There are always late-week injury updates that end up being extremely important for fantasy football owners. Week 4 is no different. Thursday, it was confirmed that a few top-tier players -- DeAndre Hopkins, Kareem Hunt, and Leonard Fournette -- had each missed their second consecutive day of practice in full. Additionally, potential WR2/WR3s in Allen Lazard and Terry McLaurin saw downgrades in their practice status and are now making owners sweat ahead of Week 4 start 'em, sit 'em decisions. These injuries will undoubtedly have a huge impact on lineups, and owners may have to hit the waiver wire depending on how these players do in practice on Friday.
For news on Jimmy Garoppolo, George Kittle, and Jared Cook, click here; for the latest on injured RBs, including Raheem Mostert, Zack Moss, Chris Carson, and more, go here; for more on the plethora of injured WRs across the league including Julio Jones, Michael Thomas, and Davante Adams, click here. For all the latest fantasy injury news and updates, check back here and on Twitter @SN_Fantasy .
WEEK 4 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight End | D/ST | Kicker
Is DeAndre Hopkins playing Week 4?
UPDATE: Hopkins will be a "game-time decision" for Week 4's early-afternoon contest against the Panthers.
After recording 10 catches for 137 yards in the Cardinals' loss to the Lions in Week 4, Hopkins has been absent from the first two days of Cardinals practice, per NFL.com. The star receiver is evidently dealing with an ankle injury that flew under the radar until he missed Wednesday's practice.
After missing two straight days of practice, Hopkins' availability will come down to whether he can log a limited session on Friday. If he once again doesn't participate, it's hard to imagine that the team would play him on Sunday against the Panthers.
If Hopkins misses time, Andy Isabella would benefit the most ,as he would be the third wide receiver on the field with Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk (if healthy). If both Hopkins and Kirk (groin) are out, Isabella gets an even bigger boost, and KeeSean Johnson would be the third receiver and potential flex play or DFS sleeper against the Panthers and their below-average secondary.
WEEK 4 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight End | D/ST | Kicker
Kareem Hunt injury update
UPDATE: Hunt is officially "questionable," though it's believed he will try to play.
Hunt (groin) has missed the past two days of Browns practice which has caused some fantasy owners to worry about his Week 4 status against the Cowboys. However, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Hunt's injury "isn't believed to be serious." That should give him a chance to suit up for a favorable matchup against a beat-up Dallas defense.
If Hunt's issue turns out to be worst than anticipated, Nick Chubb would become the unquestioned lead back and cement himself as a top-five play in fantasy (including PPR leagues). Even with Hunt healthy, Chubb is still a top-10 fantasy play while Hunt will be a solid RB2 against a weak defense.
MORE WEEK 4: Top waiver pickups | FAAB budget planner | Buy-low, sell-high
Is Leonard Fournette playing in Week 4?
UPDATE: Fournette has officially been ruled OUT for Week 4.
Per Greg Auman of The Athletic, Fournette missed his second consecutive day of practice on Thursday with what is being deemed an ankle injury. Fournette's absence from practice is cause for concern, as he'll have to get back on the field Friday to have any chance of suiting up for Sunday's game against the Chargers.
If Fournette doesn't get back on the field, Ronald Jones will handle a majority of the carries for Tampa Bay with LeSean McCoy mixing in as more of a pass-catching back for Tom Brady's offense. It's also worth noting that the Bucs play on Thursday against the Bears in Week 5, so if Fournette can't suit up for this game, he'll have a quick turnaround to get ready for Thursday Night Football.
WEEK 4 FANTASY: Sleepers | Busts | Start 'em, sit 'em
Allen Lazard injury update
UPDATE: Lazard has undergone core muscle surgery will be OUT indefinitely.
Lazard had a breakout game for the Packers against the Saints, logging six catches for 146 yards and a TD as the Packers' No. 1 receiver with Davante Adams (hamstring) out. However, ahead of a WR-friendly matchup with the Falcons, Lazard wasn't spotted at Packers practice on Thursday, per Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
It's unclear, as of this writing, what injury, if any, Lazard is dealing with. His status bears watching on Friday, but the Packers will also have a Saturday practice ahead of their Monday night game against the Falcons. So, he'll have a couple of days to get back on the field to practice before the game.
If Lazard can't play, Marquez Valdes-Scantling would be the No. 2 receiver for the Packers and would become a fringe-WR2 in a great matchup. Davante Adams (hamstring) returned to practice on Thursday, albeit in a limited capacity, but if he can't suit up for whatever reason, MVS could have massive upside. So, make sure you scoop the Packers pass-catcher now as a potential replacement for Lazard should you need one.
WEEK 4 DFS TOURNAMENT LINEUPS: FanDuel | DraftKings | Yahoo
Terry McLaurin injury news
UPDATE: McLaurin didn't practice Friday, putting him on the wrong side of "questionable" for Sunday's early-afternoon game against Baltimore.
According to ESPN's John Keim, McLaurin was downgraded to limited at Thursday's practice as a result of a thigh injury. That said, the issue doesn't sound to be too much of a problem, so McLaurin will probably play for Washington.
McLaurin will be facing a tough battle against the Ravens in Week 4, but he may get a lot of targets funneled to him with his counterpart Steven Sims (toe) questionable. Fantasy owners can fire him up as a WR3 despite the matchup and Washington's struggles to kick off this season.
