Takeaways from TNF

Malik Nabers, Wan'Dale Robinson, and more ...

September 27, 2024

Sept. 27, 2024

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After awful performances in the last two games, the Cowboys faced an opponent that always gets them steered in the right direction. Dallas went on the road to face the Giants Thursday night and won, 20-15. It was the 14th win in the last 15 games against the Giants. Here is the Friday FAQ.

Adam Ronis

What happened to Malik Nabers?

Nabers tried to make a catch along the sidelines on fourth down late in the fourth quarter and landed flat on his front side, hitting his helmet hard on the turf. The rookie was able to walk off the field under his own power. He was diagnosed with a concussion after catching 12 of 15 targets for 115 yards. Nabers has a massive target share every week and has 35 catches for 386 yards and 3 touchdowns in four games. Nabers has 10 days to get ready for the Week 5 game against the Seahawks.

Can we count on Wan’Dale Robinson?

Another week, another solid game for Robinson in PPR formats. Robinson was on the field more in this game and caught 11 passes for 71 yards on 14 targets. He has 38 targets through four games and has at least 9 PPR points in each game. With the bye weeks ahead, Robinson is a good play.

Is Jake Ferguson one of the few tight ends to count on every week?

The tight end landscape has been awful, making Ferguson a top-5 option at the position moving forward. After CeeDee Lamb, Ferguson is the second-most targeted Cowboy by Dak Prescott. After missing Week 2 with injury, he caught 6 of 11 targets for 95 yards last week, followed by a 7-49-0 line last night.

What’s going on with the Cowboys’ running game?

Not much. Dallas averaged 3.5 yards per carry. Rico Dowdle led the way again with 11 carries for 46 yards and a 15-yard TD reception. Ezekiel Elliott continued to see minimal work with 5 carries for 19 yards and caught a 5-yard pass. Dowdle is, at best, an RB3.

What is in today’s newsletter?

Chris Allen and Jorge Martin go injury-by-injury through the most important updates for Fantasy Football.
Watercooler: A young QB takes command and captivates Love/Hate.

INJURY ROUNDUP

Injuries To Monitor in Week 4

Chris Allen and Jorge Martin deliver the Injury Roundup, a thorough look at the injuries facing fantasy football managers going into Week 4 of the NFL season.

Quarterback

Justin Herbert (Ankle): Seeing Herbert pull himself from the game against the Steelers in Week 3 was borderline shocking, as he has played through many injuries that apparently would have taken many out of action. Early reports are that he had an MRI and it did not show any fractures, and according to The Athletic’s Daniel Popper, HC Jim Harbaugh said Herbert is “progressing.”

What complicates the injury situation is that both tackles—Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt—were also injured in the game against the Steelers.

Alt suffered a sprained MCL and is expected to miss some time, while Slater was not practicing on Thursday. That’s unfortunate timing, as the Chargers host the Chiefs this week. Would it help Herbert to sit and recover? Dr. Edwin Porras recommended that the prudent approach would be to sit Herbert for 1-2 weeks—the Chargers are on a bye in Week 5. The competitor in him may try to push through and play, though with limited mobility and Chris Jones on the other side of the ball, it’s recommended to sit him.

He was limited in practice on Wednesday and not on the field in the open portion of Thursday’s practice. Early breakout Quentin Johnston and Ladd McConkey would be downgraded this week, especially if Herbert cannot go.

Running Back

Austin Ekeler (Head): Washington's RB2 was off to a productive start before sustaining a head injury in the third quarter. On the one hand, it was encouraging to see Ekeler with red-zone touches for the second consecutive game. Coupled with 3.3 targets per game, Ekeler had seemingly secured his contingent value within the Commanders' offense. However, on the flip side, there was no question about who the RB1 was for the offense.

Brian Robinson's rushing share was continuing to grow week after week. From 41.4% of the team's rushing attempts in Week 1 to 52.2% on Monday night (with Ekeler still active), BRob not only had the work between the 20s but has hoarded all of the carries from inside the 5.

Ekeler has already been ruled out for this weekend. With a matchup against the Cardinals on tap (28th in rushing success rate allowed, and just lost one of their starting defensive linemen), a Robinson-Ekeler rotation would be a boon for the former Charger. With him potentially sidelined, Robinson becomes a mid-range RB2 for Week 4.

Wide Receiver

Marvin Harrison Jr. (quadriceps): Arizona WRs have the juiciest matchup against the Commanders this weekend. By target share alone, the last WR1s to face Washington's secondary have lit up the boxscore.

Week 1: Chris Godwin, 8-83-1 (stat line), 22.3 (PPR points)
Week 2: Malik Nabers, 10-127-1, 28.7
Week 3: Ja'Marr Chase, 6-118-2, 29.8

So, of course, Harrison popped up on Wednesday's injury report with a quad injury.

On the bright side, Harrison still logged over 90.0% of the routes against the Lions and was catching passes from Kyler Murray late into the fourth quarter. Plus, there wasn't a mention of a medical issue immediately after the game. Let's assume (for now), the team is being cautious with its first-round WR and we'll adjust our expectations after Friday's practice report.

DeVonta Smith (Head): This is not shaping up as a good week for Eagles receivers. A.J. Brown has not practiced since Sept. 13 with a hamstring injury that will probably keep him out this week—and the Eagles are on a bye next week. Smith is in the concussion protocol, so keep an eye on the practice reports, as he has until Saturday to clear and be able to play Sunday.

Porras cautioned fantasy managers that people heal at a different rate, so there is just no way to plan for anything other than to have Smith sit and be pleasantly surprised if he plays Sunday. A road game in Tampa Bay is coming up, and the Bucs already have allowed Amon-Ra St. Brown a receiving line of 11-119 in Week 2. So if Smith plays, he’s in starting lineups for fantasy teams.

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