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Some key players have gone down with injuries in Week 4, and that could affect the fantasy football upside of quite a few players. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been hit the hardest by the injury bug so far and will be spread thin at multiple skill position on offense. Let’s go over some major injury news to determine who could get a boost in fantasy football production.
RB Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns
Chubb left Sunday’s matchup agains the Dallas Cowboys with a knee injury and did not return. While it’s unclear how severe his injury is, his absence will be felt by one of the most dominant rushing teams in the NFL. Kareem Hunt scored two touchdowns against Dallas and will get a massive boost in usage if Chubb misses more time.
RB Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers
Ekeler went down with a hamstring injury against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and has a backup in Joshua Kelley who notched 23 carries in one game as a reserve earlier this season. While he’ll likely benefit most from Ekeler’s injury, Justin Jackson will also come on to spell him from time to time.
RB LeSean McCoy, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers lost more than one running back to injury in Week 4. McCoy went down with an ankle injury before Kenjon Barner went down with a shoulder injury. Leonard Fournette is also battling an ankle injury, so expect Ronald Jones II to get a ton of snaps if the non of Tampa Bay’s reserve options are healthy heading into Week 5. Ke’Shawn Vaughn could be in for a lot more touches.
TE O.J. Howard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Howard has ruptured his Achilles and is likely done for the rest of 2020. There will be a battle between Rob Gronkowski and Cameron Brate for the top tight end spot. While there might not be a full-time replacement for Howard, but both backups should get a significant boost in fantasy football production, as Tom Brady loves his tight ends.
TE Jordan Akins, Houston Texans
Akins was knocked out of Sunday’s game after taking a helmet-to-helmet hit against the Minnesota Vikings and is dealing with a concussion. Akins has been productive as the first string tight end and will surrender work to Darren Fells if he misses an extended period of time. Don’t expect Fells to match Akins’ level of productivity though.
WR Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mike Evans appeared to be hobbled by an ankle injury in Week 4, but was able to tough it out against the Chargers. Bruce Arians doesn’t expect Godwin to return from his hamstring injury against the Chicago Bears, so it looks like Scotty Miller could continue to get a lot of work in the coming weeks.