RADIO
Nikolas Matinpalo Sustains Upper-Body Injury Monday
Ottawa Senators defenseman Nikolas Matinpalo played only a handful of minutes in Monday's win over New Jersey due to an upper-body injury. He exited the action in the first period after absorbing a big hit from Devils forward Anthony Mantha, who received a five-minute major penalty for boarding. This marks another injury blow for Ottawa's defense. The team has been without Jake Sanderson (lower body) and Artem Zub (knee). The two aren't expected back for Tuesday's game against St. Louis, and Matinpalo likely won't play either. As a result, the Senators will be without half of their regular defensive corps. Thomas Chabot and Jordan Spence will continue to play huge minutes, while Carter Yakemchuk also has an expanded role.
Source: Ottawa Senators PR
Source: Ottawa Senators PR
Antonio Williams a Solid Depth Pickup at Wide Receiver
Washington Commanders rookie Antonio Williams caught all three of his targets in his team's 27-27 tie with the Giants in Week 5. He played 68% of snaps, which was second on the team at receiver behind only Treylon Burks. Stefon Diggs (hamstring) missed that contest, and Terry McLaurin was limited to 58% of snaps while playing through a hamstring injury of his own. With both veterans working through injuries, Williams could continue to step into a more expanded role. The third-round pick has 15 catches for 155 receiving yards and a touchdown in his five games and is a solid waiver wire option in deep leagues while he stays so involved and the Commanders focus on his development. He's still a high-risk starter in standard-sized leagues, but he can be rostered to help navigate bye weeks.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Yaxel Lendeborg in Line for Opening-Night Start
Golden State Warriors forward Yaxel Lendeborg is in line to begin his NBA career in the starting lineup, with head coach Steve Kerr leaning toward opening the season with the rookie alongside Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Gui Santos, and Draymond Green. The 2026 Summer League MVP has averaged 14.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists through three preseason appearances while shooting 18-for-31 from the field. Lendeborg followed that with 23 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists against Sacramento on Saturday. With Jimmy Butler (knee) sidelined and Kristaps Porzingis (undisclosed) without a return timetable, Lendeborg should have an immediate chance to contribute as a scorer, rebounder, and secondary playmaker.
Source: Dalton Johnson
Source: Dalton Johnson
Nico Sturm Doing "OK" After Being Sent to Hospital
Minnesota Wild center Nico Sturm (upper body) is doing "OK" after Monday's scary incident against Vegas, Dylan Loucks of The Hockey News reports. Sturm was hit in the head by a puck in the second period and was taken to the hospital. Fortunately, the veteran forward didn't suffer a serious injury. Recently, the Wild lost defenseman Brock Faber to a fractured skull in a similar incident. Still, Sturm isn't expected to travel with the team for Tuesday's contest against Winnipeg, meaning he'll be out for at least one game. Tyler Pitlick is an option to replace him on the fourth line, though Minnesota may also opt to go with seven defensemen.
Source: Dylan Loucks
Source: Dylan Loucks
Gui Santos Positioned to Start on Opening Night
Golden State Warriors forward Gui Santos is in line to start on Opening Night, with head coach Steve Kerr leaning toward a first unit of Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Santos, Yaxel Lendeborg, and Draymond Green, per NBC Sports Bay Area's Dalton Johnson. Kristaps Porzingis (undisclosed) remains away with an unspecified health issue, while Kerr appears set to use Al Horford off the bench. Santos averaged 14.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.2 steals across 30 starts last season. He also posted 15 points and six rebounds Saturday against Sacramento. With Jimmy Butler III (knee) and Moses Moody (knee) sidelined to open the year, Santos should have a real chance to hold meaningful minutes.
Source: Dalton Johnson
Source: Dalton Johnson
Jacoby Brissett Still a Great Target on Waivers Despite Wide Receiver Trade
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett may be down one of his receivers going forward, but he still ranks as a mid-range QB2 with significant QB1 upside. Brissett has the 12th-most fantasy points among quarterbacks this season, and he's coming off a strong fantasy performance against the Lions in which he threw for 292 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. There's a bit of concern that Brissett's value could dip slightly after the Cardinals traded away Marvin Harrison Jr., but the impact of that move is relatively minor. Brissett still has Trey McBride and Michael Wilson at his disposal, giving him two highly talented weapons who will keep this Arizona passing offense playing at a high level going forward. Brissett could benefit from another negative game script against the Rams in Week 6, although it won't come easy against a defense anchored by veteran lineman Aaron Donald.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Davante Adams Remains an Enormous Weapon Around the Goal Line
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Davante Adams caught five of his seven targets for 51 yards and two touchdowns during Monday's Week 5 loss against the Buffalo Bills in overtime. Adams' first touchdown tied the game in the second quarter, and his next touchdown pulled the Rams within one point before an extra point tied it up. The 33-year-old has now scored 20+ fantasy points in three of his last four games, although two of those contests were somewhat skewed by the absence of Puka Nacua. With that being said, Nacua and Adams have shown that they can coexist as fantasy-relevant options, with the former ranking as a high-end WR1 and the latter checking in as a mid-range WR2. Adams, who has 18 touchdowns over his last 18 games, will look to remain an elite scoring threat in Week 6 against the Arizona Cardinals, who most recently allowed Jameson Williams to find the end zone twice.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Matthew Stafford's Huge Effort Comes Up Short in Week 5
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 40 of his 54 pass attempts for 383 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, and zero interceptions during Monday's Week 5 loss against the Buffalo Bills in overtime. He also took one sack along the way. Stafford put up a valiant effort against the Bills, setting a new career-high for completions in a single game. A late touchdown pass forced overtime, and Stafford got the Rams in position to win the game with an overtime field goal, but the kick was no good. Stafford now has nine touchdowns over his last four games, and Monday also represented his first game this season without an interception. Even though the 38-year-old doesn't have any rushing upside, he's still a flashy QB1 in fantasy football because of his passing prowess.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
James Cook III's Touchdowns Make Up for Fumbling Issues in Week 5
Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III logged 25 carries, 111 rushing yards, and two rushing touchdowns during Monday's Week 5 win over the Los Angeles Rams in overtime. He also converted his lone target into a seven-yard reception. Although Cook scored twice and handled an enormous workload against the Rams, he also dealt with some serious ball security issues. The 27-year-old finished with two fumbles (one fumble lost), nearly costing the Bills the game. This is nothing new for Cook, who has 10 fumbles over his last 22 games. On a more positive note, he has five touchdowns over his last four games and remains a high-end RB1 option in fantasy football. He continues to trend upward ahead of Week 6 against the Las Vegas Raiders, who just surrendered a whopping 45 points to the Patriots.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Puka Nacua Smothered with Dozens of Targets in Loss
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua caught 17 of his 24 targets for 138 yards and one touchdown during Monday's Week 5 loss against the Buffalo Bills in overtime. Although Los Angeles didn't win, it was no fault of Nacua's. The superstar receiver handled an extraordinarily large role, as his 24 targets amounted to a staggering 44.4% target share. Nacua has only played three games this season, and Monday's was easily his best. He's now averaging 10.3 catches, 112.3 receiving yards, and 0.7 total touchdowns per game so far. It's no secret by now that Nacua will continue to operate as a high-end WR1 as long as he stays healthy. The 25-year-old should continue to feast in Week 6 against the Arizona Cardinals, who just allowed Jameson Williams to rack up 47 yards and two touchdowns.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Josh Allen Snaps Overtime Losing Streak with Elite Rushing Performance
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen completed 12 of his 19 pass attempts for 210 passing yards, one passing touchdown, and one interception during Monday's overtime win against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 5. He also logged 10 rushing attempts, 121 rushing yards, and one rushing touchdown. While it was a modest day for Allen passing, he turned heads with an elite performance on the ground as he led the team in rushing yards. The future Hall of Famer also pulled off an impressive overtime win; it was the first of his career, and he now owns a 1-7 record in overtime between the regular season and playoffs. In this potential Super Bowl preview, Allen reminded fantasy managers that he's a strong weekly QB1 option in fantasy football. He'll look to keep the momentum going as the Bills stay out west to face the Las Vegas Raiders, who just surrendered five total touchdowns to Drake Maye.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Makai Lemon Slowly Becoming More Involved in Philadelphia
Philadelphia Eagles rookie first-round wide receiver Makai Lemon has had a quiet start to his NFL career. In his first three games, he had seven receptions on nine targets for only 38 yards (5.4 yards per catch). Top receiver DeVonta Smith (hamstring) has missed the last two games, though, which has forced the young pass-catcher into a bigger role in losses to the Los Angeles Rams and the Jacksonville Jaguars in the last two weeks. In the 19-17 loss to the Jags on Sunday in London, Lemon caught five of a season-high seven targets for a season-high 43 yards while playing a season-high 81% of the offensive snaps. Smith could return as soon as Week 6 against the Carolina Panthers this Sunday, but Lemon is not going to simply go away as the team's first-round pick back in April. Dontayvion Wicks earned a big role in this offense by impressing the coaching staff this summer during training camp, but if Lemon continues to ascend, it would not be a surprise at all to see the rookie take hold of the WR2 duties behind Smith by the end of the year. Lemon is already rostered in 41% of Yahoo leagues.
Source: ESPN.com
Source: ESPN.com
Tre' Harris Still Worth Stashing Despite Hamstring Injury?
Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Tre' Harris (hamstring) was a sneaky pickup going into the Week 5 game against the division-rival Denver Broncos on Sunday, with both Ladd McConkey (foot) and Quentin Johnston (chest) questionable to play. McConkey was active (did not end up playing any snaps), while Johnston was held out. It was shaping up to be a high-target day for Harris in the Chargers' banged-up offense, but L.A.'s offense continued to struggle before Harris left the game in the second half and never returned due to a hamstring injury. He caught two of his four targets for only 16 yards before departing. With McConkey, Johnston, and Harris all injured, tight end Charlie Kolar ended up leading the Chargers in receiving with three grabs on four targets for only 37 yards on a day in which quarterback Justin Herbert threw for only 121 yards. Harris is now considered week-to-week with his hamstring injury, meaning he could miss the Week 6 divisional clash against the Kansas City Chiefs. Keep in mind that the Chargers' bye comes in Week 7 when deciding whether to keep Harris stashed as WR depth in deeper fantasy leagues.
Source: ESPN.com
Source: ESPN.com
DeMario Douglas on the Waiver Radar After Two-Touchdown Performance
New England Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas will be on the waiver-wire radar this week after he scored two touchdowns in the 45-17 rout over the visiting New England Patriots on Sunday in Week 5. Despite playing just under half of the offensive snaps, Douglas caught four of five targets for 65 yards and two touchdowns. He was second on the team in receiving yards and had just one fewer target than Efton Chism III in the passing game. The 25-year-old was underwhelming in the first four games of the 2026 season, especially when considering that top wideout A.J. Brown (ankle) has been on Injured Reserve since suffering a high-ankle sprain in the season-opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1. In the first four games, Douglas had just nine catches on 17 targets for 82 yards and no touchdowns. It was nice to see Douglas get more involved in the passing game against the Raiders, but with Brown's return on the horizon, fantasy managers looking for WR help should only consider Douglas as a potential short-term boost at the position as the Patriots prepare for a Week 6 divisional tilt against the New York Jets. Douglas is rostered in only 2% of Yahoo leagues at the moment.
Source: ESPN.com
Source: ESPN.com
Keenan Allen has Flex PPR Value Heading into Week 6
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Keenan Allen has been a significant part of the offense over the last few weeks. On Sunday, Allen hauled in five of his nine targets for 45 yards in the loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. This marked the second game in a row that Allen has seen nine targets. The Colts don't have many viable pass-catchers right now, so it appears Allen is going to continue getting a heavy target share. The veteran wideout heads into a favorable matchup against the Tennessee Titans in Week 6. Fantasy managers looking for a flex option in PPR leagues should consider adding Allen this week.
Source: Pro Football Reference
Source: Pro Football Reference
