Miami Dolphins wide receiver Malik Washington could fill an expanded role during Sunday's Week 5 contest against the Carolina Panthers. Washington has the opportunity to emerge as one of Tua Tagovailoa's favorite targets downfield after deep threat Tyreek Hill (knee) was lost for the rest of the season. The 24-year-old has just eight catches for 47 yards so far this season, but he has been the No. 3 or 4 receiver in an offense that has faced plenty of struggles. Now, with Hill sidelined, Washington could be the No. 2 target alongside Jaylen Waddle. That's enough to warrant some fantasy consideration, especially in an offense that must continue throwing the football, given how often it plays from behind. That could be the case once again this week, as the Dolphins face the Panthers, who fifth-fewest fantasy points to receivers. Washington isn't startable quite yet, but savvy managers should consider stashing him on the bench for now.

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Dallas Cowboys running back Jaydon Blue shouldn't be started in fantasy football against the New York Jets in Week 5, but he's still an intriguing speculative stash as he gets ready to make his NFL debut. Blue had been a healthy scratch through the first four games as Dallas carried just two active running backs -- Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders -- on gamedays. Now, Sanders is questionable with ankle and knee injuries, opening the door for Blue to potentially be active as Williams' backup. Even if Sanders plays, there's still a strong chance that Blue makes his NFL debut in a depth role. While fantasy managers shouldn't start Blue this week, partially because he hasn't taken an NFL snap yet, he's worth stashing thanks to his upside. In addition to his talent, he's an intriguing fantasy option given that he could ascend into the lead-back role by the end of the year. Williams has played well, but he's not the long-term answer in Dallas, and the Cowboys could eventually hand off the reins to Blue. For now, though, he's worth stashing on the bench.

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Miami Dolphins tight end Darren Waller caught two touchdown passes in his season debut last week, but fantasy managers should temper expectations for the veteran pass catcher heading into Week 5 against the Carolina Panthers. After all, Waller only caught three passes on a 28 percent snap share last week. Not only is scoring two touchdowns on that level of volume very rare, but so is merely having fantasy relevance. He'd likely need to start playing at least half of the snaps before warranting some fantasy consideration, especially in Miami's subpar offense. Of course, there's a chance that his workload could increase this weekend. He has cleared the hurdle of playing his first game back from injury and could be more involved by necessity after fellow pass catcher Tyreek Hill (knee) was lost for the rest of the season. Managers in deeper leagues can justify stashing Waller on their benches, but he shouldn't be started in fantasy football if he's going to continue playing less than one-third of the snaps.

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New York Jets running back Isaiah Davis should handle an increased workload against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5 after teammate Braelon Allen (knee) was placed on injured reserve. Allen and Davis have each carved out their respective roles behind Breece Hall through the first four weeks of the season, and now, Davis could end up handling his existing workload and all of Allen's vacated touches. The 23-year-old registered five touches on a 33 percent snap share last week, which is likely his floor going forward. There's also a scenario in which he handles roughly half of the backfield snaps and New York rides the hot hand, employing a committee between him and Hall. For now, though, Davis is a speculative stash who should not be in starting lineups, even against a Cowboys defense allowing the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs. That's partly due to the presence of Hall, and also partly due to the state of the Jets' offense, which has struggled to move the ball, even against below-average defenses.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White will serve as the lead back for Sunday's Week 5 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. The Bucs are without Bucky Irving (foot) for this game, so White will step up into his role. According to Ian Rapoport, White is going to receive the vast majority of carries during Sunday's game. White has been limited to six carries or less in three of the first four games of the season. However, it appears the 26-year-old is going to get a legitimate chance to show what he can do. Given his pass-catching ability as well, White should be able to offer RB2 value for this weekend. Sean Tucker and Josh Williams should be involved as well, but White is the clear favorite in terms of fantasy value.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Sean Tucker is set for an increased role for the upcoming Week 5 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. The Bucs are without lead back Bucky Irving (foot) for Sunday's game. That being said, Rachaad White will take over as the lead back for this game. That also means, Sean Tucker moves up into the No. 2 role for this contest. The 23-year-old has only rushed the ball once through the first four games. Despite that, Tucker was a capable option when he was given a chance last season. He rushed the ball 50 times for 308 yards and two touchdowns in 17 games in 2024. That's an incredible 6.16 yards per carry, so the potential is certainly there. The biggest problem is the workload is unknown here, so Tucker is going to be too risky to trust for this Week 5 contest.

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Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Jalen Tolbert has been seeing an increased role in the offense over the last few weeks. In the last two games, Tolbert has hauled in seven of his 12 targets for 85 yards. The 26-year-old has played over 80 percent of the offensive snaps during those games. The absence of CeeDee Lamb (ankle) has helped Tolbert, but it hasn't given him great fantasy value. Tolbert is worth a stash in deep leagues at the minimum. He should be considered a low-end flex option for the upcoming Week 5 matchup against the New York Jets.

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Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle will take over as the lead back ahead of the Week 5 matchup against the Miami Dolphins. The Panthers are without Chuba Hubbard (calf) this week, so Dowdle is the next man up. Over the last two games, Dowdle has rushed 19 times for 62 yards and one touchdown. The 27-year-old has been working as the primary backup, but should offer streaming value as the starter. Trevor Etienne and DeeJay Dallas could also be involved, but Dowdle is the best option of the bunch. Given the injuries and byes in Week 5, Dowdle is looking like a viable RB2 to plenty of fantasy managers.

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New Orleans Saints tight end Taysom Hill (knee) was activated off the PUP list and is ready to make his season debut against the New York Giants in Week 5. This marks the first time that Hill has played since suffering a torn ACL in Week 13 of last season. In eight games last season, Hill recorded 23 receptions for 187 yards with 278 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground. There is some touchdown-dependent value here, but it's unclear how much Hill is going to play in his first game. Hill is worth a stash for tight end needy fantasy managers, but isn't an ideal streaming option for Week 5.

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New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (knee) has begun the prehab process ahead of his ACL surgery in a few weeks. That means, Nabers is working on regaining mobility and strength around his knee. This seems like a positive development, but Nabers still has a long road ahead of him. There's no way the Giants can fill the type of production that Nabers brought to the team. The assumption is that Wan'Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton should be the primary receiving options now. The hope is that Nabers can return early next season.

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According to a report from NFL.com's Ian Rapoport, Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders has developed steadily and is likely to make an appearance "when ready." The Browns are starting a rookie quarterback Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, but gave Dillon Gabriel the first crack at playing following the benching of Joe Flacco. For now, Flacco will be the backup with Sanders set to be the third option, but Rapoport notes the team may give Sanders a chance later this season with a full week of starter's reps at practice and a gameplan crafted for him. From a fantasy perspective, it's awfully challenging to trust anything about the Browns' quarterback room, keeping Sanders as a dynasty stash for now.

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The ailment that has hampered Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (knee) is a PCL injury and a bone bruise, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The star tight end sustained the injury in Week 1 against the New England Patriots and left the game, but has played through it in subsequent weeks. Schefter noted that doctors have advised the team that the only way to overcome the injury is rest, though Bowers played in Weeks 2-4. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network previously reported that Bowers is trending toward missing Week 5 against the Indianapolis Colts, and an absence of Bowers would make Michael Mayer the team's top tight end option for at least a game.

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Rookie cornerback Will Johnson (groin) is likely to be in the Arizona Cardinals' lineup on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The second-round pick from Michigan has not played since last month due to the injury, but appears set to go on Sunday. That should be a boost to Arizona, which will play host to one of the worst offenses in the NFL this week. Through four games, nobody has scored fewer points than Tennessee, which is still looking for its first win of 2025.

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New England Patriots defensive tackle Milton Williams (ankle) is likely to go when his team takes on the Buffalo Bills in Week 5, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The star defensive tackle missed practice this week due the injury and is listed as questionable to play on the final injury report, but seems likely to be active once the Patriots finalize their active roster. Williams' presence will be key for New England, which will be tasked with stopped Buffalo running back James Cook and the always-dangerous scrambling of quarterback Josh Allen.

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NFL.com's Ian Rapoport is reporting that the Cincinnati Bengals are still not in the market to acquire another quarterback despite the team's struggles without franchise quarterback Joe Burrow (toe). In Burrow's absence, the Bengals have turned to backup Jake Browning, but have been blown out in consecutive weeks. The former Washington star is completing 64% of his passes and has thrown five interceptions compared to three touchdown passes in three games this year, though the team remains confident he can replicate 2023, when he went 4-3 as a starter with Burrow on injured reserve. With several veterans like Kirk Cousins or Russell Wilson plausibly available, Cincinnati appears content to stick with Browning, who can be a fringe Superflex option given the right week-to-week matchup.

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According to a report from NFL.com, the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles aren't considering a trade of wide receiver A.J. Brown, who has publicly expressed frustration about his role in the team's offense. The star receiver is having a down year so far, having caught just 14 of 28 targets for 151 yards and a touchdown through four games. Though he's expressed his desire to be more involved, Brown also said he wants to stay with the Eagles, with the report noting the team will make it a point to get him more targets. Brown ranks a lowly 47th among PPR receivers, which would be by far the worst mark of his NFL career, so count fantasy managers among those who would like to see Brown featured once again.

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NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Arizona Cardinals defensive back Will Johnson (groin) is likely to be active for Sunday's home meeting with the Tennessee Titans. The University of Michigan alum has been on the shelf since picking up a groin injury in Arizona's win over the Panthers in Week 2. Johnson finally returned to practice this week, albeit in a limited fashion, but his return comes at a good time. Teammate Denzel Burke (knee) was a late addition to the injury report with a knee issue and may not be able to play. With the rookie trending in the right direction, he'll be a boon in an already excellent matchup for the Cardinals' D/ST.

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Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker will face the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5. Butker was busy in Week 4 against the Baltimore Ravens, nailing seven of his eight kicks. The Chief kicker was perfect on his three field goal attempts under 50 yards, but missed from 56 yards in the second quarter. Butker has made 10 of 13 field goal attempts (77%) and seven of nine extra-point attempts (78%). Butker has a career 88% field goal percentage and 94% extra-point percentage, so his accuracy has taken a dip to begin the season. The Kansas City kicker may not get many opportunities to right the ship against the Jaguars on Monday night. The Jacksonville defense is allowing the fifth-fewest points per game to opposing offenses, which can limit kicking opportunities. That said, the Chiefs offense looked rejuvenated with Xavier Worthy back, and they could be back to their high-scoring ways. Butker is ranked K5 in our RotoBaller rankings, making him a strong start at kicker in what could end up being a shootout.

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According to Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, the team is hopeful that offensive lineman Jack Conklin (elbow) will be available for Sunday's matchup with the Minnesota Vikings in London. Conklin has been bothered by an elbow injury that's forced him to miss the previous three games, but it appears the Browns are holding out hope for him after he logged his first full practice since Week 1 on Friday. The sentiment seems to be that the 31-year-old will play. If he's inactive, it will be teammate Cornelius Lucas holding down the edge in rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel's NFL debut.

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ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Ashton Dulin could be in store for increased snaps this Sunday when his team squares off with the Las Vegas Raiders at home. Dulin is poised to be the beneficiary of an expanded workload this weekend, with teammate Alec Pierce (concussion) set to miss another game, and Adonai Mitchell falling out of favor with the coaching staff. Mitchell made two egregious errors in Week 4 that each resulted in a touchdown being taken off the board. Fowler notes that while Mitchell will be active in Week 5, he's expected to see limited involvement. Mitchell actually out-snapped fellow WR Josh Downs last weekend, but it remains to be seen if Dulin would be used in a similar role. With that in mind, he'll be better off avoided for fantasy.

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