Gross Bombs: NFL Props for Week 16
Josh Gross
The injury bug has continued to bite hard in fantasy football as Week 3 starts up, with multiple big-name fantasy assets likely not being available for this week. Let’s discuss who might be on the radar this week.
Week 4 Fantasy Football Injury Report
Jordan Love, QB, Green Bay Packers
This is the most likely it has been that Jordan Love could play since his Week 3 injury, but it’s not written in stone. He’s not practiced in full yet, and Malik Willis has been able to help get the Packers two victories without Love. That goes a long way, so even if Love isn’t ready to roll, Willis has shown enough for Green Bay to trust him. The receivers for the Packers have taken a bit of a hit in the meantime, so it’s still harder to get excited about playing anyone but running back Josh Jacobs.
Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints
Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints
There is not an official word on how badly Chris Olave hurt his hamstring Friday past him being described as day-to-day. It’s difficult to envision a player getting hurt Friday and playing Sunday, so managers should plan for Olave not playing. That could leave Rashid Shaheed as the lead option in the passing game and face more coverage from Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell, which wouldn’t be ideal. It would be even more of a mess for New Orleans if Alvin Kamara can’t play, since he’s listed as questionable. We’ll have to see who’s active for New Orleans before we figure out who we’re looking to play.
Jaylen Warren, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Jaylen Warren is out, which means the Steelers are likely to keep going with the Najee Harris show against the Colts Sunday. Cordarrelle Patterson likely has a shot at 6-8 touches (and maybe even a bit more) since there will only be two main components in the backfield. The Indy run defense is vulnerable, and if the Steelers have their way, they will have a run-heavy script and play strong defense.
Keenan Allen, WR, Chicago Bears
After missing two weeks, Keenan Allen could be making his return to the lineup from a heel injury. It’s tough to measure what that means for the Bears overall because Allen did see 11 targets in the first game of the season. Allen, DJ Moore and Rome Odunze are all battling for targets while rookie quarterback Caleb Williams has shown plenty of signs of being a rookie so far. Every receiver on the team takes a small hit and should be viewed as a WR2/flex style play with upside if they find the end zone.
A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
We already know DeVonta Smith has been ruled out after suffering a scary-looking concussion in Week 3. That absence is far from a surprise but the unknown is A.J. Brown. He’s only practiced once since injuring his hamstring so I would have to lean toward him sitting out since the Eagles are on a bye week next week. It makes very little sense to try and push a hamstring injury with a bye week next week. That will likely leave tight end Dallas Goedert as the lead option in the passing game, along with receiver Jahan Dotson.
Dameon Pierce, RB, Houston Texans
Joe Mixon, RB, Houston Texans
Tank Dell, WR, Houston Texans
The Houston offense will take a hit this week as Tank Dell and Dameon Pierce are both out. Dell’s absence should concentrate the targets for Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs, raising the confidence of those managers to play those receivers. Either one or both could finish as a WR on the week. The running back room is a little less clear. If Joe Mixon plays, that puts Cam Akers down to 6-8 touches and unplayable since Pierce is out. If Mixon is unable to make it back from his ankle injury, Akers should have another solid week. Last week was a horrible game script for Akers but he did manage to find the end zone at least. If Akers is the lead back Sunday, he should be safer for 12-15 touches against a weaker Jacksonville team.
Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bucky Irving has generated a little bit of buzz in the Tampa offense so far this season, but that might come to a halt for at least a week Sunday. Irving has not practiced all week with a hamstring injury and is listed as questionable, which feels sort of generous. Rachaad White would feel like a safer option if Irving is not breathing down his neck for touches against the Eagles this week.
Austin Ekeler, RB, Washington Commanders
We did know early in the week that Austin Ekeler wouldn’t be able to suit up due to a concussion this week. That will mean a larger role for Brian Robinson Jr., because I doubt that Jeremy McNichols is going to take over a lot of work. The matchup is not horrible against the Arizona Cardinals’ defense, either.
Trey McBride, TE, Arizona Cardinals
Concussions have struck again, and Trey McBride will be out this week. I’m not sure we should expect much from Elijah Higgins or Tip Reiman, but it could mean more work for Greg Dortch and Michael Wilson. Dortch has run a route on under 70% of the dropbacks for Kyler Murray, but he is third on the team with 16 targets. McBride was second with 21 while Wilson has 13. With Dortch running mostly out of the slot, he could be the lead receiver in the short and intermediate areas of the field.
George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers
Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco is playing it close to the vest, but both George Kittle and Deebo Samuel could be back in the lineup. They are listed as questionable but this would be on the early side of the timeline when they were first injured, so they do seem legitimately questionable. Juaun Jennings would be in line to benefit from any absence but I think we can safely say that he will not score as many points as Week 3.
Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers
Based on Week 3, we have to assume that Justin Herbert may not play in Week 4. He couldn’t make it through the game against the Steelers with his ankle injury and it’s clearly still an issue. I would lean toward him trying to play this week since they’re playing the Chiefs but if not, Taylor Heinicke seems to have the lead on the backup quarterback spot. He came in against the Steelers, but we only saw two pass attempts.
Davante Adams, WR, Las Vegas Raiders
It seemed like a bit of a surprise that Davante Adams will not play against the Browns, but his hamstring will keep him out. That should mean good things for tight end Brock Bowers and receivers Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker. The matchup seems tough on the surface, but the Cleveland defense is a little banged up as well. I wouldn’t want to rely on Meyers or Tucker as anything more than a flex option in deeper leagues.
Original Monday 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.
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.
