Inside the Tent - Week 4 NFL Injury Insight

October 2, 2021

Injury updates and analysis for Week 4 of the 2021 NFL season. Aaron Burger, PT, DPT provides analysis on fantasy football's biggest injuries during Week 3 to help make informed lineup start/sit decisions.

At RotoBaller, we can't stress enough the importance of keeping up with injuries and playing your best lineup week after week. Players are going to get injured, that's an unavoidable fact. What's avoidable though is making the wrong roster decisions based on the injuries surrounding your fantasy team. If you want to dominate your leagues and win some dough in daily contests, you have to be proactive with injury research.

That's where I come in to serve you, the readers! I'm Aaron Burger, a Doctor of Physical Therapy in Pittsburgh, PA. About four years ago, I decided to combine my love, fantasy football, with what I've been learning for years now: injuries and the human body. Each week, I'll be checking in on fantasy's biggest injuries to keep you informed.

Be sure you also have RotoBaller bookmarked and follow us on social media to catch all the latest NFL news and updates. Feel free to reach out on Twitter (@aaronburgerPT) for any injury questions!

Inside the Tent Updates

Rashaad Penny, RB - Seattle Seahawks

• Penny sustained a calf strain in Week 1. This week he was not able to practice and will unfortunately miss Week 4.

Josh Jacobs, RB - Las Vegas Raiders

• Jacobs once again missed Week 3 with a toe and ankle injury. He was able to practice on Thursday in a limited fashion, which is a great sign. He is likely to play in Week 4. This will obviously decrease the value of both Peyton Barber and Kenyan Drake.

Jerry Jeudy, WR - Denver Broncos

• Jeudy sustained a high ankle sprain in Week 1 and will be sidelined for three to five more weeks. Expect him to return in Week 7 or Week 8, but even when he comes back, his production may be a bit limited.

Michael Gallup, WR - Dallas Cowboys

• Gallup sustained a calf strain in Week 1 and was placed on injured reserve. This means he will miss at least three weeks. He will be able to return in Week 5 if he is indeed healthy enough to do so.

Tua Tagovailoa, QB - Miami Dolphins

• Tagovailoa, as a result of his rib injury, was placed on injured reserve on September 22nd. This will sideline him for at least three weeks. Until he returns, Jacoby Brissett will be at the helm for the Dolphins.

Andy Dalton, QB - Chicago Bears

• Dalton sustained a bone bruise in his knee in Week 2 and missed Week 3 as a result. Justin Fields was unimpressive as his replacement, but will likely get another shot in Week 4. Dalton was able to practice in a limited fashion all week but the Bears would be wise to see what they have in their first-round draft pick.

Tyrod Taylor, QB - Houston Texans

• The Texans placed Taylor on injured reserve for his hamstring strain on September 21st, sidelining him for at least three weeks. Until he returns, Davis Mills will take snaps under center for the Texans.

Darrell Henderson, RB - Los Angeles Rams

• Henderson sustained bruised ribs in Week 2 and missed Week 3 as a result. This week he was able to practice in a limited fashion on Wednesday and Thursday. He practiced fully on Friday, putting him in line to return in Week 4 for the Rams.

Dalvin Cook, RB - Minnesota Vikings

• Cook likely sustained a high-ankle sprain in Week 2 and missed Week 3 as a result. This week, he practiced in a limited fashion on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. His status for Week 4 is still up in the air, but he should be able to take the field for the Vikings in Week 4.

Elijah Mitchell. RB - San Francisco 49ers

• Mitchell sustained a shoulder injury in Week 2 and missed Week 3 as a result. He practiced in a limited fashion all week and is officially questionable for Week 4. Expect him to play in Week 4.

Diontae Johnson, WR - Pittsburgh Steelers

• After missing Week 3 with a knee injury, Johnson was able to turn in limited practices on Wednesday and Thursday, followed by a full practice on Friday. This puts him in line to play in Week 4 as the Steelers take on the Packers.

Last Week's Injury Updates

Christian McCaffrey, RB - Carolina Panthers

• Injury: McCaffrey sustained a hamstring strain in Week 2. The hamstring muscle group helps athletes to extend the hip as well as bend the knee. In addition, they help athletes with acceleration and deceleration. He is likely dealing with a Grade I strain, which is the least severe.
• News: McCaffrey was not placed on injured reserve, which is a great sign. He did not practice this week and is OUT for Week 4.
• Outlook: With McCaffrey out, Chuba Hubbard will assume the starting running back role for the Panthers. The rookie out of Oklahoma State was quite electric in college and can certainly catch balls out of the backfield. Behind Hubbard, Royce Freeman lurks and may see third-down snaps considering his pass protection prowess.

James White, RB - New England Patriots

• Injury: White sustained a hip subluxation in Week 3 and will miss the rest of the 2021 season as a result. When a hip subluxation occurs, the femur actually comes out of the hip socket and returns to its resting position. The problem with this though is that there is often labral or ligamentous damage that occurs during this process. This is likely what happened with White.
• News: White was placed on injured reserve and will miss the remainder of the 2021 season.
• Outlook: With White sidelined for 2021, Damien Harris could see more passing-down work for the Patriots. In addition, JJ Taylor and Brandon Bolden are in line for more touches out of the Patriots' backfield.

A.J. Brown and Julio Jones, WR - Tennessee Titans

• Injury: Brown and Jones both sustained hamstring strains in Week 3. As stated above, the hamstring muscle group helps athletes with acceleration and deceleration. In addition, they are quite susceptible to re-injury. They both are likely dealing with Grade I strains which are the least severe.
• News: Both wide receivers were unable to practice this week and are OUT for Week 4.
• Outlook: Without their two starting wide receivers, the Titans will likely have to lean on Derrick Henry in Week 4. In the receiving game, look for them to lean on Anthony Firkser and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.

JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR - Pittsburgh Steelers

• Injury: Smith-Schuster sustained bruised ribs in Week 3 against the Bengals. Bruised ribs are often an issue of pain control as even breathing can cause pain. The ribs, just like all bones in the body, are vascularized which means they have blood vessels and can therefore be bruised.
• News: He was able to practice in a limited fashion on Thursday after sitting out on Wednesday. On Friday, he practiced in full and was removed from the injury report. He will be active for Week 4.
• Outlook: The Steelers offense, while anemic, still holds fantasy value considering their volume in the passing game. Expect them to be playing from behind in Week 4, which could lead to valuable targets for Smith-Schuster, especially with Chase Claypool sidelined.

Chase Claypool, WR - Pittsburgh Steelers

• Injury: Claypool sustained a hamstring strain in Week 3. He is likely dealing with a Grade I strain which is the least severe. Although it's only a Grade I strain, the risk for re-injury is extremely high.
• News: Claypool did not practice on Friday after turning in a limited practice on Thursday.
• Outlook: With Diontae Johnson and JuJu Smith-Schuster active for the Steelers, don't be surprised if Claypool is inactive on Sunday. James Washington would once again be the third starting wide receiver for the Steelers if this is the case.

Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton, WR - New York Giants

• Injury: Both Shepard and Slayton sustained hamstring strains in Week 3. Like Chase Claypool, both are likely dealing with Grade I strains, which are the least severe.
• News: Shepard and Slayton were unable to practice this week and are OUT for Week 4.
• Outlook: With both wide receivers sidelined, the Giants will lean on Kenny Golladay, Evan Engram, and Kadarius Toney in the passing game. Collin Johnson will also see an increase in snaps for the Giants.

Rob Gronkowski, TE - Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• Injury: Gronkowski took a nasty hit in Week 3 against the Rams and sustained bruised ribs as a result. Bruised ribs require significant pain control as even simple tasks such as breathing can be difficult.
• News: He was unable to practice this week and is DOUBTFUL for Week 4.
• Outlook: With Gronkowski out, Cameron Brate and O.J. Howard will see their snap shares increase. Brate, in recent years, has benefitted more in the passing game considering Howard's pass and run blocking prowess.

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