Rest of season rankings have been updated! 🤩

Things change fast in the NFL and in fantasy football, and what was true yesterday may not be true today. With a month of the season behind us, make sure to check out Faraz’s rest of season fantasy rankings going into Week 5! They’re updated on a consistent basis to keep you on top of which players are trending up, down, etc… CLICK HERE to check em out!

• Giants RB Devin Singletary, rookie WR Malik Nabers miss practice Wednesday with groin injury, concusssion, respectively

  • Both players suffered their injuries last Thursday night in a loss to the Cowboys. Singletary exited the game late and gave way to rookie RB Tyrone Tracy, but he had struggled to make an impact to that point even against the Cowboys’ league-worst run defense. Despite last week’s poor showing, he’s maintained the lion’s share of the work in the Giants’ backfield to this point (61% of rush attempts, 44% of routes) while also averaging 15.5 fantasy points per game before from Weeks 1-3 before his early exit in Week 4. As for Nabers, there was initially hope that the rookie star receiver would be able to return in Week 5 without missing any action – however, a DNP at yesterday’s practice isn’t a fantastic sign for his status in this weekend’s matchup against the Seahawks. He’ll have to clear the NFL’s concussion protocol in short order (i.e. either today or tomorrow ideally) if fantasy managers can expect to see him suit up this weekend. If Nabers is unable to go, Wan’Dale Robinson could be in line for an even more secure PPR floor for this week, while Tyrone Tracy could be worth a look off the waiver wire as a streamer should Singletary also remain sidelined.

• Cowboys WR Brandin Cooks expected to miss Week 5 with knee infection, could potentially miss more time

  • Rarely do we hear of players suffering from knee infections, but that’s the case for Cooks who has apparently hit a snag in his recovery from a procedure he underwent before returning to Dallas following the game in New York last Thursday night. Through four games so far in 2023, Cooks has struggled to make an impact in fantasy lineups and on the field, garnering just a 13% target share in an underwhelming Cowboys offense. His route participation remains at a comfortable 82% on the season, but with his presence missing for this week vs the Steelers and potentially moving forward, keep an eye on Jalen Tolbert as the next man up for the Cowboys WR2 spot. Tolbert has averaged 10.9 PPR points per game in three games this season where he was on the field for more than 75% of routes, and that was with Brandin Cooks on the field. While the pecking order in the Cowboys offense is still clearly Ceedee Lamb first, Jake Ferguson second, and Tolbert/Cooks a distant third, the lack of a run game and the potential for negative game scripts coming up for Dallas make Tolbert an intriguing commodity on waiver wires as a potential spot start in the short-term.

• Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell says that the team will designate TE T.J. Hockenson to return from IR on Friday

  • It’s essentially the first we’re hearing of Hockenson’s recovery so far this season, and the update is a very good one. Once he’s designated to return from IR, the Vikings will open his 21-day practice window to set him on course for a potential return by midseason. While there wasn’t too much anticipation coming into 2024 given the question marks surrounding their QB situation, Sam Darnold has answered those questions with exclamation points by leading the league in touchdown passes (11) through the first month of play. The efficiency of Darnold under center and the smoothness with which the Vikings offense is operating makes Hockenson’s return all the more exciting, and fantasy managers will welcome him back with open arms – especially considering the disheartening state of the tight end position today. He’ll retake the mantle of competing with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison for targets, but Hockenson has proven that he’s a target earner in his own right and can hold his own from day one. There’s likely to be a ramping up period as he gets back to 100% (as is the case with all major injuries of this nature) but he’ll be a must start as soon as he returns to play.

1. Amari Cooper (WR - Cleveland Browns)

   • Cooper's been very hit-or-miss so far this season, drawing an incredible 37 targets (6th in the NFL) but has been able to bring in just 16 of them for catches. Part of that has been sub-par QB play, part of that has been an uncharacteristically high number of drops. So far in 2024, he has dropped 6 passes - for reference last year he had 7 drops and he's had over 7 drops just once in his entire career (2022). At a 16.2% drop rate (highest in the NFL), we can expect a correction to a more reasonable number given his career rate of just 5.6%.

   • Now, the first two weeks were just bad, especially when it came to the drops, tallying just 5 catches on 17 targets for 27 yards. The last two weeks have been better, posting a 7-86-2 performance in Week 3 and a 4-35-0 performance that ultimately should've featured an 82-yard TD that was called back on a questionable penalty, which would've completely altered his day and the narrative around him.

   • I'd be willing to bet this is the lowest his price will be all season and am all-in on trying to trade for him at a fringe WR2/WR3/FLEX price tag.

2. Bijan Robinson (RB - Atlanta Falcons)

   • Let's get something straight: Bijan has not been bad to start the 2024 season. Now, he hasn't lived up to the 1st Round price tag everyone paid for him on draft day, but he's been stable, posting 11+ points in every game so far this season.

   • That comes even despite having just 1 TD and 2 touches at the goal-line (inside the 5) on the year in large part because the Falcons' offense has run just 29 offensive plays in the redzone (6th-fewest) and 13 plays inside the 10-yard line (5th-fewest); one of which was a 19-yard receiving TD for Bijan called back on penalty this past week, which would've drastically changed the narrative of his game.

   • To have made matters harder for him, Bijan and the Falcons faced the single-hardest SOS among RBs to open up the season (which allowed 20% fewer PPG to RBs than the league average), including matchups against Pittsburgh (2nd-fewest PPG), Philadelphia (13th-fewest), Kansas City (fewest), and New Orleans (12th-fewest). It gets a LOT easier for him going forward, drawing the 2nd-easiest SOS over the next 4 games, the 5th-easiest remaining schedule, and the 11th-easiest playoff schedule (not to look ahead too far).

   • Now is the perfect time to make a pitch to a Bijan owner who may be a bit underwhelmed with their 1st round pick's production, offering up an RB2 plus additional capital to make a potential 'home run swing' on what should be an elite-RB1 down the stretch.

3. Tyreek Hill (WR - Miami Dolphins)

• It has been ugly for Tyreek Hill and the entire Dolphins' offense ever since QB Tua Tagovailoa left Week 2 with another concussion, forcing Skylar Thompson and Tyler Huntley to take the reins as the starting QBs in Week 3 and 4 respectively.

• In the two games without Tua, he's tallied 7 catches on 12 targets for 63 yards and 0 TDs, adding another 19 yards on the ground - a mere 15.2 total points (a figure he eclipsed in 11 individual games in 2023). That comes as a result of the Dolphins' offense tallying just 389 yards of total offense and 218 yards via the passing game.

• The good news: Tua Tagovailoa is reportedly "symptom-free" and may be returning once eligible to return from IR.

• It sounds like Tua is anticipated to return to the field in Week 8, making the window very narrow to get a potential top-5 WR for a likely fringe-WR1/WR2 price tag based on a massive slump due to QB play. That's very much the potential to be a league-winning type of steal.