NFL Offensive/Defensive Line Injury Impact: Week 4
Each week we will provide a game-by-game breakdown of offensive and defensive line injuries and what that impact they may have for DFS purposes.
Week 4
Find this article helpful? Let us know in the comments section!
Sunday Games
Cincinnati @ Atlanta
Cincinnati Breakdown
Offensive Lineman – Billy Price (O)
Defense – Preston Brown (Q) Michael Johnson (Q) Ryan Glasgow (O) Dre Kirkpatrick (Q) Vontaze Burfict (Susp)
Atlanta Breakdown
Offensive Lineman – Andy Levitre (O)
Defense – Ricardo Allen (O) Takkarist McKinley (Q)
Fantasy Impact:
The Bengals will be without the services of their rookie center Billy Price once again. The bigger worry is on the defensive side though, with several key pieces coming into this game banged up. Vegas likes this game to be a high scoring affair, and even if these Bengals defenders suit up, they are not completely healthy making me even more confident in the Falcons skill players.
Atlanta is not without their own troubles on the defensive side, with Ricardo Allen going down for the season, that means both starting safeties are lost for the season. It cannot be stressed enough that between Keanu Neal, Deion Jones, and now Ricardo Allen, this team is not carrying nearly the same defensive strength that they came into the season with.
Tampa Bay @ Chicago
Tampa Bay Breakdown
Offensive Lineman – None
Defense – Vita Vea (P) Chris Conte (O) Beau Allen (O)
Chicago Breakdown
Offensive Lineman – None
Defense – Prince Amukamara (O) Marcus Cooper Sr. (O)
Fantasy Impact:
The big question is at the QB position for Tampa Bay, and it’s a big one. The line is healthy, but we saw Chris Conte hit with a stiff arm for the ages which only adds insult to the knee injury that sends him to the IR. Good news for the Bucs is that first rounder Vita Vea appears ready to make his NFL debut, which should help with the interior defense considering Beau Allen will miss this one. Chicago is not an offensive juggernaut, but with two members of the Bucs secondary on the IR and some of the backups banged up they should see some success here.
The Bears are pretty healthy overall, but the secondary has seen some damage with both right cornerbacks out for this one. With Tampa having plenty of success early on through the air, it would not surprise me one bit to see them make that the main focus of attack here.
Detroit @ Dallas
Detroit Breakdown
Offensive Lineman – None
Defense – Ezekiel Ansah (O)
Dallas Breakdown
Offensive Lineman – Travis Frederick (O)
Defense – Sean Lee (O) Maliek Collins (O) David Irving (Susp)
Fantasy Impact:
The Lions remain pretty healthy overall, with Ezekiel Ansah the lone starter missing this week. From a fantasy perspective, we are getting pretty much the same from them on both sides of the ball that we have seen to this point.
Dallas will look exactly the same up front, with all-pro center Travis Frederick missing another game here. Despite the continuity the line has currently, his return will be a huge upgrade when that does happen. Defensively there are some key Cowboys players missing this game and Detroit should continue to move the ball well.
Buffalo @ Green Bay
Buffalo Breakdown
Offensive Lineman – None
Defense – None
Green Bay Breakdown
Offensive Lineman – Justin McCray (D)
Defense – Muhammad Wilkerson (O) Nick Perry (Q) Josh Jones (Q) Kevin King (Q)
Fantasy Impact:
Buffalo comes into this matchup pretty healthy, with several players coming back. Phillip Gaines is likely to move into the starting corner role that was left vacant by Vontae Davis after Ryan Lewis filled the role last week. Remember, healthy does not necessarily mean good so chase last week with extreme caution.
The Packers injury report is filled with key personnel, which extends beyond Aaron Rodgers. Muhammad Wilkerson has been lost for the season due to an ankle injury suffered last week. On top of that, several starters come into the game with a questionable tag with limited participation in practice. With that said, I am simply not ready to start playing Bills skill players.
Philadelphia @ Tennessee
Philadelphia Breakdown
Offensive Lineman – None
Defense – Rodney McLeod (O)
Tennessee Breakdown
Offensive Lineman – None
Defense – None
Fantasy Impact:
Philly lost Rodney McLeod for the season which is a big hit in the secondary as Corey Graham will step up as the starter. Outside of that, we are seeing a very healthy squad in the trenches.
The Titans are in the same boat, with pretty much nobody that shows up in this article in danger of missing the game. With that said, it is very possible that we see the return of all-pro right tackle Jack Conklin for Tennessee here, which would be an upgrade if he can get back to the form we saw his rookie year.
Houston @ Indianapolis
Houston Breakdown
Offensive Lineman – None
Defense – Shareece Wright (Q) Kayvon Webster (Q)
Indianapolis Breakdown
Offensive Lineman – Joe Haeg (O) Anthony Castonzo (O)
Defense – Hassan Ridgeway (O) Quincy Wilson (O) Clayton Geathers (Q)
Fantasy Impact:
The Texans biggest issue is continued injuries in their secondary at this point, with Kevin Johnson out for the year and both Shareece Wright and Kayvon Webster of missing this game, leaving the secondary very thin.
When it comes to injuries, the Colts are leading the league in starters out or questionable for Week 4. Unlike a lot of teams, the injuries are on both sides of the ball, with their offensive line hurting it could be a big day for the big boys on the Texans side. If you have liked Watson and company to this point in the season, there is no reason to move away from them here.
Miami @ New England
Miami Breakdown
Offensive Lineman – None
Defense – Cameron Wake (Q) Andre Branch (O) Chase Allen (O) Reshad Jones (Q)
New England Breakdown
Offensive Lineman – Marcus Cannon (Q)
Defense – Patrick Chung (Q) Eric Rowe (Q)
Fantasy Impact:
The vast majority of injuries are on the defensive side of the ball for Miami. With New England struggling at times to get things going offensively, a lot of people are looking forward to Edelman as the key to fix it. Do not be surprised if they get right against a banged up Dolphins defense.
We found out just how much Patrick Chung means to this Patriots team last week and he has been a limited participant in practice officially listed as questionable, which just happens to be the same designation that EVERY Patriot on the list has. Having some exposure to Dolphins skill players makes sense, especially if Chung is unable to go.
New York Jets @ Jacksonville
New York Breakdown
Offensive Lineman – None
Defense – Marcus Maye (Q) Buster Skrine (Q)
Jacksonville Breakdown
Offensive Lineman – A.J. Cann (Q)
Defense – D.J. Hayden (O)
Fantasy Impact:
Both Maye and Skrine are listed as questionable heading into Sunday with limited participation in practice. It is worth keeping an eye on this development as both missing the game would be a solid bump up for the Jaguars passing game, with all eyes focused on the Fournette return.
The Jags remain the team we saw last week for the purposes of this article. Obviously, most people will be focused on the status of their big running back Leonard Fournette and with good reason.
Cleveland @ Oakland
Cleveland Breakdown
Offensive Lineman – None
Defense – Damarious Randall (Q)
Oakland Breakdown
Offensive Lineman – None
Defense – Karl Joseph (O) Domnique Rodgers-Cromartie (Q)
Fantasy Impact:
The Browns have a lot to be excited about with the big comeback win last week and have a solid matchup against the Raiders to make it two in a row. On top of that, the injury report is pretty clean and you are playing this game as close to straight up as possible this far into the season.
As I mentioned above, this game is about as close to straight up as we can get. Oakland has some secondary question marks, so any in game issues and they could be running extremely thin.
Seattle @ Arizona
Seattle Breakdown
Offensive Lineman – Ethan Pocic (D)
Defense – K.J. Wright (O) Dion Jordan (Q) Rasheem Green (Q)
Arizona Breakdown
Offensive Lineman – Andre Smith (Q)
Defense – Corey Peters (Q) Robert Nkemdiche (Q) Olsen Pierre (Q)
Fantasy Impact:
Seattle is in the same position that they have been for the last couple weeks when it comes to the players listed here. Last week was a good bounce week for this crew and now they get one of the worst teams in the league.
Much like Seattle, we see a Cardinals team with virtually the same players listed as last week. The big news here is that Josh Rosen will be the starter. From this articles perspective, you should not be adjusting anything for fantasy.
New Orleans @ New York Giants
New Orleans Breakdown
Offensive Lineman – None
Defense – Manti Te’o (O) Marcus Davenport (Q)
New York Breakdown
Offensive Lineman – None
Defense – Olivier Vernon (O) Eli Apple (O)
Fantasy Impact:
Manti Te’o remains out this week and defensive end Marcus Davenport is questionable. That is the entirety of their injury report. I have seen a lot of love for Giants players because of a favorable script that has them passing frequently. My warning would be that should play into the hands of an aggressive Saints defense who will get pressure and attack a not-so-mobile quarterback. Remember, not all targets are equal.
The Giants are going to be without Apple and Vernon here, which is less than ideal given the tough matchup with one of the better offenses in the NFL. Drew Brees will likely spread the ball around in this one and it makes sense that their skill guys would be coveted.
San Francisco @ Los Angeles Chargers
San Francisco Breakdown
Offensive Lineman – Josh Garnett (O)
Defense – Richard Sherman (O) Jaquiski Tartt (D) Adrian Colbert (Q)
Los Angeles Breakdown
Offensive Lineman – Joe Barksdale (O)
Defense – Joey Bosa (O) Corey Liuget (Susp)
Fantasy Impact:
The 49ers secondary is pretty beat up right now, with Sherman out already and Tartt likely to sit with him after missing practice all week. Add to that Adrian Colbert was limited in practice and we have a path to success for Philip Rivers and company.
The Chargers are another squad that have the same players missing and the bigger questions for them are a couple of pretty important skill players. This team from an interior perspective is going to be the same as we have seen for the first three weeks. I love the passing attack of Los Angeles, regardless of whether Allen and/or Benjamin suit up.