This is our fifth week of running through the injuries and I'm not sure we've ever had quite so many significant question marks on Thursday afternoon. I always like to make the point that if you have guys that are real question marks, you need to do a thorough check of your lineups before the Thursday night game. While George Pickens, CeeDee Lamb, Dak Prescott, and Javonte Williams are all must-starts, Fantasy managers may have some very tough decisions when it comes to Bucky Irving and Emeka Egbuka vs. injured players that we like more than them. If it is a truly 50/50 question of whether that star will play, I always like to look at my backup play. In other words, if you have Ja'Marr Chase and Emeka Egbuka, who is the guy you would play if you sit Egbuka and roll the dice and Chase is ruled out? If the difference between Chase and Egbuka is greater than the difference between Egbuka and your backup plan, then wait it out.
Ja'Marr Chase working his way through concussion protocol, Tee Higgins misses Thursday
We may have this one backward. Because the Bengals said Higgins was day-to-day, we have him in our rankings and we have Chase out because we don't rank players in the concussion protocol. Chase's return to limited on Thursday is a positive sign, but no guarantee he'll complete all the steps needed to play by Saturday. We'll feel much better about Chase if he's a full go on Friday. As for Higgins, let's hope he at least gets in a limited session on Friday. Joe Burrow is a low-end starter as long as one of these guys start with a great matchup against the Dolphins. If both of the Bengals' starting wide receivers miss, then Dohnte Meyers and Mike Gesicki might both be must-start options at their respective positions.
Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison both limited
We are more optimistic about Addison than Jefferson as of Thursday afternoon, but there are a lot of moving parts here. Let's start with the easy one: If Jefferson plays, start him and maybe only him in the Vikings passing game. If Jefferson or Addison misses Week 5, then T.J. Hockenson is a must-start tight end. If Jefferson is out, then Addison is a borderline WR2. Watch closely on Friday.
Lamar Jackson not ruled out, not practicing
Jackson suffered an ankle injury in Week 4 and as of Thursday afternoon, we aren't expecting him to start. Tyler Huntley is the backup and he really limits the upside of Zay Flowers and Mark Andrews. Huntley has averaged fewer than 160 passing yards per game in his 16 career starts. We're still starting Flowers as a WR2 if Huntley is under center. If Jackson gets in a limited session on Friday, we'll have more hope that he will play. He is a must-start if he's active.
Stefon Diggs, Terry McLaurin miss Wednesday and Thursday practice
McLaurin missed Week 4 and we are not expecting him to play. Diggs was working on the side field, and we are currently ranking him as a low-end WR2. If both receivers were to miss Week 5, we would move Antonio Williams into the boom/bust WR3 range and Jayden Daniels would move down, but not out of the top 12 QBs. Make sure you have a backup plan if you are starting Diggs over one of the Buccaneers wide receivers.
D'Andre Swift limited, Kyle Monangai not practicing Thursday
Swift missing a Wednesday practice and going limited on Thursday isn't all that unusual. We feel comfortable he'll play and rank him as a high-end RB2 despite his Week 4 benching for fumbling. Monangai is a much bigger story. Head Coach Ben Johnson indicated they are just resting Monangai after his big workload and aren't worried about his thumb. We will feel a lot better about that sentiment if he's back at practice on Friday. View Monangai as a borderline RB2 if he plays and Roschon Johnson as a low-end flex if Monangai is out.
Malik Nabers limited on Thursday
Nabers is moving in the right direction after missing Wednesday's practice with knee soreness. We project him to play and rank him as a WR2. Nabers was awesome last week against Arizona and should have success against a suspect Commanders secondary as well. If he is active, you should start him, but we would feel better about his upside if he got a full practice in on Friday.
Keenan Allen limited again on Thursday
Allen had a limited practice on Wednesday and Thursday and may be trending towards playing. He would be tanked as a WR3 if he's active on Sunday and could help your Fantasy team, but he hurts the value of Josh Downs and Tyler Warren if he's back. Warren is a guy we are starting either way, but Downs would fall from the top 20 to the high-end WR3 range if Allen is back.
Rico Dowdle limited again on Thursday
We don't want to play Dowdle, even if he's active this week, but he would lower Jaylen Warren from a must-start RB1 to a mid-range RB2 if he can play. Warren was the better back early in the season and has been spectacular without Dowdle. We would expect Warren to maintain a larger share of the workload than he had in the first two weeks.
DJ Moore not seen at Thursday practice
We aren't expecting Moore to play, which is why Keon Coleman and Khalil Shakir were so popular on the waiver wire. I agree with adding them, but I am a little worried about starting them against a Rams defense that hasn't given up more than 50 yards to a receiver all season. I prefer Coleman to Shakir but both are in the flex area of the rankings. If Moore plays through his injury again, he will be ranked as an upside WR3.
Michael Pittman out for multiple weeks
Here's something we can feel more confident in. With Pittman out, we like DK Metcalf as a WR2, Roman Wilson as a high-end WR3, and Germie Bernard as a boom/bust flex. Pittman's absence doesn't impact Rodgers' ranking because Pittman's presence hasn't really impacted their offense.
Dallas Goedert limited again
We haven't heard anything that suggests Goedert will play, but back-to-back limited sessions are a good sign. We are expecting the team to be without DeVonta Smith and Saquon Barkley, so Goedert could have a huge role if he gets to 100% before Sunday. We would likely rank him as a low-end TE1 if he's cleared, because he carries some risk of reinjury or a snap-count role, and because the Eagles offense hasn't exactly looked functional. Goedert's return would hurt the value of Dontayvion Wicks, Makai Lemon, and Darius Cooper. Wicks was also added to the injury report, so make sure he's okay Friday if you are counting on him.
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