ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that further testing on the injured ankle of Colts RB Jonathan Taylor came back negative and that Taylor "has a chance" to play Thursday night against the Broncos. We'll track his progress throughout the short week. Nyheim Hines obviously isn't a direct replacement for the much larger Taylor but would be our top fantasy bet in that backfield if Taylor misses the game.
The Falcons are placing RB Cordarrelle Patterson on IR with a designation to return. According to multiple reports, Patterson had a "procedure" Monday morning. We're assuming it addressed the left knee that had him questionable entering Sunday and limited his touches against Cleveland. Patterson will miss at least the next 4 games, leaving the backfield to rookie Tyler Allgeier, Caleb Huntley and Avery Williams. Damien Williams figures to be in the mix as well if he makes it back from his IR stint for a rib injury. There's no exciting option in this group, but we'd bet on Allgeier as the most productive. A Week 5 meeting with Tampa Bay likely won't prove as favorable as it looked to Chiefs RBs on Sunday night.
Broncos RB Javonte Williams tore his right ACL in Sunday's loss to the Raiders. That obviously ends his season. Melvin Gordon becomes the obvious name as top candidate to take over the Denver backfield, but Mike Boone has seen significant use each of the past 2 games. He stepped in to run nearly as many routes as Williams and Gordon in Week 3, and then Boone played more than Gordon against the Raiders. Gordon entered Sunday with a neck issue that limited him for a couple of practices, but he finished with a full workout. He did take a 2nd-half trip to the medical tent but returned. We'll see just how the new backfield split plays out. Boone is at least worth a pickup in most fantasy football leagues.
Update: In addition to the torn ACL, Williams also has a torn LCL and posterior lateral corner, sources tell NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. That figures to lengthen Williams' rehab timeline. We'll track his progress.
Scans on RB Jonathan Taylor's injured ankle "came back clean," according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "But TBD on availability given the short turnaround," Rapoport adds. It sounds like Taylor avoided a significant ankle injury -- but that he's iffy for Thursday night's game vs. the Broncos. We'll keep a close eye on his status over the next few days.
Update: ESPN's Adam Schefter adds that Taylor "has a chance" to play against Denver.
Zak Keefer of The Athletic reports that Colts LB Shaquille Leonard and DL Tyquan Lewis will miss Thursday's game against the Broncos because of concussions they suffered in Sunday's loss to the Titans. We'll see about the availability of both players for Week 6 (vs. Jacksonville).
Panthers QB Sam Darnold (ankle) is eligible to come off the IR this week but is expected to still be sidelined for "a while," a source tells ESPN's Adam Schefter. This is worth reporting because QB Baker Mayfield has been so bad through 4 games that we're all wondering whether Darnold might actually be an upgrade. Unfortunately, it looks like it'll be Mayfield for at least a few more games.
Bills WR Jamison Crowder broke his left ankle in Sunday's win over the Ravens, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Doctors are still determining the extent of other damage to the ankle, but Crowder is almost certainly done for the year. That should mean more control over the slot WR position for Isaiah McKenzie, who left Sunday's game with a concussion. If McKenzie can't go in Week 5, rookie Khalil Shakir might be running as a top 3 WR against Pittsburgh.
Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy rebounded in Week 4 with 4 catches for 53 yards and 1 score. His 5 targets ranked behind behind Courtland Sutton’s 7 and represented a 20% team share. The ‘Bama product caught a nice sideline deep ball from Russell Wilson and later made a slick sliding grab for his 2nd TD of 2022. Next up is a Thursday night home game vs. Indianapolis.
Broncos TE Albert Okwuegbunam played just a single snap in Week 4. Denver fired off only 48 offensive plays, but this development is obviously crushing for Albert O’s fantasy prospects. TEs Eric Saubert (41 snaps), Eric Tomlinson (24 snaps) and Andrew Beck (12 snaps) each saw significantly more playing time. Feel free to cut Okwuegbunam.
Raiders RB Josh Jacobs went off in Week 4, torching the Broncos for 144 yards and 2 scores on 28 attempts. With 5 catches (6 targets), Jacobs actually set a career-high with 34 opportunities. Vegas never trailed after the 1st quarter, so his passing-game usage is encouraging. He’s actually caught 5 balls in back to back games. On the ground, Jacobs continued to make the most of his opportunities behind a surprisingly-effective O-line. He’s now up to 4.8 YPC through 70 carries. The contract-year back will look to keep rolling Monday night at Kansas City.
Bills beat writer Joe Buscaglia writes that the Bills don’t trust RB James Cook, and a game-day deactivation might be upcoming. Devin Singletary played a whopping 88% of the snaps in Week 4 at Baltimore. Cook fumbled in the opener and dropped a pass against the Ravens, so the trust issues make sense. Buscaglia also points out that the Bills’ blocking style doesn’t mesh with Cook’s strengths. For now, it’ll take a Singletary injury for Cook to enter the fantasy radar.
Broncos WR Courtland Sutton scored his first TD of the season in Week 4. He added 5 catches for 52 yards on a team-high 7 targets (28%). Denver ran only 48 plays in a road loss to Vegas, but it was nice to see Sutton convert on his 3rd end zone target of the season. Losing RB Javonte Williams to a knee injury — potentially for an extended absence — might push this offense to more passing in the weeks ahead. Regardless, Sutton is locked in as a weekly starter.
Colts QB Matt Ryan threw for a season-high 356 yards and 2 TDs in Sunday's loss to the Titans. He spread the ball around. TE Mo Alie-Cox, WR Alec Pierce and WR Michael Pittman tied for the target lead with 6 apiece. Alie-Cox caught all of his for 85 yards and both TDs. Pierce caught 4 balls for 80 yards. Pittman was limited to 3 catches for 31 yards. TE Kyle Granson and WR Parris Campbell also hauled in 4 receptions apiece. Challenging matchups with Denver and Jacksonville lie ahead the next 2 weeks.
Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson played just 16 snaps (29%) in the Week 4 win over the Browns. His 9 carries ranked 3rd on the team, behind RBs Tyler Allgeier and Caleb Huntley with 10 apiece. Patterson wasn't targeted in the passing game. He salvaged his fantasy day with a 13-yard TD but finished with just 38 total yards. Patterson entered this game questionable with a knee issue, which might explain why his snaps were scaled back. But it's also possible that the Falcons want to keep him limited going forward after Patterson wore down late last season.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport hears that the "belief" is that Colts RB Jonathan Taylor's ankle injury is "not overly serious, nothing major, nothing that will keep him off the field for a while." Rapoport does insinuate that Taylor might not be available for Thursday night's game vs. the Broncos. But consider it good news if he ends up missing just 1 game. We should learn more later today. Taylor endured a quiet fantasy outing -- 43 total yards on 20 carries and 1 catch -- before Sunday's injury.
Giants QB Daniel Jones is considered "day to day" with the ankle injury he suffered in Sunday's win over the Giants, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Jones was able to return to that game -- after QB Tyrod Taylor left with a concussion -- and Rapoport says there's "optimism" Jones will be available for Week 5.
Titans QB Ryan Tannehill had a modestly efficient game in Sunday's win over the Colts. He completed 17 of 21 passes for 137 yards (6.5 per attempt) and 2 TDs. Tannehill found WR Robert Woods and rookie TE Chig Okonkwo for his 2 scores. Woods and RB Dontrell Hilliard tied for the team lead with 4 catches apiece. Okonkwo's 3 receptions tied RB Derrick Henry for the next spot, even though Okonkwo trailed both Geoff Swaim and Austin Hooper in routes. WR Treylon Burks left early with a left foot injury.
Titans RB Derrick Henry ran for 114 yards and a TD in Sunday's win over the Colts. He also led the team with 5 targets, catching 3 for 33 yards. After totaling just 1 target through the 1st 2 games, Henry has 11 over the past 2. That's an important development for his fantasy football value, which would otherwise be TD-dependent. The rushing yardage marked the 1st time this year that Henry eclipsed 90 on the ground. He'll face Washington in Week 5 and then get another shot at the Colts after a Week 6 bye.
Texans WR Brandin Cooks caught all 7 targets for 57 yards and a score in Sunday's loss to the Chargers. It was nice fantasy efficiency after an erratic start to the season. He'll get a potentially challenging matchup with the Jaguars before a Week 6 bye.
Texans rookie RB Dameon Pierce used a 75-yard TD run in Sunday's loss to the Chargers to rack up 131 yards on 14 attempts. Pierce added 6 receptions (for just 8 yards) among 6 targets. Only WR Brandin Cooks drew more looks in the passing game. No other Texan logged a rushing attempt. Rex Burkhead trailed Pierce by 1 target and ran 6 fewer routes.
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