Saquon Barkley Not at Wednesday's Practice 0mLink copied!

Oct 7, 2026, 6:24 PM ET

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said that wide receiver Justin Jefferson (ankle) is "doing well" and will be limited in Wednesday's practice. Jefferson sprained his left ankle in the Week 3 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and did not practice last week before being ruled out for the Week 4 win over the Miami Dolphins. The All-Pro receiver is not a lock to return for a Week 5 tilt on the road against the New Orleans Saints, but the fact that he is back at practice early in the week is a good sign. Fellow receiver Jordan Addison is nursing a hamstring injury this week as well, so Minnesota's receiving corps could be short-handed against New Orleans. Jefferson is a must-start in all traditional fantasy football leagues when he is active, but we will need to keep a close eye on his status over the next two days. With Jefferson out and Addison getting injured on Sunday, tight end T.J. Hockenson had a big game through the air. Jefferson has caught 13 passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns in three games this year, and he has yet to really develop chemistry with quarterback Kyler Murray, with the two players already missing time with injuries in 2026.--Keith Hernandez
Source: Minnesota Vikings

Oct 7, 2026, 6:14 PM ET

Arizona Cardinals rookie first-round running back Jeremiyah Love's ankle injury is not expected to impact him in the Week 5 contest at home against the visiting Detroit Lions, head coach Mike LaFleur told Tyler Drake of Arizona Sports. It sounds like "maintenance" will continue to be the keyword for the young RB. The 21-year-old from Notre Dame is dealing with a new ankle issue, but it is reportedly unrelated to the high-ankle sprain that he dealt with in the preseason in late August. The Cardinals will continue to give Love breathers during the week, so it would not be a surprise if he is listed as a non-participant in the first practice on Wednesday. Love should be all systems go for this weekend's contest against Detroit, where he will continue to split backfield touches with Tyler Allgeier. The young and powerful RB had 14 carries for 63 yards on the ground and caught one pass for a loss of eight yards in the Week 4 loss to the New York Giants. Love now has 35 rushing attempts in the last two weeks after carrying the ball 20 times in his first two NFL games. Against New York in Week 5, Love should have high-end RB2 upside if he continues to be more involved.--Keith Hernandez
Source: Arizona Sports - Tyler Drake

Oct 7, 2026, 6:08 PM ET

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave was rested in practice on Wednesday but was not listed with an injury designation, according to Saints sideline reporter Jeff Nowak. Olave took a hard shot in the Monday night loss to the Atlanta Falcons to close out Week 4, but his absence on Wednesday was not related to that hit. The 26-year-old should be just fine to play this weekend against the visiting Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, and he should be locked into all starting fantasy lineups despite the difficult matchup against the Vikings' defense. The former first-rounder is the team's unquestioned WR1 and has a great connection with second-year quarterback Tyler Shough. After reaching the third 1,000-yard season of his career in 2025 with a career-best nine touchdowns, Olave leads the NFL in targets (48) through four games in 2026 and has added 35 receptions for 491 yards and one touchdown to begin his fifth year in the league. He already has three 100-yard games this season after catching eight of 12 targets for 116 yards on Monday night. Olave has at least 10 targets in all four games in 2026.--Keith Hernandez
Source: Jeff Nowak

Oct 7, 2026, 6:05 PM ET

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Ryan Flournoy has yet to have his first breakout game of the 2026 NFL season. The return of Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb to full health has allowed him to ascend to elite, elite WR1 status, at the expense of every other pass-catcher on the team. Flournoy's big games last season were aided by injuries to the team's other wideouts, anyway, and he's best viewed as a handcuff that has legitimate upside only when either of the team's two starting wideouts, Lamb and George Pickens, go down. Dallas' targets are concentrated heavily on Lamb, with Pickens, tight end Jake Ferguson, and running back Javonte Williams also getting in on the action regularly. That simply doesn't leave much left over for a WR3 like Flournoy to have any kind of week-to-week upside. After four games, he's the WR74 in PPR Fantasy football leagues, which makes him a tough start even in deep dynasty leagues. He should be stashed on benches in those deep leagues for a rainy day for Lamb or Pickens, though.--John Johnson
Source: ESPN

Oct 7, 2026, 5:45 PM ET

Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey missed two of his four field goal attempts in a Week 4 win over the Houston Texans. Though he was a ridiculously accurate kicker in his first season in the NFL, he's been markedly less on-point since then. He hovered around 85 percent accuracy in his second and third season as the Cowboys kicker and now sits at just under 73 percent. The Cowboys have a high-powered offense that's gotten them into scoring range with regularity this season, but Aubrey's fall-off is concerning. He managed 10 fantasy points last game and is the 14th ranked kicker by fantasy scoring in the NFL, though. And a Week 5 matchup with a hapless Tampa Bay Buccaneers team could be what Aubrey needs to log a top-5 finish at his position. A more accurate day would help him do so. The Bucs have allowed 13.8 fantasy points per game to opposing kickers this season, which is the worst mark in the NFL, due largely to their pass defense being so ineffective. Aubrey is worth a start in 10 and 12-team leagues for his upside for Week 5.--John Johnson
Source: ESPN

Oct 7, 2026, 5:36 PM ET

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson has taken a backseat to star Cowboys wideout CeeDee Lamb for most of this season, as he typically does. Ferguson's two-touchdown, 20.3 PPR fantasy point game in Week 2 was the exception rather than the rule for him, as he's failed to eclipse double-digit PPR fantasy points in each other game. Cowboys RB Javonte Williams has done a great job punching the ball in at the goal line this season, and when he's been effective, Dallas hasn't had much need to pass the ball on goal-to-go plays. Ferguson does have three touchdown receptions this season, but his target share simply isn't enough to support consistent fantasy results. After four games, he ranks as just the TE20 in PPR fantasy football leagues, meaning he's better suited as an auxiliary piece for best ball leagues rather than an every-week starter in redraft. Football is too random a sport to predict the games in which he'll get touchdowns, and he's mired in a snare of too much target competition from Lamb and WR George Pickens. Ferguson is a solid start at TE in very deep leagues, but there are better options out there, even on waivers in many weeks. He's a mid-range TE2 for now.--John Johnson
Source: ESPN

Oct 7, 2026, 5:30 PM ET

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens has yet to score a touchdown or eclipse 20 PPR fantasy points in any of his games this season after scoring seven times and logging five such productive games in 2025. It's clear now that fellow Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb never returned to full health last season after his high-ankle sprain early in the year, and Pickens was able to capitalize by becoming Dallas' most productive receiver. That script has flipped this season. Pickens was disconcertingly only targeted three times in the Cowboys' Week 4 win over the Houston Texans despite the game featuring almost 800 yards of total offense. Pickens has not been living up to his second-round ADP in fantasy football, and looks more like an auxiliary piece than a WR1B to Lamb. A game against such a weak defense in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 5 is a great chance for him to get back on track, though. Fantasy managers should exercise patience with Pickens and leave him in starting lineups for now. He showed fantastic upside last season, and could be on the verge of a huge game on Thursday Night Football.--John Johnson
Source: ESPN

Oct 7, 2026, 5:18 PM ET

Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams averages just 3.7 yards per carry this season, but he's on one of the NFL's better offenses and has handled a dominant share of his team's backfield touches. This has given him excellent spike week potential, and he now averages 24.6 PPR fantasy points across his best three contests of the season. He'll have plenty of opportunities against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football in Week 5, and should capitalize as such. He handles the goal-line work for the Cowboys, who have found themselves in the red zone often this season. As a result, he has five rushing touchdowns already. He's also caught 15 passes for 77 yards and another score, and ranks as the RB7 in fantasy football leagues as a result. His efficiency has taken a substantial hit from last season, likely due to the absence of elite run-blocking right guard Tyler Smith (thumb). The All-Pro guard returned to practice this week, though, and upgraded to full participation on Wednesday, though he's officially listed as questionable for Thursday's game. His return would give Williams even more upside, but whether or not Smith plays, Williams should be firmly entrenched as an RB1 in all fantasy football leagues with week-winning upside against a struggling 0-4 team.--John Johnson
Source: ESPN

Oct 7, 2026, 5:12 PM ET

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott currently ranks as the QB8 in fantasy football leagues, and is in great position to have another high-volume passing day against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 5. The Bucs, meanwhile, are fresh off a 0-4 start to the season and are missing their starting quarterback, Baker Mayfield (thumb) to a thumb injury. Prescott threw for 335 passing yards and one touchdown and rushed twice for seven yards in his team's Week 4 win over the Houston Texans. Prescott has played excellent football this season, sporting an 8:1 touchdown to interception ratio. On film, his accuracy is as good as it's been in his career, and his connection with wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is flourishing. He's also done well hitting his other targets in the passing game, WR George Pickens and TE Jake Ferguson. Only running back Javonte Williams' effectiveness at punching the ball in at the goal line is holding back Prescott's upside, though Prescott has a four-touchdown game under his belt this season. The Buccaneers are a franchise in shambles, and their pass defense has been weak for multiple seasons now. Prescott is a must-start QB1 in all fantasy leagues with top-5 potential in each week he plays.--John Johnson
Source: ESPN

Oct 7, 2026, 5:06 PM ET

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb has put on a stunning display of football dominance so far this season. Through four games, he ranks as the WR2 in PPR fantasy points per game, only a step behind the great Seattle Seahawks wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Both seem destined for the NFL Hall of Fame one day, and Lamb has re-established himself as the clear Cowboys WR1 after being outproduced by WR George Pickens last season. Lamb is fully healthy and is enjoying a massive 32.4 percent target share, which ranks third in the NFL this season. He's been the go-to target of quarterback Dak Prescott, one of the NFL's most accurate passers and a high-volume guy, in a productive offense led by head coach Brian Schottenheimer. There is no matchup in which you shouldn't start Lamb, and he has huge spike-week potential in every game he starts and finishes healthy. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will head to Dallas next, and Lamb is set up well to crush them with another monster performance. He's off the Cowboys injury report, healthy, and ready to go in what's shaping up to be a blowout win for Dallas.--John Johnson
Source: ESPN

Oct 7, 2026, 4:57 PM ET

Free agent running back Jamaal Williams is "expected to land with a team sooner rather than later," per Jordan Schultz of The Schultz Report. Schultz writes that a source told him Williams is in "the best shape of his NFL career right now." The 31-year-old last played in the NFL in 2024, when he recorded 164 rushing yards and a touchdown on 48 carries across 14 games with the New Orleans Saints. His best NFL season by far came in 2022, when he rushed for over 1,000 yards and 17 touchdowns as a member of the Detroit Lions. Williams worked out for the New England Patriots on Tuesday, but has not yet signed with a team. Depending on where he ends up, the veteran running back could be a player for deep-league fantasy managers to monitor on the waiver wire.--Will Brady
Source: The Schultz Report - Jordan Schultz

Oct 7, 2026, 4:48 PM ET

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (back) missed practice on Wednesday due to a back injury, per Jeff Nowak of Audacy Sports. With fellow Saints running back Travis Etienne Jr. (hamstring) on Injured Reserve, Kamara got his first chance to work as New Orleans' RB1 in Week 4. The 31-year-old recorded just 23 rushing yards on seven carries, but he scored two rushing touchdowns and also hauled in five catches for 35 yards on seven targets. It's too early to say whether Kamara's status for the Saints' Week 5 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings is in question, but his health is obviously now worth monitoring for fantasy managers. If Kamara is unable to play in Week 5, Kendre Miller would likely take over as the lead back for New Orleans against Minnesota.--Will Brady
Source: Audacy Sports - Jeff Nowak

Oct 7, 2026, 4:34 PM ET

New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (knee) did not practice on Wednesday due to a knee issue, per Connor Hughes of SNY. Hughes reports that Nabers admitted he was "more sore than usual." Nabers has recorded 18 catches for 208 yards and a touchdown on 26 targets across four games so far in 2026. The 23-year-old missed most of the 2025 season after suffering a serious knee injury in Week 4. While it's not yet clear if his current soreness is connected to his previous knee issues, Nabers' health status is obviously worth monitoring for fantasy managers leading into New York's Week 5 matchup against the Washington Commanders. If Nabers is unable to play in Week 5, Giants wideouts Malachi Fields, Darnell Mooney, and Charlie Jones could all be in line for expanded workloads against Washington.--Will Brady
Source: SNY - Connor Hughes

Oct 7, 2026, 4:24 PM ET

Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai (thumb, toe) did not participate in his team's practice on Wednesday, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. The severity of Monangai's thumb and toe injuries is not yet known, but it appears his status for Chicago's Week 5 matchup against the Green Bay Packers could be in question. Monangai has been exceptionally efficient while splitting work with D'Andre Swift (hip, knee) in the Bears backfield so far this season, recording 324 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 60 carries across four games. Swift also missed practice on Wednesday due to hip and knee injuries. If neither Monangai nor Swift can play against the Packers, Bears RB3 Roschon Johnson would likely be in line for a significant workload increase in Week 5.--Will Brady
Source: ESPN - Adam Schefter

Oct 7, 2026, 4:18 PM ET

Chicago Bears running back D'Andre Swift (hip, knee) did not practice on Wednesday due to hip and knee injuries, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. Swift was listed on Chicago's injury report with the knee issue leading into Week 4, but the hip ailment appears to be a new injury. The 27-year-old has gotten off to a strong start to the 2026 season, recording 395 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns on 79 touches across four games. The severity of Swift's injuries is not yet clear, but his health is obviously worth monitoring for fantasy managers leading into the Bears' Week 5 matchup against the Green Bay Packers. Bears RB2 Kyle Monangai (thumb, toe) also missed the team's practice on Wednesday due to thumb and toe injuries. If neither Monangai nor Swift can play against Green Bay, Chicago running back Roschon Johnson would likely be the next man up in the backfield.--Will Brady
Source: ESPN - Adam Schefter

Oct 7, 2026, 4:09 PM ET

Four games into the 2026 season, Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. has been one of the biggest disappointments in fantasy football. The 26-year-old is coming off a 2025 campaign where he finally had the breakout that many had been looking for, recording 88 catches for 928 yards and five touchdowns on 118 targets across 17 games. However, Pitts Sr. has only hauled in five catches for 67 yards on nine targets across the first four weeks of 2026. Two of those games came without Falcons QB1 Michael Penix Jr. under center, which provides some excuse for Pitts Sr.'s underwhelming production. Still, Pitts Sr. has logged just four catches for 52 yards on five targets in the two games where he has shared the field with Penix Jr. Atlanta's run-heavy offense filters through running back Bijan Robinson, and wide receiver Drake London is the clear number one option when the Falcons do turn to the air. Particularly in shallower leagues, fantasy managers are justified in dropping Pitts Sr. and looking elsewhere on the waiver wire.--Will Brady
Source: RotoBaller

Oct 7, 2026, 3:58 PM ET

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. finally scored in Week 4, but it did little to change what has been a brutal start. He caught one of four targets for 12 yards against the Giants and now has only five receptions for 85 yards on 13 targets through four games. Harrison has one catch or fewer in three of those games and has yet to reach 50 receiving yards. Meanwhile, Trey McBride and Michael Wilson have become much bigger parts of Arizona's passing game, with 33 and 25 receptions, respectively. At this point, Harrison's name and draft pedigree are doing more work for his fantasy value than his actual role. RotoBaller lists him among the receivers to consider cutting for Week 5, ranks him WR41 this week, and has him 142nd overall in its rest-of-season rankings. Managers in standard leagues can move on if there is a clearly better option available. He is easier to hold in deeper formats where the waiver wire offers less.--Bruno Mulé
Source: RotoBaller

Oct 7, 2026, 3:42 PM ET

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey (foot) will be at Wednesday's practice, head coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters. That's a positive development after McConkey lasted only 24 offensive snaps in Sunday's loss to Seattle before leaving with the same foot injury he had carried into the game. He had been limited Wednesday, sat out Thursday, and returned on a limited basis Friday last week before being cleared to play. McConkey didn't catch either of his two targets against the Seahawks, leaving him with 12 receptions for 183 yards and one touchdown through four games. How much work he actually handles Wednesday will be more telling than simply being back on the field. The Chargers host Denver in Week 5, and McConkey's participation over the next few practices should give fantasy managers a better idea of whether he's trending toward playing.--Bruno Mulé
Source: Kris Rhim

Oct 7, 2026, 3:28 PM ET

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (hamstring) was officially limited in Wednesday's practice, even though he wasn't on the field during the portion open to reporters, according to ESPN's Jamison Hensley. Flowers said last week that he felt the hamstring issue was behind him, then went out and caught eight of 10 targets for 118 yards and a touchdown against Tennessee. The injury has already cost him time this season, though. Flowers aggravated the hamstring in the opener, missed Week 2, and was on a reduced snap count when he returned against Dallas. He has 18 catches for 352 yards and two touchdowns in three games. There is another concern for fantasy managers this week, with Lamar Jackson (ankle) looking unlikely to face Atlanta. Flowers caught only two passes for minus-1 yard after Jackson left Sunday's win over Tennessee. Wednesday's limited tag alone does not put Flowers' Week 5 availability in serious doubt, but his practice participation over the next two days will be worth watching.--Bruno Mulé
Source: Jamison Hensley

Oct 7, 2026, 3:12 PM ET

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. was seen moving through the team's locker room on a scooter Wednesday with his foot elevated, according to Nick Farabaugh of PennLive. The sight is notable after a foot injury already cost Pittman Pittsburgh's Week 2 loss to New England. He returned the following week, but hasn't been very involved since, catching four passes for 31 yards on nine targets over his last two games. Pittman has seven receptions for 89 yards through three appearances this season. His status now bears watching ahead of Sunday's matchup with his former team, the Indianapolis Colts. Rookie Germie Bernard saw his biggest workload of the season when Pittman sat in Week 2, playing 55 snaps and drawing eight targets, while Roman Wilson had six targets of his own. Neither becomes an automatic fantasy starter if Pittman misses time, but both would have a clearer path to opportunities behind DK Metcalf. UPDATE: ESPN's Brooke Pryor reports that Pittman was limited in Wednesday's practice.--Bruno Mulé
Source: Nick Farabaugh