Jets hope WR Eric Decker can play vs. former team
by Igor Mello | CBSSports.com

(6:57 pm ET) Jets head coach Rex Ryan remains hopeful that wideout Eric Decker will return to action Sunday against his former team, the Broncos, according to ESPN. Decker, who missed Week 5 because of a lingering hamstring injury, was a limited participant in practice Wednesday.

“Yeah, I think we’ll see if he can do a little more tomorrow and see how he is” Ryan said. “But yes, I do feel pretty good about him playing.”

Cardinals RB Andre Ellington limited in practice Wednesday
by Igor Mello | CBSSports.com

(6:51 pm ET) Cardinals running back Andre Ellington was limited in practice Wednesday, per the team’s official website.

Ellington has been bothered by a foot injury all season, but has managed to play through the pain. He’s coming off a Week 5 loss where he scored twice and registered 144 yards of total offense. He’s rushed for 238 yards and a score on 62 carries, averaging 3.8 yards per game this season.

At this point, Ellington does not appear to be in any danger of sitting out Week 6 against Washington.

Is Eddie Lacy here to stay?
by Scott White | Senior Fantasy Writer

(6:31 pm ET) After underwhelming in his first four games, never rushing for even 50 yards and averaging just 3.0 yards per carry, Packers running back Eddie Lacy exploded for 105 yards on 13 carries Week 5 against Minnesota. He had only one more carry than backup James Starks, but the scoreboard probably had something to do with it. The Packers won the game going away.

Really, I don’t see a reason to be skeptical of that performance from a player who was expected to perform that way all along. Lacy offered a reason for the turnaround, saying he worked with running backs coach Sam Gash on not being so tentative at the line, which saves us the misery of guessing whether it was just a random event of statistical fluctuation. Plus, at least the first three of Lacy’s four bad games were against some of the best teams at stopping the run. The Vikings aren’t that.

Lacy’s Week 6 opponent, the Dolphins, are a little better, but still middle-of-the-pack overall. They rank 13th against the run, allowing 107.3 yards per game, and were responsible for Knile Davis’ 132-yard game back in Week 3. I wouldn’t have any qualms about starting Lacy with that matchup, and neither do Jamey Eisenberg or Dave Richard, ranking him among their top 10 running backs for the week.

T.Y. Hilton, Reggie Wayne both good bets
by Scott White | Senior Fantasy Writer

(6:16 pm ET) In Week 5, T.Y. Hilton outperformed Reggie Wayne on the same number of targets. in Week 4, Wayne had the better numbers. For that two-week stretch, their numbers look about the same: Hilton has averaged 7.5 catches for 97.5 yards, and Wayne has averaged 7.0 catches for 98.0 yards.

The takeaway? I don’t know who’s going to be the bigger target from one week to the next, but I don’t think Fantasy owners should care. Both are a consistent enough part of a significant enough passing attack to make a worthwhile contribution in Fantasy. The touchdowns are lacking, but otherwise, it’s all good.

Playing on Thursday night can have an adverse effect on a team’s passing numbers, but I wouldn’t let that scare me away from either Hilton or Wayne in Week 6. The hosting Texans rank 21st against the pass, allowing 253.2 yards per game, and have allowed the seventh-most Fantasy points per game to wide receivers.

Redskins TE Jordan Reed ‘shooting for Sunday’
by Igor Mello | CBSSports.com

(6:12 pm ET) Redskins tight end Jordan Reed was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday, as he continues to work his way back from a hamstring injury. Reed also did work after practice for the first time since suffering the injury, according to ESPN.

Reed, who has missed his four games, is targeting a return Week 6 against the Cardinals.

“Definitely shooting for Sunday,” Reed said. “I feel like if I get everything done this week and everything goes smoothly, I’ll be out there Sunday.”

Browns QB Johnny Manziel: I don’t remember what was funny
by Marty Gitlin | CBSSports.com

(6:02 pm ET) Browns backup quarterback Johnny Manziel claimed he was not laughing about his team’s performance after it had fallen behind 28-3 Sunday, when cameras caught him chuckling on the sideline. Manziel has been criticized for the incident.

“I guess when things are kind of going that bad, you can almost – instead of getting mad – you kind of have to laugh it off every now and then,” he told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “Luckily for us, we turned it around, and the outcome was a lot better than it was then.”

Manziel added that he didn’t remember what he said to fellow quarterback Connor Shaw that he found to be humorous.

Dwayne Allen likely a start for someone
by Scott White | Senior Fantasy Writer

(6:01 pm ET) The Colts’ Dwayne Allen continued to distinguish himself from fellow tight end Coby Fleener in Week 5, scoring another touchdown — his fourth in five games — on more than twice as many targets.

I’m at the point where I don’t worry so much about those two cutting into each other’s production. There aren’t enough Fantasy-relevant tight ends to go around in a 12-team league if you let that scare you away. Allen would be better if Fleener wasn’t in the picture, sure, but he gets so many looks at the goal line that he can make do with fewer targets overall. He’ll never be a stud in Fantasy, but again, he’s good enough to start in a 12-team league.

His Week 6 opponent, the Texans, have allowed only one touchdown to tight ends this season, but the biggest ones they’ve faced — the Redskins’ Niles Paul, the Giants’ Larry Donnell and the Cowboys’ Jason Witten — all put up their usual yardage against them. I’m guessing Andrew Luck won’t be thinking about how many tight ends have scored against the Texans when the Colts are inside the 10-yard line.

Ankle injuries dominate Colts injury report for Thursday
by Marty Gitlin | CBSSports.com

(5:54 pm ET) Four of the six players on the Colts injury report are dealing with ankle problems. Those ruled out are guards Jack Mewhort (ankle) and Hugh Thornton (back), defensive tackle Arthur Jones (ankle) and cornerback Darius Butler (ankle).

Linebacker Jerrell Freeman (hamstring) is questionable while fellow linebacker Bjoern Werner (ankle) is probable.

Raiders place LB Nick Roach on season-ending IR
by Igor Mello | CBSSports.com

(5:50 pm ET) The Raiders have placed linebacker Nick Roach on the season-ending injury reserve list due to the lingering effects from a concussion, the Bay Area News Group reports. Roach, who played every game last season, suffered the brain injury in an exhibition game against the Packers on Aug. 22 and was never medically cleared for full contact.

The team signed Jamar Chaney to take his spot on the roster.

Chargers RB Ryan Mathews not up-and-running yet
by Marty Gitlin | CBSSports.com

(5:47 pm ET) Chargers featured back Ryan Mathews, who has been sidelined since Week 3 with a knee injury, has yet to begin running, per the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Mathews is making progress, but is likely to miss at least two more games before returning to game action.