Fantasy Football Injury Report: Week 4

It’s another week of plenty of key players missing from NFL lineups in Week 4, but that opens up some opportunities for other players. Sometimes these situations can be a trap but sometimes they can bear some fantasy fruit. 

Saturday Update

Zay Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars 

This will be the second game in a row Zay Jones has missed, which should raise the floor for Christian Kirk. We should expect plenty of snaps once again and in the past two weeks, Kirk has led the Jaguars in targets. It also shouldn’t hurt tight end Evan Engram, as the Falcons have allowed the third-most points against the position and he has eight targets in each of the past two games. 

Treylon Burks, Tennessee Titans 

For an offense that was already struggling, this was not the news they needed. Treylon Burks is an important part of a passing game that can’t find their way with him. Normally, we’d think that it could be a bonus for receiver DeAndre Hopkins and/or tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo but quarterback Ryan Tannehill has been so poor so far. 

Rashod Bateman/Odell Beckham/Justice Hill, Baltimore Ravens 

The Ravens continue to be missing multiple key players heading into Week 4. Rashod Bateman and Odell Beckham are both out, and Justice Hill is listed as questionable. Baltimore also has to deal with left tackle Ronnie Stanley being out when they take on Cleveland, who are first in total DVOA through three weeks. Tight end Mark Andrews and receiver Zay Jones should see plenty of work, but the ceiling is in question for this entire offense. 

Quez Watkins, Philadelphia Eagles 

It may not sound like the most important injury for fantasy since the Eagles are still loaded with skill players, but Olamide Zaccheaus could wind up being a punt option for DFS lineups. He played 55% of the snaps last week without Watkins and only saw three targets, but the aDOT was 19.0 yards. It’s only going to take one play, just as it did in Week 3 when he scored a 34-yard touchdown. 

Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints 

If I had to guess, I would say that the Saints are just being coy about Derek Carr’s status. He’s gone from avoiding a major injury and needing weeks to recover to possibly playing Sunday after a Friday practice, which seems like a stretch. If Carr is out, Jameis Winston takes the reins and is interesting for our season-long and DFS lineups. 

Jimmy Garoppolo, Las Vegas Raiders 

It surely seems that Jimmy Garoppolo is going to miss Week 4, as he is still in the concussion protocol as of Friday. That likely puts Brian Hoyer (or Aidan O’Connell) in line for a start, which is a downgrade from Garoppolo. Hoyer should know the system by this point in his career and he does get the luxury of throwing to Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers, but this offense would take a hit. 

Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers 

This one makes a lot of sense for the Chargers in the long run since they have a bye week next week. Hopefully, Austin Ekeler can get his ankle healed up and be ready to roll in Week 6. I’m not sure anyone has the guts to play Joshua Kelley at this point. He’s scored under seven fantasy points in the past two games combined with just one reception and 25 total touches. On top of that, the Chargers will be without starting center Corey Linsley as well. 

Marquise Brown, Arizona Cardinals 

This thumb injury for Marquise Brown cropped up late in the week, so we do need to keep an eye on it. Arizona was already in a tough matchup against the San Francisco 49ers so if Brown is out, it just makes the road that much tougher. Michael Wilson, Rondale Moore, and Greg Dortch would all benefit as Brown leads the team with a 27.5% target share.  

Deebo Samuel/Jauan Jennings/Elijah Mitchell, San Francisco 49ers 

Let’s start with what we do know, and that’s that Jauan Jennings is doubtful. Deebo Samuel has not practiced in full all week, and Elijah Mitchell banged up his knee late in the week. If Jennings and Samuel both sit out, the receiving corps is down to Brandon Aiyuk, Ray-Ray McCloud and rookie Ronnie Bell. The latter played 31 snaps on a short week in Week 3 and caught a touchdown, although he was just targeted twice. Aiyuk and tight end George Kittle would run the show in this passing game if Samuel is out as well. For Mitchell, it just means running back Christian McCaffrey is likely to see 90% or more of the snaps once again. 

Original Injury Breakdown (9/25)

There are still two games left in Week 3 that hopefully won’t have any injuries. 

Granted, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is still questionable. But so far, this was a relatively quiet week on the injury front. 

Saquon Barkley, New York Giants 

Saquon Barkley did not suit up this past Thursday, which was not a surprise. He’s dealing with an ankle sprain, and reports are all over the place as far as what type of sprain he’s dealing with. If he’s not able to get back for Week 4, it looks like it will be a split between Gary Brightwell and Matt Breida. Both backs were involved against the 49ers, ending with four carries each. They also each saw three targets, although Breida held a massive edge in snaps, 82% to 18%.

Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers

It was confirmed on Monday that Mike Williams tore his ACL, ending his season. That is a big blow for the Chargers, but fantasy players need to choose carefully when looking at picking up receivers from this offense. On Sunday, Williams exited after playing 67% of the snaps. Rookie Quentin Johnston is sure to be a popular pickup but logged just 24% of the snaps and has five receptions this season. Joshua Palmer was already playing ahead of him and did so again this past week with 61% of the snaps. 

Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints 

The reports out of New Orleans suggest the injury for Derek Carr is an AC joint issue, which likely will cost him some time. There was thought his season could be over, so that is somewhat good news. Jameis Winston will likely be the quarterback in New Orleans. Of course, we’ll almost surely have plenty of Taysom Hill shenanigans as well, but Winston looked mostly solid, going 10-for-15 for 101 yards in relief. 

Jimmy Garoppolo, Las Vegas Raiders 

Jimmy Garoppolo finished the game on Sunday night but was evaluated for a concussion afterward. There isn’t any prognosis at this point, but concussions can be tricky, so it is a situation to monitor. Brian Hoyer is the backup, much to the disappointment of the Aidan O’Connell hive on fantasy Twitter. 

Update: Garoppolo is in the concussion protocol.

Rashod Bateman/Gus Edwards, Baltimore Ravens 

As if the overtime loss wasn’t enough for Baltimore to deal with, Rashod Bateman was limping to the locker room with a hamstring injury, and Gus Edwards suffered a possible concussion. Baltimore was already missing receiver Odell Beckham entering this game along with running backs J.K. Dobbins and Justice Hill. If Bateman and Edwards are out, the Ravens offense just continues to get thinner. Zay Flowers and possibly Nelson Agholor would be the lead receivers, while Melvin Gordon and Kenyan Drake would split the backfield.