NFL Week 5 latest intel, buzz questions, news, fantasy tips

It’s already Week 5 of the 2026 NFL season! Insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano have been making calls to sources around the league for the latest news and notable buzz.

Injuries are starting to pile up as we hit the quarter mark of the season, and a few important players went down Sunday, including Lamar Jackson, Pat Surtain II, Ja’Marr Chase and Saquon Barkley. Which teams could be in trouble if they have to go without one of their stars? And which teams might have to make a trade sooner rather than later to either replace an injured player or quickly fix a weak spot in the roster? The trade deadline is approaching fast — it is under five weeks out.

Coaches are also under the microscope with four weeks of games behind us. Are any seats warming around the league? And have any coordinators shown enough in the early going to put themselves on the radar for head coach interviews if they keep this up? It’s all here, as Jeremy and Dan answer big questions, hand out useful fantasy football nuggets and empty their reporting notebooks heading into Week 5.

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Key injuries | Teams needing a trade
Warming seats | Rising coordinators
Fantasy football advice
More notes, intel

Which player’s Week 4 injury could be most detrimental to his team?

Graziano: Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is the obvious answer if he has to miss time (which we don’t know for sure yet). They’re just so different without him. Having him on the field makes things easier for running back Derrick Henry, whereas defenses can lock in on Henry when they don’t have to fear the QB run.

Fowler: Can’t understate that one. The Ravens are hopeful he won’t miss time, but this week feels uncertain. I’ll go with Broncos corner Pat Surtain II, who is set to miss multiple weeks with an ankle injury. With Denver’s offense struggling to consistently score points, it needs the defense to reestablish its dominant form. But after ripping through the league with 68 sacks last season, the Broncos have eight through four games … which heightens the importance of having a former Defensive Player of the Year such as Surtain in the secondary. Normally I would go with the star quarterback who’s hurt, but Surtain’s absence could have a sizable ripple effect for a team on the ropes.

Graziano: A Saquon Barkley absence could exacerbate the Eagles’ problems. I know Barkley isn’t having the best season, but the Philadelphia offense is getting really low on good players. It had to play Sunday without right tackle Lane Johnson (who has since retired), top wide receiver DeVonta Smith and, other than the first four plays, Barkley. It’s a thin group around Jalen Hurts right now, and even at full strength it was trying to figure out a new offense under a first-time playcaller. If the Eagles are going to pull out of this, they’re going to need as many of their stars as close to full strength as possible.

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Dan Orlovsky: Lane Johnson’s retirement a ‘significant loss’ for Eagles

Fowler: Yeah, the Eagles are depleted in the short term, and their healthiest back right now is third-stringer Will Shipley. Hamstring injuries linger, and unfortunately for Philly, their top two playmakers are managing them. Plus, tight end Dallas Goedert has missed two weeks and guard Cam Jurgens is in concussion protocol. The Eagles could use reinforcements, so it might be worth it for them to explore the trade or free agency market for depth.

An underrated absence is that of Vikings guard Donovan Jackson, who is undergoing season-ending knee surgery. He’s a good player, which Minnesota can’t afford to lose, particularly on an offense that ranks 31st in total yards. Either Joe Huber, who went undrafted in 2025, assumes the starting job, or Minnesota adds to the roster in short order.

Which team most needs to make a trade — and at what position?

Fowler: The Lions should make a move for a cornerback. They were in on Joey Porter Jr. before Pittsburgh traded him to Dallas. Detroit’s secondary is swimming right now, and though safety Brian Branch is close to a return and safety Kerby Joseph should eventually be back, the Lions don’t have enough corner help to run the coverages they want. This team has elite players on both sides of the ball and must embrace its window of contention, whether it’s slipping away or not.

One potential option is Kansas City’s Kristian Fulton, who is in and out of the Chiefs’ lineup. He is owed real money — $5 million of his $9.75 million base salary is guaranteed — but perhaps the Chiefs and Lions could split the bill to facilitate a deal. Is it worth calling Pittsburgh for Jalen Ramsey? Not sure he’s available, but the Lions’ defense seems far from settled.

Graziano: Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Chiefs could use another wide receiver. I’m not buying that Tyreek Hill is much of an upgrade over what they have at this point in his career. If players such as Marvin Harrison Jr., Brian Thomas Jr., Jerry Jeudy or Calvin Ridley become available, the Chiefs should poke around. But the other team I think should be turning over whatever rock it can to find wide receiver help is the team Kansas City barely beat on Sunday — the surprising 3-1 Raiders.

Before the season, who would have thought that the Raiders could be adding at the deadline? Tight end Brock Bowers is their top receiver and likely would remain so even if they did get somebody, but Las Vegas would love to have a true X receiver so teams can’t put a top corner such as Surtain on Bowers.

Fowler: Receiver is a need for the Raiders, but they’ve been inclined to preserve draft capital and develop their young receivers, and I’m not sure the 3-1 start changes that. Las Vegas operates in that space between rebuilding and contention, and with only five selections in April’s draft, Vegas could opt to lean on second-year players Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton Jr., who returns soon from injured reserve, to play bigger roles. Also, Bowers basically is a wide receiver, so him as the No. 1 and Tre Tucker as the No. 2 isn’t a bad setup.

Another team to watch at receiver is the Colts, who are 2-2 with Pittsburgh and Tennessee coming up. They could easily be sitting at 4-2 after those two games despite a depleted receiving crew, and Indy is not hiding from being all-in to win now. Perhaps there’s not a splash move that fits, but how about one that brings an upside receiver for a quality Day 3 pick? (The Sauce Gardner trade last year drained Indy’s capital.) Marvin Harrison Jr. would be an obvious fit — and not just for sentimentality — but Arizona won’t just give him away. A midseason return from Alec Pierce could assuage the need to make a move.

Graziano: It’s tough to swing trades for offensive linemen, since the demand massively outweighs the supply. But teams that could/should be in the market include the Patriots, Ravens, Eagles and, of course, the Packers, who have been signing dudes out of retirement the past couple of weeks because their line has completely fallen apart.

The Bengals could use help at linebacker. The Jaguars don’t need much, but I could see them looking to add another edge rusher if the opportunity presents itself. And the Bills could need some help in the secondary as they continue to transition to Jim Leonhard’s defense.

Are any coaches’ seats warming a little early?

Graziano: Before starting, I need to stress that I am not reporting that any coach is in imminent danger of losing his job. I don’t have information to suggest that teams are considering big changes at this point in the season. That said, I can’t imagine you’re feeling too good if you’re Todd Bowles right now. The Buccaneers have lost 11 of their past 13 games dating to their 2025 bye week, when they were 6-2 and eyeing a fifth straight division title.

The extent to which things have fallen apart for Tampa Bay, which entered 2025 thinking it was primed for a Super Bowl run, is stunning. That organization is extremely fond of Bowles, and again, I am not saying he’s in danger of losing his job. But I’m sure he’s feeling pressure to get things turned around very soon.

Fowler: Appreciate the warning label above, Dan. Week 5 is early for the proverbial hot seat talk, but the NFL pressure cooker rises a few degrees each year, so it’s sort of unavoidable. Tampa Bay’s current funk isn’t ideal for Bowles in Year 5, a lengthy tenure by today’s climate. The Bucs’ ownership maintains a good relationship with Bowles, so my sense is it will give him some time to try to work them out of this. The chatter will only intensify if the Bucs can’t reverse the recent skid.

Not much is clear-cut at this stage. Aaron Glenn is 4-17 with the Jets, but it’s early in his tenure. Will Jets owner Woody Johnson exude patience? Indianapolis’ Shane Steichen and Washington’s Dan Quinn are among coaches who seemingly have gotten a runway to see what their teams do but could help their causes with spirited play and quality wins. And the Chargers couldn’t have anticipated their team hurtling toward irrelevancy in Jim Harbaugh’s third season.

Barring a turnaround, it feels like someone will shoulder the blame in Los Angeles. Harbaugh has a massive five-year deal (reportedly worth $80 million) and has built up sweat equity with back-to-back 11-win seasons. Perhaps the Chargers would ask him to stay on and rebuild the staff this offseason, depending on how things look over the next few months. And things look bleak, to be clear. But he essentially just rebuilt the staff, so not sure that’s a solution.

Graziano: Yeah, barring a massive turnaround, you have to think someone ends up in trouble with the Chargers. Head coach? GM? Quarterback? All of the above? Also, what happens if things turn really bad in Philadelphia? Obviously, the Eagles aren’t afraid to move off an offensive coordinator after one disappointing season, but could things get bad enough that Super Bowl-winning head coach Nick Sirianni has to start watching his back?

Fowler: With Philly, it has been proved that if owner Jeffrey Lurie and GM Howie Roseman identify a problem on the field, they will find a solution. Sometimes that involves the head coach. Another up-and-down season would inevitably keep Sirianni’s name in the leaguewide conversation, despite him winning 70% of his games and having a Super Bowl ring. But this is Philly, where anything is possible.

Graziano: Taking it off head coaches for a while, a lot of people around the league seem to think Broncos coach Sean Payton won’t wait too much longer to take playcalling back from Davis Webb, though I have to believe it won’t be an impulse decision if it happens. Also, I believe head coach DeMeco Ryans is safe in Houston, but if this turns out to be a lost season, could GM Nick Caserio be in danger of taking the fall for it?

Fowler: In Denver, complicating matters is that its head coach happens to be one of the best playcallers of his generation — that, and Bo Nix is not playing well. My sense is Webb will have more time, but at some point the product needs to match the expectations. As for Houston, the Texans know they have a good brain trust, but something’s not clicking and that must be figured out soon. Still, the Texans aren’t dead yet. They started 0-3 last season, so there’s some precedent (even at 0-4).

One back-pocket name is Zac Taylor. Cincinnati is 26-29 since that impressive two-year playoff run in 2021-22, despite having one of the league’s best quarterbacks. The Bengals don’t like to pay coaches not to coach, but Taylor’s deal expires after next year. Progress would be helpful.

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Stephen A. puzzled why Zac Taylor not under more scrutiny for Bengals’ woes

Which coordinator is earning himself some head coaching interviews?

Fowler: “Earning” interviews implies that a candidate is entering the head coaching fray for the first time. So, among those without that experience, let’s go with Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle. He has brought new elements to the Baltimore attack, and Lamar Jackson seems to really enjoy playing for him. Word is that Doyle was highly impressive on the OC interview trail a year ago, not only in Baltimore but in Philadelphia, too. The league is always looking for ascending offensive minds to help build with a young quarterback, and the 30-year-old Doyle fits that mold. He has the poised demeanor to be a head coach.

Graziano: I believe teams are going to want to talk to Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile next offseason. The Jaguars look as good as any team in the league right now, and the program has come together very quickly in its second year under head coach Liam Coen. When teams look for head coaching candidates, they look to the organizations that are doing a lot of winning. Campanile’s defense is fourth in the NFL in EPA, and only the Vikings are allowing fewer points per game than the Jaguars’ 13.3. Trevor Lawrence and Coen’s offense are obviously operating at a high level right now. But if Jacksonville keeps this up and repeats as AFC South champs, which is looking extremely possible right now, it’ll have a lot to do with the way things have come together on defense.

Fowler: Yes, Campanile has proof of concept. He was a finalist for Arizona’s job this winter. His teams play physical football. Both of Jacksonville’s coordinators, Campanile and offensive coordinator Grant Udinski, should be in the mix yet again. They have a good thing going in North Florida.

What Carolina offensive coordinator Brad Idzik is doing with Bryce Young will be hard to ignore. The Panthers have jumped from 26th to first in passing offense. He has Young playing fast and with confidence. That will get noticed by front offices and owners. Falcons offensive coordinator Tommy Rees is on a nice stretch, as is Dallas OC Klayton Adams.

Graziano: Atlanta is a fun story in the early going, and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich is getting love around the league for the job he’s doing with a unit that’s short-handed up front. He finished the 2024 season as the Jets’ interim head coach. That obviously didn’t go well, but Ulbrich is extremely well-liked and respected around the league and could get looks if the Falcons have a big season.

And obviously, what Brian Flores is doing with Minnesota’s defense is incredible, and he should get another shot at a head coaching job at some point. But there are other factors at play there, as we all know. I’m starting to wonder if Flores has any shot being a head coach while his lawsuit against the league is still pending.

What is your best piece of fantasy football advice for this week?

Graziano: My value-target running back of the week is Cincinnati’s Chase Brown, who is 23rd in the league in rush yards per game and 36th in yards per carry. His quarterback is openly calling for the team to pass more than it already does. But Brown has a track record and the backfield basically to himself, not to mention a schedule that looks a lot more forgiving from here on out. Cincinnati’s first four games have been against Tampa Bay, Houston, Pittsburgh and Jacksonville — three monster run defenses plus a Steelers team that played inspired on both sides of the ball against the Bengals in Week 3. Brown has a Week 6 bye, but you want to get him before he faces Miami this week with Joe Burrow potentially low on wide receivers.

Fowler: Pick up Washington rookie receiver Antonio Williams if he’s available. Terry McLaurin was held out last week because of a hamstring injury, which could compromise his Week 5 status. (Hamstrings tend to linger multiple weeks.) Assuming quarterback Jayden Daniels is back in the lineup, it’s worth noting he and Williams connected for 64 yards and a touchdown in Week 1.

I also like Buffalo’s Keon Coleman as an upside play. He’s making his targets count, registering 14 catches for 217 receiving yards and a touchdown on 16 targets. Buffalo is playing the Rams, who are stout against the pass, but Coleman is becoming a steady option for Josh Allen.

What else are you hearing this week?

Fowler: The Lane Johnson retirement news sent shockwaves through the NFL. In a heartfelt statement, Johnson said his “personal and family priorities have changed,” and he needs to focus on his mental health. Talking to people with the Eagles, this move wasn’t a surprise in the building. As one person put it, Johnson is dealing with unforeseen personal circumstances following his decision to return for a 14th season. The team seemed to know this was a possibility for the past few days. Not playing Sunday against the Rams was an indicator as well.

Johnson is one of the best players I’ve ever seen, a truly dominant force at right tackle, and he’s also a locker-room leader with a voice that matters. Replacing that won’t be easy. In the short term, the Eagles must find a way to field a working offense.

With their top two running backs out, Philadelphia will rely on Will Shipley and possibly elevate practice squad tailback Dameon Pierce. Devonta Smith is hardly a slam dunk to play this week because of a hamstring injury, and Dallas Goedert remains out. The Eagles are happy with Drew Kendall’s performance at center, and high-upside 6-foot-9 rookie Markel Bell is set to take over for Johnson. A once-vaunted offensive line will be challenged in a major way.

Graziano: The “What’s Wrong With Drake Maye?” discourse from last week has quieted down following Maye and the Patriots’ Week 4 victory in Buffalo. All week, the Patriots answered questions about Maye’s struggles by saying they needed to help him regain his confidence, and they worked behind the scenes to make sure they did. Coaches and players reminded him how much they believe in him and showed him successful plays from last year that didn’t stand out as remarkable in their results — but hinged on Maye being decisive in and out of the huddle and at the line of scrimmage.

During Sunday’s game, after the wacky interception that bounced off Romeo Doubs and into the hands of Bills cornerback Dee Alford, coach Mike Vrabel raced to greet Maye and Doubs as they jogged off the field, telling them, “Nothing you can do about that, not your fault,” before Maye even had a chance to unstrap his helmet.

One of the people I spoke to before the game said he felt the solution for fixing Maye’s confidence issues was “just fight through it and know it’s in there.” Maye did fumble three times (losing one) on Sunday. But he made the plays he had to make, threw three touchdown passes, rushed for 54 yards on eight carries and posted a sky-high QBR of 91, securing a much-needed victory over the AFC East’s first-place team. If that doesn’t help get your confidence back up, what will?

One more note on Vrabel and the Patriots, since I was on the sideline for the ESPN radio broadcast for that game and standing about 10 feet away from Vrabel when down judge Frank LeBlanc threw a penalty flag on him for unsportsmanlike conduct: That was a last-straw situation.

There had been something going on during extra-point attempts that had the Patriots furious at the officials for not calling something they believed the Bills were doing wrong on those plays. At one point, Vrabel was complaining to multiple officials about it, while Patriots defensive lineman Cory Durden was visibly upset and had to be held back. The jawing continued as the first half went on, and Vrabel continued needling LeBlanc. At another point, LeBlanc had his foot on the sideline to mark the spot of the ball, and Vrabel was standing to his left, toeing a different spot in an effort to tell LeBlanc he was off by a couple of feet. Then, after a defensive holding penalty on Marcus Jones gave the Bills a first down after a pass breakup on third-and-goal from the 16, Buffalo was lining up for the next play when Vrabel looked at LeBlanc and said, “Horrible f—ing call.”

Without turning to look at Vrabel, LeBlanc threw the penalty flag. Honestly, it was a better reaction than the ones we saw in the Arizona and Minnesota games that resulted in officials being suspended for aggressive actions toward players. And Vrabel did seem to chill out a bit after.

Fowler: The Broncos feel fortunate their key injured players weren’t knocked out for a significant amount of time. Several of those injuries during Sunday’s loss to San Francisco appeared to be worst-case scenarios in the moment. But the team is bracing for All-Pro corner Patrick Surtain II to miss two to four weeks with an injured ankle, with one source hopeful he’s on the front side of that. The current hope is he avoids Injured Reserve, but the team wants to see how the injury looks over the next few days before making a full determination.

The same goes for wide receiver Pat Bryant (ankle). Corner Riley Moss (ribs) might end up missing only one game, two max. He’s hoping to practice in some capacity soon, but Denver could be cautious with him. With its top two corners out, Denver will rely heavily on 2025 first-rounder Jahdae Barron. He acquitted himself well in a larger role Sunday.

Fowler: The outlook for the Commanders’ Jayden Daniels potentially playing this week against the Giants is positive. The key, I’m told, is having him in practice in full. Limited participation likely won’t be enough. If he’s a full go in practice by, say, Friday, he’ll get the green light.

Fowler: Browns coach Todd Monken has leaned all the way into Deshaun Watson’s strength as a shotgun-heavy quarterback. By unofficial count, Watson took 38 of 42 snaps under center in the first half of Thursday night’s win over Pittsburgh. Don’t expect that to change much, especially with Watson playing well. As one team source stressed, that’s where he’s most comfortable.

I asked Watson after the game about his play over the past three weeks and whether that is symbolic of the “old” Watson (during his prime years in Houston) or a new version of himself. “I’m just playing like me,” he said. “Whatever people’s perspective is, that’s on them, but for me, I’m just getting back in my groove.” When asked about the young Browns’ ceiling, he made it clear that “there’s no ceiling … the ceiling’s off. We can go as high as possible. We control that.”

Graziano: Jeremy mentioned the injury to Vikings left guard Donovan Jackson, which is a season-ender and a tough blow for an offense that the Vikings truly believed showed improvement in Sunday’s win over the Dolphins. They didn’t have injured star wideout Justin Jefferson, and they lost not only Jackson but left tackle Christian Darrisaw during that game. Darrisaw entered the week in the league’s concussion protocol, so it’s no sure thing he will make it back this week.

Minnesota is already playing without running back Jordan Mason, who is on IR for at least one more game with his thumb injury. But quarterback Kyler Murray, who’s off to a slow start that was exacerbated by his Week 1 concussion and resulting Week 2 absence, was 21-for-22 for 191 yards on the team’s final five possessions in Sunday’s victory, and the Vikings believe he may have turned a corner. We’ll see.

The run game still might not be what they hoped it would be without Jackson and injured tight end Josh Oliver, even once Mason does return. But Murray and the passing game took some strides Sunday, and Jefferson shouldn’t be out too much longer.

Fowler: Let’s hit on some trade talk. After talking to teams Tuesday, it’s worth watching defensive linemen on the trade front over the next month. The Arizona Cardinals fended off any Josh Sweat trade interest over the summer, intent on keeping him. Perhaps that changes closer to the Nov. 10 trade deadline. Teams will have interest in Sweat, 29, as well as many other rushers on teams with losing records. The Chargers’ Khalil Mack, Jets’ Will Macdonald IV and Tennessee’s Jermaine Johnson II are among rushers who could attract interest in the coming weeks.

At wide receiver, Cleveland’s Jerry Jeudy is an intriguing name because of the emergence of rookie receivers KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston in Cleveland. But some key context here: The Browns feel they have a good team, the offense needs at least three capable receivers, and Jeudy had multiple key catches Thursday against Pittsburgh. The Browns are big on value, so all attractive offers will be considered, but I’m not totally sold that they actually move him.

Graziano: The Bills have won two coin tosses and lost two so far this year, yet they’ve received the opening kickoff to start every game. This is because of a strategy employed by new coach Joe Brady. He told his offense before the first game of the season that if they won the toss, they would elect to take the ball first instead of deferring their choice to the second half, the way most teams do (and the Bills generally did under Sean McDermott).

“What he’s told us is we want to be the ones to get the ball first and get our foot on the gas immediately,” Bills center Connor McGovern told me. “We want to set the tempo, take it to them and dictate things.”

Is it working? Sort of: The Bills are 3-1, but they’ve scored points on only one of their four opening drives this year, and they’ve allowed points on their opponents’ opening drive of the second half in three of the four games.

• In Week 1, the Bills’ opening drive ended with a failed fourth-down conversion attempt. The Texans ended the first half with a touchdown that day, but the Bills intercepted C.J. Stroud on the opening possession of the third quarter.

• In Week 2, the Bills scored a touchdown on their opening drive against the Lions. But Detroit double-dipped, ending the first half with a field goal and opening the second with a touchdown.

• In Week 3, the Bills fumbled on the first play from scrimmage. The Chargers failed to score on their final drive of the first half and scored a field goal on their opening drive of the second half.

• And in Week 4, the Bills’ first possession ended with a punt. The first half ended with the teams trading interceptions and Buffalo cashing in theirs with a field goal, but the Patriots scored a touchdown on the opening drive of the second half.

So with seven total points on their four opening possessions, and 27 points allowed on the final possession of the first half and the first possession of the second half, it’s hard to view the strategy as a net positive so far, but again … 3-1.

Fowler: The Falcons’ offense has settled down with Michael Penix Jr. under center, and that’s not necessarily a surprise among Atlanta’s coaches, who identified Penix as their best quarterback during the offseason and in camp. Despite being limited to 7-on-7 work then, Penix was considered the most consistent quarterback, ahead of Tua Tagovailoa. But they had to be patient with any declarations because of Penix’s recovery from a torn ACL.

The Falcons originally thought Penix would make his season debut in Week 4 against New Orleans, but he beat the timeline by one week. The key was undergoing a full week of practice without any knee soreness that weekend. That has been the case for about three weeks, and now Penix and Atlanta are off and running with an avalanche of scoring (80 combined points in Weeks 3 and 4).

Fowler: While offenses are getting away from the run-pass option attack, Carolina leaned into it with Bryce Young on Sunday night. He was dicing up Detroit with RPOs. The Panthers will be judicious in how they use RPOs, probably more so a wrinkle than a steady diet, but it’s clear that Young is excellent at the option play, with deft ball handling and quick decision-making. Carolina is hopeful to get receiver Jalen Coker (quad) back after the bye.