Top five NFL injuries and contingency plans for Week 4

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 evidently suffering Week 3 hip and ribs injuries. Kamara is no stranger to playing through injury, notably having suffered a ribs cartilage fracture in Week 1, 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 as a cartilage fracture, giving him decent odds of suiting up in Week 4. Should Kamara sit out, No. 2 running back Jamaal Williams would be RB2-viable, though somewhat touchdown-dependent.

New Orleans’ is a 1.5-point road underdog and New Orleans’ 53.3 percent run-play rate 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, ranking 11th among 41 NFL running backs with at least 20 rushing attempts, averaging 0.25 missed tackles forced per attempt.

Among 29 NFL running backs with at least five red zone rushing attempts, Williams ties for 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 (3.8).
Arizona Cardinals TE Trey McBride (concussion) vs. Washington Commanders
Date/Time: Sunday, 4:05 pm Eastern
Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride began Week 4 with consecutive Did Not Participate designations after suffering his first recorded concussion in Week 3. McBride’s progress will be easy to track as he moves through the NFL concussion protocol’s five phases, however, the decision could come extremely late in the active/inactives process due to phase four’s wiggle room, requiring the player to simply participate in “team-based sports-specific exercise, and non-contact football activities” before being cleared for contact.

If McBride is unable to play, fantasy managers have three replacement options available to them.

Baltimore Ravens’ No. 2 tight end Isaiah Likely remains available in 24.2 percent of ESPN leagues and 27.0 percent of Yahoo! leagues. His 43.9 percent receiving snap share trails No. 1 tight end Mark Andrews by just 8.1 percent and Likely’s 2.24 yards per route run (YPRR) average towers over Andrews’ 0.92. Baltimore faces a Buffalo defense likely missing its two starting linebackers and starting slot cornerback.

McBride’s backup Elijah Higgins has averaged 1.69 YPRR since entering the league in 2023. He faces a Washington defense allowing 6.73 yards per coverage snap and an 81.8 percent catch rate to opposing tight ends, respectively ranking 15th and tying for 22nd among NFL teams.

Jacksonville Jaguars backup tight end Brenton Strange remains widely available despite starter Evan Engram being unable to practice due to a hamstring strain. Strange is the PPR TE10 over the last 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 on both Wednesday and Thursday, severely jeopardizing their Week 4 availability. 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 in practice. Fantasy managers should add Houston running back Cam Akers, who is available in more than 65.0 percent of ESPN and Yahoo! leagues. He is a volume-based RB2 candidate for Zero RB teams and a viable flex option for most 12-team roster constructions.

Akers tied for 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 expected Week 4 game script should push Akers north of last week’s total, with Houston currently sitting as a 6.0-point home favorite over a Jacksonville Jaguars defense missing linebacker Foyesade Oluokun (foot). Among Jacksonville defenders in run defense, Oluokun ties for third in tackles for loss or no gain (one), ties for second in stops (four) and ranks first in tackles (nine). He is also the team’s best running back-coverage defender, allowing 0.13 yards per coverage snap while registering 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 Thursday’s injury report with a hip injury. The injury’s specifics remain undisclosed. DPT Jeff Mueller stated on X, “Hopefully it’s not hip flexor/soft tissue which would come with high reinjury risk in-game. If [he does not participate] tomorrow, I lean towards it being that.”

If Odunze fails to practice on Friday but suits up on Sunday, he would be an extremely volatile flex option. If he is able to practice in a limited capacity on Friday, he is a must-start WR3. Odunze prowls the deep via an 18.3-yard average depth of target (aDot), averaging 17.3 yards per reception.

The Los Angeles Rams’ wide receiver-coverage unit ties for the fifth-highest explosive pass plays allowed rate (23.5 percent) while allowing the second-most yards per coverage snap (10.51).

If Odunze is inactive, fantasy managers should consider adding players like 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 rostership 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 in Week 3, colloquially referred to as a “low” ankle sprain, per Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Edwin Porras. He was initially carted off the field though he returned to play ineffectually, earning zero targets in the second half. Detroit faces the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4’s Monday Night Football game, putting fantasy managers in a difficult position. Unless an actionable, positive outlook for LaPorta is given before Sunday’s early-game slate, fantasy managers should expect LaPorta to miss Week 4. He was unable to practice on Thursday.

Per DPT Adam Hutchison’s 2023 Injury Report, only 20.0 percent of tight ends who suffer a low ankle sprain miss no time and the average time missed 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 rate (8.7 percent). Backup tight end Brock Wright’s career 1.11 YPRR average accurately reflects his replacement-level talent though his 80.3 percent catch depicts sufficient reliability for a pocket passing quarterback like Jared Goff. Wright is a viable TE1 streamer.

The three replacement options listed in McBride’s section above are also reasonable considerations.