Last week this newspaper counted five bye-week starters on four rosters on a Thursday morning. Three managers fixed theirs; the fourth, Michael, did not, took 0.0 from Patrick Mahomes and 0.0 from Kenneth Walker, and beat the unbeaten team anyway. This week the Bengals, Lions, Dolphins and Vikings are off, and the Thursday-morning count is seven, on four rosters again. Michael has three: Jameson Williams, Will Reichard and the Vikings defense. Tim has two, Evan McPherson and the Lions defense. Kevin has Jake Bates. And Nick has Jared Goff — the Lions are off — with Kyler Murray, whom he benched for Goff last week, on the Vikings’ bye. Nick’s roster does not contain a quarterback who plays this week. Lineups lock by game, so each of these can still be fixed; the record of the one manager who left his unfixed is 1-0.
The week’s best game is Jonathan against Jeff, 4-1 against 4-1, the leaders of the Magic Castle and the Smith House, meeting in Week 6 with the all-time series 12-5 Jonathan. Jeff has scored 632.46 points, second in the league, and has been the market’s top-ranked roster in two of the last three power rankings; Jonathan has 592.10, fifth, and is sixth in the ranking. Jonathan has Jaxon Smith-Njigba tonight in Denver and Jayden Daniels on Monday in San Francisco; Jeff’s entire lineup plays Sunday, with Aaron Jones questionable and Tony Pollard starting. Jonathan starts Xavier Worthy with Amon-Ra St. Brown on the Lions’ bye, and on Thursday morning won a waiver claim on Germie Bernard, releasing Harrison Butker to do it. A win is Jonathan’s 110th in the regular season.
The slate
Sean (4-1) vs. Timothy (3-2). Sean leads 12-11, so a Timothy win levels the series and is his 100th regular-season win, one week after Jeff kept him on 99. Sean scored 74.34 last week, his season low; Timothy scored 124.34 and lost. Both start their defenses tonight, and the defenses play each other: Sean’s Seahawks at Timothy’s Broncos. Brock Purdy and George Kittle play Monday night for the two sides. Chris Olave and Alvin Kamara are questionable.
Anthony (2-3) vs. Josh (1-4). Anthony leads 12-9. Drake Maye, 38.46 in his first start for Anthony, stays at quarterback, and Tetairoa McMillan returns from the bye; Mike Evans, 26.3 on the bench last week, moves into the flex and plays Monday. Anthony won a waiver claim on Tyler Loop, the kicker mike released a week ago, and starts him. Josh, with Joe Burrow and Tee Higgins both on the Bengals’ bye and T.J. Hockenson out, signed Aaron Rodgers at 9:56 Thursday morning and starts him; Chuba Hubbard returns from his bye.
Nick (1-4) vs. Tim (3-2). Nick leads 9-6 and is coming off his first win, 138.34, with Goff at quarterback. The quarterback problem is described above; Christian McCaffrey plays Monday night. Tim has his kicker and defense on byes and four questionable starters — Henderson, Judkins, Bowers and Monangai — with Lamar Jackson questionable on his bench and Tyler Huntley, 21.04 last week, starting again. A Tim win is his 75th.
John P. (2-3) vs. Owen (2-3). John P. leads 11-4. Bryce Young returns from the bye at quarterback; Jahmyr Gibbs, 37.7 last week, is on the Lions’ bye, so Woody Marks starts beside Kyren Williams. Courtland Sutton and Jason Myers play tonight. Owen is the only manager in the league with no starter tonight, no starter Monday and no injury designation anywhere in his lineup.
John E. (0-5) vs. Michael (4-1). The series is 16-5 John E., the second-widest margin he holds over anyone, behind only his 18-3 against Jonathan. He is 0-5; Michael is 4-1 with the most points in the league, 653.16. Michael’s three bye-week starters are described above. John E. returns Tyler Shough to quarterback, starts Kimani Vidal, whom he won on waivers Thursday, and starts the Ravens defense, which he signed Thursday at 9:08 — the same Ravens defense he released on October 8. Six of his seven waiver claims this week failed, four of them because his roster was full.
mike (2-3) vs. Kevin (3-2). Kevin leads 11-9. mike is coming off 187.72, the fourth-highest score in league history, and won four waiver claims Thursday — the Colts defense, Kendrick Bourne, Dameon Pierce and Jaleel McLaughlin — while losing a fifth, Germie Bernard, to Jonathan on priority. Emanuel Wilson plays tonight for mike. Kevin has Bo Nix and Jaylen Waddle tonight, Jalen Coker starting at receiver with Jordan Addison out, and Jake Bates on a bye. A Kevin win is his 90th.
| Matchup | All-time | Flagged starters (O/D/Q/IR/bye) | The read | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sean (4-1, 631.52) Pla-ket-ket-ket-ket | Timothy (3-2, 604.74) Bijan Mustard | 12–11 Sean | Olave (Q) / Kamara (Q) | Sean leads 12-11; a Timothy win levels it and is his 100th in the regular season. Their defenses, Seahawks and Broncos, play each other tonight. |
| Anthony (2-3, 534.30) The Lowly Gents | Josh (1-4, 498.44) Coonie's Goonies | 12–9 Anthony | — / McConkey (Q) | Anthony leads 12-9 and gets McMillan back from the bye. Josh signed Aaron Rodgers on Thursday morning to cover Burrow’s bye and starts him. |
| Nick (1-4, 557.90) Touchdown There | Tim (3-2, 455.22) SKOL MF | 9–6 Nick | Downs (Q), Goff (bye) / Henderson (Q), Judkins (Q), Bowers (Q), Monangai (Q), McPherson (bye), Lions D/ST (bye) | Nick leads 9-6 and, as of Thursday morning, starts Jared Goff on the Lions’ bye with Kyler Murray also on a bye. Tim starts a kicker and a defense on byes, with four questionable starters. |
| John P. (2-3, 567.86) Pocket Dogs | Owen (2-3, 502.42) Royal Rodents | 11–4 John P. | Rice (Q) / — | John P. leads 11-4. Owen is the only manager with nothing to play tonight or Monday and no injury flags. |
| Jonathan (4-1, 592.10) The Magicians | Jeff (4-1, 632.46) American Football Team | 12–5 Jonathan | Boston (Q) / — | 4-1 against 4-1, the leaders of the two conferences. Jonathan leads 12-5 and has Smith-Njigba tonight and Daniels on Monday; Jeff’s lineup is all Sunday. |
| John E. (0-5, 510.04) Sugar Coats | Michael (4-1, 653.16) Mike's Merry Mates | 16–5 John E. | Love (Q), Moore (Q) / Williams (bye), Reichard (bye), Vikings D/ST (bye) | John E. leads 16-5 — his second-best series against anyone — and is 0-5. Michael, who won last week with two bye-week zeros, had three bye-week starters in his lineup Thursday morning. |
| mike (2-3, 558.60) Tomato Heads | Kevin (3-2, 517.08) Romo's Rotisserie | 11–9 Kevin | — / Bates (bye) | Kevin leads 11-9. mike is coming off 187.72 and won four waiver claims on Thursday; Kevin has Nix and Waddle tonight and Jake Bates on a bye. |
Records and points through Week 5. All-time series include playoffs. Injury designations and lineups from Sleeper as of Thursday morning, October 15: O = Out, D = Doubtful, Q = Questionable, IR = injured reserve; bye = Bengals, Lions, Dolphins or Vikings player in the starting lineup. Thursday night: Seahawks at Broncos. Monday night: Commanders at 49ers.