NFL Week 4 Friday Injury Report: Aiyuk In, Deebo Uncertain, Ekeler Doubtful

Below you'll find four different categories, with our lists including key offensive linemen and defensive players whose presences/absences might impact fantasy decisions. The bottom section — truly questionable — is sorted by kickoff times and can be used as a checklist/cheatsheet for Sunday morning and afternoon when inactives come out. First, let's see who's definitely in and who's definitely out...

Good to Go 💯

• QB Anthony Richardson (concussion)
• QB Bryce Young (ankle)
• RB Kareem Hunt (ribs)
• WR Brandon Aiyuk (shoulder)
• WR Jaylen Waddle (concussion)
• WR DeVonta Smith (illness)
• WR Jerry Jeudy (knee)
• WR Allen Robinson (ankle)
• WR Kadarius Toney (toe)
• TE Logan Thomas (concussion)
• TE Gerald Everett (illness)

Ruled Out/Doubtful 🚑 

• RB Austin Ekeler (D - ankle)
• WRs Rashod Bateman (hammy) & Odell Beckham (ankle)
• WR Zay Jones (knee)
• WR Treylon Burks (knee)
• WR River Cracraft (shoulder) + WR Erik Ezukanma (neck)
• WR Quez Watkins (hamstring)
• WR Jauan Jennings (shin)
• TE Irv Smith (hamstring)

It looks like we can give Joshua Kelley one more spin with Ekeler listed as doubtful (though his comments Friday suggest he still hopes to play). Kelley isn't good and didn't put up any points the past two weeks, but the snap/workload projection keeps him in RB2 range. If nothing else, he should see more than the one target he got over the past two weeks; part of that was related to an extremely blitz-heavy Minnesota gameplan that forced him to stay in and block more.

Meanwhile, OBJ and Bateman both are out for Baltimore, though Nelson Agholor's deep-league appeal is lessened by the tough matchup with a red-hot Cleveland secondary. Other WRs potentially benefiting from injury situations this week include Christian Kirk, Brandon Aiyuk, Tim Jones, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Olamide Zaccheaus and Terrace Marshall.

Key Defensive Players + Offensive Linemen

• LB Devin Lloyd (hand)
• OT Bernhard Raimann (head) + C Ryan Kelly (head)
• CB Marlon Humphrey (foot) + OLB Odafe Oweh (ankle) + OLB David Ojabo (ankle)
• LT Ronnie Stanley (D - knee)
• S Elijah Molden (hamstring) + G Peter Skoronski (appendix) 
•  CB Jamel Dean (neck) +DL Calijah Kancey (calf)
• CB Paulson Adebo (hamstring) + S Jordan Howden (finger) + G Cesar Ruiz (head)
• LT Laremy Tunsil (knee) + OT Josh Jones (hand)
• LB Denzel Perryman (hand) + slot CB Tavierre Thomas (hand)
• OLB Jaelan Phillips (oblique)
• S Jordan Poyer (knee)
• CB Jaylon Johnson (hammy) + S Eddie Jackson (foot) + CB Josh Blackwell
• ILB Josey Jewell (hip) + OLB Frank Clark (hip) + DT Mike Purcell (ribs)
• G James Daniels (groin)
• OT Tyron Smith (knee)
• S Tony Adams (hamstring)
• LB Nick Bolton (ankle) + CB Jaylen Watson (shoulder) 
• OT Andrew Thomas (hamstring)

Listed as Questionable - Should Play 👍

• RB Justice Hill (foot)

I'm a Ravens fan and can't remember an instance under John Harbaugh in which a guy was a full practice participant Friday and then didn't play Sunday. Hill's likely return has taken Gus Edwards off my board as a cheap DFS option or RB2 fill-in, considering Hill got slightly more work Week 2 when they shared the load at Cincinnati.

Truly Questionable / Game-Time Decisions 🤔

London Game

• WR Jamal Agnew (quad) - 9:30 a.m. ET

Agnew and Tim Jones split Zay Jones' usual workload last week, and it could fall all on Tim this time around with Agnew now nursing his own injury. Zay's absence means more work in two-wide sets for Christian Kirk, which is especially important because the Jags are more likely to use those formations (with a second TE replacing the WR3) when their receiver group is banged up.

Early Games

• QB Deshaun Watson (shoulder)
• QB Derek Carr (shoulder)
• RB Salvon Ahmed (groin)
• RB Miles Sanders (groin) + WR Jonathan Mingo (concussion)
• TE Tyler Higbee (Achilles) + WR Ben Skowronek (Achilles)
• TE Foster Moreau (ankle)

The QBs are the big story here, with news updates Friday painting a much prettier picture for Carr than what was reported a few days earlier, while Watson's is perhaps more of a concern than we initially thought. If he plays, Watson will face a Baltimore defense that still doesn't have CB Marlon Humphrey (foot) and has already ruled out edge rushers Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo with ankle injuries. On top of that, both starting safeties (Kyle Hamilton, Marcus Williams) are listed as questionable 

The other big concern fantasy-wise here is Sanders, who missed practice Friday after limited sessions Wednesday and Thursday. Chuba Hubbard is the only other RB with significant playing time for Carolina this year, and he'll be a strong DFS play and season-long spot starter if Sanders ends up inactive.

Late-Afternoon Games

• QB Jimmy Garoppolo (concussion) - 4:05
• WR Deebo Samuel (ribs/knee) + RB Elijah Mitchell (knee) - 4:25
• WR Marquise Brown (thumb) + RB Keaontay Ingram (neck) - 4:25

Garoppolo, like Watson, will face banged-up defense if he ends up playing (see below). Samuel also will face a vulnerable defense if he plays, and while I'm sure he'd suit up if it were the playoffs, I'm not so confident about a Week 4 game against Arizona (especially with teammate Brandon Aiyuk back from a rib injury). 

Mitchell's presence here is interesting, though perhaps not relevant outside of DFS, where his absence would further solidify the case to consolidate touches between Aiyuk, Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle. Mitchell hurt one of his oft-troublesome knees during Thursday's practice and was held out Friday.

Primetime Games

• RB Saquon Barkley (ankle) - MNF

This one spells trouble for fantasy managers, as even a less-than-full-strength Barkley projects for more points than nearly all bench alternatives. The Giants' poor start could encourage him to rush back as quickly as possible, but he's still only two weeks removed from what was reportedly a high ankle sprain. It's a much easier situation for fantasy GMs to deal with, of course, if Matt Breida (80 percent snap share last week) is your replacement option for Saquon.

On the other side of the MNF game we get a bit of a mess, as the Seahawks' key fantasy guys are all set to play but seemingly all their other starters (offensive linemen and defenders) are on the injury report. Most seem fine, so it's just something to keep an eye on as the weekend progresses.

Key Defensive Players + O-Linemen

• LT Terron Armstead (back) + C Connor Williams (groin)
• DT DeForest Buckner (groin)
• OT Alaric Jackson (hamstring)
• C Tyler Linderbaum (ankle) + S Kyle Hamilton (back) + S Marcus Williams (pec)
• CB Carlton Davis (toe)
• S Justin Simmons (hip)
• OLB Joey Bosa (hamstring/toe) + S Alohi Gilman (heel)
• DE Maxx Crosby (knee)
• LB Dre Greenlaw (ankle)
• G Zack Martin (ankle) + C Tyler Biadasz (hamstring)
•  CB Jonathan Jones (ankle) + DT Davon Godchaux (ankle)

In addition to the two starters listed above as game-time decisions, the Chargers have S Derwin James (hamstring) doubtful on the final injury report and two backup defensive backs listed as either doubtful or out (JT Woods, Deane Leonard).