Dominate Your League

According to Cincinnati Bengals beat writer Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic, the team's internal options at quarterback are "not in consideration" to replace current starter Jake Browning in Week 6 against the Green Bay Packers. As such, any potential replacement would have to come from outside the building. In three starts since replacing Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (toe) under center, Browning has thrown for 516 yards, four touchdowns, and five interceptions while leading the team to an 0-3 record. However, it does not appear Cincinnati has confidence in current backup QB Brett Rypien or practice squad QB options Mike White and Sean Clifford. Most likely, Browning will be the signal-caller in a difficult Week 6 matchup against the Packers.

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Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kenneth Gainwell "looked like a lead back" in Week 4 against the Minnesota Vikings and "has earned more time," according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. With Steelers RB1 Jaylen Warren (knee) missing the team's final game before their bye week, Gainwell logged 134 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns on 25 total touches. Per Fowler, the Steelers are "hoping there are plenty of carries for both" running backs going forward. When Warren is healthy, Gainwell's role will likely be somewhat limited. Still, Gainwell should be a priority waiver wire addition heading into a Week 6 matchup against the Cleveland Browns.

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Cincinnati Bengals QB Mike White was released from the practice squad Tuesday, Oct. 7.

From TheHuddle

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has gotten off to an outstanding start to the season despite missing most of training camp with a back issue. He leads the NFL with 1,503 passing yards on the year and is second with 11 passing touchdowns. He has thrown multiple touchdowns in each of his last four games after lighting up the San Francisco 49ers for 389 yards and three touchdowns last Thursday. Stafford only has two interceptions on the year as well, and he has led the Rams to a 3-2 record with close losses to the Niners and Eagles. This week, he'll visit the Ravens, whose defense has been shreddable this season, by just about every position, but especially opposing quarterbacks. Stafford has been thriving with Puka Nacua and Davante Adams each playing at a high level, and he'll look to bounce back from last week's tough loss with a big game in Baltimore on Sunday.

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Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle had one of the best fantasy performances by any player this season in Week 5, racking up 206 rushing yards and a touchdown on 23 carries against the Dolphins while also catching three passes for 28 yards. Dowdle stepped up with Chuba Hubbard (calf) out, and Hubbard starts Week 6 "day-to-day" heading into Carolina's matchup against the Cowboys in Week 6. Coach Dave Canales said that the team having "two good backs" is "a good problem," but it's hard to know exactly what the timeshare will look like when Hubbard is ready to return. At least in the short term, Dowdle should get more work and could keep the lion's share of the work more long-term if he remains so effective, or if Hubbard needs more time to get back to full speed. It's definitely a situation to monitor moving forward, and Dowdle should be owned in all formats after his career day.

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New York Jets tight end Mason Taylor has quickly become a main part of the team's passing game, and the rookie tight end is worth a look in almost all fantasy formats due to the volume he has been getting. The second-round pick out of LSU has been the team's top pass-catching tight end all season, but he had just two catches on three targets in his first two games. Since then, though, he has 18 catches on 25 targets over three weeks for a total of 150 yards. Taylor set career-highs with nine catches on 12 targets for 67 yards against the Cowboys in Week 5, pacing the team in catches and targets as the team tried to scramble back against Dallas. The 0-5 Jets have had to play from behind a lot this year, and they'll take on the Broncos in the morning game from London in Week 6. Taylor can definitely be a strong TE1 option for as long as he keeps getting so much volume.

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Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner had a career day on Sunday, and he continues to step up as a meaningful part of Sam Darnold's offense. The second-year tight end from Michigan hauled in a career-high seven catches for 53 yards and found the end zone twice in his team's narrow loss to the Bucs. Barner has caught 14 of the 16 targets sent his way this season and scored four touchdowns in the last four weeks. Darnold has made tight ends fantasy-relevant in his previous NFL stops, and Barner looks to be the latest beneficiary of his attention. The Seahawks are headed to Jacksonville to face the Jags on Sunday, after Jacksonville got a big win on Monday. Barner could be an emergency TE1 option if bye weeks have you in trouble this week, or he could be a solid depth add for later in the season.

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Miami Dolphins tight end Darren Waller missed the first three games of the season with a hip injury, but he has made a huge impact in the last two weeks. He had two touchdowns against the Jets in his first game after returning following a year in retirement, and he found the end zone again in Week 5 against the Panthers. His snap count jumped from 16 (28%) in his debut to 32 (58%) in his second game back, and he should continue to get as much run as he can handle. Last year, Jonnu Smith was a productive tight end with Tua Tagovailoa, and Waller looks like he can be as he ramps up this season. Waller will help carry the load for Miami with Tyreek Hill (knee) out for the season, as Jaylen Waddle takes over the top receiver role. He's a fringe TE1 at this point, but if he stays healthy, it looks like he'll be able to be a solid standard-league starter in favorable matchups.

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Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt stepped up in Week 5 against the Chargers, taking 14 carries for 111 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The other running backs were less involved, with Chris Rodriguez Jr. only getting five carries for seven yards and Jeremy McNichols only one carry for six yards. Croskey-Merritt played a season-high 47% of snaps, while McNichols and Rodriguez only played 25% each. The seventh-round pick from Arizona seemed to gel well with returning QB Jayden Daniels and helped the team secure a big road win over the Chargers. This week, Croskey-Merritt and the Commanders are home against the Bears on Monday Night Football, which should be a good matchup for the rookie to continue to assert himself as the leader of the backfield going forward. He's definitely the most dynamic option of the group with the highest fantasy upside.

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Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Ryan Flournoy had the best game of his career on Sunday against New York, and he could stay involved in his team's high-volume passing attack in the coming weeks. CeeDee Lamb (ankle) and KaVontae Turpin (ankle) were out in Week 5, and if they miss week as well, Flournoy could be busy once again as the Cowboys visit the Panthers in Week 6. In his career day against the Jets, the 25-year-old caught six of his nine targets for 114 yards and took two carries for 10 yards. He tied for the team lead in targets with Jake Ferguson and posted more receiving yards than any other player on the roster. Flournoy had just four catches this season prior to Sunday and only 10 catches for all of last year. The second-year receiver from Southeast Missouri State will be a deep-league option to keep an eye on, though, since the Cowboys have been throwing the ball so often this season.

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Jacksonville Jaguars LB Foyesade Oluokun was credited with 14 tackles -- seven solo -- versus the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5.

From TheHuddle

Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce had a game-high seven receptions, 61 yards, and a touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5. He was targeted eight times.

Fantasy Spin: It was Kelce's best game of the season, setting a personal best in receptions while matching his season high in receiving yards and scoring for the first time since Week 1. The veteran isn't the player he once was, but he still does enough to be a weekly starter at a tight end position with some key injuries to its top performers.

From TheHuddle

Kansas City Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster had two receptions (on three targets) for 17 yards in Week 5 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

From TheHuddle

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyquan Thornton caught three of five targets for 90 yards in Monday night's 31-28 loss at Jacksonville. Thornton has continued to carve out a role for the Chiefs as a big playmaker and led the team in receiving yards for the second game this season. The explosive plays have been lacking in Kansas City's offense over the past few seasons, but Thornton has provided at least one in almost every game so far. For the season, he's caught 13 of 25 targets for 272 yards and three touchdowns. His three touchdowns are the most of any player on the team. Thornton should continue to play a regular role until Rashee Rice returns from his suspension in Week 7.

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Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. caught four of six targets for 80 yards in Monday night's 31-28 win over the Chiefs. Thomas led the team in targets, catches, and receiving yards. He hauled in a beautiful deep ball from Trevor Lawrence for a 33-yard gain that set up the game-winning touchdown. That is a great sign to see moving forward and hopefully signals that their chemistry and connection are heading in the right direction. It's been a frustrating start for the second-year star, catching just 16 of 38 targets for 244 yards and one rushing touchdown on the season. He'll look to get on track at home next week against the Seahawks.

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Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce caught seven of eight targets for 61 yards and a touchdown in Monday night's loss to the Jaguars. Kelce caught his first touchdown since Week 1, leading the team in receptions and tying his season high in receiving yards. The return of second-year wide receiver Xavier Worthy has greatly benefited the Kansas City offense, scoring at least 28 points in both of the games with him in the lineup. His speed opens up a lot of opportunities for other players and especially for passes underneath for Kelce. However, with Rashee Rice set to be back from suspension in Week 7, many of those passes will likely be redirected to Rice, who is much more dynamic after the catch than Kelce at this stage of his career.

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Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt had seven carries for 49 yards and two touchdowns while catching his only target for eight yards on Monday night's loss to the Jaguars. Hunt plunged his way to a 5-yard and 2-yard touchdown with both coming in the fourth quarter. Hunt played 33% of the snaps compared to backfield mate Isiah Pacheco at 62%, but both ended with seven carries. Pacheco ran the most routes of any Kansas City running back, while Hunt seems to have the goal-line role locked down. That puts Hunt as the guy to have if fantasy managers had to pick a Chiefs running back, but it will more often than not be a tough one to hammer down.

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Kansas City Chiefs RB Kareem Hunt ran seven times for 49 yards and a pair of touchdowns versus the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5. He added an eight-yard reception.

Fantasy Spin: Hunt enjoyed easily his best game of the season on Monday night, scoring twice and breaking off a 33-yard run -- his previous long was 11 yards. The veteran doesn't have a lot of juice left between the 20s, but the Chiefs continue to utilize him in goal-to-go situations. That makes Hunt a deployable flex option with touchdown-dependent upside.

From TheHuddle

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 29 of 41 passes for 318 yards with one touchdown and one interception, while adding 60 yards and a touchdown on six carries in Monday night's 31-28 loss in Jacksonville. Mahomes threw the most times of any game this season and eclipsed 300 yards passing for the first time since Christmas Day last year against the Steelers. In addition, Mahomes has been running more often and more effectively this season, leading the Chiefs in rushing tonight. He's topped 57 rushing yards in three of five games this season after reaching that mark just four times in his career before this year. Mahome and the Chiefs fell to 2-3, but there are at least some encouraging signs with the offense, and star receiver Rashee Rice will be back from his suspension soon.

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Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence completed 18 of 25 passes for 221 yards with one touchdown and two turnovers while rushing 10 times for 54 yards and two scores in Monday night's 31-28 win over Kansas City. It wasn't all pretty for Lawrence as he threw a pick, lost a fumble, and took three sacks, but he was active with his legs all night and ultimately led his team on a game-winning drive. He connected with star receiver Brian Thomas Jr. on a beautiful deep ball for a 33-yard gain on the final drive. The 10 rushes tied Lawrence's career high, and Monday night marked the fourth game of his career with two rushing touchdowns. Lawrence has been a bit up and down this season, but should continue to get more comfortable in Liam Coen's offense as the season goes along.

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