Fantasy football Week 5 inactives: Status for Brock Bowers, Calvin Ridley and others

Whom should you start? Whom should you sit? To help you set your fantasy football lineups and avoid starting an offensive player who won’t be in the lineup, we’ll post fantasy-relevant updates and analysis here as NFL teams release their official inactives lists.

Official Sunday inactives should begin coming in approximately 90 minutes before the scheduled kickoff times: around 11:30 a.m. ET for the early games and 2:30 p.m. ET for the late-afternoon games.

Refresh often for the latest information.

Don’t forget to check these out: Mike Clay’s Playbook | Week 5 Buzz
Week 5 Rankings | Expert chat (noon-1 p.m. ET)

What we were watching for early

• The Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns square off at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, with a 9:30 a.m. ET kickoff time. Inactives for this game came out at around 8 a.m. ET.

• Miles Sanders, RB, DAL (knee): Having missed practice all week, it’s no shock to see Sanders inactive. Jaydon Blue gets his first chance to back up Javonte Williams.

• Brock Bowers, TE, LV (knee): Bowers is not going to be able to play in Week 5 and has been declared inactive. Michael Mayer (concussion) had already been ruled out, so Ian Thomas should get the call.

• Taysom Hill, TE, NO (knee): In addition to some work at TE, Hill could also get some snaps under center as well. He’s active.

• Foster Moreau, TE, NO (knee): Moreau was activated from the PUP list, joining Hill in making his 2025 debut in Week 5.

• Juwan Johnson, TE, NO (ankle): Given the returns of both Hill and Moreau, combined with limited practices this week for Johnson, one might have thought he’d sit. However, he is indeed active today. Caveat emptor.

• Tyrone Tracy Jr, RB , NYG (shoulder): Cam Skattebo may have already usurped the starting RB role from Tracy, so don’t expect a lot of from him if and when he does get back on the field. Tracy is inactive for Week 5.

Ruled out before Sunday

• J.J. McCarthy, QB, MIN (ankle): Carson Wentz‘s “European tour” continues under center for the Vikings, this week in London.

• Trey Benson, RB, ARI (knee): Benson joins James Conner (foot) on the shelf, leaving Emari Demercado, Michael Carter and Bam Knight to compete for RB touches.

• Lamar Jackson, QB, BAL (hamstring): Cooper Rush will be under center in what may well end up being a very run-heavy attack for Baltimore.

• Chuba Hubbard, RB, CAR (calf): Rico Dowdle and Trevor Etienne will divvy up the Panthers’ carries in Week 5.

• Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE, CAR (ankle): Tommy Tremble will look to repeat last week’s five catches and a score.

• CeeDee Lamb, WR, DAL (ankle): Once again, George Pickens and Jalen Tolbert will be the top WR options in Dallas — and especially so with KaVontae Turpin (foot) also out.

• Tyler Goodson, RB, IND (groin): DJ Giddens could see some touches behind Jonathan Taylor.

• Alec Pierce, WR, IND (concussion): Although Adonai Mitchell should be the most likely candidate to step in, his crucial fumble last week has his Week 5 playing time in doubt.

• Tyreek Hill, WR, MIA (knee): He’s done for the season and perhaps may never again suit up for the Dolphins. Either Malik Washington or Nick Westbrook-Ikhine could potentially see some increased fantasy value.

• Malik Nabers, WR, NYG (knee): Surgery is in his future and the Giants’ top wideout is now done for the season. Darius Slayton should get a big boost in fantasy value as a result of Nabers’ absence.

• Braelon Allen, RB, NYJ (knee): Allen will miss a minimum of several months. Breece Hall may end up with a ton of touches with Kene Nwangwu (hamstring) inactive and Khalil Herbert only signed to the team on Thursday.

• Bucky Irving, RB, TB (foot): Expect Rachaad White and Sean Tucker to split touches in Tampa Bay’s backfield.

• Mike Evans, WR, TB (hamstring): Chris Godwin Jr. and Emeka Egbuka will be QB Baker Mayfield‘s top targets in Week 5.

• Terry McLaurin, WR, WAS (quad): Deebo Samuel (heel) was removed from the injury report and should be the team’s WR1.

• Noah Brown, WR, WAS (groin): Beyond Samuel, QB Jayden Daniels will have to turn to the likes of Jaylin Lane and Luke McCaffrey

What we’re watching for late

• Will Dissly, TE, LAC (knee): A full Friday practice points toward Dissly being able to suit up on Sunday.

• Tyjae Spears, RB, TEN (ankle): He’s been activated from IR, but may still need another week to get fully up to speed. Have another option ready to go, just in case.

• Calvin Ridley, WR, TEN (knee): Elic Ayomanor is a safer fantasy option. Tyler Lockett and Van Jefferson might end up playing on more snaps than Ridley, regardless.