Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (ankle) will get "extensive work" on the field during the team's bye this week, according to head coach Kevin O'Connell. McCarthy is officially returning to practice this week after missing three games due to a high right-ankle sprain that he suffered in the Week 2 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Veteran Carson Wentz one two of his three starts with McCarthy sidelined, although he did suffer a left-shoulder injury in the Week 5 win over the Cleveland Browns in London that the team will monitor this week. McCarthy led a comeback in Week 1 over the Chicago Bears but looked like a rookie in Week 2 while playing through his ankle injury. O'Connell didn't exactly commit to McCarthy starting in Week 7 against the Philadelphia Eagles coming off the bye, so if Wentz's shoulder is alright, the veteran could make a fourth straight start.

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Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf delivered his best showing of the season in Week 4 with five receptions for 126 yards and a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings. Although nearly all of his production came in the first half, it was encouraging to see the seventh-year pro featured early and often after a slow start to the campaign. Coming out of a Week 5 bye, Metcalf will get his first taste of an AFC North rivalry with the Cleveland Browns on tap for Week 6. While Cleveland has been strong defensively this season, it has still allowed five wideouts to finish as top-24 fantasy options in as many games. Fantasy managers may have safer choices this week, but Metcalf remains firmly in the WR2 mix.

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Through the first four weeks of the season, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was the QB16 in fantasy with eight passing touchdowns and three interceptions while leading his new team to a 3-1 record. Although his most prolific outing came in the season opener, Rodgers finished as a top-24 fantasy option in each of his games. He'll now return from a Week 5 bye to face the division-rival Cleveland Browns in Week 6. Despite their 1-4 record, Cleveland has been stout defensively, limiting opposing quarterbacks to 15 fantasy points per contest. Rodgers can be added and started in favorable matchups, but he's not an ideal streaming candidate this week. The 41-year-old checks in as QB27 in RotoBaller's Week 6 rankings.

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The Los Angeles Chargers acquired edge rusher Odafe Oweh from the Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday, sources told Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Chargers safety Alohi Gilman and a fifth-round pick in the 2026 draft to Baltimore, and also received a 2027 seventh-round draft pick. The Chargers will hope that Oweh can pick up some of the pass-rushing slack in Los Angeles with Khalil Mack (elbow) currently on Injured Reserve. The 26-year-old former first-rounder had a career-best 10 sacks and 39 tackles (25 solo) with the Ravens in his fourth NFL season in 2024. However, despite getting consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks through five games this year, Oweh has yet to record a sack. Gilman will give the Ravens a much-needed healthy body for their banged-up secondary as they head into a Week 6 game against the Los Angeles Rams.

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The Tennessee Titans waived wide receiver Treylon Burks (collarbone) on Tuesday, according to Jim Wyatt of TennesseeTitans.com. Burks, a former first-rounder, suffered a fractured collarbone during practice in training camp and was waived with an injury designation back in July before reverting to Injured Reserve for the start of the regular season. He just was not able to stay on the football field in his time with the Titans, playing in just 27 games over the last three years. The 25-year-old pass-catcher had 53 catches for 699 yards and only one touchdown since debuting in 2022. Burks will be free to sign with any team if he clears waivers. He should get a look elsewhere, but it's unclear how soon he'll be ready to come off Injured Reserve. Burks remains a non-factor in fantasy, although maybe a change of scenery will treat him well.

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Arizona Cardinals running back Michael Carter is listed as the RB1 on the team's depth chart going into a Week 6 clash against the Indianapolis Colts on the road on Sunday. Emari Demercado is listed as the No. 2, with Bam Knight following him. James Conner (ankle) is out for the rest of the season, while Trey Benson (knee) is out four to six weeks due to a knee injury. In Arizona's new-look backfield in the Week 5 loss to the Tennessee Titans, Carter operated as the clear lead back, carrying the ball 18 times for 51 yards and a touchdown and catching all five of his targets for another 22 yards. Demercado and Knight combined for only nine touches, with Demercado botching what would have been a 70-plus-yard touchdown. Even though Carter wasn't very efficient with his 23 touches, it's clear the Cardinals are going to lean heavily on him with Benson out. Carter should be scooped up off waivers this week if he's still available in your league.

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The Los Angeles Chargers signed free-agent running back Nyheim Hines to their practice squad on Tuesday after working him out, a source told Kris Rhim of ESPN. Hines was with the Chargers during training camp in the summer, so he has some familiarity with their offense already. He will have a chance to serve as the team's RB3 in Week 6 against the Miami Dolphins behind Hassan Haskins and Kimani Vidal. Najee Harris (Achilles) is already out for the year, and now rookie first-rounder Omarion Hampton (ankle) will have to miss at least four games after being put on Injured Reserve. The 28-year-old Hines hasn't played in an NFL game since 2022 with the Indianapolis Colts and Buffalo Bills due to several knee injuries. He has mostly helped as a pass-catcher out of the backfield in his five-year NFL career, but for now, he can be ignored in most fantasy leagues.

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With the Cleveland Browns trading veteran quarterback Joe Flacco to the division-rival Cincinnati Bengals on Tuesday, it means that rookie fifth-rounder Shedeur Sanders is now the No. 2 QB for the Browns behind fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, according to Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network. Sanders will be active on game day this coming Sunday for a Week 6 matchup against the Green Bay Packers. The Browns benched Flacco going into their Week 5 game in London against the Minnesota Vikings in favor of Gabriel. The Oregon product actually held his own against a veteran Vikings defense and will be looking to take a step forward in his second NFL start this weekend against Green Bay. Cleveland will use the rest of the 2025 campaign to evaluate both Gabriel and Sanders going into the future. Sanders figures to see some playing time eventually, but for now, he should only be rosterd in dynasty/keeper leagues in fantasy.

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The Cincinnati Bengals are expected to start veteran quarterback Joe Flacco in Week 6 against the Green Bay Packers after acquiring him in a trade with the division-rival Cleveland Browns on Tuesday, according to Jay Morrison of Sports Illustrated. They will bench Jake Browning after another turnover-filled Week 5 loss to the Detroit Lions. Joe Burrow is on Injured Reserve with turf toe and is expected to miss most, if not all, of the rest of the season. Flacco completed 58% of his 160 pass attempts for 815 yards, two touchdowns, and six interceptions in four starts before being benched for rookie Dillon Gabriel. The move from Browning to Flacco probably won't be much of an upgrade for the Bengals' offense, but Flacco will surely target top wideouts Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins as much as possible. Flacco is once again a low-end QB2 option in superflex leagues, albeit with a little more upside now given his upgrade in pass-catching weapons.

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The Jacksonville Jaguars placed tight end Brenton Strange (quadriceps) on Injured Reserve on Tuesday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Strange will now miss at least the next four games due to a quad injury that he picked up in Monday night's win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5. The 24-year-old is believed to have avoided a season-ending injury, and the team thinks he'll be able to return in around a month. He caught his only target on Monday night for a 22-yard gain before departing. Over his first five games in 2025, Strange has 20 catches on 24 targets for 204 yards and no touchdowns in his third year in the league. Surprisingly, he leads the Jags with 20 receptions. With Strange sidelined at least four games, Johnny Mundt and Hunter Long will both have bigger roles at TE. The earliest Strange will be eligible to return will be in Week 11 on Nov. 16 against the Los Angeles Chargers.

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With both running backs Omarion Hampton (ankle) and Najee Harris (Achilles) on Injured Reserve, Los Angeles Chargers RB Hassan Haskins is the "next man up," writes Daniel Popper of The Athletic. For his career, Haskins has 195 rushing yards with a 3.0 yards-per-carry average. Behind him, the Bolts have Kimani Vidal and Amar Johnson on the practice squad. Vidal has been elevated from the practice squad for the last two games and had an equal amount of offensive snaps as Haskins on Sunday in the loss to the Washington Commanders. In addition to the team's RB depth being thinned out, the Chargers have also dealt with injuries to key players along their offensive line. It could be tough sledding on the ground for L.A. moving forward, with Haskins and Vidal potentially splitting the workload down the middle. Both RBs are worth picking up off the waiver wire if you have Hampton or need a bye-week replacement.

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Free-agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. said he has decided to accept a six-game suspension from the league for a violation of the performance-enhancing drug policy last season, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Beckham said he never knowingly took any PED and that he still wants to play in 2025. The 32-year-old veteran may still want to continue his career, but his accepted six-game suspension makes it more unlikely that a team will take a chance on him this year. OBJ wasn't attracting much interest at all around the NFL before the announcement of his six-game suspension. If he does latch on with a team, Beckham will not be eligible to make his 2025 debut until Week 12. The three-time Pro Bowler and former first-round pick played in nine games last year with the Miami Dolphins and had a 9-55-0 line on 18 targets before being cut in mid-December.

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After rewatching the tape of the Week 5 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing said he felt like he didn't do enough to get wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. the ball down the stretch, according to Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic. "Going back and looking at it, I think there's maybe a couple of things I could've done differently," Petzing said. Harrison had only five targets on the day, which tied for a season low, but he caught four of them to finish two yards shy of the century mark for the first time in 2025. He caught a season-high six passes on 10 targets in Week 4 for 66 yards and his second touchdown of the year. The 23-year-old former first-rounder nearly had a 44-yard TD early in the game on Sunday and did most of his damage in the first half before Arizona's offense sat on their lead after halftime. Look for Arizona to feature Harrison early and often in Week 6 on the road against the Indianapolis Colts.

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New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll is optimistic that running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (shoulder) will be able to make his return in Week 6 on Thursday night against the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. Tracy suffered a dislocated right shoulder in the Week 3 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and has missed the last two games as a result. However, the 25-year-old has made good progress and was listed as a limited practice participant for the second straight day this week on Tuesday. It's good news for the Giants' offense as they take on a tough divisional opponent on a short week, but even if Tracy makes his return, fantasy managers will probably want to stay away. Rookie Cam Skattebo has taken over lead-back duties in the Big Apple. Tracy will still be involved when he's back, but he's likely to take on more of a secondary role, especially in his return.

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The Indianapolis Colts are signing free-agent kicker Michael Badgley to their 53-man active roster on Tuesday, sources told NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Badgley will get the first crack for the Colts at replacing Spencer Shrader (knee), who suffered a torn ACL and MCL in the Week 5 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. The 30-year-old kicked for Indianapolis back in 2021 and is fully healthy now after missing 2024 due to injury. He went 18-for-21 on field-goal attempts and 39-for-39 on his extra-point tries in his 12 games with the Colts in 2021. Badgley has a career 82.4% success rate on his 119 field-goal attempts in his six years in the NFL with five different teams. Badgley will probably have a short leash his second time around in Indy if he struggles, but he'll be kicking half his games indoors at Lucas Oil Stadium for what has been a surprisingly explosive offense.

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Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft has had a solid start to his second season as the full-time starting tight end for the Packers, but is he a bit overrated for fantasy football? In Week 4, when Jordan Love had 43 pass attempts, Kraft could only manage five targets with five receptions for 56 yards. Kraft has been fine this season and perhaps has been propped up by his monster 6-124-1 game in Week 2. Besides that game, Kraft has averaged just four targets, three receptions, 34 yards outside of Week 2. What's additionally concerning is that his per-route metrics are starting to slide. In Week 1, Kraft earned a target on 22.2 percent of his routes run, but that percentage has slipped to 21 percent, 17 percent, and in Week 4, 13 percent. Kraft is what he is: a volatile boom-or-bust option with an inconsistent target-earning profile. You can start Kraft in good fantasy matchups and hope he gets into the end zone in bad matchups. This week is a good matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, so Kraft is a fine start. Just know that while the ceiling is very high, Kraft's fantasy points floor is shockingly low.

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Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love had an awesome game for fantasy managers who started him in Week 4 against Dallas, tossing three touchdown passes to wide receiver Romeo Doubs and piling up 337 passing yards. Love finished as QB6 in Week 4, his first weekly finish as a top-ten quarterback since Week 6 of last season. It was also Love's first game with over 40 passing attempts since Week 4 of 2024. Passing volume isn't a regular thing for the Packers; it's an anomaly. The Packers would rather play tough defense and run the ball to set up the pass than the opposite. Another excellent matchup looms as the Cincinnati Bengals head into Lambeau Field to take on the Packers in Week 6. Love is a fringe starting quarterback for fantasy managers, but history has shown us that the game he had in Week 4 is more the exception rather than the rule.

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Green Bay Packers wide receiver Matthew Golden has seen an incremental upward trajectory over the past several weeks for the Packers and for fantasy managers. Golden is coming off his best week yet, with a season-high six targets, plus five receptions for 58 yards. He's also starting to see the field regularly with route shares of 82 percent and 72 percent in his last two games. In addition, Golden's first-read target shares have increased substantially, going from three total first-read targets in the first two weeks of the season to nine in the next two contests. Interestingly, Golden was used much more in the slot in Week 4, flipping his role with Dontayvion Wicks, who had been used in the slot more since Jayden Reed (clavicle, foot) was injured. That could prove to be a launching point to get Golden in more jet motion and use him in space for YAC opportunities. After the Packers' bye in Week 5, Green Bay hosts the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 6. With the continued upward climb of Golden, he's a big-time upside flex play for fantasy managers this week.

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Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs is coming off by far his best game of the season in Week 4, with an awesome three-touchdown performance against the Dallas Cowboys. Is that performance something we can bank on in future weeks? Besides the three touchdowns in Week 4, Doubs earned eight targets and caught six balls for 58 yards. Entering the team's Week 5 bye, Doubs is tied with tight end Tucker Kraft with 19 targets and is second to Kraft in receptions and yards on the Packers this season. Despite that, Doubs averages less than five targets, just over three receptions, and 45 yards in per-game statistics. Simply put, that's not good enough to put into your fantasy lineups in most weeks, even with bye weeks here. Against the Bengals in Week 6, Doubs is merely a dart-throw flex option for fantasy managers, as the Packers' target distribution is so spread out that any number of Packers could be in line to lead their receiving production in a given week.

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New Orleans Saints running back Kendre Miller has seen his snap share increase every game this season, and in Week 5, he was on the field for 26 of the Saints' 66 offensive plays. He saw double-digit carries for the second straight week and out-touched Alvin Kamara on the ground for the first time this year. In a relatively unremarkable waiver week, he becomes a priority add wherever he's still available, but fantasy managers should be leery of his almost non-existent usage in the passing game. He's seen only four targets through five weeks, and in the Saints' first win of the season, some of his increased workload can be explained away by a game script New Orleans is unlikely to repeat with regularity.

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