Welcome to Next Man Up! Staff writer Johnny Goode (@JohnnyBGoodeDFF) provides an injury update on how these players have progressed throughout the week with up-to-date information to help you make the best choices for your fantasy team in Week 6 of the NFL season.
AFC East Injury Update
Aaron Rodgers | QB | New York Jets | Ankle
Aaron Rodgers dealt with a low ankle sprain all week, but appears good to go for Week 6. With a shakeup among the coaching staff, including a new play caller, it will be interesting to see how the New York offense looks going forward. Rodgers is a solid QB2 option in Superflex leagues, but hopefully you have better options in 1QB leagues.
James Cook | RB | Buffalo Bills | Foot/Toe
James Cook has not practiced all week, and to make matters worse the Bills play on Monday night. According to ESPN, James Cook plans to play. There is a high likelihood that he aggravates his injury, especially if he is dealing with a turf toe injury. If you have reasonable replacement options, I would make alternate plans and bench Cook this week.
Mychal Warno’s running back start/sit advice for Week 6: The Cutback may provide you with other options if you are stuck:
Rhamondre Stevenson | RB | New England Patriots | Foot
Ruled OUT for Week 6, Rhamondre Stevenson gives way to Antonio Gibson. Drake Maye also gets the start this week, which may mean more check downs than usual to the running back position. With that in mind, Gibson is a sneaky flex play this week. Stevenson should be back following a 1 week absence for Week 7.
AFC South Injury Update
Anthony Richardson | QB | Indianapolis Colts | Hip Pointer/Oblique
Anthony Richardson continues to be Questionable heading into Week 6 games. After Richardson put in a limited practice, I expect Flacco to get one more week to start. He looked good in relief, and given Richardson’s injury history, I imagine the Colts want to make sure their signal caller is fully ready to go before putting him back behind center.
Check out Mike Hick’s quarterback start/sit Advice for Week 6: The Call for a handful of options:
Nico Collins | WR | Houston Texans | Hamstring
Nico Collins was off to a monster year before landing on IR with a hamstring injury. This should give him ample time to heal to full strength prior to coming back. In the meantime, Stefon Diggs gets a major upgrade. He has been seeing an increased target share over the last 3 weeks.
I consider Diggs a weekly starter while Collins is out. Tank Dell also gets a boost. Acknowledging this as a very small sample size, in his lone game played without Nico Collins, Tank Dell had 14 targets for 6 receptions, 56 yards, and 1 touchdown.
Michael Pittman Jr. | WR | Indianapolis Colts | Back
Michael Pittman Jr. returned to full practice Friday after initial reports indicated he could miss multiple weeks. He made the trip with the team to Nashville, so that is a positive sign toward Pittman playing. With Josh Downs and the previously mentioned Anthony Richardson banged up, Pittman may actually be a good play—should he suit up. Flacco seems to be a safer play for Pittman who was off to a slow start this season with Richardson under center. Given the bye weeks and injuries elsewhere, if Pittman plays. I would start him at Flex.
AFC North Injury Update
Zach Moss | RB | Cincinnati Bengals | Foot
Chase Brown | RB | Cincinnati Bengals | Quadriceps
Zach Moss and Chase Brown appear to be in a timeshare at this time, and both go into Week 6 a little banged up. Zach Moss practiced fully Friday, clearing any injury designation heading into Week 6.
Chase Brown, on the other hand, is officially Questionable. If Chase Brown is out, I consider Moss a great start Week 6. If active, however, I would be cautious starting either.
AFC West Injury Update
Gus Edwards | RB | Los Angeles Chargers | Ankle
Gus Edwards is officially OUT for Week 6. Kimani Vidal could see increased action Week 6 behind J.K. Dobbins. Dobbins is a must start, but keep an eye on Vidal as he was a late-round rookie draft darling back in May.
NFC East Injury Update
Malik Nabers | WR | New York Giants | Concussion
Malik Nabers is officially OUT Week 6 following a concussion suffered during his Week 4 game. In order to progress through the NFL concussion protocol, a player must pass each stage without an increase in symptoms.
Nabers still being out after participating in some physical activity at practice leads me to speculate that he failed this stage. This doesn’t mean much for now, unless the trend continues into next week. Darius Slayton filled in admirably last week, and is a replacement I would recommend this week as well.
Read Senior Nerd Tristan Cook‘s The Slant Pattern for his wide receiver start/sit advice:
NFC South Injury Update
Derek Carr | QB | New Orleans Saints | Oblique Injury
Derek Carr is out for Week 6, giving way to Spencer Rattler. Injured Reserve designation appears unlikely, but I would expect this to be a multi-week injury. I (and Mike Hicks) consider Rattler a viable fill-in on Superflex rosters this week based on how good the New Orleans’ offense has looked. Watch New Orleans practice report early in the week to determine Carr’s availability going forward.
Diontae Johnson | WR | Carolina Panthers | Ankle
This is the same injury that Diontae Johnson played through last week, so it’s fair to say Johnson should suit up this week. Nonetheless, the Panthers have an afternoon game Sunday, so check early reports Sunday morning before making your roster decisions. If he suits up, he should be in your lineup. I expect him to play and to be involved in the offense.
Rachaad White | RB | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Foot
While Rachaad White is considered a game-time-decision for Sunday, he is officially Doubtful on the injury report. This sets up Bucky Irving for a very large workload. Start him if you have him. At this time, the long term outlook for White is unknown. Based on how the injury looked on film, I’d expect a 1-2 week absence.
NFC North Injury Update
No Injury Updates
NFC West Injury Update
No Injury Updates
Thank you for reading this week’s injury update! If you needed full game previews, check out fellow Nerd Steven Pintado’s The Fantasy Preview for every Week 6 positional matchup to exploit:
