Chris Allen and Jorge Martin deliver the Injury Roundup, a thorough look at the Week 4 injuries facing fantasy football managers going into the weekend of the NFL season.

While Week 3 of the NFL season did not approach the previous Sunday’s sheer volume of injuries, there were a fair share of players hurt and others who are remaining out that are impacting fantasy managers. We got together to break down a few of the more significant players who are facing possibly missing this week and even beyond — starting with a Chargers QB who is repeating his appearance in this space. 

Quarterback Injuries to Monitor

Justin Herbert (Ankle): Seeing Herbert pull himself from the game against the Steelers in Week 3 was borderline shocking, as he has played through many injuries that apparently would have taken many out of action. Early reports are that an MRI did not show any fractures, and according to The Athletic’s Daniel Popper, HC Jim Harbaugh said Herbert is “progressing.”

What complicates the injury situation is that both tackles — Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt — were also injured in the game against the Steelers. Alt suffered a sprained MCL and is expected to miss some time, while Slater was not practicing on Thursday. That’s unfortunate timing, as the Chargers host the Chiefs this week. Would it help Herbert to sit and recover? Dr. Edwin Porras recommended that the prudent approach would be to sit Herbert for 1-2 weeks — the Chargers are on a bye Week 5. The competitor in him may try to push through and play, though with limited mobility and Chris Jones on the other side of the ball, it’s recommended to sit him. He was limited in practice on Wednesday and not on the field in the open portion of Thursday’s pratice. Early breakout Quentin Johnston and Ladd McConkey would be downgraded this week, especially if Herbert cannot go. 

Jordan Love (Knee): Love has now managed limited practice sessions on Wednesday and Thursday after being a game-time decision in Week 3. It really looks like Love is pushing to play, and fantasy managers are keeping an eye on him to see if he could uplift a Packers offense that has been more simplified and run-centric with Malik Willis at the helm.

There is precedent for a return after two weeks — in 2019 Patrick Mahomes was feared to have suffered a serious knee injury that turned out to be an MCL sprain that eventually sidelined him for two games on the way to the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl. Love would be on the early side of that initial three- to six-week timeline for his return to play from his Week 1 injury. Fantasy managers rostering Jayden Reed, Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs will be very grateful if that were the case, as the Packers host the Vikings in a game that could see some points scored. As of now, Love is a game-time decision.

Skylar Thompson (Chest): Sometimes, I think that if I got paid even the vet minimum, I could go out and give a team 40–50 snaps under center. And then I watched Skylar Thompson on Sunday.

Part of why Miami's offense has been so explosive is Tua Tagovailoa's (almost) blind trust in his receivers. He'll throw before Tyreek Hill gets open for deep completions. All of which requires timing and reps with the team. And, clearly, Thompson didn't have enough of either.

  • Tagovailoa (average time to throw): 2.31 (seconds)
  • Tim Boyle: 2.56
  • Thompson: 2.78

Thompson's delay (and Miami's pass-blocking issues) put the backup in a no-win situation. The result? He now has to work through a "pretty painful" rib injury that left him on the ground at times last weekend. In his stead, the team may turn to Tyler Huntley as a means to revitalize the offense.

Snoop's average time to throw never fell below 2.8 seconds during his tenure with Baltimore. But the Ravens’ offensive style wasn't predicated on quick throws. In either case, his 27.8% rushing rate may be something HC Mike McDaniel can use to paper over the line issues and spark the offense like his former colleague, Packers coach Matt LaFleur, has done with Malik Willis. Tyreek Hill and De'Von Achane are the only essential holds without Tua under center. If Huntley doesn't give us any confidence, let's hope the Dolphins look elsewhere to solve their QB problem until Tua returns under center.

Running Back Injuries to Monitor

Austin Ekeler (Head): Washington's RB2 was off to a productive start prior to sustaining a head injury in the third quarter. On the one hand, it was encouraging to see Austin Ekeler with red-zone touches for the second consecutive game. Coupled with 3.3 targets per game, Ekeler had seemingly secured his contingent value within the Commanders' offense. However, on the flip side, there was no question about who the RB1 was for the offense.

Brian Robinson's rushing share was already growing week over week. From 41.4% of the team's rushing attempts in Week 1 to 52.2% on Monday night (with Ekeler still active), BRob not only had the work between the 20s but has hoarded all of the carries from inside the 5.

Ekeler has already been ruled out for this weekend. With a matchup against the Cardinals on tap (28th in rushing success rate allowed, and having just lost one of their starting defensive linemen), a Robinson-Ekeler rotation would be a boon for the former Charger. With him potentially sidelined, Robinson becomes a mid-range RB2 for Week 4.

Christian McCaffrey (Achilles/Calf): The reports of CMC traveling to Germany to see a specialist for his Achilles tendinitis set the fantasy football community en fuego. Questions about the severity of the injury were all over the place. Porras pointed out that while there are doctors who are on board with these types of treatments, they are not approved in the United States’ medical community. For now, it’s just time that McCaffrey needs to get fully healthy and ramped up for football activities. 

Until further notice, fantasy managers must follow the reports coming out of the 49ers’ offices on when CMC actually returns to practice. Porras said midseason is a target for McCaffrey’s return. The team’s bye is in Week 9, so there is the possibility that he’s not activated until afterward. That would leave five weeks left in the fantasy regular season. Could he be a fantasy trade target? He should be, because getting a healthy CMC — possibly at a discount — for the closing weeks of the season and a playoff run could be worthwhile. 

Jaylen Warren (Knee): Warren was pulled from Week 3 action because HC Mike Tomlin did not feel he was moving as fluidly as possible. This is the same RB who missed time in the preseason with a hamstring injury, but the current knee injury is unrelated. He missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday, and Tomlin sounded pretty unsure whether Warren would be ready to play. That usually is not a sign that a player is likely to go. His missing any time would directly impact the next player on this list.  

Najee Harris (Shoulder): The Alabama product was seen sporting a sling on his right arm after a Week 3 victory over the Chargers. If he has a shoulder injury, that could be concerning, as it is one of the more common injuries for running backs, according to Porras. What is encouraging, though, is that Tomlin declared emphatically that Harris would be able to play during the same media session where he made it seem like Warren may not play. Harris practiced fully on Thursday. 

That could be big for Harris, who has a dream matchup against an Indianapolis Colts defense that is allowing the most rushing yards to running backs so far the season. Harris got a 58% snap share in the last game, with Warren at 34%. A spike for Harris in a dream matchup makes him a must start and a mid-priced option in DFS.

Joe Mixon (Ankle): The Texans’ running back room has been hit hard with injuries, as both Mixon and Dameon Pierce missed last week and had yet to practice through Thursday—Mixon returned to practice on Friday, so this could become the dreaded game-time decision. If Mixon misses, next man up is Cam Akers, who toted the ball on 82% of the Houston rush attempts last week. The Texans face the Jaguars, who are allowing the second-most fantasy points to running backs. 

Wide Receiver Injuries to Monitor

Davante Adams (hamstring): Adams was a surprise DNP with a hamstring injury at Raiders practice on Thursday, and that was followed up by him being declared out on Friday. This is a massive blow to the Raiders' passing game, as Adams is regularly due for 10 targets per game. With Michael Mayer also declared out, the focal point of Gardner Minshew should be rising star Brock Bowers. 

Bowers goes into a home date against the Browns, who are 11th best in the league in allowing just 30.8 yards per game to the TE position. Bowers may get there with volume, this is presuming that his percentage of routes run goes up from 56% that he ran in Week 3. DeMario Douglas, who drew 9 targets last week, should also see a rise in targets with Adams out. 


Mike Evans (knee): The star WR was limited on Wednesday and Thursday, so his Friday practice status is going to be important to ease fantasy managers’ minds going into a great matchup against the Eagles. Philly is 10th in the league in receiving yards allowed to WRs, so Evans is a starter on most fantasy teams if he’s active. 

Marvin Harrison Jr. (quadriceps): Arizona WRs have the juiciest matchup against the Commanders this weekend. By target share alone, the last WR1s to face Washington's secondary have lit up the boxscore.

So, of course, Harrison popped up on Wednesday's injury report with a quad injury. On the bright side, Harrison still logged over 90.0% of the routes against the Lions and was catching passes from Kyler Murray late into the fourth quarter. Plus, there wasn't a mention of a medical issue immediately after the game. Let's assume (for now), the team is being cautious with its first-round WR and we'll adjust our expectations after Friday's practice report.

Cooper Kupp (Ankle): He’s not on IR, which is still a good sign for Kupp’s outlook for his return from a high-ankle sprain. He’s also no longer in a cast, though HC Sean McVay has already ruled out Kupp to play this week. 

Porras pointed out that the median for WRs to return is 0-1 games, with 60% of the time wide receivers missing no more than two games to this injury. So we’re preaching patience to fantasy managers for the Rams’ alpha WR. The Rams host the Packers next week before a Week 6 bye.

DeVonta Smith (Head): This is not shaping up as a good week for Eagles receivers. A.J. Brown has missed the past two games — and the Eagles are on a bye next week. Smith is in the concussion protocol, and was declared out on Friday. 

Porras cautioned fantasy managers that people heal at a different rate, an with the Eagles on a bye in Week 5, the hope is that the extra time will help Smith clear the concussion protocol. 

As far as this week is concerned, with Brown returning to practice and carrying a questionable tag into the weekend, the light is on for him to return in Week 4. A road game in Tampa Bay is coming up, and the Bucs already have allowed Amon-Ra St. Brown a receiving line of 11-119 in Week 2. So if Brown plays, he’s in starting lineups for fantasy teams.

Adam Thielen (Hamstring): Thielen had accrued five targets in the first two quarters with Andy Dalton under center. It was the most he had seen in any game so far this season. However, while laying out for his first TD of the season, the 34-year-old WR injured his hamstring. 

The corresponding move from Carolina was to place the veteran WR on IR with a designation to return. Before last week, Thielen's absence wouldn't move the needle in fantasy circles. But with Dalton, this offense can support multiple pieces.

Rookie Xavier Legette ran more routes (13 to 9) than second-year wideout Jonathan Mingo. Despite earning the same number of looks (2), Legette saw work both on the perimeter and from the slot. With the freshman also getting used in play-action concepts, Legette should have the edge as a potential flex as the Panthers prepare to host the Bengals defense that just got lit up by Jayden Daniels.

Tank Dell (Hand, Ribs): Dell's original injury status was an injured wrist sustained at the backend of the Texans' blowout loss to the Vikings. Dell wasn't available to the media, but was seen without a brace or wrap and HC DeMeco Ryans indicated Dell would be fine.

However, the team listed Houston's WR2 (or WR3 depending on your mood) with a chest injury after missing practice on Wednesday. While there's been no talk of an IR stint, Dell is dealing with a lot of soreness. Ryans categorized Dell as “day-to-day,” but C.J. Stroud's tenor when asked about the star wideout didn't paint an optimistic picture. Dell was declared out on Friday.

Robert Woods (dust) and Xavier Hutchinson (perimeter receiver) were the only other WRs to run routes this past week. With Dell sitting, neither Woods nor Hutchinson become fantasy relevant with Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs at Stroud's side.

Britain Covey (Shoulder): Unless you're in a deep league, nobody was turning to Covey for fantasy production. However, his six targets on 48.6% of the team's routes in Week 2 (Brown's first missed game) indicated there's a role for another wideout in this offense. Now, with Covey on injured reserve and Smith working through the concussion protocol, we have two options to consider.

Parris Campbell jumped into Covey's slot role in Week 3 with an 81.8% snap rate from the interior. With the Saints consistently getting pressure on Jalen Hurts (40.0% of his dropbacks), Campbell (along with Dallas Goedert) benefited with an instant (but small) workload of two targets. If you're looking for instant opportunity in Week 4, Campbell should have some appeal in deeper formats, as it may be a way for Hurts to overcome an anticipated blitz-heavy attack from Tampa. If you're looking for a long-term stash, look at Johnny Wilson.

At 6-foot-6 and 228 pounds, Wilson would be the natural replacement for Brown. However, due to his own hamstring issues, the rookie has ramped up his gameday participation starting from just five routes Week 1 to a 31.1% route rate last week. Given Philadelphia's Week 5 bye, we likely won't see Brown for another two weeks. In his place, stashing Wilson to see how he develops should be the move. 

Tight End Injuries to Monitor

Sam LaPorta (Ankle): The second-year TE left the Lions’ Week 3 victory over the Cardinals twice with an low-ankle sprain and didn't practice on Thursday, the start of the practice week ahead of a MNF tilt against the Seahawks. he was a full participant in practice on Friday, so he's trending in the right direction to play on MNF. Seattle is allowing the fifth-most receiving yards to tight ends (57.3).

Trey McBride (Head): What was said above about Smith’s timeline to return to action coming off a concussion are the same words of caution that should be written for McBride, who on Friday was ruled out for the game. That's a major bummer, as the Cardinals get a tasty matchup against the Commanders, who are 26th in fantasy points allowed to tight ends. With McBride out, Elijah Higgins becomes a low-cost dart throw in DFS ($3100 in DraftKings) or as an injury replacement for McBride in managed leagues.

George Kittle (Hamstring): Kittle returned to a limited practice on Wednesday and was back on the field Thursday. Any practice time is a good sign that Kittle will play this week against the Patriots, who are fresh off allowing 93 yards on five receptions to Tyler Conklin. If he’s active, Kittle is very much a starter in fantasy lineups.