| | | | Thursday, October 8, 2020 | | We're still waiting for clarity on the status of the Titans and Patriots COVID outbreaks, so hopefully we'll know more before lineups lock tonight. The Titans-Bills and Broncos-Patriots games for Week 5 are very much up in the air right now, so I'll start today's newsletter offer with a quick reminder to make contingency plans for Josh Allen, Derrick Henry, Stefon Diggs, Melvin Gordon, and the rest of the players in those two games. | | With the Lions and Packers already on their regularly scheduled byes for this week, that means the player pool is already shallower than ever for Week 5, so a lot could hinge on testing over the next few days for those teams. Which means lineup help will be key, and that's what we've got for you today. | | Last night, I sent you Jamey Eisenberg's Start 'Em & Sit 'Em picks for quarterback, running back, and wide receiver, and today we're focusing on Dave Richard's Starts and Sits, Sleepers and Risks column. Plus, I've got the latest on injuries from around the NFL and a preview of Thursday Night Football with some interesting player props to consider further down. | | If you have any questions about your lineup for Week 5, send them to Chris.Towers@CBSInteractive.com with the subject line "#AskFFT" and I may include them in the newsletter on Friday or Sunday. | | Here's what else you need to win in Week 5: | | Starts & Sits, Sleepers & Risks | QB Start 'Em & Sit 'Em | RB Start 'Em & Sit 'Em | WR Start 'Em & Sit 'Em | Waiver Wire | QB Preview | RB Preview | WR Preview | TE Preview | Trade Values | Cut List | | | | Dave Richard's Starts and Sits | | | | Three guys Dave likes for Week 5: Antonio Gibson, Justin Jefferson, Jared Goff | | Gibson seems like he's on the verge of a big breakout. He's consistently been the lead back after Week 1, and he's starting to see more opportunities in the passing game. Washington still trusts J.D. McKissic, and he isn't going away, but with the benching of Dwayne Haskins, they're also showing that they're going to prioritize production and winning in the short team. That should be good news for Gibson, the more dynamic of the team's two backs. | | Three guys Dave doesn't like for Week 5: T.Y. Hilton, David Montgomery, and Mark Ingram | | Dave and I don't see eye to eye on Montgomery — I actually quite like him, as you'll read in the Thursday night preview — but it's hard to argue with his Hilton or Ingram calls. I want to believe Hilton isn't done, and there have been flashes —a dropped long touchdown here, a couple of key pass interferences drawn there — but the truth of the matter is, he's just been too unproductive to trust in a low-volume passing offense. And, with Mark Ingram splitting work three ways in Baltimore, he pretty much needs to find the end zone to be worth starting, rendering him a desperation flex. | | | | Week 5 Injury Updates | | | | Keeping up with injuries has been a key part of playing Fantasy in Week 5, but it's a lot easier when someone else does it for you. Here are the injury updates you need to know about after the first day of practice for Week 5 around the league: | | QB Injuries | | Cam Newton (COVID/Reserve list) — Will need 10 days to pass from initial diagnosis or two consecutive negative tests more than 24 hours apart to be cleared to return. He's unlikely to play, and Jarrett Stidham will start in his place. Sam Darnold (shoulder) — Joe Flacco is expected to start in Week 5. Darnold has been pushing to play, but he'll miss at least one game, making a bad Jets offense even worse. Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle) — After missing all of the last two weeks of practice, Garoppolo was upgraded to a limited participant in practice Wednesday, a good sign for his chances of playing and an upgrade for the 49ers offense. | | RB Injuries | | Le'Veon Bell (hamstring) — The Jets designated Le'Veon Bell to return from injured reserve Wednesday, and he was back at practice. Technically, the Jets have 21 days to activate him, but the expectation is he'll play against the Cardinals. View him as a flex option in his first game back. Raheem Mostert (knee) — Mostert was able to practice on a limited basis Wednesday, a good sign for his chances of returning. If he does play, both he and Jerick McKinnon figure to see enough opportunity to be starting Fantasy options. Zack Moss (toe) — Limited at practice Wednesday, just like he was last week. The expectation is he'll play in Week 5, but it would be risky to trust him. Phillip Lindsay (toe) — Practiced in full and should be back in Week 5. He was supposed to split work fairly evenly with Melvin Gordon, but we'll want to see him get that role before trusting him. Cam Akers (ribs) — Limited at practice Wednesday, and coach Sean McVay told reporters he expects Akers back this week. It should be a three-way split between Akers, Darrell Henderson, and Malcolm Brown, making all three risky plays, but Akers should be at the bottom of the hierarchy in his first week back. Carlos Hyde (shoulder) — Limited at practice Wednesday, but could be held out for another week. | | WR Injuries | | Michael Thomas (ankle) — It seems like Thomas will be able to return in Week 5, but the Saints won't practice for the first time until Thursday. That's when we'll get our first real sense of his status. Julio Jones (hamstring) — Unsurprisingly, Jones did not practice Wednesday. On a short week, after aggravating the injury Monday night, it would be a surprise if Jones played in Week 5. Calvin Ridley was limited at practice Wednesday, but should be able to play again, and Russell Gage and Olamide Zacchaeus will be low-end flex options with Jones out. Corey Davis (COVID/Reserve list) — Davis was placed on the COVID list Wednesday as part of the Titans outbreak. He will need to follow the same return-to-play protocol as Newton. Henry Ruggs (hamstring) — Limited at practice, and could make his return in Week 5 against the Chiefs. Would be more like a flex play, but one with big weekly upside. Bryan Edwards (ankle) — Did not practice, will likely miss at least one more game. Mike Williams (hamstring) — Could miss another game, but the Chargers won't practice for the first time until Thursday, so we'll get our first update then. K.J. Hamler (hamstring) — Did not practice Wednesday and has already been ruled out. Diontae Johnson (toe) — Did not practice Wednesday, but interestingly not because of the concussion he suffered in Week 3. The toe has been a lingering issue all season, so he should continue to play through it. He's been the Steelers No. 1 target and should continue to be so. Laviska Shenault (Hamstring) — Limited at practice, which is a good sign after he left Week 4 with the injury. DeSean Jackson (hamstring) — Limited at practice and seems like he could play this week. Alshon Jeffery (foot) — Could make his debut in Week 5, and was a limited participant in practice Wednesday. A.J. Brown (knee) — Could be back at practice Wednesday. | | TE Injuries | | Noah Fant (ankle) — Did not practice Wednesday and has already been ruled out. Jared Cook (groin) — Could miss another game, but the Saints don't practice until Thursday so we won't get our first sense until then. Jordan Akins (concussion) — Did not play, could miss Week 5. | | | | TNF Preview: Buccaneers at Bears | | | | All lines from William Hill Sportsbook. | | Line: Bears +3.5; o/u 44.5 Implied totals: Buccaneers 24.0-Bears 20.5 | | What to expect: The Bucs are beat up heading into this game, so they might prefer to play a ball-control game that limit possessions. That might mean a lot of opportunities for Ronald Jones in this one, and Ke'Shawn Vaughn could see a decent role in the short passing game. On the Bears side, you're pretty much only starting Allen Robinson and David Montgomery, and even the latter is sort of iffy against this matchup. | | Key injuries | | Mike Evans (ankle) — Did not practice this week, but expected to play. Chris Godwin (hamstring) — Out for Week 5. Scotty Miller (hip) — Upgraded to limited Wednesday, and is questionable for Week 5. Justin Watson (chest) — Out for Week 5. Leonard Fournette (ankle) — Hasn't been ruled out for Thursday night, but he is doubtful. Don't expect him to play, and don't plan on using him if he does. LeSean McCoy (ankle) — Out for Week 5. | | What to watch for | | Mike Evans has had a target share under 20% in every game so far, and Week 4 was really the first time he saw something like the role we've gotten accustomed to, with the downfield shots that come with it. But that was in a game the Bucs needed to take chances — will that be there against this Nick Foles-led offense? I'll admit, I'm a bit worried. No O.J. Howard, no Chris Godwin, no LeSean McCoy, no Justin Watson... If Rob Gronkowski were ever to have a vintage game, this would be the setup, right? I didn't draft him anywhere, but if I did, I might stick with him for literally one more week. It's a tough matchup for David Montgomery, but he dominated work here last week and likely will continue to do so moving forward, which will make it hard to go away from him. In one league, I'm starting him alongside Ronald Jones, ahead of Melvin Gordon — if I had to choose between Montgomery and Jones, Jones would be the easy call. | | Notable player props | | David Montgomery:Over 49.5 rushing yards — Montgomery hasn't topped this in either of his last two games, so I get why this number is so low. But the fact of the matter is, if he averages just 4.0 yards per carry, he would only need 13 to top this. Maybe the Bucs just put this one away early, but this is too low a number for him not to go over. Rob Gronkowski: Over 35.5 receiving yards — Here's another one where the number just seems too for him not to go over, even though he's only done it once this season. Gronkowski should get some extra looks with all of the Bucs injuries, so even a four-catch game will get him there. I'm predicting a season-best game for Gronk, sad as that sounds. Allen Robinson: Over 5.5 receptions — Am I missing something here? I know the Bucs have a good defense, but Robinson has 17 catches over the last two games and has been targeted at least nine times in each game. He's one of the league's true high-volume receivers, and he's gone over 5.5 in 13 of 20 games going back to last season. This is another one where the over feels easy, even in a game that might not have many fireworks. | | | | | | | | 24/7 Sports News | | Parlay Pick'em | Want your sports news and highlights straight without the noise? Stream CBS Sports HQ on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and more!
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