Fantasy Football

The New England Patriots will have to cope without quarterback Mac Jones this weekend after he was been ruled out of Sunday's matchup with the Green Bay Packers.

The Patriots and fantasy players relying on the team's primary pass-catchers will turn their attention toward Brian Hoyer after this setback. He doesn't have the same ceiling as the rookie, which will in turn impact the fantasy value of pass-catchers DeVante Parker and Jakobi Meyers.

DeVante Parker and Jakobi Meyers

There are worse backup situations than Hoyer seeing how he has been in the league since 2009 and even has a season with more than 3,000 passing yards on his resume. If nothing else, he can provide veteran leadership and the ability to get the ball to his playmakers.

That is welcome news for fantasy players relying on Parker, who should view his role in their lineups the same way even if Jones is sidelined.

While Parker isn't going to put up the exact same numbers without the starter, his production shouldn't fall off a cliff. Hoyer will look to keep the offense afloat by using him as a safety valve on crossing routes and underneath options, which should work in point-per-reception leagues.

The Louisville product isn't far removed from the 2019 season when he posted 1,202 receiving yards and nine touchdown catches and is probably the most proven wide receiver on the Patriots roster. Look for him to remain involved even without Jones.

Still, he's been boom-or-bust this season. Consider him a WR4.

Meyers is hardly a sure thing himself, but he impressed at times last year on his way to 866 receiving yards in just his third season in the league. While the two career touchdowns entering the 2022 campaign is of some concern, Meyers is still someone who figures to see a number of passes every game.

He's also been far more consistent in his two games this season, racking up 13 catches on 19 targets.

At this point, fantasy players should probably take more of a wait-and-see approach given the lack of touchdowns and his own injury concerns, but the North Carolina State product may still be a flex option even with Hoyer.

You likely have better options, however.

The top ball carriers in the NFC North have been under close watch leading up to NFL Week 4.

Dalvin Cook will play for the Minnesota Vikings in their London clash with the New Orleans Saints, but the news elsewhere in the division is not so great.

D'Andre Swift will not play for the Detroit Lions, who will also be without Amon-Ra St. Brown for the home clash with the Seattle Seahawks.

The Chicago Bears will not be at full strength either. David Montgomery was ruled out of Sunday's trip to MetLife Stadium to play the New York Giants.

Running back can always be a tough position to navigate throughout the fantasy football season, but it may be hard to find some quality running backs on the waiver wire to perform in Week 4.

Below is a list of all of the injuries affecting teams ahead of Sunday's Week 4 games.

• Dalvin Cook, RB, MIN: will play (shoulder), per ESPN's Kevin Seifert. 
• Jameis Winston, QB, NO: doubtful (back/ankle), per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
• Michael Thomas, WR, NO: out (foot), per Pelissero.
• Alvin Kamara, RB, NO: questionable (rib), per NFL.com.
• Jarvis Landry, WR, NO: questionable (ankle), per NFL.com.
• David Montgomery, RB, CHI: out (ankle, knee), per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
• Kadarius Toney, WR, NYG: out (hamstring), per NFL.com.
• Dawson Knox, TE, BUF: questionable (back/hip), per Bills injury report.
• Gabe Davis, WR, BUF: questionable (ankle), per Bills injury report.  
• D'Andre Swift, RB, DET: out (ankle), per Detroit Free Press' Dave Birkett.
• Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, DET: out (ankle), per Birkett. 
• Keenan Allen, WR, LAC: out (hamstring)
• Dalton Schultz, TE, DAL: questionable (knee), per NFL.com. 
• Cordarrelle Patterson, RB, ATL: questionable (knee), per Schefter. 
  
• A.J. Green, WR, ARI: out (knee), per Schefter. 
• Rondale Moore, WR, ARI: questionable (hamstring), per Schefter.
• Marquise Brown, WR, ARI: questionable (foot), per Schefter.
• Christian McCaffrey, RB, CAR: expected to play (thigh), per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. 
• Mac Jones, QB, NE: Out (ankle)
• Chris Godwin, WR, TB: game-time decision (hamstring), per NFL.com
• Julio Jones, WR, TB: game-time decision (knee), per NFL.com. 

Dalvin Cook To Play On Sunday

Dalvin Cook will not miss a game because of the shoulder injury he suffered in Week 3.

Cook suffered a left shoulder injury against the Detroit Lions last week, but he was cleared to play on Friday, per ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert.

Cook has long been one of the top fantasy football running backs. He started the 2022 campaign with two 90-yard performances in the first three weeks.

Before his injury, Cook ran for a season high of 96 yards on 17 carries. He also scored a touchdown in that contest.

The promising news about Cook's status will keep him in most fantasy lineups for the first London game of the season.

There could be concerns about Cook's potential workload on Sunday morning, especially with Alexander Mattison ready to take more snaps if needed.

Mattison could end up as a potential waiver-wire addition for Week 4 because of all the injuries to running backs across the league.

Mattison has 17 carries for 72 yards and a touchdown during his split time with Cook.

Cook would have to be healthy enough to play on Sunday because Minnesota has a reliable backup in place with Mattison.

Cook may not receive a massive volume of carries, but he should have something that resembles his regular workload against the Saints. Mattison may see time on certain drives, or if the Vikings are up big against a New Orleans team that could be without multiple starters on offense.

D'Andre Swift Out For Lions on Sunday

The Detroit Lions offense could be severely limited on Sunday.

D'Andre Swift and Amon-Ra St. Brown will not be available for the home clash against the Seattle Seahawks.

Swift leads the Lions with 231 rushing yards, but he is not the team's leader in carries and touchdowns. Jamaal Williams owns first place in those categories.

Williams, who has four touchdowns in three weeks, should be considered as the first waiver-wire pickup for those fantasy players with Swift on their roster.

Khalil Herbert, who fill in for David Montgomery in Chicago's offense, as well as the New York Jets pair of Michael Carter and Breece Hall could be solid options if Williams is already picked up by another team in your league.

D.J. Chark and T.J. Hockenson could see increases in their pass-game volume as well with St. Brown not active on Sunday.

Swift has eight receptions on 12 targets, so part of his pass-game production needs to be accounted for as well by Dan Campbell and his staff.

The two absences may also lead you to the Seattle defense for a week. Seattle held two of its three opponents under 20 points and it may be more aggressive against Jared Goff with Swift and St. Brown not on the field.

Run, don't walk, to the waiver wire in your fantasy league if Chicago Bears running back Khalil Herbert is available.

Not only is the 24-year-old a top waiver-wire option after the Bears ruled David Montgomery (ankle/knee) out for Sunday against the New York Giants, but he also should be inserted into starting lineups. After all, he more than proved his worth during Chicago's Week 3 victory over the Houston Texans when Montgomery exited.

All Herbert did was put the team on his back and run for 157 yards in two touchdowns in the 23-20 win.

The effort proved critical because Justin Fields and the passing attack struggled throughout the game, which has been something of the norm for the Bears this season.

Herbert was solid last season as a rookie with 433 rushing yards, 96 receiving yards and two touchdowns even though he was behind Montgomery on the depth chart. He was, unsurprisingly, at his best when the starter was sidelined during games against the Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

He ran for 97 yards and one touchdown against the Packers and 100 yards against the Buccaneers, underscoring his ability to handle a starter's workload.

That was clear again this season in the win over the Texans.

Fantasy production is largely tied to opportunity for running backs, and it is difficult to script a better opportunity for Herbert if Montgomery is out. Not only is the starter not going to take the majority of the carries, but the Bears are also built to rely on the rushing attack.

Fields is yet to prove himself as a passer at the NFL level, although he can make defenses pay with his legs. That opens up the playbook as far as running backs are concerned with read-options and screen passes a major part of the attack.

Enter Herbert, who has the speed to make defenders miss in the open field and showed enough power at the goal line against the Texans to be a factor in short-yardage situations.

It is all an ideal formula from a fantasy perspective, making Herbert a must-add from the waiver wire if he is still available and someone who should garner serious starting consideration.