This was always the most likely scenario. Taylor didn’t practice this week and could miss several weeks after suffering a high-ankle sprain in last week’s win over the Steelers. Steichen did not speak about Taylor’s impending absence, but we know the backfield will be long to Trey Sermon in Week 5 against the Jaguars.

This is the most “behind the curtains” look we’ve gotten at Anthony Richardson’s (oblique) Week 5 availability this week. While Richardson is reportedly at practice again on Friday, he has been listed as limited throughout the week, and could be in line to miss at least one game while recovering from last week’s injury. The Colts will release their final injury report shortly, but things could be shaping up for Flacco to start in Week 5 against the Jaguars.

McBride clearing protocol is great news for the Cardinals, who get back one of their top options in the passing game. Over the first three weeks of the season, McBride ranked second on the Cardinals in targets (22) while leading the team in receptions (14). He’s scored as a top-12 fantasy tight end in two of the three games he’s played in, and should be viewed as a TE1 in Week 5 against the 49ers.

Nabers remains in concussion protocol and has yet to practice this week. His absence undoubtedly hurts a Giants’ passing game that is thin at receiver behind him, but it should open the door for Wan’Dale Robinson, whose 38 targets rank as fifth-most amongst all receivers, to have a busy day against the Seahawks. Robinson can be viewed as a volume-based WR2 this week.

It was reported on Wednesday that this would be happening. Now, Hockenson will take the practice field for the first time this season on Friday and has three full weeks to be activated. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported in early September that the Vikings were “loosely targeting” Week 7 as the return date for Hockenson, so we’ll see where things go from here. Hockenson turned in a career year in his first full season with the Vikings, totaling 95 receptions for 960 yards and five touchdowns while finishing as the fantasy TE2 in fantasy points per game. His return will give Sam Darnold and the league’s fourth-ranked offense one more elite target in the passing game.

As is often the case, players in concussion protocol and unable to practice on Wednesday and Thursday seldom get cleared in time for a Sunday game. This is the exact scenario currently finds himself in since suffering his brain injury in Week 4 against the Cowboys. The rookie receiver still has time to clear protocol and get on the field, but he’s undoubtedly trending in the wrong direction for Week 5. If he’s out, Wan’Dale Robinson, who currently ranks fifth amongst all receivers in targets, will be in for a busy day against a secondary that was unable to force an incomplete pass against Jared Goff and the Lions last week.

After two straight DNPs to open the week, Taylor missing at least one game has appeared likely from the get-go. We’ll see if this results in him spending time on IR or not, but for now, fantasy managers should expect Trey Sermon to play the majority of the snaps in Week 5 when the Colts face the Jaguars. The team will likely make a decision on Taylor’s status before the weekend, but we are trending toward him missing this week.

Evans’ fourth and fifth scores of the season give him 100 for his career. 99 receiving and, amusingly, one on a fumble recovery. Evans, coincidentally, also recovered a Chris Godwin fumble this evening. He was schemed wide open on both his scores, a two-yarder in the first quarter and 23-yarder in the second. He got free for a potential third strike with the Bucs milking clock in the fourth quarter, but Baker Mayfield didn’t see him. Looking as Mike Evans-y as ever, he gets arch-nemesis Marshon Lattimore’s Saints in Week 6.

Four days after matching his previous career high for targets, London surpassed it in his second biggest yardage effort. He paid for it with a pair of injuries, requiring a first half concussion evaluation and getting shaken up on the game’s second-to-last play in OT. His absence is actually how KhaDarel Hodge scored the 45-yard walk-off touchdown. For what it’s worth, it seemed like London was probably about to come back into the game had Hodge not scored. London’s score came after he used a spin move to make an 18-yard house call to cap off the Falcons’ opening drive. London’s career high 12 catches were due in large part to Kirk Cousins dropping back 62 times, but it was only a matter of time before Cousins finally started jacking up his attempts totals. He had 35 in Week 4 after failing to reach 30 in any of his first three starts. The Panthers are on tap for Week 6.

There was a pre-game report from NFL Network that the Falcons wanted to get Pitts more involved after his desultory opening month, and he was predictably targeted on the game’s second snap, which he turned into a 32-yard gain. That went down as his biggest play, but Pitts had a little more spring in his step than he did in Week 4, where he wasn’t even looking all that athletic in and out of his breaks. Pitts obviously benefitted from Kirk Cousins’ absurd 62 dropbacks, but the degree to which he had not been involved never made any sense. He will be in the low-end TE1 mix for a soft Week 6 date with the Panthers, but fantasy managers need to keep in mind he is looking like a distant No. 3 option behind Drake London and Darnell Mooney.