Quarterbacks Marcus Mariota and Sam Bradford are the headliners on this week's injury report, as their potential absences affect a lot more than just their individual fantasy football owners. Receivers Davante Adams, Michael Crabtree, Marqise Lee and others are also big start-or-sit worries, and fantasy owners will certainly be looking for the latest updates on them as Sunday draws closer. (For news on Ty Montgomery, Ezekiel Elliott, Wendell Smallwood and more RBs, click here.)
Here's the latest on these players and more to help you make lineup decisions and put together your NFL DFS rosters.
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Will Marcus Mariota play in Week 5?
The Titans are currently "holding out hope" that Mariota (hamstring) will play this week against the Dolphins. On Wednesday, he was a limited participant in practice, throwing passes in individual drills while backup Matt Cassel handled first-team reps. The Titans also signed FA Brandon Weeden earlier this week as a backup just in case Mariota does miss time.
Not only does Mariota have a solid matchup against the Dolphins this week, but he also has great matchups down the line with the Colts and Browns afterward. His absence will have a major effect on his fantasy owners, but it will also have an effect on the value of teammates Rishard Matthews, Eric Decker, Delanie Walker, and even DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry. Cassel struggled in the second half last week, completing six of 10 passes for 96 yards and throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble. If he starts, the skill players' values will also drop a bit.
Is Sam Bradford playing on Monday night?
Bradford (knee) is practicing this week, though he'll still likely be very questionable heading into Monday night's game against the Bears.
If Bradford plays, you can give a slight bump in value to Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs, and Kyle Rudolph, but they've proven they can put up decent stats with Case Keenum, so in this matchup, they should all be in starting lineups anyway.
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Michael Crabtree injury update
After missing Week 4, Crabtree (chest) returned to practice on Wednesday in a limited role. Coach Jack Del Rio said he expects Crabtree to play this Sunday against the Ravens.
Besides his injury, Crabtree's value drops this week because of Derek Carr being out. With backup EJ Manuel getting the starting nod, Crabtree's ceiling is limited this week and until Carr comes back, which is estimated between two and six weeks. We rank him as a low-end WR3.
Davante Adams injury update
It looked bad for Adams on Thursday night after a big hit by Bears' Danny Trevathan led to Adams being strapped to a gurney and taken to the hospital (and a two-game suspension for Trevathan). Adams was diagnosed with a concussion, and a MRI revealed that he didn't suffer any structural damage to his neck. After the game, head coach Mike McCarthy said "everything looks positive."
The Packers will likely take it slow with Adams, so it's not a far-out belief that he could miss some time, including their Week 5 road matchup vs. the Cowboys. He's currently practicing but still in the NFL's concussion protocol. For now, Geronimo Allison becomes a waiver-wire pickup again after replacing Randall Cobb and hauling in six catches for 122 yards in Week 3.
Marqise Lee injury update
Lee (ribs) did not practice Wednesday or Thursday and is now looking very questionable for Sunday's game against the Steelers.
If Lee is out, Allen Hurns would likely see even more targets, as Jacksonville doesn't have any clear backups who would step up and be trusted to get Lee's usual workload.
Jack Doyle injury news
Doyle (concussion) practiced Thursday and is trending toward playing in Week 5 against the 49ers.
On paper, the 49ers have done a good job against TEs, and considering Doyle struggled against a terrible TE-covering team in Week 3 (Cleveland), he isn't necessarily a must-start if active. We rank him outside our TE1 tier.
Ben Watson injury update
Watson (knee) has not practiced this week, but that's what he did last week and wound up playing.
At this point, we're expecting him to play against the Raiders, but he's no more than a lower-tier flier given the state of the Ravens' offense.
Kenny Britt injury news
Britt (knee, groin) did not practice Thursday, putting his status for Sunday's game against the Jets in jeopardy.
Britt is already in the doghouse with Cleveland coaches, so this certainly doesn't help his cause. Rashard Higgins and Ricardo Louis are both in play as potential sleepers given the matchup.