Fantasy Football Week 4: Jahvid Best, Ryan Mathews, Injury Updates Around NFL
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It's time to get ready for Week 4 of NFL football, and injuries all over the league might be hurting your fantasy roster.
Don't know where to look for the most important fantasy information and advice? Bleacher Report has you covered!
Here we'll keep you in the game with all the latest injury reports as well as Start 'Em Sit 'Em advice throughout the week to make sure your fantasy team is in fighting shape on Sunday.
What's going on with Jahvid Best's turf toe?
When will Ryan Mathews be back?
Read on to find out!
According to CBSSports, Jahvid Best did not practice yesterday and is still questionable for Week 4 against Green Bay.
Turf toe (although rarely very serious) can be extremely painful, so whether Best plays on Sunday will depend on his ability to play through the pain.
Even if he does play, don't expect him to put up very good numbers against the Packers.
While we're on the subject of kickers, a great option to start this week is Jeff Reed of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Reed has been very accurate this season, and I expect this week's game against the Ravens to be extremely low-scoring.
Both teams are phenomenal on defense, so Reed may be the sole point-scorer for Pittsburgh.
After a disappointing start from Garrett Hartley, the Saints have decided to sign and start John Carney at kicker.
Hartley played a large part in the Saints' first loss of the season to the Atlanta Falcons, and it appears the team doesn't have enough confidence that he will improve as the season progresses.
The Saints will host the Panthers this week, so don't expect Carney to be kicking many field goals, but he will be a nice option when New Orleans takes on better competition.
Steve Breaston will miss Week 4 at San Diego due to an arthroscopic procedure, and like fellow Cardinal Beanie Wells, he will be out for a couple of weeks.
The good news is that the Cardinals have a bye in Week 6, so Breaston will have time to recover before Week 7.
You may need to pick up a replacement in the meantime, so consider checking out waivers for some solid backup wide receivers.
Check out Roy Williams of the Cowboys or Brandon Lloyd of the Broncos.
The rookie seems to be getting back to fighting shape. Mathews practiced in full yesterday, and he is probable for Sunday's game against Arizona.
The Cardinals' rush defense leaves a lot to be desired, so if Mathews continues to practice, make sure you start him this week.
In fact, the only team whose rush defense is statistically worse in the entire league is the Detroit Lions.
Keep your eye on Mathews, but plan on starting him Sunday.
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Don't panic!
He's going to be okay!
Brees took a shot to the knee late in the fourth quarter of last week's game against the Atlanta Falcons, and his knee is said to be sore and swollen.
Coach Sean Payton has assured the media that there Brees will be fine to play on Sunday, and according to NOLA.com, Payton made this very clear by saying, "There is no situation. His knee is sore from the game. There's no specific injury other than that he has soreness. We didn't put him on the report. He took all the reps. There's not an injury to report. I was pleased with how he functioned. He functioned fine. It's something that as the week goes on, I think he'll have no problem with, and he did a real good job in all the team stuff today."
So fear not, Drew Brees owners!
The Redskins gave up all kinds of passing yardage to the St. Louis Rams in Week 3, and Michael Vick has been near perfect this season.
In fact, Washington is ranked No. 31 in passing defense, so starting Vick at home against a weaker division rival would be a very good idea this week.
I would actually keep starting Vick until he gives us a reason to sit him. Vick was phenomenal last week against the Jags, with a total of four touchdowns (three passing and one rushing) and zero interceptions so far this season.
This doesn't really need much of an explanation, but here we go:
The Washington Redskins will travel to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles in Week 4, and who is the Redskins' quarterback?
And which division rival did he used to play for?
Exactly.
This game is going to be like that time your crazy ex came over to pick up the rest of her stuff:
Bitter and awkward.
Sit McNabb this week.
Visanthe Shiancoe left Week 3's game against the Detroit Lions with a hamstring injury, but luckily the Vikings have a bye this week.
Shiancoe should be back to 100 percent for Week 5's tough matchup against the New York Jets, and he is definitely one of the best tight ends for your fantasy league.
We will continue to monitor Shiancoe's status and keep you updated.
Pierre Garcon sat out of Week 3's game against the Denver Broncos due to a hamstring injury, and he is listed as questionable for Week 4 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
With a little rest, we could see Garcon starting against the Jags, but we will not know for sure until later in the week.
If he doesn't play in Week 4, chances are he will be good to go in Week 5, and the Colts will need him against the Kansas City Chiefs.
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The Detroit Lions really need to get it together this season, and they are missing the leader of their offense, quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Stafford suffered a shoulder injury in Week 1, and according to CBSSports, he is expected to start throwing this week.
He is still a couple weeks away from starting again, but keep monitoring his progress. He will be a solid bench quarterback once he gets healthy.
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I know a bunch of you took a serious hit with Knowshon Moreno missing Week 3's game against the Colts, but your fantasy roster isn't quite out of the woods yet.
According to CBSSports, Moreno is questionable to play against the Tennessee Titans in Week 4, and the Broncos are taking a "wait-and-see" approach.
If Moreno misses this game, expect Laurence Maroney and Correll Buckhalter to continue to pick up the slack.
It has come to my attention that many readers may not know exactly what "turf toe" means.
It's not a gross as it sounds. Trust me.
Turf toe is actually caused by a vigorous upward bending of the big toe. When shoes stick into artificial turf, much of a player's body weight is shifted forward causing the big toe to bend upward. It is not a very serious injury, but it can be extremely painful.
It kind of feels like somebody has a hold of your big toe, and they are trying to pull it off of your foot.
If that description doesn't get Jahvid Best some sympathy, I don't know what will!
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The Cowboys have a Bye in Week 4, so you would need to find a replacement for Witten at tight end anyway this week.
But Witten is listed as questionable for Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans, so make sure you have another solid tight end on your roster.
According to CBSSports, Witten suffered a sprained MCL during Week 3's game against the Houston Texans, but when he is 100 percent, he is a top notch fantasy tight end.
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Michael Jenkins missed Week 3's game against the New Orleans Saints, but he is expected to be good to go this Sunday when the Falcons take on the San Francisco 49ers.
It will be exciting to see the what Matt Ryan can do with the combination of Jenkins and Roddy White as targets against a crumbling San Francisco squad.
Be on the lookout for Jenkins. He may be a great pickup for the rest of the season.



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