As teams released their initial injury reports of the week on Wednesdays, a few notable pass catchers raised eyebrows with missed practices, prompting fantasy football owners to worry about their statuses as the week progresses. Heading into Week 5, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Kyle Pitts, Keenan Allen, Michael Thomas, and Rashod Bateman are among the biggest names nursing injuries and will need to be monitored right up until kickoff on Sunday.
Below, we'll give you the latest news on these pass catchers and break down how their injuries could potentially affect the Week 5 fantasy landscape. For the latest updates on ailing RBs D'Andre Swift, Alvin Kamara, Rashaad Penny, and David Montgomery, click here.
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WEEK 5 FANTASY PICKS: Sleepers | Busts | Start 'em, sit 'em
Amon-Ra St. Brown injury update, Week 5 fantasy outlook
UPDATE: St. Brown practiced in a limited fashion on Friday and is officially "questionable" for Sunday's game in New England.
UPDATE: St. Brown (ankle) missed practice on Thursday, further complicating his status for Sunday.
St. Brown (ankle) failed to practice on Thursday after being ruled out of the Lions' Week 4 matchup against the Seahawks, according to Detroit's official injury report.
We still won't know St. Brown's game status until at least Friday, but things aren't exactly trending in the right direction. It doesn't help that Detroit has a Week 6 bye and could opt to give its star receiver an extra week to heal. If St. Brown were to miss a second-straight game, fellow pass-catchers T.J. Hockenson, Josh Reynolds, and Tom Kennedy would see an increase in opportunity with WR DJ Chark (ankle) also looking iffy. Detroit's offense draws a tougher matchup against New England this week, as Hockenson would be the only Lion's pass-catcher worth starting despite solid performances from Reynolds and Kennedy last week.
WEEK 5 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Kyle Pitts injury update, Week 5 fantasy outlook
UPDATE: Pitts is officially "OUT" for Sunday's game in Tampa Bay.
UPDATE 2: Pitts was an official "DNP" for Atlanta on Thursday.
UPDATE: Pitts (hamstring) was not seen during the media portion of Thursday's practice, according to ESPN's Michael Rothstein.
Pitts (hamstring) was a bit of a surprise "DNP" for Atlanta in Wednesday's practice. Missing Wednesday's session isn't necessarily a big deal, but if Pitts is unable to go on Thursday, then his Week 5 status becomes worrisome.
Pitts played in a season-low 62 percent of snaps in the Falcons' 23-20 win over the Browns in Week 4, as he hauled in just one pass on four targets for 25 yards. Pitts has been arguably the biggest disappointment at the tight end position through the first four weeks and is nothing more than a low-end TE1 if he's able to play.
WEEK 5 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Keenan Allen injury update, Week 5 fantasy outlook
UPDATE: Allen is officially "OUT" for Sunday's game against the Browns.
Allen (hamstring) logged a "DNP" for the Chargers in Wednesday's practice, and after aggravating his hamstring at the end of last week is trending toward missing his fourth straight game.
Allen exited during the Chargers' Week 1 contest against the Raiders and if he's out again, fellow pass-catchers Mike Williams, Josh Palmer, and Gerald Everett will once again assume bigger workloads and all be worth starting in 12-team leagues.
WEEK 5 DFS LINEUPS: FanDuel | DraftKings
Michael Thomas injury update, Week 5 fantasy outlook
UPDATE: Thomas is officially "OUT" for Sunday's game against the Seahawks.
UPDATE: Thomas (foot/toe) missed practice again on Thursday, hindering his chances of suiting up this week.
Thomas (toe/foot) didn't practice for the Saints on Wednesday after missing their Week 4 matchup against the Vikings in London.
Thomas joined QB Jameis Winston (back) as some of the notable "DNPs" for the Saints on Wednesday, as both could potentially miss Week 5. Andy Dalton was effective last Sunday in London (20-of-28 passing, 236 yards, one TD) and gets a manageable matchup against Seattle at home. Rookie Chris Olave is about the only Saint outside of Alvin Kamara worth starting at the moment, but given the matchup, TE Juwan Johson could be a sneaky sleeper. Unfortunately, the rest of the Saints' WR unit is too unpredictable to trust.
WEEK 5 DFS: Best stacks | Best values
Rashod Bateman injury update, Week 5 fantasy outlook
UPDATE: Bateman is officially "OUT" for Sunday's game against the Bengals.
Bateman (foot) failed to practice for the Ravens on Wednesday after getting hurt last Sunday. Head coach John Harbaugh said "I'm hopeful" during Baltimore's presser as there's a chance the second-year wideout can return to game action this Sunday night against the Bengals.
If Bateman were to miss SNF, fellow pass-catchers Mark Andrews and Devin Duvernay will shoulder bigger loads in the passing game, and both players should be in fantasy owner's starting lineups.
