Fantasy injury report: Pair of Packers among owners' top concerns
Here are some of the injury questions that will impact fantasy owners the most in Week 5:
All players designated as questionable unless otherwise noted.
RB Ty Montgomery, Green Bay Packers
He's wearing a flak jacket in practice to protect his broken ribs. So far, so good ... but what happens when he has to absorb some serious contact? Gut feeling here is that all parties are talking a big game, but Montgomery's action will be limited as the Packers take the long-term view. Only start him if you have no other options.
WR Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers
The team's No. 2 wideout is still in the concussion protocol, but has already returned to the field on a limited basis. That's a positive sign for him playing on Sunday. But don't pull the ripcord on Geronimo Allison just yet. The same caveat we mentioned with Montgomery could be applied to Adams as well. A late afternoon kickoff in Dallas means you'll need to have other options ready, just in case his status changes.
QB Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans
The No. 14 fantasy quarterback through the first four weeks, Mariota would have ranked higher if he didn't have to leave last week's game early with a hamstring injury. Matt Cassel was pretty bad in relief, so the Titans would love to have their starter back on Sunday at Miami. Fortunately, that game is an early afternoon kickoff, so fantasy owners will know his status before they have to make a start/sit call.
Fantasy rankings: How the players stack up at each position in Week 5
RB Wendell Smallwood, Philadelphia Eagles
After an impressive showing with a larger share of the workload, Smallwood came out of Week 4 with a knee injury. He's missed consecutive practices, which doesn't bode well for a repeat performance vs. the Arizona Cardinals.
RB Carlos Hyde, San Francisco 49ers
The Niners are taking things slowly with Hyde this week as he's dealing with a hip injury. He's expected to start and get the majority of snaps against the Indianapolis Colts and their 31st-ranked overall defense. Backup Matt Brieda's ankle injury will also push Hyde to be on the field more frequently than he was last week.
QB Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders (out)
What were originally thought to be back spasms turned out to be a fracture that will keep Carr in the shop for 2-to-6 weeks. EJ Manuel will run the Raiders offense in the interim, but don't expect much production -- especially with his top two wideouts, Amari Cooper (knee) and Michael Crabtree (chest), banged up.