Welcome to the 2023 Fantasy Football Week 4 Injury Impact article.
Before we get to the injuries that occurred in Week 4, let's talk about Week 3. To put it in one word, bumpy. We lost another player for the season (Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers). He was on his way to a productive season (WR15, 8.7/6.3- 83-0, 16.7 FPTS/game) until he tore his ACL. In all league formats, this one hurts. I expect the Chargers to get Quentin Johnston rolling (), but he was disappointing in his first game without him. The same can be said about Joshua Palmer().
Other than this injury, it was a tame week.
What does Week 4 have in store?
There were no season-ending injuries, but we will be without some key players for a significant amount of time. The attack on the hamstrings continues, the Steelers can't catch a break, and there are injuries to be monitored.
For more information, continue reading the 2023 Fantasy Football Week 4 Injury Impact article.
2023 Fantasy Football Week 4 Injury Impact
Wounded Bengal
It just keeps getting worse for the Bengals. This time, Tee Higgins fractures his ribs.
Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals (Ribs)
It's safe to say Burrow's calf is capping the potential of this team. The offense looks broken and now it will get a lot tougher for Burrow.
Tee Higgins (4/2-19-0, 3 FPTS) left the game with a rib injury. He did not return. We won't be seeing Tee Higgins for a month. Shortly after his injury, Higgins was diagnosed with a rib fracture. Tee Higgins has been struggling (WR43), but this a still a huge blow for Fantasy managers. It's an even bigger blow for the Bengals.
Who will benefit most from this injury?
Ja"marr Chase (9/7-73-0) will get peppered with targets. He is still a WR1 (low-end), even with this inept offense. As for Tyler Boyd (7/4-26-0), he must be rostered in all leagues (if he isn't already). Nobody else from the pass catchers should be piquing your interest.
Now onto Joe Burrow (20/30-165 0-0). As long as he is still dealing with this calf injury, he cannot be started in 10 or 12-man leagues.
*In three of the four games Burrow has played, he hasn't thrown a touchdown.*
Here We Go Again
Maybe, just maybe, playing pre-season games should be a thing.
Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
In one of the biggest Fantasy surprises of 2023, Mike Evans has been lighting it up. Before Sunday's game, Evans was WR6 (averaging 21.6 FPTS/game).
Unfortunately, the injury that continues to haunt Mike Evans struck him again. Mike Evans (3/3-40-0) was ruled out of the game with a hamstring injury. Having a hamstring injury is one thing, but since this is a common (slight) occurrence, I expect Mike Evans to miss a week. If not, he will be limited. Evans becomes a high-risk WR3/flex option if that's the case. I suggest benching him for Week 5 if he decides to suit up.
If Mike Evans were to miss time, Chris Godwin would be the main benefactor. He saw a healthy 11 targets, catching eight of them for 114 yards (19 FPTS). You can start him with full confidence in your WR2 spot. Don't go chasing the other WRs in this offense until we see more from them. As for Rachaad White (10 FPTS), he is a low-end RB2.
Steelers Can't Catch A Break
The Steelers have been without their WR1 (Diontae Johnson), the TE has been on/off the injury report (as you can see above), Najee is washed, and Kenny Pickett went down. Poor Pittsburgh, we are feeling for you (kind of).
Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers (Knee)
Kenny Pickett (15/23-114 0-1) was having a rough day in Houston. Unfortunately, it got a whole lot worse for him. Pickett had to leave the game with a knee injury, he did not return. The severity of the knee injury is unknown at this time, so if you have Pickett on your squad, please monitor this.
Rap: Kenny Pickett believed to have avoided season-ending knee injury; still expected to miss time.
— Underdog NFL (@Underdog__NFL) October 2, 2023
If he were to miss time, Mitchell Trubiskyy will be next in line. I don't think I have to say this, but I will anyway. Don't pick him up in one QB league. If you are struggling in SF(Superflex) at the QB position, scoop him up.
George Pickens (7/3-25-0) is a risky WR3/flex option, even with Trubisky. Other than that, leave the WR's alone. Najee Harris finally scored 10+ Fantasy points in 2023 (11 to be exact), so he has some flex appeal now. The same can be said for Jaylen Warren (10 FPTS).
But what about the Muth man?
Well, continue reading to see why he wasn't mentioned (yet).
Pat Freiermuth, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers (Hamstring)
Welcome back, Pat Freiermuth. This is the second time he has found himself in these articles. The first time was after Week 1 when he injured his ribs. This time, the dreaded hamstring injury came knocking.
After catching his third ball (4/3-7-0), Freiermuth left the game and did not return. If you have been reading this article, you know that hamstrings are tricky and something to look out for in the coming weeks. I don't want to guarantee that he misses a game, but it is looking like a possibility. The rookie TE (Darnell Washington), will be thrust into a starting spot if Pat Freiermuth can't suit up.
I would suggest leaving him on the waiver wire, although, I am excited to see what he can do.
Other Injuries To Monitor
Javonte Williams, RB, Denver Broncos (Hip)
Although considered not serious, Javonte Williams was ruled out of Sunday's game with a hip injury. He was only able to muster up three Fantasy points (2-0-0, 3/3-9-0). Javonte was already getting his snaps monitored (averaging 44% of snaps coming into Sunday's game), so expect that to remain the same.
Javonte Williams has fallen out of starter territory (even flex), at least in 10-man leagues. With that being said, DO NOT DROP Javonte Williams.
This backfield is a mess. Samaje Perine was signed to carry the load (averaging 7 FPTS/game), but he has been underwhelming. I suggest not starting any of the RBs from Denver.
I suppose you can keep an eye on Jaleel McLaughlin (19 FPTS in Week 4). He out-touched Perine (10 to 8), gained more yards (104 to 35), and scored the touchdown.
Luke Musgrave, TE, Green Bay Packers (Concussion)
After just one catch (1 yard), Luke Musgrave was ruled out of the game with a concussion. The TE10 (16/12-125-0) on the year has 10 days to go through the concussion protocol, so the possibility of him playing in Week 5 is trending upward. It's safe to drop him in shallow leagues, but anything 12-team or more, keep him on the squad.
I'm here to tell you that Romeo Doubs (13/9-95-0) must be picked up in all formats. He is leading the team in targets (33), catches (20), yards (224), touchdowns (3), so basically every major receiving category.
Turns out the preseason hype between Jordan Love and Doubs was correct.
That should do it for the 2023 Fantasy Football Week 4 Injury Impact article. See you in Week 5.
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