Week 5 Fantasy Football Injury Recap
As The Fantasy Footballers’ lead injury analyst and sports physical therapist, I’ll be recapping the previous week’s injuries and giving a projected timeline for recovery all season long. Let’s look at the biggest injuries from Week 5 and take a look at what fantasy managers can expect heading into Week 6.
If you’re looking for more detailed injury analysis, check out JoinTheFoot.com for additional premium resources, including access to the Injury Blitz Podcast hosted by yours truly. This bonus podcast, available to all #FootClan Premier and Ultimate members, is a short, yet informative injury podcast that drops late in the week in order to provide all the injury updates you need to set your lineup each week.
RB Antonio Gibson
Torn ACL: Out for the year
Gibson suffered a non-contact right knee injury on Sunday night against the Bills and did not return. Sadly, an MRI confirmed that Gibson tore his ACL, ending his 2025 season. He’ll be placed on IR in the coming days. Moving forward, Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson will carry the load for the Patriots.
Players impacted: Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson
RB Omarion Hampton
Left Ankle Sprain: On IR
Hampton was seen in a walking boot following the team’s loss to the Commanders and is now set to miss four weeks because of his ankle injury. By video, it appeared to be a mild/moderate eversion ankle sprain, so I do expect Hampton to return to the field pretty quickly after his minimum IR stint is over. With Najee already out for the year with a torn Achilles and Hampton now on the shelf four a month, Hassan Haskins and Kimani Vidal could be in line for more work, though Harbaugh did mention the possibility of exploring other options.
Players impacted: Hassan Haskins, Kimani Vidal, Justin Herbert
WR Darius Slayton
Hamstring Strain: Out Week 6 at a minimum, Likely out 2+ weeks
Slayton was expected to play a bigger role with Malik Nabers out for the year with a torn ACL. Unfortunately, he left their Week 5 game early with a hamstring strain and did not return. Now playing on a short week against Philly, Slayton is set to miss at least this week’s game. He’s got a small chance to play in Week 7, but almost every hamstring injury, especially for a speed WR, is a multi-week absence. Slayton could return in Week 8 or Week 9.
Players impacted: Jaxson Dart, Wan’Dale Robinson, Theo Johnson
TE Brenton Strange
Quad/Hip Flexor Strain: On IR, Out 4 Weeks
Strange exited Monday Night Football in the first half with a hip injury and did not return. After going into the medical tent, he was seen on a stationary bike on the sidelines, but he was unable to return to the game due to a proximal quad/hip flexor muscle strain. The fact that the Jags placed him on IR indicates that this injury is likely a Grade II strain. He won’t play for a month, but he should have a good chance to return to the field in Week 10 or 11 following the team’s bye.
Players impacted: Trevor Lawrence, Hunter Long, Johnny Mundt
Additional Injury Notes:
– Terry McLaurin missed Weeks 4 and 5 with his quad injury. He has a chance to return in Week 6, but he has not practiced since the injury happened a couple of weeks ago. He’ll likely need to get in at least a limited practice on Wednesday to have a chance to suit up against the Bears.
– Jaylen Warren was seen participating in the Steelers’ ‘bonus’ practice on Monday after he missed Pittsburgh’s Week 4 game overseas with a knee injury. Coming out of the bye week, it’s a great sign that he’s participating early in the week. Fantasy managers will want to follow Pittsburgh’s injury report throughout the week.
– J.J. McCarthy has not played since suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 2. Speaking Monday, head coach Kevin O’Connell said the team expects him to return to practice after their Week 6 bye. He’ll be fully healthy by that point, but it remains to be seen if he’ll be back under center as Wentz has been serviceable over the last couple of weeks with Minnesota going 2-1 in his three starts.
– Malik Nabers tore his ACL in Week 4, and now we have confirmation that he not only tore his ACL, he suffered an injury to his lateral meniscus. For dynasty managers, that does have minor implications on his 2026 outlook as these ACL+ injuries tend to have a longer recovery than a clean ACL tear. I still believe Nabers will have a chance to suit up in Week 1 next year, but he’ll likely take longer to get back to 100% given the associated meniscus damage.
– Brock Bowers sat in Week 5, and fantasy managers should expect a multi-week absence from the star TE. News surfaced over the weekend that Bowers is not only battling a PCL injury, but he’s also dealing with a bone bruise in his knee. This is not an injury that you can play through without risking more serious damage, particularly to the cartilage in the knee. Given that Bowers is a focal point of the Raiders’ offense and a key piece of their future, the team does need to be conservative with their franchise player. Historically, PCL injuries and bone bruises tend to be slower healing, and the only way for the bone bruise to heal is rest. Expect Bowers to sit this week and potentially in Week 7 as well, especially considering they’ve got their bye in Week 8. It’s possible he can return and be healthy for the stretch run in Week 9.
– Bucky Irving is dealing with a foot sprain and a shoulder subluxation (partial dislocation). These injuries collectively make Irving highly, highly unlikely to play this week, and it’s quite possible that Irving sits in Week 7 as well. Tampa has their bye in Week 9, so depending on their record, the Bucs could afford to be ultra conservative with their RB. Upon his return to the field, I do expect him to wear a shoulder harness to help with stability. Tampa is currently 4-1 with their eyes set on the post-season.
– CeeDee Lamb missed Weeks 4 and 5 with a left high ankle sprain, but the good news here is that he’s out of the walking boot and was participating in individual rehab drills last week at practice. I expect Lamb to ramp up his rehab work this week, possibly participating in some limited drills with the team. Ultimately, I think it’ll be one more week before we see Lamb back in the lineup. The Cowboys have an important Week 7 NFC East matchup with the Commanders after Carolina this week.
– George Kittle likely has his practice window opened in the next week as he eyes his return to the field off a Week 1 hamstring injury. I suspect he’ll return in Week 7 or 8. His teammates, Ricky Pearsall (PCL sprain) and Jauan Jennings (Ribs, Ankle) do have a chance to play this week, but given that Pearsall noted instability in the knee after their Week 4 game, I don’t feel great about his chances of playing this week. On the other hand, Jennings does have a good chance to return to the lineup after their mini bye week post TNF.
– Lamar Jackson is unlikely to return to the lineup this week as he recovers from his hamstring injury. With Baltimore going on bye after this week, I expect him to sit through the bye and return in Week 8 against Chicago.