Week 4 Fantasy Football Injury Report

The injury bug wasn’t quite as bad as some weeks, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t players to talk about for Week 4. Some teams are going to struggle with depth at certain positions unless things turn around within a week, so let’s dig in.

Week 4 Fantasy Football Injury Report 

DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles 

It seems possible as of Monday that the Eagles could be without their top two receivers for Week 4. A.J. Brown may or may not be ready to return from his hamstring injury, and DeVonta Smith suffered a nasty-looking concussion against the Saints. He took a helmet-to-helmet hit and was ruled out shortly after. Typically when it involves a head injury, fantasy players should plan early in the week to be without that player. That way, if Smith does play, it can feel like a bonus instead of a scramble on Friday if he hasn’t practiced. 

Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers

It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Justin Herbert was not 100% on Sunday when the Chargers made all three quarterbacks active. Herbert was not able to finish against the ferocious Pittsburgh defense and Taylor Heinicke came in, throwing just two passes. At least we know who the backup is now if Herbert is forced to miss any time, but this offense wasn’t super exciting for passing work to start with. It’s hard to imagine it changing for the better with Heinicke under center. 

Trey McBride, TE, Arizona Cardinals 

Trey McBride also had a concussion scare on Sunday, so he should be treated with caution heading into Week 4. Elijah Higgins is listed as the backup, but I don’t believe that he would be terribly involved if McBride is forced to miss some time. I think receivers Greg Dortch and Michael Wilson would see some more work, especially Dortch out of the slot. We’ll have to wait and see, but if McBride is going to miss time, it’s going to be difficult to find a replacement with how poor the tight end position is this year. 

Sam LaPorta, TE, Detroit Lions 

It’s almost the exact same scenario in Detroit with Sam LaPorta’s sprained ankle. If he misses any time, the Lions don’t exactly have a tight end who will step into a role that’s meaningful for fantasy. Jameson Williams could see some more targets, as could Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs and maybe others. It’s tough to know how this one will shake out, but we should have a better idea about a timeline sometime before waivers run.

Adam Thielen, WR, Carolina Panthers 

It was mostly a great game for Carolina, which walked into Las Vegas with Andy Dalton at quarterback and ripped up the Raiders. Diontae Johnson had a monster game, but part of that was Adam Thielen not playing in the second half after getting injured on a touchdown catch. Both Xavier Legette and Jonathan Mingo saw some work in his absence. Mingo had four targets to three for Legette, but the latter flashed some of the big-play ability with a 35-yard snag. It would be great to see Legette get more work if Thielen is out, but this isn’t someone we should be running toward outside of some deeper leagues. 

Skylar Thompson, QB, Miami Dolphins 

Things are not going well at all for the Dolphins right now, as they could be on their third-string quarterback, Tim Boyle. Skylar Thompson left the game in Seattle with a chest injury that could have to do with his ribs, which is far from ideal for a player who throws the ball. I would expect Miami to add a player from free agency if the Thompson injury is a serious one, because Tua Tagovailoa is still out for at least another three weeks. The folks who invested early in Miami’s offense have to be very nervous right now.