Edwin Porras 
Week Five brought plenty of developments for several players on the injury front. There are several players who are questionable and/or a game-time decision. This makes it even harder for DFS players to decide who is worth the risk in lineups. I’ll give you my Week Five Injury Breakdown to try and clarify some player injury situations you may be facing when building your lineups this weekend.
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Terry McLaurin
Listen, I get it. McLaurin is the lone bright spot on the Washington roster, and he’s proven to be special so far as a rookie. The problem is that he has been limited by a hamstring strain for two weeks now and the injury caused him to sit out Week Four. He was still limited in practice all week by the strain, as these injuries can linger if not managed correctly. As I’ve cited before, the average missed time for hamstring injuries is anywhere from one to three games, so there is no guarantee he is active on Sunday. He is currently listed as questionable. Oh, by the way he plays against the Patriots. I’m not touching him with a 10 foot pole this week.
Devin Singletary
Singletary has been hampered by this hamstring strain going on three weeks now. He was limited all week in practice and draws yet another questionable tag. There remains a chance he hits the latter side of the one to three missed game average for hamstring strains, so make sure to check back with me on Sunday to ensure he is indeed active. If he is, I’m willing to use Singletary in tournaments as over the last three games the Titans are 14th against the pass and 16th against the run.
Michael Gallup
Gallup is recovering from an arthroscopic procedure to his knee that had sidelined him the last two weeks. The average return for these procedures is between two and four weeks, so Gallup is sitting smack dab in the middle of the average. The Cowboys say he’ll be active, but unlike DK Metcalf prior to Week One, Gallup has been limited all week in practice. Against this new look Green Bay secondary, I wouldn’t use Gallup in lineups. I’m waiting another week before confidently starting him in any lineups.
Mike Williams
Williams said on Friday that he will play against the Broncos, who over the last three weeks are third in passing touchdowns and passing yards allowed. I would still use Williams sparingly this week in tournaments as a contrarian play despite this somewhat mysterious back injury. Why? Because there is always potential that he catches a touchdown, being the redzone maven that he is.
T.Y. Hilton
I’ve mentioned before that Hilton was pulled from Week Three mid-game as the medical staff was nervous he would completely rupture his quad. He practiced in a limited fashion all week and is questionable for Sunday. He was never close to playing last week in my estimation, but it’s at least an upgrade to see him practice this week. I’m not using Hilton in the single game slate, as there’s a real chance he might not be active. Besides the risk for re-tear and/or a setback, his teammate Parris Campbell has already been ruled out for Week Five. You’ll be hard pressed convincing me that fact could persuade Hilton to come back before he’s ready. The only disclaimer I would give here is that Hilton is infamous for playing through injuries.
Marlon Mack
Mack has a mysterious ankle/calf injury that hasn’t gone away since Week Three. He was again an absentee from practice until Friday, which bodes well for his chances of being active, but I have absolutely no confidence in using him this week. This lack of confidence comes from the re-injury risk and from the potential for a negative game script, which seem to make Mack disappear from the Colts’ game plan altogether.
Damien Williams
The nature of Damien Williams’ injury does not make him a re-injury risk now that he’s officially declared active for Week Five. A contusion causes pain, swelling, and stiffness which have more than likely cleared up at this point. However, what does concern me is the muddled backfield. I’m waiting for Williams to re-establish himself as a contributor before throwing him in any lineups.
Those are the key injuries you should know for the Week Five Injury Breakdown. Check back for my quick Sunday rundown of actives and inactives.
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Image courtesy of Keith Allison.
