Fantasy rundown: Week 4

By: Josh Frey-Sam

Injuries stink, and Week 3 had a ton of them.

Here’s a list of the most fantasy-relevant ailments from this week and the ripple effect of each one.

Cardinals RB James Connor suffered a serious ankle injury and is done for the season — there’s a real good chance that he will never be the same, given his age. Trey Benson was one of my most targeted handcuffs in drafts, and now it’s the 2024 third-round draft pick’s time to shine. Benson to the moon.

Chargers RB Najee Harris tore his Achilles and is done for the season — like Connor, this injury will likely mean Harris is never the same back. It’s wheels up for rookie Omarion Hampton.

Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb suffered a high-ankle sprain and will be out 2-4 weeks. I hate this for Dak Prescott, but this SHOULD be George Pickens SZN. The biggest beneficiary, though, could be TE Jake Ferguson, who had 13 catches for 82 yards on Sunday. Jalen Tolbert should also be rostered.

Commanders WR Terry McLaurin sustained a quad injury. No update has been provided, but if he can’t go, Deebo Samuel has strong flex value, and Zach Ertz becomes a streaming option (he should already be rostered). Deeper leagues could look at Luke McCaffrey too.

Bucs WR Mike Evans messed up his hamstring again — this has been an ongoing issue in recent years — and although the team said it doesn’t suspect it will cost him much time, I won’t be shocked to see him on the IR. Emeka Egbuka, who is already off to a stellar start to his career, becomes the WR1 in a strong offence. Keep in mind — Egbuka is dealing with a groin injury. Sterling Sheppard is my top WR waiver pick-up of the week. Need a TE? Look at Cade Otton.

Tyrone Tracy Jr. left Sunday Night Football with a shoulder injury. While no update has been provided, we could see Cam Skattebo take off this week.

Waiver wire targets

RB Trey Benson (likely rostered, but make sure you check)

WR Sterling Sheppard

WR Tre Tucker

WR Tyquan Thornton

WR Jalen Tolbert

WR Calvin Austin III (not a weekly start, but he’s really coming on)

TE Hunter Henry

TE Cade Otton

TE Zach Ertz

Fantasy stonks

Risers:

Caleb Williams: He is the QB2 on the season. Yes, Caleb Williams. I’m not sure how many games the Chicago Bears will win this year, but he will be slinging it.

TreVeyon Henderson: The game Henderson owners have been waiting for came, and it wasn’t Henderson’s doing. Rhamondre Stevenson’s old fumbling habits appeared again and Antonio Gibson also joined in on the fun. This week could be Henderson’s chance.

Bhayshul Tuten: This is still Travis Etienne’s backfield, but Tuten has scored in back-to-back weeks and is getting more opportunities. There’s a piece of me that wonders whether he takes over this backfield later this season.

Woody Marks: It’s Chubb and Woody’s backfield — did you laugh? The rookie, Marks, has carved out a decent role in Houston’s offence and is an injury away from potentially getting a workhorse role.

Christian Kirk: I’m not running out to get Kirk off waivers, but I’m certainly keeping my on him. He commanded eight targets in his return from injury, which was also his Texans debut.

Parker Washington: The same thing for Washington. Just keep an eye on him. He was targeted 11 times on Sunday, and with Travis Hunter’s offensive snap count being so unpredictable week-to-week, Washington could emerge as the more steady secondary pass-catcher in the Jags’ offence.

Tory Horton: Caught a touchdown and returned one for a score this weekend. It was the coming-out party for one of my favourite late-round picks in the draft. Some will probably jump on him now, which I understand, but he’s still a wait-and-watch for me. There will come a week when he’s a major waiver target, though.

Fallers:

Ashton Jeanty: The Raiders’ offensive line is terrible, and Jeanty is getting little work in the passing game. This is not what we envisioned. The worst part is that offensive coordinator Chip Kelly talked last week about how the team is managing Jeanty’s load early in the season. There will probably be a time in the near future when Jeanty consistently logs 20-25 touches (probably when the Raiders are slipping out of the running for playoffs), but right now, I just don’t see him being an RB1. He’s certainly a potential buy-low candidate around trade deadlines.

Marvin Harrison Jr.: The pain never ends. Marv is probably going to have some pop performances this season, but I couldn't care less. You can’t convince me he’s a WR1 in fantasy until he either gets a new QB or OC.

Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Josh