Week Four is going to be your winning week. Week Two was riddled with unexpected injuries for several players. Then last Sunday we saw Saquon Barkley, an anchor in many lineups, go down early in the game with a high-ankle sprain. However, you’re already trending in the right direction by reading my Week Four Injury Breakdown
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Week Four is going to be your week.
This week, it seems that there are several players who are injured, yet expected to play. I’ll give you my clinical thoughts on their injury risk.
Without further ado, here are the DFS Week Four Injury Breakdowns to help you optimize your lineups in Week Four.
Julian Edelman
Edelman is at the top of the list of players who is a yellow light for me this week. It’s hard to deny his impact on the field as Tom Brady’s number one target, but he’s dealing with sore ribs, which can make it painful to breathe, let alone play in an NFL game. Additionally, the Patriots are capable of winning several different ways, including with Edelman acting as a decoy. Or with James White catching nine balls out of the backfield. Or with Rex Burkhead scoring three touchdowns from the slot. You catch my drift. The bottom line is that Edelman is a relative risk this week due to his injury and if you decide to put him in lineups, you’ll have to be okay with a wide range of outcomes. At the very least, avoid him in cash games.
T.Y. Hilton
Hilton was pulled during Week Three mid-game for a quad tear. And make no mistake, muscle strains are muscle tears. He was coerced off the field by the medical staff as he was evidently playing through some serious pain. Fast forward to this week and he has yet to practice and already declared a game time decision. I faded him last week, and he performed through the injury. However, given the fact that he’s still limited, I’m not budging and he won’t be in any of my DFS lineups this week, cash or tournaments.
Calvin Ridley and Chris Godwin
I’m lumping these two together as both are receivers, both have mysterious hip injuries, both were limited in practice this week, and both have tough matchups on Sunday. The Falcons take on the 12th ranked DVOA Titans and the Buccaneers will face the fourth ranked DVOA Rams.
Yikes.
I’m fading Ridley altogether as that offense has looked less than stellar as is, but Godwin I’m willing to plug into tournament lineups if he plays as the total for that game is around 50 points. Add in that the masses will be on Mike Evans after a monster game last week and that gives the potential for a profitable Godwin pivot.
Mark Andrews
Andrews was a game time decision last week, but after watching him on film, I’m not concerned about his foot injury. Additionally, he practiced on Friday which is an upgrade compared to last week. The most important part? He’s telling reporters that his injury is improving. I’m bullish on Andrews this week as the Browns, since Week One, have ceded a 5-55-2 line to 35 year old Delanie Walker, a 10-61 receiving line to Le’Veon Bell, and north of 250 total receiving yards to the Rams just last week. The masses might be scared away by Andrews’ designation and poor performance from Week Three, but I’m willing to roll with him again. If he underwhelms, it likely won’t be due to injury.
Amari Cooper
Cooper had a “precautionary MRI” on his ankle this week, which is concerning in the long term. However, he is expected to suit up on Sunday against a Saints defense that ranks 28th in DVOA. I’m using Cooper in lineups (this week in the Showdown slates) until the wheels fall off, which I hope doesn’t actually happen. He has not entered the dreaded “avoided him in cash games” category for me due to this injury, but I’m afraid that might be the case sooner rather than later as this mysterious injury (that is clearly more than plantar fasciitis) continues to linger. In Week Four, confidently use him as a captain.
Terry McLaurin
Scary Terry has been a revelation this year coming out of Ohio State. He’s the primary source of offense for Washington, but he was held out of practice due to a hamstring strain. Allegedly this is a precaution, but any time a player has an injury in the middle of the week, it’s a bad sign. Especially considering this is a soft tissue strain. I’m fading McLaurin. I can live with him having a big day against the Giants.
LeSean McCoy
Last week Shady and T.Y. Hilton teamed up to make me look extremely bad as I was fading both of them completely on Sunday. Even though they performed well, they were both pulled mid-game due to their injuries, so I’ll consider the final outcome a push. McCoy is dealing with what I perceive to be a high-ankle issue that simply didn’t show up on the MRI. He continues to be limited in practice this week after clearly playing hurt on Sunday. I have a hard time believing his ankle is any better this week, but clearly he can be effective even while hobbled. Ultimately, Shady is definitely a fade in cash games. Personally, I’m avoiding him altogether, but I would understand if you were to slide him into a small share of tournaments as he’s the best goal line back on that team.
Devin Singletary
The final player on the DFS Week Four Injury Breakdowns list is Devin Singletary. Singletary practiced for the first time in more than a week on Friday, and is officially designated as questionable for Sunday. Singletary is in a tough spot coming back from a significant hamstring strain and now facing a stingy New England defense. The only upside here is that the Patriots are favored and Singletary is the de facto pass catching back for the Bills. As a result, I’m fading Singletary due to his long lay-off and the matchup.
Those are the DFS Week Four Injury Breakdowns. Make sure to follow me on Twitter @FFStudentDoc for constant injury updates and look out for my final injury outlook on Sunday morning. Remember, this is your week! Good luck.
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