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 today and tomorrow to ESPN.com and the ESPN Fantasy App.
The news: Dolphins QB Skylar Thompson will start against the Vikings on Sunday.
What it means in fantasy: With QBs Tua Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater already ruled out, the rookie will make his first career start against the Vikings in Week 6. Over parts of five seasons at Kansas State, Thompson played 45 games with 40 starts. He’s the only player in Wildcats history with 6,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a career, however Thompson shouldn’t be starting this week unless your league is extremely deep. WR Tyreek Hill is QB-proof until proven otherwise and WR Jaylen Waddle still profiles as a high-end PPR WR2 with the rookie under center if only for the anticipated volume.
The news: Raiders WR Davante Adams was charged with misdemeanor assault after shoving a cameraman.
What it means in fantasy: The incident took place immediately after the Raiders’ Monday Night Football loss to the Chiefs. Adams apologized on Twitter and at his news conference. It’s clear that this won’t go away anytime soon. The NFL could discipline Adams severely, including suspension. The court date is Nov. 10. The Raiders have a bye this week. If you have Adams on your fantasy roster, you should evaluate your depth at wide receiver in case you find yourself without him for several weeks. There are a few great waiver wire options available, including Michael Gallup and George Pickens. Consider WR Mack Hollins, who is only rostered in 11.8% of fantasy leagues, when looking at Raiders fantasy options.
Going deeper: Adams is averaging 20.1 fantasy points per game, which is fifth among wide receivers. He averaged 10.8 goals per game.
The news: Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert missed practice Wednesday due to a knee injury.
What it means in fantasy: Mostert played 68.6% of the offensive snaps in Week 5 against the Jets, finishing with 122 total yards on 19 touches. Whether Mostert is available for Sunday’s game against the Vikings may depend on his activity level at practice Thursday. Over the past two weeks, Mostert has 36 touches. If Mostert is out, RBs Chase Edmonds and Myles Gaskin would fill the void.
The news: Falcons TE Kyle Pitts returned to practice on Wednesday.
What it means in fantasy: Pitts’ hamstring felt good enough to return to practice on Wednesday. Afterwards, Pitts told reporters he expects to play Sunday’s home game against the 49ers. It will be interesting to see Pitts’ hamstring hold up after this practice week, and he’ll get an injury designation on Friday.
Going deeper: After accumulating 1,000 yards in his rookie season, Pitts has just 10 receptions for 150 yards this year, most of which are from his five receptions for 87 yards against the Seahawks. Pitts can still be viewed as a low-end TE1 given the state of the position in fantasy football.
The news: Cardinals RB James Conner did not practice Wednesday due to a rib injury.
What it means in fantasy: The Cardinals held a walk-through Wednesday as the first practice of the game week and released their injury report in preparation for the Seahawks. Conner’s absence is not a great sign. RB Darrel Williams has already been ruled out for Week 6 against the Seahawks due to a knee injury. Backup RB Eno Benjamin could receive a significant workload against a Seattle defense that allows 170.2 rushing yards per game. He accumulated 53 total yards and a touchdown on 11 touches against the Eagles last week.
The news: Saints WR Chris Olave did not practice on Wednesday due to a concussion.
What it means in fantasy: Olave landed on his helmet while catching a touchdown last week and was helped off the field and headed to the locker room. Neither WRs Michael Thomas nor Jarvis Landry practiced Wednesday, and it is unclear whether Olave will be available for Week 6, so the situation merits monitoring right up until game time.
The news: Bengals WR Tee Higgins did not practice Wednesday due to an ankle injury.
What it means in fantasy: Higgins has been nursing an ankle sprain for over a week, and his status for Sunday’s game against the Saints is unclear. Keep an eye on practice reports, but if Higgins can’t go, then WR Ja’Marr Chase could see additional targets and WR Tyler Boyd would also find himself on the streaming radar. In the three games in which Boyd has seen five or more targets, he has averaged 13.8 fantasy points per game.
The news: Colts RB Jonathan Taylor did not practice Wednesday due to an ankle injury.
What it means in fantasy: Fantasy managers would have loved to see Taylor practice Wednesday, but head coach Frank Reich is “optimistic” Taylor will play against the Jaguars this week. In addition to missing practice last week, Taylor also missed the Colts’ Thursday victory over the Broncos. A concussion forced RB Nyheim Hines to leave that game early. On Wednesday, he worked on a limited basis and appears to be on track to play. RB Deon Jackson stepped up against the Broncos with 91 total yards and 18 touches. Hines and Jackson would most likely form a committee were Taylor unable to play.
Going deeper: Taylor has rushed for 328 yards and scored one touchdown this season. Since finishing Week 1 with 27.5 fantasy points, he’s averaged only 7.5 fantasy points per game.
The news: WR Rashod Bateman did not practice Wednesday due to a foot injury.
What it means in fantasy: The foot issue forced Bateman to sit out Week 5. Having missed practice so early in the week is not a good sign. Last week against the Bengals, WR Devin DuVernay had a career-high seven targets. Only tight end Mark Andrews ran more routes. There is little depth at wide receiver for the Ravens. In deeper leagues, Duvernay would be on the flex radar if Bateman is out.
Going deeper: The Ravens wide receivers have combined for just 542 receiving yards. This is the second fewest in the league.
Fantasy reading
The reading: ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime on how Texans rookie RB Dameon Pierce has helped revamp the NFL’s worst rushing attack.
What it means in fantasy: Pierce was the RB26 in our draft trends this summer and has rewarded fantasy managers who took a chance on him. Over the last three games, Pierce has averaged 23.6 touches and 21.4 fantasy points and is currently fifth in the NFL in rushing. What made his 99 rushing yard performance in Week 5 against the Jaguars even more impressive is that he faced a seven- or eight-man box on 22 out of his 26 attempts. Once the Texans return from their bye week, Pierce can be considered a high-end RB2.
• Last chance! Sign up for a team or start a new league to draft before the start of “Thursday Night Football” and start fresh with a 0-0 record and a 12-week schedule. Sign-ups will be officially closed on Oct. 14.
Today on ESPN.com/Fantasy and in the ESPN Fantasy App
Field Yates’ Fantasy Field Pass: Opportunity knocks for Kenneth Walker III, Rhamondre Stevenson
Mike Clay’s TNF Playbook: Bears vs. Commanders
Tristan H. Cockcroft’s Positional Matchup Map
Matt Bowen’s fantasy movie room
Al Zeidenfeld’s DFS Best Buys for Week 6
• Fantasy Focus podcast at 10 a.m. ET
Friday:
Mike Clay’s Playbook: projections and analysis for every game
Eric Karabell’s Week 6 fantasy hot seat
• Daniel, Liz and DJ: the lighter side of fantasy
• Fantasy Focus podcast 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, what players are climbing our rankings and some bye week fill-in options. Plus, Liz Loza joins to discuss some players she is higher on than the consensus and answer your social questions, including if she would rather have Breece Hall or Josh Jacobs for the rest of the season. Listen | Watch
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