New Orleans Saints RB Alvin Kamara (hip/ribs) @ Atlanta Falcons
Date/time: Sunday, 1:00 PM Eastern
New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara was added to Wednesday’s injury report after apparently suffering hip and rib injuries in Week 3. Kamara is no stranger to playing through injuries, especially after suffering a broken rib cartilage in Week 1 of 2022. He missed weeks 2 and 4 and remained on the injury report through week 5. There is no reason to believe Kamara’s current injuries are significant. a cartilage fracture, which gives him a decent chance of starting in week 4. Should Kamara fail to materialize, No. 2 running back Jamaal Williams would be RB2-viable, although somewhat dependent on the touchdown.
New Orleans is a 1.5-point underdog, and New Orleans’ 53.3 percent run-play percentage on plays with a score differential of 3.0 points or less ranks No. 1 among NFL teams, per PFF.
Williams is still forcing missed tackles effectively in his age-29 season and ranks 11th among 41 NFL running backs with at least 20 rushing attempts, averaging 0.25 missed tackles per attempt.
Of the 29 running backs in the NFL with at least five red zone rushing attempts, Williams ranks eighth in first-down and/or touchdown conversion rate (33.3 percent) and second in missed tackles forced per rushing attempt (0.33) and ranks fourth in yards per rushing attempt. rush attempt (3.8).
Arizona Cardinals TE Trey McBride (concussion) vs. Washington Commanders
Date/time: Sunday, 4:05 PM Eastern
Trey McBride of the Arizona Cardinals entered Week 4 with consecutive Do Not Play designations after suffering his first recorded concussion in Week 3. McBride’s progress will be easy to track as he progresses through the five phases of the NFL concussion protocol, but the decision could come at an extreme. late in the active/inactive process due to the leeway of stage four, requiring the player to simply engage in “team-based sport-specific drills and non-contact football activities‘ before you are given permission for contact.
If McBride cannot play, fantasy managers have three replacement options at their disposal.
Baltimore Ravens’ No. 2 tight end Isaiah likely remains available in 24.2 percent of ESPN leagues and 27.0 percent of Yahoo! competitions. His 43.9 percent receiving Snap Share is just 8.1 percent behind No. 1 Mark Andrews, and Likely’s average of 2.24 yards per route run (YPRR) tops Andrews’ 0.92. Baltimore faces a Buffalo defense that will likely be missing its two starting linebackers and starting cornerback.
McBride’s backup Elijah Higgins has averaged 1.69 YPRR since entering the league in 2023. He faces a Washington defense that allows 6.73 yards per coverage snap and an 81.8 percent catch rate to opposing tight ends, ranking him 15th and 22nd among NFL teams, respectively.
Jacksonville Jaguars backup tight end Brenton Strange remains available at all times despite starter Evan Engram being unable to practice due to a hamstring injury. The PPR TE10 has been strange these past two weeks.
Houston Texans RB Joe Mixon (ankle) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Date/Time: Sunday, 1:00 PM Eastern
Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (ankle), No. 2 running back Dameon Pierce (ankle) and No. 3 wide receiver Tank Dell (chest) failed to practice at either Wednesday and Thursdaywhich seriously jeopardizes their availability in week 4. No. 1 wide receiver Nico Collins (hamstring) was added to Thursday’s injury report as a limited participant, indicating he may have suffered the injury during practice. Fantasy managers should add Houston running back Cam Akers, who is available on more than 65.0 percent of ESPN and Yahoo! competitions. He is a volume-based RB2 candidate for Zero RB teams and a viable flex option for most 12-team roster construction.
Akers recorded a team-high 10 touches (nine rushing attempts and one reception on one target) in Houston’s 7-34 Week 3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
The projected Week 4 game script should push Akers north of last week’s total, with Houston currently a 6.0-point home favorite over missing linebacker Foyesade Oluokun (foot) from the Jacksonville Jaguars defense. Among Jacksonville defenders in run defense, Oluokun ranks third in tackles for loss or no gain (one), tied for second in stops (four) and first in tackles (nine). He is also the team’s best running back coverage defender, allowing 0.13 yards per coverage snap while recording three qualifying tackles.
Chicago Bears WR Rome Odunze (hip) vs. Los Angeles Rams
Date/Time: Sunday, 1:00 PM Eastern
Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze was added to the injury report Thursday with a hip injury. The details of the injury remain unknown. DPT Jeff Muller stated on If [he does not participate] tomorrow I’m leaning towards it being that.
If Odunze doesn’t train on Friday but is fit on Sunday, he would be an extremely volatile flex option. If he can practice in a limited capacity on Friday, he’ll be a must-start WR3. Odunze sneaks into depth with an average depth of target (aDot) of 18.3 yards, with an average of 17.3 yards per reception.
The Los Angeles Rams’ wide receiver coverage unit is tied for the fifth-highest percentage allowed on explosive pass plays (23.5 percent), while allowing the second-most yards per coverage snap (10.51) .
If Odunze is inactive, fantasy managers should consider adding players such as Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett (56.0 percent rostership rate on Yahoo!), Cincinnati Bengals slot receiver Andrei Iosivas (19.0 percent rostership rate on Yahoo! and 12.7 percent on ESPN) or Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman (52.0 percent roster rate on Yahoo! and 66.0 percent on ESPN)
Detroit Lions TE Sam LaPorta (ankle) vs. Seattle Seahawks
Date/time: Monday, 8:15 PM Eastern
Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta suffered an apparent lateral/inversion ankle sprain, colloquially called a “low” ankle sprain, in Week 3, according to Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Edwin Porras. He was initially carted off the field, although he returned to play ineffectually, earning zero goals in the second half. Detroit will take on the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4’s Monday Night Football game, putting fantasy managers in a tough position. Unless an actionable, positive outlook for LaPorta is provided before Sunday’s early game, fantasy managers should expect LaPorta to miss Week 4. He was unable to train on Thursday.
According to DPT Adam Hutchison’s 2023 Injury reportOnly 20.0 percent of people with a low ankle sprain do not miss any time and the average missed time is 2.3 weeks.
Seattle’s mid-tier tight end coverage unit ranks 14th in catch rate allowed (73.9 percent), 19th in yards allowed per coverage snap (7.48) and eighth in explosive pass plays allowed (8.7 percent ). Backup tight end Brock Wright’s career average of 1.11 YPRR accurately reflects his replacement-level talent, though his 80.3 percent catch rate shows plenty of reliability for a quarterback like Jared Goff. Wright is a viable TE1 streamer.
The three replacement options mentioned in McBride’s section above are also reasonable considerations.
