Every Saturday morning, I'll take a quick look at all the week's games, offering my own brief take on what I think will happen, as well as touching on significant injury news since our Weekly came out. I'll check in over the course of the day to answer questions, too.
The official rankings are the ones in the Weekly. Those take precedence. But sometimes players are very close, and in those cases I'm glad to offer opinions on how I'd approach those situations. If I don't answer your question, either I missed it (it happens) or the rankings are very clear. An important note: I have more agency with the rankings than in the past. What this means is that if one guy is ranked 4-5 spots over another, it's very unlikely I'll sabotage the rankings by recommending the lower player. But I will offer thought processes on why one guy is higher or lower. OK, on to the games!
Jaguars and Eagles across the pond: No Barkley, no DeVonta, several missing stars from this London game. Eagles will have a backfield of Will Shipley and Dameon Pierce. Presumably Shipley gets first shot, but there's some guesswork, making him kind of a risky play. I picked him up somewhere, but am not recommending him too highly. Jaguars should win, but maybe without big numbers.
Bengals at Dolphins: My remaining Survivor Pool entry, after the Cowboys got the other one bounced. Looks like Chase and Higgins will probably be available, surprisingly enough, so I'm no longer recommending Dohnte Meyers. For the Dolphins, Ollie Gordon and perhaps Malik Washington and Chris Bell, with it being a better than ordinary situation for Miami's offense.
Raiders at Patriots: Ashton Jeanty is questionable. If he's out, I'm really interested in Mike Washington. Sadly I'd have a hard time finding a lineup spot for him since I wasted a running back on Kenneth Gainwell, because he was the best back I knew would be healthy on Thursday. Should have waited. Unfortunate. Patriots have a really banged-up secondary, so Kirk Cousins and the Raiders may keep things going. Winning without wide receivers, impressive. Patriots may not have Rhamondre Stevenson, which would make TreVeyon interesting, but sounds like Stevenson will play so it will be an unpredictable tandem.
Vikings at Saints:Justin Jefferson says he's playing, so I'll go with that. Jordan Addison actually practiced less during the week, so his availability needs to be confirmed. It's a choice matchup. Not so much for the Saints, accounting for lower than usual ranking of Tyler Shough, but maybe he'll surprise. Alvin Kamara also questionable, most likely he'll play.
Browns at Jets: Nothing like a great Browns-Jets matchup. It was nice in the days of Bernie Kosar and Ken O'Brien. My youth. Here, the Jets won't have Breece Hall, the Browns are comparatively healthy. Matchup and featured usage give both Braelon Allen and Quinshon Judkins a shot to pay off.
Colts at Steelers: Keenan Allen is back, Michael Pittman is out, should be a good game between two teams on the fringes of contention in the league. Rico Dowdle might play, hurting Jaylen Warren a little perhaps, but I think you're starting Warren if you've got him and he's kind of earned some respect the last couple of weeks. Even from me who's always been skeptical. With Pittman out, Roman Wilson and even Germie Bernard might be viable, if you're desperate.
Texans at Titans: It feels like this matchup happens a lot. Only twice a year, but it feels like more. Nico Collins and now Carnell Tate, perhaps, give us a nice No. 1 versus No. 1 wide receiver battle. The backfields aren't overly appealing for either team. Texans badly need a win and should probably get it, perhaps that should have been my Survivor pick.
Giants at Commanders: Jayden Daniels returns! But sorry Jayden, you won't have Stefon Diggs, might not have Terry McLaurin, Chig Okonkwo will probably leave early with a hamstring injury, and you've got kind of an ugly committee backfield of veterans and castoffs and late-round draft picks. Antonio Williams has some interest, he should be one of the top 2 wideouts, and maybe the No. 1. Giants comparatively healthy, facing a suspect defense. I like the passing game more than the run game.
Bears at Packers: Caleb Williams got in a limited practice on Friday, seemingly good for him returning in the next week or two .But here it will be Tyler Huntley, who in my head I've been mixing up some with Tyson Bagent all week. Not in the text I don't think. Should be a good game in what's a pretty entertaining division these days. Kyle Monangai out, so D'Andre Swift looks a lot better, too bad he's not 100 percent himself. But I'm starting Swift and hoping he stays on the field.
Broncos at Chargers: It's Week 5. The Broncos don't have either starting cornerback, the Chargers don't have either starting tackle. Chargers won't have Quentin Johnston and might not have Ladd McConkey. Crazy stuff. Backfield committees for both teams, struggling quarterbacks too. Broncos can either all but bury the Chargers in the AFC, or both teams will be under .500 after this one. Feels lower-scoring.
Lions at Cardinals: Teams are healthy. Defenses are poor. If you've got the main top starters for each team I think it's a good idea to find a spot for them in lineups.
49ers at Seahawks: Seahawks won the last meeting handily, but 49ers seem better now. Seattle will have Emanuel Wilson at running back, Niners defense improved from last year, Mike Evans will stitch up his various injuries and play through them. Feels like this should be the Sunday night game, instead we've got Tyler Huntley against Michael Penix.
Ravens at Falcons: Zay Flowers questionable, he should play but best to check the morning reports and have a backup plan if you're hoping to use him, i.e. someone in this game or the Monday night one. Derrick Henry versus the top-ranked run defense so far, that's fun. Falcons favored because they're healthier. Um, it's Week 5 and the Falcons will have played on a Thursday night, a Monday night and now a Sunday night. If anyone knows how or why this is the case, let me know.
Bills at Rams: Monday night shootout, probably. Bills may not have DJ Moore. He hasn't missed a start in five years so you assume he'll try to play, but too risky for me personally. If he's inactive, Keon Coleman has potential. Rams are comparatively healthy, I think you're starting Kyren, Stafford and Puka, maybe Davante and Higbee, and obviously Allen-Cook, perhaps Kincaid. Fun end to the week.
Will answer questions as I can today, should get to everything by the end of the day if not sooner. Enjoy the games.
