2026 Week 5 Fantasy Football: Tank Bigsby Core Muscle Surgery Reaction

The Eagles' backfield just got a lot messier. According to ProFootballTalk (NBC Sports), citing Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Tank Bigsby will undergo core muscle surgery and is expected to miss around six weeks — making an injured reserve stint essentially certain.

Tank Bigsby

Bigsby is done for the foreseeable future. He had 28 carries for 91 yards and a touchdown this season before going down Sunday in Philadelphia's 24-20 loss to the Rams. With a six-week timeline and IR looming, he's a drop in redraft leagues. Dynasty managers can stash him, but he's off the active roster for a while — move on for now.

Saquon Barkley

The bigger fantasy question mark is Barkley, who also left Sunday's game with a hamstring injury. Head coach Nick Sirianni said Monday that Barkley's status for the Week 5 London game against the Jaguars is to be determined, with ProFootballTalk (NBC Sports) reporting more answers are expected Wednesday. Hamstring injuries and quick turnarounds are a bad combination — don't count on him until you see a practice report.

If both backs miss Week 5, Will Shipley is the only running back on the active roster right now. The Eagles also have Dameon Pierce, Carson Steele, and Jaydon Blue on the practice squad, per the source story, so expect at least one elevation. Shipley is the handcuff to grab immediately — he moves into the lead role by default if Barkley sits. The connection here is direct: Bigsby's IR stint is confirmed, Barkley's status is not, and Shipley is the only back currently dressed. That's a waiver wire priority regardless of how the Barkley news shakes out this week.