Fantasy Football
Eric Moody, ESPN 1y

Fantasy Football Daily Notes: Rashaad Penny, Tom Brady, Kyle Pitts pop up on Week 5 injury report

Fantasy, Fantasy NFL

Read ESPN's fantasy football Daily Notes every weekday to stay caught up on the news you need to know and get a head start on the fantasy football content coming Thursday and Friday to ESPN.com and the ESPN Fantasy App.

The news: Seahawks RB Rashaad Penny did not practice Wednesday due to a shoulder injury.

What it means in fantasy: We will certainly be watching Penny's shoulder injury closely after he rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns against the Lions last week. Keep an eye on Penny's progress throughout the rest of the week. Penny never indicated that something was wrong when speaking to the media. Rookie Kenneth Walker III would fill the void if Penny isn't cleared for Week 5 versus New Orleans.


The news: Buccaneers QB Tom Brady did not practice Wednesday.

What it means in fantasy: Brady has been dealing with the finger issue for some time, and he appeared to hurt his throwing shoulder against the Chiefs. Brady, who is in his 23rd NFL season, has completed 68.4% of his passes for 1,058 yards and six touchdowns. It would be surprising if Brady is not under center come game time, but if he isn't, Teddy Bridgewater, Geno Smith and Ryan Tannehill are all great quarterback streamers this week.


The news: Falcons TE Kyle Pitts did not practice Wednesday due to a hamstring injury.

What it means in fantasy: Pitts' fantasy value continues to plummet. Last week, he was not listed on the injury report, so this is a new ailment. Pitts has accumulated only 10 receptions for 150 yards through four games. Despite this, fantasy managers can't drop Pitts as he still has upside as a low-end TE1, but he carries little value in a trade right now. There is the option to bench him and stream tight end instead. Logan Thomas, Robert Tonyan, and Tyler Conklin are all solid Week 5 replacements.

Going deeper: Pitts has run a route on only 29 snaps and played less than 70% of the Falcons offensive snaps over the past two weeks.


The news: Cardinals WR Marquise Brown did not practice Wednesday due to a foot injury.

What it means in fantasy: Last Friday, Brown was listed as a limited participant on the Cardinals' injury report and then played 94% of offensive snaps against the Panthers, catching six of 11 targets for 88 yards and a touchdown. His availability for Sunday's game against the Eagles should be monitored as the weekend approaches. It will be a tough matchup for Brown against Philadelphia cornerback Darius Slay if he's active.


The news: Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle did not practice Wednesday with a groin injury.

What it means in fantasy: Waddle continues to play through the injury. It is not a good sign for him to miss practice after the extra days off afforded by playing Thursday, but Waddle missed practice last week as well. A limited practice Thursday would be a great sign for fantasy managers, who can view Waddle as a high-end WR2.


The news: Saints WR Michael Thomas did not practice on Wednesday due to a toe injury.

What it means in fantasy: After missing the 2021 season with an ankle injury, Thomas has caught 16 passes for 171 yards and three touchdowns before suffering a toe injury against the Panthers in the second half of Week 3 and sitting out Week 4. His lack of on-field activity this week indicates that he's not in good health going into a Week 5 matchup against the Seahawks. Once again, Chris Olave sets up as an excellent fantasy play. He is firmly on the WR2 radar.

Going deeper: Olave leads all wide receivers with 673 air yards. That's more than Tyreek Hill (453), CeeDee Lamb (440), Davante Adams (438) and A.J. Brown (425).


The news: Ravens WR Rashod Bateman did not practice Wednesday due to a foot injury.

Going deeper: Bateman is day-to-day following an injury sustained against the Bills in the second half on Sunday. Despite briefly returning to the game after leaving the blue medical tent, he couldn't finish the game. Devin Duvernay would be the team's top wide receiver if Bateman isn't able to play Sunday night against the Cincinnati Bengals. Duvernay has averaged only 3.25 targets, 3.0 receptions and 43.0 receiving yards per game. Tight end Mark Andrews is the true primary beneficiary if Bateman is ruled out.


The news: Bears RB David Montgomery did not practice Wednesday due to an ankle/knee injury.

What it means in fantasy: Last week, Montgomery did not practice and was ruled out of Week 4's game against the Giants. Against the Vikings in Week 5, he looks to continue this trend. If Montgomery is out, Khalil Herbert will start one again and is on the RB2 radar. Over the last two games, Herbert has 42 touches, 270 yards, and two touchdowns.

Going deeper: The only teams that average more rushing attempts per game than the Bears (34.0) are the Browns (37.3) and Eagles (38.3).


The news: Titans WR Treylon Burks did not practice Wednesday due to a toe injury.

What it means in fantasy: Burks is reportedly dealing with turf toe and is expected to miss some time, but it is unclear how much. After getting carted off the field in the fourth quarter of the Titans' Week 4 win over the Colts, he was seen in the locker room with a walking boot and crutches. After missing Wednesday's practice, Burks seems unlikely to play on the road against the Commanders this week. The only Titans receiver you can rely on in fantasy is Robert Woods. He should see a few more targets against the Commanders. Woods has scored 12 or more fantasy points in consecutive weeks after a slow start. Westbrook-Ikhine, who played 65% of snaps against the Colts but didn't get a target, could be a deep-league flex option. Kyle Philips is also worth watching, but he played only 4% of the snaps last week.


The news: Giants WR Wan'Dale Robinson and WR Kadarius Toney practiced on a limited basis Wednesday.

What it means in fantasy: It is Robinson's (knee) first on-field work since Week 1. Kadarius Toney (hamstring) was a limited participant, while Richie James (ankle) and Kenny Golladay (knee) did not practice. As Sterling Shepard is out for the season with a torn ACL, Robinson and Toney could play significant roles for the Giants this weekend against the Packers in London. Toney is available in 53% of leagues, while Robinson is available in 93.5%.


The news: Head coach Sean McVay vows to keep working to get WR Allen Robinson II more involved in the Rams offense.

What it means in fantasy: Robinson has had a quiet start to his debut season with the Los Angeles Rams, catching nine of 18 targets for 95 yards and one touchdown through four weeks. It is vital that someone else step up at the wide receiver position alongside Kupp with defenses focusing on slowing him down. It remains to be seen whether McVay will follow through with his words. Until that happens Robinson cannot be trusted in lineups. Fantasy managers should take a wait and see approach.


Need a fantasy league redo? Sign up for a team or start a new league to draft before the start of Week 5 (with Thursday Night Football) and start fresh with a 0-0 record and a 13-week schedule.


Today on ESPN.com/Fantasy and in the ESPN Fantasy App

 Field Yates' Fantasy Field Pass for Week 5

 Mike Clay's TNF Playbook: Colts vs Broncos

 Tristan H. Cockcroft's positional Matchup Map

Matt Bowen's fantasy film room Week 5 upgrades and downgrades

 Al Zeidenfeld's DFS Best Buys for Week 5

• Fantasy Focus podcast: Mike Clay and Daniel Dopp preview Thursday Night Football before telling us the WR's who NEED to be in your lineup this week and the ones who you need to bench. Then, Adam Schefter joins to talk the storylines to watch in Week 5 including how injuries will be impacting some key backfields. Listen | Watch

Friday:

 Mike Clay's Playbook: projections and analysis for every game

 Eric Karabell's Week 5 preview

• Daniel, Liz and DJ: the lighter side of fantasy

• Fantasy Focus podcast now at 10 a.m. ET

In Case You Missed It:

 Mike Clay's Shadow Report: wide receiver vs. defensive back matchups analysis

 Seth Walder's Next Gen Stats Advantage: Mismatches to exploit

 DFS cheat sheets for DraftKings and FanDuel

• Rankings for individual defensive player leagues

• Fantasy Focus podcast: Field Yates, Stephania Bell and Daniel Dopp talk injuries, which players can stay hot and which players can finally break out, including whether Josh Jacobs and Dameon Pierce are here to stay. Plus, Liz Loza joins to tell us if Terry McLaurin breaks out this week and answer your social questions.  Listen | Watch

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