NFL Player News

Cowboys starting RB Javonte Williams was absent. Archer notes that fellow backups, RB Jaydon Blue and RB Malik Davis, also got some work. After backup RB Miles Sanders suffered a season-ending injury in Week 4 last season, Davis and Blue respectively served as the Cowboys’ RB2 and RB3. Mafah was limited to just 10 offensive snaps all season. It appears as though he is getting the chance to work his way up the depth chart behind Williams this summer.

With both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins active, Meyers saw just 19 offensive snaps. He caught both of his targets but his biggest play was an 81-yard kickoff return to start things off in the first quarter. As long as Chase and Higgins are playing, Meyers is best left on fantasy benches.

Smith “added” five carries for seven yards. He also lost a fumble. Coming off a generationally bad Week 4 clunker against the Bears, Smith was hardly outstanding in rainy MetLife Stadium conditions, though he was superior to Deshaun Watson. Not that you would have noticed in real time. Smith fumbled “just” once compared to Watson’s four, also taking “only” four sacks to Watson’s staggering eight. Like Watson, Smith also lost a key pass catcher to a concussion, with Kenyon Sadiq going down in the third quarter. Both before and after Sadiq’s injury, the Jets mostly rode the run, with Braelon Allen turning his 24 carries into a strong 116 yards. Smith has predictably faded a bit after his relatively “hot start,” while he now has a tough Week 6 road test in the reviving Patriots. Smith’s decent weapons — which will hopefully include Adonai Mitchell next week — keep him in the QB2 mix, but only as a low-end option.

Allen did not play a full complement of snaps in his first week back from a groin injury. He played 32 of the team’s 71 snaps and ran a route on 28 of their 47 dropbacks. That makes him leading the team with nine targets even more impressive. Of course, the Colts were forced to throw almost 50 times because the Steelers made it a priority to contain Jonathan Taylor. It’s highly unlikely Daniel Jones throws that much going forward, but Allen remains the top target in the offense. The issue is that most of his targets are in the short-yardage areas of the field, so he is more of a fringe-FLEX option unless you’re in a full PPR league. Next week against the Titans is a good matchup for the Colts, though.

A sixth-round pick in 2025, Bartholomew didn’t see the field as a rookie. He logged his first career catch last week. With T.J. Hockenson leaving the game in the first quarter because of a concussion, Bartholomew stepped up as the team’s TE1. He was largely a check-down option for Kyler Murray, though that’s par for the course with Murray’s tight end. Hockenson should be cleared to return after a Week 6 bye, keeping Bartholomew off the fantasy radar for now.

Chism came down with some big catches to keep the chains moving. He seems to have earned the trust of the Patriots coaching staff and Drake Maye in recent weeks. Even so, his route participation has been limited and his role could shrink next week if A.J. Brown returns from his high ankle injury. For now he’s an OK stash in deeper fantasy leagues in case he carves out a bigger role in the rejuvenated New England passing offense.

With the Bears trailing 31-7, Keenum was subbed in for Tyson Bagent for the fourth quarter. He provided more passing production in one quarter than Bagent did in three, but the Packers were obviously sitting back a bit in coverage. Keenum also equalled Bagent’s turnover total, as he lost a fumble in addition to his pick. Keenum was livelier than Bagent, but hardly better. With Caleb Williams appearing likely to return from his hamstring injury in Week 6 against the Falcons, this is hopefully the last we hear of the Bears’ backup situation for the foreseeable future. If it’s not, we would have to assume it’s now “advantage Keenum.”

Higgins saw just four targets against the Dolphins after seeing 16 targets in Week 4. The adductor/neck injuries didn’t limit his playing time as much, seeing 45 snaps on the day, No. 2 among Bengals receivers. With Ja’Marr Chase back on the field, Higgins’ target volume decreased considerably and he totaled just 22 yards in a more run-favorable game script. Despite the dud, Higgins still belongs in the WR2 ranks and gets a mediocre Ravens defense in Week 7 after a Week 6 bye.

The good news is that Downs ran a route on 44 of the Colts’ 47 dropbacks. He was also targeted down the field a few times. The bad news is that Daniel Jones was not effective and hasn’t been throughout the season. Downs did have another 15-yard completion called back due to a penalty away from the ball, but it wouldn’t have made a huge difference in his day. Downs is still on the WR3 radar because the Colts play the Titans next week, but until Jones can get it going, it’s hard to trust anybody other than Tyler Warren in this passing attack.

Drake Maye carved up the Vegas secondary to the tune of 376 yards and four touchdowns, with almost none of it going to be nominal No. 1 wideout. Doubs, who last week against the Bills had 58 yards and two touchdowns, nearly came down with a short touchdown grab in the third quarter on a nice touch throw from Maye. The potential return of A.J. Brown (ankle) in Week 6 against the Jets could limit Doubs’ targets going forward. With Maye cooking, Doubs remains a potential flex option in 14-team formats going forward.

Chase returned from a concussion he suffered last week, seeing 10 targets in a productive fantasy day. He saw a goal-line fade target on the Bengals’ first drive and was later tackled at the one-yard line towards the end of the first half. Joe Burrow missed Chase for a 70-yard touchdown in the second half but Chase made a miraculous catch with his right arm for a 45-yard touchdown later in the half. He finishes with a successful fantasy day and is squarely in the WR1 ranks heading into the Bengals’ Week 6 bye.