Sit Start Injury Report Saturday Morning Week 4 2021

By KC Joyner
KC Joyner

Every fantasy manager knows that injuries can have a huge impact on a fantasy team's performance.

That makes properly navigating each week's injury report a must. To assist in this effort, this weekly article series will analyze the fantasy football impact of the Friday and Saturday injury reports.

The injured players are noted by player position and then their injury status. Out means the player has been ruled out of this week's contest. Doubtful means the player is very unlikely to start. Questionable indicates the player might start. Start likelihood is increased if a player has participated in practices that week, so practice participation levels are frequently noted in these posts.

Let's look at the Week 4 injury report. The initial edition of this article is generated following the league's Friday injury report. It is then updated on Saturday night with any injury changes that have been posted since the Friday update.
 

Arizona at Los Angeles Rams


Arizona injuries
T Kelvin Beachum: Questionable
T Justin Murray: Questionable
G Justin Pugh: Questionable
Beachum is the Cardinals starting right tackle and is apt to miss this game due to not practicing all week. Pugh is the starting right guard and will likely play because he put in a full practice on Friday. Murray is a backup T/G. There is a very low percentage chance all three miss this contest, but if that did happen, Arizona's fantasy prospects would take a notable hit.

 

 

Los Angeles injuries


RB Darrell Henderson: Questionable
Henderson is trending towards playing, as he had a full practice on Friday. If he does miss this contest, Sony Michel will be a borderline RB1 due to workload and being in a high scoring matchup.

 

 

 

 

Baltimore at Denver


Baltimore injuries
T Ronnie Stanley: Out
DE Derek Wolfe: Out
CB Anthony Averett: Questionable
S Chuck Clark: Questionable
S DeShon Elliott: Questionable
CB Marlon Humphrey: Questionable
QB Lamar Jackson: Questionable
LB Pernell McPhee: Questionable
S Geno Stone: Questionable
T Alejandro Villanueva: Questionable
CB Tavon Young: Questionable
The Ravens injury report is once again overloaded, so let's look at this in sections.

Jackson practiced in full on Friday so he's very likely to play this week. The same can be said of Humphrey and Young.

The offensive line could be in bad shape if Villanueva, who is Baltimore's starting right tackle, joins Stanley in not playing in this game. It would be enough to lower Jackson, who is already a mid-tier QB1, to the lower end of the QB1 tier.

Averett and Elliott are both starters and missed practice on Friday. Clark and McPhee are also starters but put in limited Friday practices. Stone is a backup and posted a limited practice on Friday. These issues are enough to raise the value of the Denver running backs (more on which below) and removes the tough matchup status that made Courtland Sutton a somewhat risky WR3/flex candidate.

Denver injuries
G Graham Glasgow: Out
G Dalton Risner: Questionable
RB Melvin Gordon: Questionable
DE Shelby Harris: Questionable
DE Dre'Mont Jones: Questionable
Gordon was limited in practice on Wednesday with an injury to his ribs, but his limited practices on Thursday and Friday were listed as occurring due to a ribs/lower leg injury. This is not a good trend, so Gordon has to be considered a risky flex candidate. If Gordon ends up missing the game, Javonte Williams will go from a platoon back to lead back status and would be a low-tier RB2.

Glasgow is Denver's starting right guard who will be out for another week. Risner is the Broncos starting left guard who was added to the injury report on Friday, as he had a limited practice due to an ankle injury. If both are out, it would somewhat cap the upside of Gordon and/or Williams.

Harris and Jones are starting defensive ends, so if they are out, it could offset some of the Ravens offensive line injuries.

 

 

 

 

Carolina at Dallas


Carolina injuries
Christian McCaffrey: Out
As expected, McCaffrey will miss this week's game due to the hamstring injury. Chuba Hubbard is likely to serve as a lead back in McCaffrey's absence, a role that gives him RB2 value.

Dallas injuries
S Donovan Wilson: Out
Wilson is the Cowboys starting strong safety. His being out of this contest might help if the Panthers had a solid tight end, but Ian Thomas is still far from any lineup consideration.

 

 

 

 

Cleveland at Minnesota


Cleveland injuries
T Christopher Hubbard: Out
CB Greg Newsome: Out
LB Sione Takitaki: Questionable
C J.C. Tretter: Questionable
T Jedrick Wills: Questionable
Newsome is slated to be replaced by Greedy Williams, who is solid in coverage but is not quite in Newsome's class. This makes K.J. Osborn a good longshot start option in deep leagues. Tretter and Wills both moved from missing practice on Wednesday and Thursday to limited practices on Friday. That trends them towards playing, but if they both miss this contest, their absence, when combined with Hubbard already being ruled out, will drop Nick Chubb into the RB2 tier and Kareem Hunt into risky flex status.

Minnesota injuries
RB Dalvin Cook: Questionable
LB Anthony Barr: Questionable
DT Michael Pierce: Questionable

Cook had limited practices all week and thus looks to be on track to start this week but keep an eye on the Sunday inactives to be 100 percent sure. Pierce is the Vikings starting nose tackle and did not practice on Friday. Barr was limited all week. If they are both out of this contest, it will make the Minnesota defense quite susceptible to inside rushing plays and thus increase the value of Chubb and Hunt.

 

 

 

 

Detroit at Chicago


Detroit injuries
LB Trey Flowers: Out
RB D'Andre Swift: Questionable
DE Michael Brockers: Questionable
LB Romeo Okwara: Questionable
Swift had limited practices all week but does seem to be pacing towards playing this week and is a RB1 given his reception volume and the matchup. Flowers, Brockers, and Okwara are all starters on this defense. Brockers and Okwara were limited in practice all week. The Lions defense is already arguably the worst in the NFL, but if this trio misses this contest, it will make this matchup even more favorable for the Bears.

Chicago injuries
S Tashaun Gipson: Doubtful
QB Andy Dalton: Questionable
LB Khalil Mack: Questionable
WR Darnell Mooney: Questionable

Dalton did put in limited practices all week and thus has a chance of being the starter, but Matt Nagy has indicated the Bears quarterback role will be a game time decision. If Dalton plays, it vaults the value of Allen Robinson against the abysmal and banged up Lions defense. The Bears D/ST is already a non-starter even with Mack, so this doesn't impact their status, but if Mack, who managed one limited practice this week, is out it does help Jared Goff's QB2 status. Mooney was limited in practice all week again but should be able to mimic last week and play through the injury.

 

 

 

 

Houston at Buffalo


Houston injuries
The Texans have no notable injuries.

Buffalo injuries
S Jordan Poyer: Out
CB Taron Johnson: Questionable
Poyer is a very good safety and Johnson is a starting nickel cornerback who was only able to put in a limited Friday practice. Poyer's absence could offer some upside since he will likely be replaced by Jaquan Johnson, who would be making his first NFL start. That should help Brandin Cooks' WR2 case and if Taron Johnson were to miss this game as well, Cooks could end up as a topflight WR2.

Indianapolis at Miami
Indianapolis injuries
G Quenton Nelson: Out
T Braden Smith: Out
DE Kwity Paye: Out
S Khari Willis: Out
CB Rock Ya-Sin: Out
QB Carson Wentz: Questionable
TE Jack Doyle: Questionable
G Mark Glowinski: Questionable
RB Jonathan Taylor: Questionable
This is another long list that will need to be broken down into sections.

Nelson may be the best guard in the NFL and Smith is a starting right tackle for the Colts, so this usually powerful offensive line will be shorthanded. The good news here is that Glowinski put in a full practice on Friday and thus will almost certainly be able to play.

Ya-Sin started off this season as the same inconsistent coverage player he was the past two years, so his loss just replaces one subpar player with another (Isaiah Rodgers).

Wentz had his worst fantasy performance of the season last week, but limited practices headed into this game indicate he will aim to tough his way through injuries to both ankles.

Taylor was limited all week as well and has been a major disappointment so far this year, but still rates as a borderline RB1 due to the matchup. If he is out, Nyheim Hines will see a workload increase and Marlon Mack could even ostensibly end up activated and have longshot start status.

Miami injuries
C Michael Deiter: Out

Losing a center is never a good thing for an offensive line, but Miami has a solid replacement in Greg Mancz, who tallied 58 starts for Houston over the past six years, so don't count on much of a drop-off here.

 

 

 

 

Kansas City at Philadelphia


Kansas City injuries
CB Rashad Fenton: Out
DE Frank Clark: Questionable
CB Charvarius Ward: Questionable

Mike Hughes has done a solid job in Fenton's place as the Chiefs nickel cornerback, so this injury does not have an impact. Ward has struggled this year and was limited in practice, so his spot could go to the unproven Deandre Baker. Clark was limited all week with a hamstring injury and his potential absence could help the Eagles banged up offensive line keep Jalen Hurts better protected.

Philadelphia injuries
T Jordan Mailata: Out
Mailata was not expected to play this week and his absence is just another in what is becoming a recurring theme of offensive line injuries for the Eagles. It impacts their passing game more than their running game, as Philadelphia offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland does a superb job of keeping the ground game going even with the injuries. It's not enough to keep Hurts out of the QB1 tier, but it does add some risk that lowers him towards the bottom of that tier.

On a plus note, Rodney McLeod is returning from injury this week to help shore up a secondary that had a very rough showing against Dallas on Monday night.

 

 

 

 

New York Giants at New Orleans


New York injuries
WR Sterling Shepard: Out
WR Darius Slayton: Out
Losing two starting wide receivers hurts the QB2 fantasy prospects of Daniel Jones. It may help Kenny Golladay see more targets, but keep in mind that even though Golladay isn't on the final injury report, he still was limited in practice all week with a hip injury.

Kadarius Toney and Collin Johnson will also likely see more targets with Shepard and Slayton out, but neither Toney nor Johnson can be considered a viable fantasy option.

New Orleans injuries
T Terron Armstead: Out
C Eric McCoy: Out

Losing a starting left tackle and starting center could hurt the passing game, but the Saints want to throw fewer passes than any team in the league, so these injuries won't hinder fantasy prospects much there. They could cap the upside of Alvin Kamara, as the Giants have been a solid run defense, but Kamara is still at worst a strong RB2.

 

 

 

Pittsburgh at Green Bay

Pittsburgh injuries
WR Chase Claypool: Out
Claypool had a full practice on Wednesday but was limited on Thursday and missed Friday's practice with a hamstring injury. That trend indicates Claypool is likely to be out for this matchup. If that is the case, it will send more targets to JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson, who both practiced in full on Friday, and will add some longshot fantasy value to James Washington, who would take Claypool's place in the lineup.

T.J. Watt also practiced in full Thursday and Friday and should be back rushing the passer after being out in Week 3.

Green Bay injuries
WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling: Out
T Elgton Jenkins: Doubtful
CB Kevin King: Doubtful

Like all Green Bay receivers, Valdes-Scantling was a fantasy afterthought due to Davante Adams dominating this passing attack, so his absence has marginal fantasy impact. Jenkins is the Packers starting left tackle and having him out of the lineup does add some risk to Aaron Rodgers' fantasy value. King may be the worst starting cornerback in the NFL so having him out of the lineup could actually be a blessing in disguise, but not to an extent that it would upgrade the Steelers wideouts.

 

 

 

Seattle at San Francisco

Seattle injuries
WR Tyler Lockett: Questionable
Lockett was limited in Wednesday's practice, missed Thursday's practice, and then practiced fully on Friday. The Friday practice would indicate he is going to play this week, but this is a late Sunday kickoff, so be sure to have a backup plan in the event Lockett's playing status changes.

San Francisco injuries
RB Elijah Mitchell: Questionable
TE George Kittle: Questionable

Both Mitchell and Kittle are truly questionable, as their status for Sunday's game is very much in question. There may be some clarification by Saturday, but this could also be a game time decision, which could be a problem considering that this is a late Sunday kickoff. Deebo Samuel could see some increased value if Kittle ends being out. Trey Sermon would be the lead back in this offense if Mitchell is out, but Sermon's marginal production so far may make the 49ers continue to split snaps between him and Kyle Juszczyk.

 

 

 

Tampa Bay at New England

Tampa Bay injuries
RB Giovani Bernard: Out
CB Jamel Dean: Out
TE Rob Gronkowski: Doubtful
LB Jason Pierre-Paul: Questionable
Bernard's pass catching workload will be split among a variety of players. Gronkowski will likely miss this game due to the doubtful status, but his workload will also be divvied between two players and thus not offer much of an impact outside of a possible drop in Tom Brady's ranking.

Dean is arguably the best player in the Buccaneers secondary. He may be replaced by Richard Sherman, who Tampa Bay signed this week. Sherman will be a step down from Dean, but it doesn't do much to help a Patriots wide receiver corps that doesn't have a player ranked higher than WR3/flex status even with Dean out. Pierre-Paul hasn't generated a sack or quarterback hit so far this year, so the Tampa Bay defense could still be hampered by weak pass rush issues even if Pierre-Paul returns.

New England injuries
RB James White: Out
The Patriots don't have a single running back candidate capable of taking over the pass catching role to the extent that White does, so there is limited additional value here elsewhere.

 

 

 

Tennessee at New York Jets

Tennessee injuries
WR A.J. Brown: Out
WR Julio Jones: Out
LB Bud Dupree: Out
The Titans may be playing it safe with Brown and Jones, knowing that the team can still win this game even without their top receivers. Not having them in the lineup does drop Ryan Tannehill almost outside of QB2 status and adds longshot value to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.

New York injuries
WR Elijah Moore: Out
WR Jamison Crowder: Questionable
Crowder looks to be on track to start his first game of the 2021 season this week, as he practiced in full on Friday. The problem is he is joining by far the worst offense in the league and cannot be considered a recommended play, especially after factoring in injury rust.

 

 

 

Washington at Atlanta

Washington injuries
CB Benjamin St-Juste: Out
RB Antonio Gibson: Questionable
Gibson did have a limited practice on Friday, so there is a bit of a concern that he could miss this game, but odds are he will be on track to start. In the event Gibson is out for this contest, J.D. McKissic would move up to solid flex status.

St-Juste is Washington's starting nickel cornerback and will be replaced by coverage liability Torry McTyer. That does provide Atlanta with more upside overall and could make Olamide Zacceheaus a good longshot option in deep or DFS leagues, given Russell Gage's absence

Atlanta injuries
WR Russell Gage: Out
As noted above, Gage's place will be taken by Zaccheaus, who will be a solid longshot candidate given the increased workload and the Football Team's injuries.

 

 

 

Las Vegas at Los Angeles Chargers

Las Vegas injuries
RB Josh Jacobs: Limited practice
Jacobs is trending towards playing, but this may go down to the wire. It's twice the headache for fantasy managers, as some would like to be able to put Peyton Barber in the lineup in the event Jacobs is out, but they will have to wait until Monday to find out if they can.

Los Angeles injuries
WR Keenan Allen: Limited practice
CB Chris Harris: Limited practice
Allen's limited practice time looks like it is just a maintenance issue and not anything that will keep him out of the lineup this week.