How to handle Matthew Stafford injury in Week 4 fantasy football

Editor’s update 8:37 a.m.: Matthew Stafford is dealing with an unexpected hip injury, but is expected to play in Week 4 vs. the Kansas City Chiefs, according to NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Adam Schefter. It sounds like a painful injury, however, with one source telling Schefter, “This is the closest he’s probably been to not playing, but he’s planning on going.” The Lions face a shaky Chiefs defense this week, but expectations might still need to be lowered for Stafford and the passing offense given the injury.

The Detroit Lions will need all hands on deck when they host the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4, but one hand might be a bit limited. The team released their final injury report on Friday, and quarterback Matthew Stafford was a surprise addition. He was listed as limited participant with a hip injury, and has been designated as questionable for Sunday.

It sounds like this could be a precautionary move, and Stafford should be starting on Sunday. Lions beat writer Kyle Meinke tweeted that Stafford tweaked the hip, but, “[p]eople I’ve talked to say they’d be shocked if Matthew Stafford didn’t start on Sunday.”

Fantasy impact: It’s never good to see a player show up on the injury report, but you can probably feel comfortable with Stafford starting. He ranks 15th in scoring to date among fantasy quarterbacks, and is projected by many systems as a top ten option this weekend. The Chiefs are rolling, but their defense is susceptible to opposing passing games. Stafford and his weapons — Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, Kerryon Johnson — all could be in line for big fantasy performances, even if they get thumped by the high-flying Chiefs.