Week 5's Injury Fallout: Philadelphia Is Out of Running Backs, Penix's Ribs, and the Lamar Watch Rolls On

Week 5 spread the damage around instead of concentrating it, a quarterback's ribs here, a concussion there, and one franchise's entire running back room by installments. The full casualty sheet is in FantasyPros' Week 6 report and FantasySixPack's recap. Here is what each one changes, and for once, a real list of players coming back.

Philadelphia is down to the last back on the roster

The timeline reads like a bit: Saquon Barkley strained a hamstring in Week 4, Tank Bigsby inherited the job for three quarters and left on a cart for core muscle surgery and injured reserve, and on Sunday Will Shipley punched in a one-yard touchdown and then suffered what Adam Schefter reported as a partial plantar fascia tear in his foot, likely out multiple weeks. Three lead backs in 15 days. Dameon Pierce is the last man standing, and the offense around him managed 20 total rushing yards in a 19-17 loss to Jacksonville that dropped the Eagles to 2-3. He leads the waiver column on pure attrition. Barkley is the one hope here: the hamstring is reportedly not severe, and Philadelphia wants him back soon.

The quarterback ward: Lamar still out, Penix now questionable

Lamar Jackson sat Week 5 with the ankle, and Tyler Huntley went into Atlanta and won 30-23 anyway, completing 24 of 32 with two touchdowns behind Derrick Henry's 102 yards. Baltimore says it will not rush him, and the market is pricing the fog: the Ravens opened just minus 4.5 at Cleveland, a number that moves hard in either direction with Wednesday's practice report. The new entry is Michael Penix Jr., who took a rib shot late in the fourth quarter of that game and gave way to Tua Tagovailoa; rib injuries and quarterbacks are a miserable combination, and his status for Chicago is open. And in Chicago itself, Caleb Williams has now missed three games; Tyson Bagent and Case Keenum combined for 195 yards and three picks in a 31-7 loss to Green Bay, which is its own argument for why the Bears lead the fallers column.

The pass-catcher ward

CeeDee Lamb bruised a quad on Thursday night, early enough that Ryan Flournoy ran behind George Pickens the rest of the way; testing showed no structural damage and Lamb is questionable for Green Bay. Deebo Samuel pulled up with a non-contact hamstring and lost a fumble on the play; San Francisco has no timeline and Mike Evans, 7 catches for 113 and a score on Sunday, absorbs the targets. T.J. Hockenson is in the concussion protocol, with the one mercy that Minnesota's bye arrives immediately. Roman Wilson, last week's waiver add here, hurt a wrist early and watched rookie Germie Bernard catch 6 of 9 targets for 80 yards in his place, an honest changing of the guard covered in this week's wire. Stefon Diggs sat as a soft-tissue precaution, and Michael Pittman Jr. went to short-term injured reserve with the foot, out at least four games.

Backfield attrition, league-wide edition

Cleveland's Quinshon Judkins left in a walking boot with no timeline, and with Dylan Sampson still on IR the Browns are down to Jaleel McLaughlin. TreVeyon Henderson rolled an ankle for the second time this season and is questionable; Rhamondre Stevenson handles New England's backfield if he sits. Breece Hall's quad is week to week, which is how Braelon Allen ended up carrying 24 times for 116 yards in the Jets' first win. Kyle Monangai, two weeks removed from a 30-carry game, missed Week 5 with a toe injury from practice. David Montgomery's groin opened the door for Woody Marks in Houston's first win, and Miami's Ollie Gordon II left in the fourth quarter with an undisclosed injury.

The good-news column, finally

Jayden Daniels returned and immediately ran for 103 yards and two touchdowns in Washington's 27-27 tie with the Giants. Justin Jefferson came back with 6 catches for 79 and a score as Minnesota moved to 5-0. Ja'Marr Chase cleared the concussion protocol and caught a touchdown in Cincinnati's win. Terry McLaurin played. Nick Bosa called his Monday night return 'pretty darn likely,' Zach Charbonnet is back at practice, and Chicago has hope for Williams in Week 6. After a month of this column being a casualty list, that is a genuinely crowded recovery wing.

What it means when your league picks this week

Byes complicate everything: Detroit, Minnesota, Cincinnati, and Miami are all off, shrinking the board to 14 games. The two injury-hostage lines are Baltimore minus 4.5 at Cleveland (Lamar) and anything involving Philadelphia's offense (Barkley). Same rule as the last two weeks, and the ledger keeps backing it up: wait for Wednesday's designations before the league votes, because one practice report moves these numbers more than any take.

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