Fantasy Injury Updates: Latest news on Christian McCaffrey, Joe Mixon, Elijah Mitchell affecting Week 5 start ’em, sit ’em calls

Christian McCaffrey, Joe Mixon, Elijah Mitchell are RBs in question for Week 5, and their statuses will affect many fantasy start ’em, sit ’em decisions this week. They could all be true game-time decisions, so staying on top of the latest injury updates will be key. We have the latest news on these important backs below, and we’ll continue to update this article heading into the weekend. 

For news on hurting WRs Tee Higgins, A.J. Brown, Julio Jones, and Chase Claypool, go here; for the latest on QBs Jimmy Garoppolo and Teddy Bridgewater, click here. For all the latest fantasy news, follow us on Twitter @SN_Fantasy.

WEEK 5 FANTASY: Sleepers | Busts | Start ’em, sit ’em

Christian McCaffrey injury update

McCaffrey tweaked his hamstring in Week 3, and many thought he was an IR candidate; however, he might return in Week 5 after just a one-game absence. He took the practice field Wednesday and apparently looked healthy. That said, he probably can play, but we’ll see what the Panthers decide to do with him. It’s a long 17-game season, and we’re just in the early stages of the year. The Panthers are 3-1 and face a struggling Eagles’ team, so they may opt to sit him one more game as a precaution.

If he starts, you should have no hesitation about setting him in your lineups. Even if the Panthers play him in a limited role, he can still produce a solid line. If they start him and use him sparingly, that will be unfortunate, but his upside is worth the chance at getting burned. If he’s out, Chuba Hubbard remains the lead back in Carolina for this week. We rank him as the RB25 in PPR and RB21 in standard leagues if CMC is a scratch in Week 5.

WEEK 5 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

Is Christian McCaffrey playing Week 5?

Much like McCaffrey, the early reports were Mixon (ankle) might miss a few weeks. However, despite missing practice Wednesday, Mixon has not been ruled out yet for Week 5 vs. Green Bay. He will likely be a game-time decision, so it’s best to keep an eye out for the latest news. We’ll update his section of the post as more information and reports come in.

If he’s healthy, Green Bay has been a middle-of-the-pack team against RBs in fantasy, but Mixon has been the most productive running they’ll face this year. We like Mixon at RB10 in PPR and RB9 in standard leagues. If he’s out, Samaje Perine is in line to be the primary back, but we have to think Cincinnati will go more pass-heavy in this game. Plus, Perine might share the workload with Chris Evans. Perine should be viewed as a flex option in this case.

WEEK 5 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

Elijah Mitchell injury update

Mitchell (shoulder) was a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice and could return this week vs. Arizona. The Cardinals have been a top-10 defense against fantasy running backs, so the matchup is a tough ask in his first game action in two weeks. Arizona scores points in bunches, forcing opposing teams to air it out to keep up. However, the Niners would like to pound the ball and keep Kyler Murray off the field, so this game could play out either way.

WEEK 5 DFS LINEUPS: FanDuel | DraftKings | Yahoo

All that said, given the injury and unknown game scripts, Mitchell ranks as our RB26 in standard leagues and RB26 in PPR. If he’s out, Trey Sermon will get another bulk of carries and should be ranked a little below Mitchell.