2026 NFL Week 5 Picks!
Ross Tucker runs down his straight-up winner picks for every NFL Week 5 game, with special focus on the Eagles' injury-ravaged roster and Lane Johnson's surprise retirement. He also covers league news including Saquon Barkley's hamstring injury, Tank Bigsby's IR placement, Joe Mixon's failed physical with the Rams, and several other roster moves.
This episode is Ross Tucker's straight-up Week 5 game-by-game picks show, paired with injury and transaction news that matters more for fantasy than the picks themselves. The central thread isn't really strategy — it's a cascade of roster-shredding injuries (Eagles, Cardinals, Vikings) and a few high-scoring or low-scoring game environments worth knowing before you set lineups.
The arguments
The Eagles are dealing with a near-unprecedented injury pileup heading into London. Tucker rattled off a litany of names ruled out or questionable — Devonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, Saquon Barkley, Tank Bigsby, Cam Jurgens, Zack Baun, Quinyon Mitchell, Jordan Davis (Jonathan Grenard as referenced), Marcus Epps, Hollywood Brown, Fred Johnson, Landon Dickerson, Eli Stowers — on top of Lane Johnson's surprise retirement announced the day before. He called Johnson a likely first-ballot Hall of Famer and a legitimate loss at right tackle, with rookie third-rounder Myles Hinton (referred to as Markel Bell on air) stepping in. Given the sheer volume of absences, Tucker picked Jacksonville to win comfortably (24-17), saying it's "hard to know how you pick the Eagles" in this spot.
Tank Bigsby's core muscle surgery and IR placement, layered on Saquon Barkley's hamstring, guts Philadelphia's backfield. Tucker noted this is exactly why preseason and practice-squad depth matters — the Eagles are now down to Will Shipley, Damien Pierce, and Carson Steele at running back. He expects Barkley to miss the London game, which pushes real touches to backup options most managers haven't rostered.
Cardinals-Lions projects as the week's highest-scoring game. Tucker emphasized "points, points, points" and ultimately picked Detroit 31-30, citing the Lions bouncing back from a loss and getting Brian Branch back on defense, while still acknowledging Arizona was tempting to pick outright.
The 49ers are banged up enough to lose their first game of the season, in Seattle. Tucker framed San Francisco's health issues as the deciding factor over Seattle's uneven recent form (wins over Arizona, Washington, and the Chargers — not high-level competition). He picked the Seahawks 24-21, explicitly calling this San Francisco's spot to take its first loss.
Lamar Jackson's absence makes the Ravens a clear underdog against a hot Falcons offense. Tucker's take hinged entirely on Baltimore trotting out Tyler Huntley again (he joked about the team repeatedly "unquitting" him as backup), and he doesn't think the Ravens can keep pace with Atlanta's offense, picking Falcons 24-17 and suggesting it might not even stay that close.
Joe Mixon's deal with Seattle fell through after he failed his physical, while the Rams instead added Eric Kendricks at linebacker. Tucker flagged this as a notable value swing — Mixon had reportedly worked out well before the physical issue surfaced, which he called "very interesting" given a similar situation involving Mixon last year.
Season-ending IR moves hit two interior offensive linemen. Cardinals tackle Paris Johnson (referenced as "Pair shots") and Vikings guard Donovan Jackson both went on IR, which Tucker called real losses for both offensive lines and worth tracking for pass-protection/run-blocking matchup purposes.
What it means for your roster
- Avoid trusting any Eagles skill player projections this week without confirmed reports — Barkley is a likely out, and touches should shift toward Will Shipley/Damien Pierce as priority waiver claims in deeper leagues.
- Tank Bigsby is droppable; he's done for the season after core muscle surgery.
- Stack or start Cardinals/Lions skill players — Tucker's 31-30 projection signals a shootout environment worth prioritizing in lineup decisions.
- Fade 49ers offensive pieces in Seattle given the injury accumulation Tucker cited, and consider Seahawks defenders/offense a slight upgrade play this week.
- Lamar Jackson remains out; downgrade all Ravens passing-game fantasy assets and consider Falcons' skill players as strong plays against a diminished Baltimore offense.
- Don't chase Joe Mixon as a waiver add — the Seahawks deal collapsed on a failed physical, so his situation is unresolved; monitor news before adding him anywhere.
“I think the Bills run out of steam.” — Ross Tucker
Players in this episode
↓ Doesn't look like he'll play Sunday night against Atlanta, a big blow to Baltimore's offense.
↓ Dealing with a hamstring injury; Ross guesses he won't play against Jacksonville.
→ Expected to return from injury against the Giants, but it's unclear how effective he'll be playing with a brace.
→ Status uncertain heading into the Rams game, which factors into Ross picking against Buffalo.
↓ Banged up, contributing to Ross viewing the Colts as more injury-hit than Pittsburgh this week.
↓ Placed on IR after core muscle surgery, thinning out the Eagles backfield further.
↓ Also dealing with injury concerns for Indianapolis heading into the Steelers matchup.
↓ Was set to sign with the Seahawks but failed his physical, keeping him off a roster for now.
↓ Surprisingly retired this week; Ross calls him a likely first-ballot Hall of Famer and a massive loss for Philadelphia's offensive line.
→ Named as another depth piece the Eagles may lean on with Barkley and Bigsby out.
→ Mentioned as one of the remaining healthy Eagles backs who could see increased work.
→ Now in line for a bigger role as Philly's backfield options dwindle due to injuries.
→ Expected to start again in place of Lamar Jackson; Ross jokes the team 'can't quit' bringing him back as the primary backup.