Week 4 2021 Fantasy Football Injury report

Another new day is upon us, folks. Another beautiful weekend of NFL football, another week of eating chicken wings and slamming brews while enjoying a real sport instead of some European nonsense like smelling gross cheese and discussing feelings. Or whatever those degenerates do over there. Could we be more blessed? Well, yeah. Your players could be healthy and your teams could be playing well but instead, here we are!

So let’s get into the latest injury news and updates for Week 4!

Starting with the trainwreck in Indianapolis, the Colts had an extremely underwhelming game against the Titans putting up 16 points with a single TD from Nyheim Hines and 3/4 FG from Rodrigo Blankenship. At least their kicking is somewhat competent? Jonathan Taylor, coming off a tepid game, is currently questionable with an injured knee and looks likely to play but with an absolutely destroyed OL they might limit his usage. Speaking of, Carson Wentz is questionable again with his two ankles still being sprained. They’ll probably still play him because their backups stink to high heaven but this game doesn’t bode well. Yes, the Dolphins have underperformed but they’re still great at generating turnovers and they might have a revolving door to Carson’s face with the loss of G Quenton Nelson, G Mark Glowinski, and T Braden Smith. I usually wait until the end to talk about linemen since most fantasy players don’t care all that much but this should be a big ol’ red alarm that this could be a really rough game for the Colts offense. You’re probably still starting Jonathan Taylor if he plays but if you have Nyheim Heins in a deeper PPR league or if you’re desperate he may have some usage if Taylor is out or limited. I’d also steer away from Wentz this week in QB1 leagues if you can, he might really truly stink. TE Jack Doyle is also out this week and his backup Mo Alie-Cox might see some usage but boy, you gotta really be hurting for TE if you’re playing him this week. No Bueno.

Moving on to the Titans, Tennessee looks to be without both star receivers A.J. Brown and Julio Jones with hamstring injuries. Brown is coming off surgeries on both knees in the off-season and was dealing with knee issues throughout camp, so the hamstring is alarming at this point. There hasn’t been much signaling from the Titans camp on the severity of the injury but the fact he isn’t out there this week is not great. Jones might never play another week without an injury tag at some point before game time but most of the time he’ll usually fight through and play, just the kind of freak athlete he is. Not this week however as it seems to be bothering him enough to sit, not clear if this is something to watch long-term beyond the obvious age concern. Derrick Henry is going to be leaned on even more in the running and passing game against the Jets while Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Chester Rogers are next in line to boost their target share and are worth a flier in PPR where you’re without A.J. or Julio.

For the Jets, Elijah Moore and Jeff Smith are designated out against the Titans with Jamison Crowder questionable with a groin injury. This Jets receiver group has already looked like straight CHEEKS and this is another major blow, luckily they’re facing a mediocre Titans defense and will give Zach Wilson a shot to get the ball out to Corey Davis, who is going to be the biggest beneficiary of these injuries. But the Jets have put up a total of 20 total points of offense in 3 games so far this season, so I’m not holding my breath that this offense is going to do jack-squat until we see it.

In the beautiful town of Football Team, Washington gets back receiver Curtis Samuel from IR and will be active Sunday against the Falcons. If you trust this health, this could be a game that Samuel will ball out against a really bad Atlanta team and if you’re still holding Cam Sims and Dyami Brown in shallow leagues, you’re probably pretty safe to cut bait. Antonio Gibson is also on the injury report with a shin injury but appears likely to play Sunday. If not, J.D. McKissic would be in line to receive the bulk of snaps at running back and factor further into the passing game.

Continuing with another extremely functional organization, the Houston Texans are still without Tyrod Taylor and will roll out Davis Mills against a surprisingly hard-hitting Bills defense. This doesn’t look great. Danny Amendola is both out on Sunday and also shockingly still in the league. He’s been a non-factor and his absence changes pretty much nothing. I’d play Brandin Cooks but everyone else here is a major fade for me.

The Cleveland Brown, coming off their shellacking of Chicago, is still without Jarvis Landry for the next few games but Odell Beckham Jr. returned with a promising 77 yards on 5 receptions. Hopefully, he’ll continue to get his sea legs and overperform. We’re rooting for you, OBJ! We at RazzBall commit not to take the easy road with our jokes and crap all over him publicly. That’s just wrong!

In Minnesota, Dalvin Cook is questionable after missing last week against the Seahawks. He’s still been limited in practice up to this point and will probably be a game-time decision against the Browns. In his absence, Alexander Mattison rushed for 112 yards and caught 6 balls for 59 receiving. That’s pretty good. However, he’ll be up against a Cleveland team with a top 5 run defense and will likely look to clamp him down.

For your Detroit Lions, D’Andre Swift is questionable with a groin injury after a great performance against the Ravens. I’d put my money on him suiting up but if he doesn’t it’s the Jamaal Williams show, baby! Also sidenote: I think the Lions are going to dogwalk Chicago on Sunday. Even Dan Campbell might just suit up and put a hole in Justin Fields‘ chest cavity. Any Given Sunday, baby! Lions comeback, baby!

Speaking of Chicago, Andy Dalton is practicing again for the Bears and Coach of the Year candidate Matt Nagy has signaled that if he’s healthy he will start coming down to a game-time decision on Sunday. Banged up Andy Dalton or Justin Fields, it seems like whoever the Bears trot out is doomed to fall victim to the game planning of offensive guru Matt Nagy that includes his quarterback eating turf and punting. Hooray. Darnell Mooney was also limited in practice with a groin injury and for his sake maybe he’ll miss the embarrassment of Chicago getting Fortnite Danced on by Dan Campbell and Jared Goff.

In Carolina, Christian McCaffrey hasn’t been placed on the IR signaling that he could be back within a game or two but in the meantime, it’s CHUBA HUBBARD TIME! We’ll see how he fairs against a Dallas run defense that’s been 6th best at limiting yard on the ground through 3 games. Who knew before the season that this game would be a defensive slugfest?

For the 0-3 New York Football Giants, receivers Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton are out for the count Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. Kenny Golladay and *gulp* Kadarius Toney look in line for an increased target count. God bless them.

For the LA Rams, Darrell Henderson is listed again as questionable with a rib injury but Sean McVay has said he looks to be ready to go. If he doesn’t, it’s the Sony Michel show again leaving the legions of Jake Funk fans absolutely furious.

In Seattle, Tyler Lockett is on the injury report as questionable with a hip injury but he was a full participant Friday. He’ll likely suit up but if not D.K. Metcalf and Gerald Everett look to up their target count even more.

For the San Francisco 49ers, the running back situation is again the headline here after Trey Sermon put up a stinker with 31 yards on 10 rushing attempts. That sucks! JaMycal Hasty is out and Elijah Mitchell is doubtful with a shoulder injury. I wouldn’t hold my breath on him playing. When the hell is it finally going to be the Kerryon Johnson show?!

Baltimore is dealing with a whole bunch of injuries on the defensive side of the ball and on the OL along with Lamar Jackson dealing with a back injury. It seems like he’s going to play since he was a full participant on Friday but it’s to be seen if he might have his mobility hampered. It’s a situation to monitor for Lamar owners.

For the Broncos, Melvin Gordon is dealing with a rib and a lower leg injury and is questionable. He still may play but he’ll likely be limited. Did someone say Javonte Williams? This will be a big week for him to step up and snatch that starter role and hopefully never give him back.

Future 1-16 team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, are dealing with an injury to Chase Claypool who seems to have gotten worse over the course of the week and appears more doubtful. Diontae Johnson and JuJu Smith-Schuster look to play Sunday against a surprisingly decent Green Bay pass defense. Plus, Ben Roethlisberger might just be completely and totally washed. I’m not excited to start anyone on the Steelers this week, I think last week against the Bengals was the beginning of the end and they’re about to be walking into a buzzsaw in Wisconsin.

For Green Bay, the Packers and Aaron Rodgers are going to be without their number 2 receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling who’s suffering from a hamstring injury. This is going to feed into Davante Adams‘ continued dominance and boost guys like Robert Tonyan, Randall Cobb, and Allen Lazard.

For the marque revenge game, Tampa Bay is going to be without Giovani Bernard in Gillette. Yep, it’s Fournette time. Ronald Jones has been a non-factor besides some costly fumbles this season and this is Leonard Fournette‘s backfield to take over against the Patriots. Rob Gronkowski is listed as doubtful for his homecoming matchup with a rib injury, if he can manage the pain I’d expect to see him out there and catching 4 TDs from Brady and “hitting the Quan” right in Belichick’s face.

The Patriots are dealing with a bunch of injuries to their defense and OL with James White being the big name on offense hitting the IR with a season-ending hip injury. 21 gun salute for a fallen soldier. This should open things up even further for Damien Harris.

For the Monday game, the future 17-0 Las Vegas Raiders look close to full health with Josh Jacobs back in practice and trending towards being a game-time decision. Even banged up, Gruden will look to get Jacobs into the endzone at all costs.

For the Chargers, Keenan Allen was limited in practice but he appears on track to play in the future loss against the Raiders. Also on the injury report is long-snapper Matt Overton who has been limited, look towards some other long snappers on the waiver just in case Matt can’t play. Nick Sundberg should be around.

Other Notable Injuries:

The Lions are going to be without linebacker Trey Flowers and DE Michael Brockers and Romeo Okwara are questionable all with their own shoulder injuries. Even so, I think this defense is still better than the Chicago OL. That’s not saying much considering I’m pretty sure the RazzBall rec league defensive squad is better than the Chicago OL.

Chicago is going to be without LB Joel Iyiegbuniwe with DB Tashaun Gipson, DB Xavier Crawford, and LB Khalil Mack listed as questionable. Good news for Jared Goff if these guys aren’t playing, I have a feeling we’re seeing the end of Chicago as a defensive dynasty unless they can find a way to shake things up in their game planning. Good job, Nagy!

I mentioned at the beginning that G Quenton Nelson and T Braden Smith are out with G Mark Glowinski limited for the Colts and I have to mention it again because holy crap Carson Wentz might not make it out of Sunday. Not to mention they’ll be without DE Kwity Paye, S Khari Willis, and CB Rock Ya-Sin. If the Colts can’t find a way to win this game and avoid going 0-4 then this season could be lost before it ever really began.

The Saints will be without C Erik McCoy and OT Terron Armstead leaving Jameis Winston with a weakened OL. This is going to seem silly come Sunday though when Jameis drops a record 10 TDs against the Giants with 5,000 air yards.

The Titans are going to be without linebacker Bud Dupree for a second week with a knee injury, likely stemming from his off-season reconstructive knee surgery. One less guy to put Zach Wilson‘s face in the dirt.

The Chiefs have had a real problem keeping up their defensive tempo this season and that isn’t being helped with DE Frank Clark being injured again and questionable with a hamstring injury as well as being without CB Rashad Fenton. They need to figure out how to play games where the offense doesn’t need to blow the doors off to win.

On the other side with the Eagles, they’re going to be without LT Jordan Mailata which hurt them bad against Dallas where they gave up 12 pressures, 10 hurries, and 3 sacks. Jalen Hurts could be using his feet a lot this game and this could continue to limit Miles Sanders.

In Arizona, Kyler Murray has 3 of his linemen on the injury report with T Kelvin Beachum, RG Justin Murray, and LG Justin Pugh all listed as questionable against a very sturdy Rams defense which could leave Kyler with limited time to throw the ball and force him out of the pocket. This is a matchup to monitor for Kyler owners and for Aaron Donald IDP owners.

For the Ravens, they’re going to be without T Ronnie Stanley along with T Alejandro Villanueva being limited with a knee injury. The list of injuries in their secondary is insane, it’s basically every DB on the roster being questionable. What the hell are they feeding them in Baltimore? With Lamar Jackson suffering from a back injury a depleted OL could lead to further injury or overexertion and I’m a little worried he could get worked around by the Broncos defense.

For the Steelers, T.J. Watt is back which could be their saving grace with the Packers having a banged-up OL. This may help them only lose 45-0 instead of 52-0.

The Patriots have RT Trent Brown and LT Isaiah Wynn both on the injury report as questionable in their matchup against the Buccaneers. The Patriots are desperately going to need Trent Brown to play and play well to stand a chance against the stacked Tampa front seven. Without him, Bruce Arians could be feasting on the tears of Mac Jones.