NFL Cheat Sheet for Week 5: Anthony Richardson out, Aaron Jones leaves London game

NFL live blog on Sunday: Jets-Vikings start action in London

Welcome to your NFL Week 5 fantasy and betting cheat sheet. We'll be adding the latest and greatest fantasy/betting analysis leading up to Sunday's 1pm kick-off. This means it is a one-stop shop for The Athletics Game previews, injury and weather updates and other NFL information. Bookmark this page and refresh it over the weekend for continued reference.

Do you have any short-term questions about the setup? Chat live with Jay Felicio at 11 a.m. ET.

The latest NFL news and headlines

Last updated: 12pm ET, Oct 6 | Next update: 2:30 p.m. ET, October 6

Injury News | Weather report
Selected games | Best bets of week 5
Survival Pool Strategy | Fantasy football player rankings

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Injury news

Updated by 12:00 p.m. ET Sunday

While the Vikings took an early lead over the Jets in London, RB Aaron Jones left the game with a hip injury and was left out of the team at halftime. And even though it's not an injury, Green Bay Packers WR Romeo Doubs will miss the game against the Los Angeles Rams after receiving a one-game suspension from the team.

From the 1 p.m. games, Indianapolis Colts QB Anthony Richardson is inactive, with Joe Flacco wants to take snaps against the Jacksonville Jaguars. RB Pierre Strong Jr. is still active for the Cleveland Browns TE David Njoku. Houston Texans RB Dameon Pierce is inactive and will also miss the game RB Joe Mixon.

Here are some of the other injury situations with the highest fantasy relevance for Week 5 games. Players assigned to IR are not included.

Do you see one or more of your players on the list? Here's how Inside Injuries' Greg Scholz approaches Anthony Richardson, Jonathan Taylor and some of the other big names in Week 5.

Scholz NFL injury report: Availability of Colts Anthony Richardson and Jonathan Taylor doubtful in Week 5

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Weather report

Outdoor games only

Sunday looks to be a great day for football with all but one of the outdoor competitions taking place in mild temperatures. (Santa Clara could be warm for the Cardinals-Niners game with an expected 91 degrees). According to Rotowire, precipitation could be a factor in some games, with the Colts and Jags most likely to experience rain and a 69% chance of a wet Sunday night for the Cowboys and Steelers in Pittsburgh.

Colts at Jaguars, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (rain possible)

As if Colts QB Anthony Richardson needed additional challenges with his receivers, the Jacksonville forecast has a higher chance of rain (65 percent) than the chance of Richardson completing a pass (50.6 completion percentage so far in 2024). ). This presents the Colts with a dilemma: Does Indy want to rely on the ground game given the ailing Richardson (hip) and the loss of RB Jonathan Taylor? If the Jags stick with the ground game, which RB will they prefer: Travis Etienne or Tank Bigsby? Bigsby has outperformed Etienne in some ways, amassing just 42 fewer rushing yards on 26 fewer carries, but both fullbacks are banged up entering Week 5.

Cowboys at Steelers, Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET (rain possible)

With just over 300 yards in four games, the Cowboys are last in the NFL in their running game. If it rains on Sunday night, that could make things a little more difficult for Dak Prescott and an offense that revolves around the passing game. The absence of WR Brandin Cooks only makes their challenges greater. Meanwhile, the run-heavy Steelers (who are tied for the NFL lead in rushing attempts) may be better suited to sloppy conditions. That means while Pittsburgh runs a lot, the Steelers don't exactly run well. They are averaging 3.7 yards per carry, just 0.2 yards per carry better than the Cowboys.

Wondering what impact weather has on fantasy production? Jake Ciely protects you like a poncho in the rainy season.

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Selected games

Check out our Week 5 preview here. Game-specific previews will be available on game day.

Sunday afternoon

New York Giants (1-3) vs. Seattle Seahawks (3-1)

• Venue: Lumen Field-Seattle
• Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
• TV: CBS
• Streaming: Fubo (try for free)

Giants quarterback Daniel Jones has looked (relatively) better lately, but he will be without his favorite target. Malik Nabers was ruled out last Thursday due to a concussion. That means a lot more work for receiver Wan'Dale Robinson, who could be available in your fantasy league (used in just 41 percent of leagues) and may be worth a flex flyer since the Giants are likely playing from behind.

The Seahawks lost their first game of the season against the Detroit Lions last week, but are still heavily favored at home. With Nabers now out, the number has increased to a full seven points in Seattle's favor.

The full preview comes on Sunday.

Football on Sunday evenings

Dallas Cowboys (2-2) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1)

• Venue: Acrisure Stadium-Pittsburgh
• Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
• TV: NBC
• Streaming: Fubo (try for free)

Dallas' running game has been a debacle through the first four weeks (just over 75 yards per game in 2024), which could allow TJ Watt and the Steelers' pass rush to cover their ears and Cowboys QB Dak Prescott to hunt. Could CeeDee Lamb be primed for a big day without WR Brandin Cooks? And can Steelers signal caller Justin Fields build on his great Week 4 performance and cement his place as Pittsburgh's QB1?

The Steelers could also benefit from a struggling defense. DeMarcus Lawrence has been placed on IR and Micah Parsons (ankle) is doubtful. The Athletics The group of game pickers still leans slightly toward the Cowboys, but not everyone is on board. Here's what our Zac Jackson had to say in his column with Jon Greenberg this week:

“The losing Steelers should beat the overrated and struggling Cowboys. Pittsburgh is -2.5 Probably my favorite NFL game of the week, although I fully intend to start Thursday night 1-0.”

The full preview comes on Sunday.

Monday Night Football

New Orleans Saints (2:2) vs. Kansas City Chiefs (4:0)

• Venue: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium – Kansas City
• Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN
• Streaming: Fubo (try for free)

The fantasy fallout from Rashee Rice's injury is being closely watched. Will rookie Xavier Worthy grab more of the target share? Will Travis Kelce start to resemble the old Travis Kelce? Will Patrick Mahomes ever play like a top-five fantasy QB this season?

Will the real Derek Carr please step up for the Saints? The veteran QB got off to a fast start to the season before having a dismal performance against the Eagles in Week 3 and a touchdown-less touchdown in Week 4 against Atlanta. The larger sample size suggests more performances like the last two weeks, so Week 5 could be the test of which version fantasy managers should expect moving forward.

As for the betting, with the Chiefs' offense in transition and the Saints' Alvin Kamara and Taysom Hill dealing with injuries, there's a solid case to be made for the minors. While the Saints still have the NFL's highest scoring offense (31.8 points per game), they have averaged under 20 in their last two contests. Away from Arrowhead, where the Chiefs are averaging just 23 ppg, injuries on both sides could make the difference. Do you think others will step up to fill the gaps on offense or not?

The full preview arrives on Monday.

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Best bets of week 5

Austin Mock combs through his weekly forecasts to find the peaks on the board.

Thursday betting picks: Cincinnati Bengals Moneyline (+120) vs. Baltimore Ravens

I don't like supporting the Bengals defense (it's very bad) against the freight train that is the Ravens offense right now. The matchup I like, however, is the Bengals offense. The Ravens rank 25th in dropback success rate on defense, and that has to be very exciting for Joe Burrow and the Bengals. If that total went down a bit, I would probably add something there too. Anyway, I think both offenses have a lot of potential here, but I still don't understand why the Ravens deserve to be such a big favorite on the road in Cincinnati. —Taunt

• Worst Betting Price: Bengals Moneyline (+110)

Check out all mocks best bets for Week 5.

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Survival pool strategy

A weekly guide to staying alive.

The bad news: Week 5 features a lot of close matchups, an international game and several teams that have a bye. In other words, we are back to the chaos and uncertainty that marked the start of the season.

The good news: Our survival columnists Renee Miller and Adam Gretz are back to bring you NFL survival strategies, contingencies and tips for Week 5. May you be the only survivor.

Get this week's best Survivor Pool tip.

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Jake Ciely's Week 5 Fantasy Football Player Rankings

Your top QB, RB, WR and TE for this week?

Lamar Jackson, Jordan Mason, Nico Collins and Trey McBride.

Get Ciely's full Week 5 rankings. Plus swells and ledges

(Top photo of Patrick Mahomes: Luke Hales/Getty Images)