As the NFL season approaches Week 5, it is time to talk about the players who started the season on the injured reserve of the physically unable to perform lists that could be making an appearance in the next couple of weeks. With the 21-day practice window opening for these players, it will only be a matter of time before they start to make significant impacts for their teams and your fantasy teams. Some of these players will already be rostered and may be able to be traded cheaper than next week; some of these players will be found on the waiver wire and be able to be added right to your roster. Here are the top five players to take a serious look at.
5. Tyquan Thornton, WR, New England Patriots
The first player on this list is Tyquan Thornton. Thornton was drafted last year by the New England Patriots and had a decent second half of the season coming to a place where he was seeing 4-7 targets per game. Thornton was placed on IR before the start of this season being eligible now to come off in Week 5. The Patriots need another receiving option, especially one that can get behind the secondary and catch 50/50 balls. Thornton is probably a player that you can still find on the waiver wire and take a chance on.
4. Keaton Mitchell, RB, Baltimore Ravens
Keaton Mitchell is a rookie this season out of East Carolina as an undrafted free agent signed by the Ravens. Mitchell was placed on IR with a shoulder injury before the season started making him eligible to come off of the list as early as this week. Mitchell is probably a widely unknown player, a huge risk, and most likely on the waiver. In his last season in college, Mitchell ran 201 times for 1,452 yards and 14 touchdowns. He averaged 7.2 yards per carry while catching 27 passes for 252 yards. With the season-ending injury to JK Dobbins, the Ravens have been searching for RB solutions and Mitchell could be exactly what they are looking for.
3. Diontae Johnson, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
Diontae Johnson will not be eligible to come off of IR until Week 6 because he wasn’t placed on the list until after Week 1 of this season. In just 43% of snaps in Week 1, Johnson had three receptions on six targets for 48 yards. He is and has been the Steelers and Kenny Pickett’s No. 1 receiver in each of the last two seasons. This will be no different as the offense desperately searches for answers. You have one more week to try to get him low before he is reinstated off IR.
2. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams
Over the last two seasons, Cooper Kupp has been an absolute monster of a receiver. In 2021, the year Kupp won the Super Bowl, he finished with six games of over 30 points and 14 games of over 20 points. He never scored under 10 points the entire season. Last year, Kupp was shut down after being injured in Week 10. From Weeks 1-9, he was a top 10 receiver for six of those eight weeks, scoring over 20 points in all but two of them and never scoring under 15 points. He will come back and be just as dynamic forming arguably one of the NFL’s best duos with Puka Nacua.
1. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts
Jonathan Taylor was a force for the Indianapolis Colts two years ago. He ended as the RB1 in fantasy and the consensus No. 1 pick last year. In 2021, Taylor ended the season with 13 games over 15 points and 10 games over 20 points. Last year, while dealing with injury issues, Taylor finished Week 1-13, before being shut down for the season, with six games over 15 points and two games over 20 points. Taylor started the year on the PUP list with injury concerns that were widely rumored as contract concerns. However the case may be, the Colts have opened Taylor’s practice window for him to come off of the PUP within the next 21 days.
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