Colts QB Anthony Richardson has cleared concussion protocol and will start Sunday's game vs. the Rams, HC Shane Steichen said Friday. Richardson opened the season with a QB4 fantasy finish and then scored 17.7 fantasy points in less than one half of action in Week 2. The rookie is a legitimate QB1 play in Week 4 fantasy lineups.
Bengals TE Irv Smith (hamstring) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Titans. Tanner Hudson stepped in for Smith as Cincinnati’s lead pass-catching TE last week, catching two of four targets for 30 yards. Hudson would be a desperation Week 4 fantasy play.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow (calf) was a full participant in practice all week and isn't listed on the final injury report for Sunday's game vs. the Titans. He's seemingly healthier this week than last and gets one of the league's best passing matchups. There's slump-busting potential for Burrow this week.
Titans WR Treylon Burks (knee) has been ruled out for Sunday's game vs. the Bengals. It looks like he injured his knee in Wednesday's practice, but we don't have any other details. Burks' absence leaves Nick Westbrook-Ikhine as Tennessee's No. 2 WR and boosts WR DeAndre Hopkins' target projection.
Update: HC Mike Vrabel said after Friday's practice that Burks is only expected to be sidelined about a week. This knee injury isn't related to the LCL sprain he suffered in mid-August.
Commanders TE Logan Thomas (concussion) isn't listed on the final Week 4 injury report. He'll be back for Sunday's game vs. the Eagles. Thomas racked up 11 targets in about six quarters of action before suffering that head injury, making him worth a look for the many fantasy teams who don't have a reliable starter at the position.
Panthers WR Jonathan Mingo (concussion) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game vs. the Vikings. He remained limited in practice all week, so he still has multiple stages of the protocol to pass through. We’ll look for further updates on Mingo’s status and get Carolina’s inactives around 11:30 am ET on Sunday. D.J. Chark will be Carolina’s clear No. 2 WR if Mingo sits.
Panthers RB Miles Sanders (groin) is listed as questionable for this weekend's game vs. the Vikings. He went from limited practices on Wednesday and Thursday to no practice on Friday, which is obviously worrisome. But HC Frank Reich said Friday that he's "optimistic" that Sanders will be able to play this weekend. We'll look for further updates on the situation and get Carolina's inactives around 11:30 am ET on Sunday. Chuba Hubbard would step in as Carolina's lead back if Sanders is out.
Panthers QB Bryce Young (ankle) put in a full week of practice and isn't listed on the final injury report. He'll be back under center for Sunday's game vs. the Vikings. Young has mustered just 4.2 yards per attempt so far this season and is just a low-end QB2 for Week 4, despite the plus matchup. Consider Young a slight downgrade from QB Andy Dalton for Carolina's pass catchers.
Browns QB Deshaun Watson (shoulder) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game vs. the Ravens. He was limited in practice all week with what's been reported as right shoulder soreness. ESPN's Adam Schefter tweets that Watson "barely threw this week," and HC Kevin Stefanski only said Friday that he's "hopeful" Watson will play on Sunday. We'll look for further updates on the situation, but Watson is not a recommended QB1 play this week. Rookie QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson is Cleveland's backup.
Colts RB Jonathan Taylor recently posted this workout video to Instagram. “He looks great," Colts RB coach DeAndre Smith said. "And I can’t wait to actually physically get a chance to work with him, see him move around, see that speed and feel that speed." Taylor is eligible to come off IR on Monday, and his surgically repaired ankle is no longer an issue by all accounts. Now we'll see whether Taylor and the Colts can come to an agreement on his contact, or if Taylor goes back on the trade block.
Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson (thigh) is listed as questionable for Sunday morning’s game vs. the Jaguars. Patterson has yet to play this season, so it’s unclear what his role will look like in this offense. He’s not a Week 4 fantasy option.
Jaguars WR Zay Jones (knee) has been ruled out for Sunday morning's game vs. the Falcons. He's yet to practice since hurting that knee in Week 2. His absence leaves a handful of targets to go around for WR Calvin Ridley, WR Christian Kirk, and TE Evan Engram.
WR Romeo Doubs was the only thing working for the Packers in Thursday night's loss to the Lions. He easily led the team in targets (13), catches (9), and receiving yards (95). It's certainly worth noting that WR Christian Watson was limited to just 46% of the snaps in his return from a hamstring injury. But Doubs continues to flash a strong rapport with QB Jordan Love. The duo has now connected on 20 of 33 passes through four weeks, including 14 times over the last two. We're still expecting Watson to re-emerge as Green Bay's No. 1 WR, but it'll be a situation to monitor closely. Doubs gets a plus Week 5 matchup vs. the Raiders before a Week 6 bye.
Returning from his early-September hamstring injury, Packers WR Christian Watson played just 26 of 57 offensive snaps (45.6%) in Thursday night's loss to the Lions. He ran a pass route on 20 of 41 dropbacks (48.8%) -- fourth among Green Bay WRs, behind Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks. Fantasy owners who started Watson got a bit fortunate when he was left wide open for a one-yard TD in the third quarter. Watson's only other catch of the night came earlier on that drive: a 24-yarder on a deep crosser. The best news to come out of this one is that Watson seemingly avoided a setback with that hamstring. He now has a few extra days to get ready for a plus Week 5 matchup vs. the Raiders. Watson will be a risk/reward WR3 in that one until we see him back to a full allotment of snaps. The Packers have a bye in Week 6.
RB Aaron Jones, like the entire Packers offense, struggled to get going in Thursday night's loss to the Lions. Green Bay finished with only 53 plays and 10 RB carries, as they played from multiple scores behind for the final three quarters. Jones garnered five of those carries but could only grind out 18 yards. He was crunched for a four-yard loss on his only reception of the night. Jones wound up getting out-snapped 38 to 20 by backfield mate A.J. Dillon, but that was very likely due to Jones coming back from that hamstring injury and the scoreboard. The good news is that Jones seemingly avoided a setback. Expect him to be back in the lead role in a plus Week 5 matchup vs. the Raiders. It's a good bounce-back opportunity for Jones and the Packers.
QB Jordan Love and the Packers offense was abysmal for most of Thursday night's loss to the Lions. Love was under pressure throughout the game and rarely got into a rhythm. He headed into halftime with 50 yards, 0 TDs, and 1 INT on 6-of-13 passing. Love chucked it another 20 times in the second half, though, compiling 196 yards and a TD to a wide-open WR Christian Watson. Love added a nine-yard TD run on a QB draw to post another 20+ point fantasy outing. He's now topped 20 fantasy points in all four games to open the season, despite not playing particularly well. Love has completed just 56% of his passes at 6.8 yards per attempt. But he's thrown eight TDs and run for two more. That scoring rate will not hold, and Love will need to play much better in order to maintain this fantasy-scoring pace. He at least got WR Christian Watson and RB Aaron Jones back on Thursday night. But LT David Bakhtiari landed on IR with his knee trouble and has no timetable for a return. Love draws a plus Week 5 matchup vs. the Raiders before a Week 6 bye.
Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs played well behind RB David Montgomery in Thursday night's win over the Packers. Montgomery, back from his thigh injury, carried a whopping 32 times, including eight times inside Green Bay's 10-yard line. Gibbs totaled just eight carries, with none of those coming inside the 10. The rookie was efficient, totaling 40 yards on 5.0 yards per carry. And he added four catches on five targets for 11 yards. But this was not the usage fantasy owners who spent a third or fourth-round pick on Gibbs were looking for. He's now totaled just 15 carries and seven targets in two full games with Montgomery. Gibbs' role might grow over the course of the season, but the 3-1 Lions have no reason to divert from their current plan right now. Gibbs at least gets a plus Week 5 matchup vs. the Panthers' 29th-ranked RB defense, but it'll be tough to consider him more than a RB3.
RB David Montgomery returned from his one-game absence as Detroit's clear lead back, racking up a whopping 32 carries for 121 yards in Thursday night's win over the Packers. RB Jahmyr Gibbs toted it just eight times. Just as importantly, Montgomery continued to hog work near the goal line. He carried eight times inside Green Bay's 10-yard line and converted three of those into TDs. Montgomery is already up to five rushing TDs on the season, despite missing about five quarters with that thigh injury. He's now tallied 21 and 32 carries in his two full games -- and 16 carries in about three quarter's worth of action in Week 2. Montgomery looks like an easy weekly fantasy starter going forward with this type of volume. He has an excellent Week 5 matchup vs. a Panthers defense currently ranked 29th in adjusted fantasy points allowed to RBs.
Packers TE Luke Musgrave sustained a concussion in the first half of Thursday night's game vs. the Lions and will not return. He at least has a few extra days to clear protocol before Week 5's meeting with the Raiders. Musgrave's absence leaves Green Bay with TEs Tucker Kraft and Josiah Deguara.
Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf (ribs) did not practice on Thursday. He played through this injury last week and should be fine for Monday night's game vs. the Giants, but we'll keep you updated on his status over the next few days.
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