also back at practice, giving the team another option beyond Bill. With health and workload concerns, JCM is barely an RB3 headed into Week 5.

White injured his shoulder in Week 3. He did not practice once last week before being ruled out on Friday. A limited practice today puts him on track to suit up in Week 5. With Austin Ekeler now on the roster, White’s role as the team’s top back on passing situations could be at risk. Fantasy managers will want to leave him on the bench for another week, even if he is cleared to play.

After missing Week 4 as a late addition to the injury report, it looks like McLaurin is set to miss his second game because of the hamstring issue. If healthy, Stefon Diggs will operate as Jayden Daniels’ No. 1 receiver. Diggs himself is now dealing with a hamstring injury, so there’s no guarantee he’s available either. Antonio Williams and Chig Okonkwo could see more work if both wideouts can’t play this week.

According to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, Jefferson said, “the plan is definitely to play Sunday, but who knows?” Overall, we take this as a net positive, but the Vikings’ No. 1 wide receiver is still clearly rehabbing his ankle injury. For now, we tentatively expect him to be active this week.

Diggs didn’t appear to get hurt during the Commanders’ Week 4 loss to the Colts, but it looks like he felt something after the game. With Terry McLaurin also sidelined for today’s practice, Antonio Williams could be the Commanders’ No. 1 receiver in Week 5. He saw eight targets on Sunday, only one fewer than Diggs. The Commanders’ absurdly long injury report will be one to monitor as the week progresses.

As a right-handed quarterback, Shough should be fine despite his surprise appearance on the injury report. Even in a blowout loss on Monday, the second-year passer racked up 286 yards and a touchdown on 48 attempts. As long as the volume is there, Shough is good for low-end QB1 numbers. He will remain inside the top 12 at his position for Week 5 against Minnesota.

It is unclear when Dell will take the field on game day, but he is officially participating in his 21-day practice window. His range of potential outcomes is quite wide. Stashing him on fantasy benches is a reasonable move at this time, though he is not guaranteed to be a fantasy contributor.

Love will presumably have his practice reps monitored, but he isn’t at risk of missing Week 5. He went down with a new ankle injury late in the second quarter of Week 4. Love played sparingly in the second half but denied getting injured at all after the game. It sounds like it’s not a major issue, but it’s hard to feel confident in him handling a heavy workload after how things unfolded last week. He is tumbling back into the RB3 ranks for his upcoming game against the Lions.

Bateman and WR Chris Moore (ankle) were both limited to begin the week. Neither player will be fantasy-relevant if backup QB Tyler Huntley gets the start in Week 5 against the Falcons though.