Week 4 is a hard one for many fantasy football owners as rosters are stretched to their deepest with six teams who are well-stocked with fantasy relevant players take the week off for an early-season bye. The last thing any owner needs is injuries to further weaken his team, but there are many important players dealing with injury issues. Here’s the latest week 4 injury update with the status of fantasy relevant options with information through the end of practice on Thursday.
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Here’s the week 4 injury update for the fantasy relevant players sorted by position:
Running Back
Jamaal Charles-Kansas City Chiefs: Coach Andy Reid said he expects Charles to be ready for the Chiefs game Monday against the Patriots, and Charles continues to participate in Chiefs’ practices on a limited basis. It’s safe to tentatively plan on Charles being in your lineup and barring a setback.
Arian Foster-Houston Texans: Foster will be a true gametime decision for Sunday’s matchup against the Bills. Fortunately, he plays the early game, so you can see if he’s active before finalizing your lineup for the weekend. If I were forced to guess, I think he sits another week, but we won’t know for sure until Sunday after warmups.
Doug Martin-Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Martin is ready to return after missing a couple of games for Tampa including their embarrassing loss last Thursday. He was the feature back before the injury, but his role is in question after Bobby Rainey found success while he was out.
Frank Gore-San Francisco 49ers: Gore is listed on the injury report with a back issue but isn’t expected to miss any time since he’s been practicing in full so far this week.
Bernard Pierce-Baltimore Ravens: Pierce is practicing in full and ready to return for the Raves against Carolina this week. He was the clear lead-back in week 2, but rookie Lorenzo Taliaferro was impressive in his absence so it’ll be interesting to see what his role is this week. It’s best to leave him on your bench if possible for a week to se, but if you have to start him it does look like he’ll be on the field Sunday.
Maurice Jones-Drew-Oakland Raiders: MJD is practicing in full and should resume his spot as the top back in Oakland this week.
DeAngelo Williams-Carolina Panthers: Williams has been back in practice this week after a thigh injury forced him to miss weeks two and three. He should be the main ballcarrier for Carolina this week against Baltimore since Mike Tolbert and Jonathan Stewart will be sidelined with injuries of their own.
Wide Receiver
Calvin Johnson-Detroit Lions: Megatron isn’t practicing this week with an ankle injury. Details aren’t clear at this point, so check back tomorrow to see what his status is for Sunday. He’s pulled surprise inactives on owners before, so double check on him Sunday.
Dez Bryant-Dallas Cowboys: As has become his usual pattern, Bryant has been limited in practice this week, but there’s no concern about his availability for Sunday’s game against New Orleans.
Brandon Marshall-Chicago Bears: Marshall hasn’t practiced after aggravating his ankle injury Monday night. He looks like he’ll be a gametime decision for Sunday’s game against Green Bay. Check on him Friday afternoon to see if he gets in any work even on the side to get an indication of his availability for Sunday.
Roddy White-Atlanta Falcons: White has proclaimed himself ready to go for Sunday’s game after missing last week. He’s solidly on the WR2 radar in a rejuvenated Falcons offense.
Eric Decker-New York Jets: Decker has been held out of Jets practice again this week, and he’s looking like he’ll miss another week for the Jets boosting Jeremy Kerley’s value for Sunday against the Lions.
Jerricho Cotchery-Carolina Panthers: Cotchery missed the Panthers loss in week three, but he’s been back at practice this week and is expected to return against the Ravens this week and resume his role as the Panthers #2 WR.
Allen Hurns-Jacksonville Jaguars: Hurns is back to full practice as the Jags #3 WR. He is a deep league WR4 at this point, but his health appears to be good once again.
Rod Streater-Oakland Raiders: Streater underwent surgery and will be out for at least 4-5 weeks, but Coach Dennis Allen isn’t sure he’ll return at all this season. Even though he was a nice sleeper, he can be safely dropped in all redraft formats at this point.
Marqise Lee-Jacksonville Jaguars: Lee hasn’t practiced this week and will most likely miss Sunday’s game.
Quarterback
Jake Locker-Tennessee Titans: Locker has worked on the side, but hasn’t returned to practice since injuring his wrist. He probably will sit out Sunday’s game against the colts, so look elsewhere for your QB flier this week.
Josh McCown-Tampa Bay Buccaneers: McCown hasn’t practiced and is being considered week-to-week. His thumb injury will give Mike Glennon a chance to start this week.
Tight End
Rob Gronkowski-New England Patriots: Gronk continues to be limited in practice, but his role in games is growing every week. He should be close to full strength in time for Monday night’s game against the Chiefs in Kansas City.
Vernon Davis-San Francisco 49ers: Davis has been limited in practice this week after missing the 49ers loss in week 3. However, he’s fully expected to play this week against the Eagles as a top-5 TE in a potential shootout with the Eagles.
Delanie Walker-Tennessee Titans: Walker was back in practice Thursday, and should be able to play Sunday despite a shoulder injury that kept him listed as “limited.” With all the injuries and bye-week’s, Walker is a TE1 this week with or without Jake Locker under center.
Ladarius Green-San Diego Chargers: Green was a late addition to the injury report with a hamstring injury. He must have sustained the injury in practice and his availability for a great matchup against the Jags is suddenly in question. Antonio Gates is a great play either way, but playing Green may be even more risky than usual if he’s slowed by injury.