Tank Dell Likely Out for Week 4 😟

Make sure to tune into the most recent episode of the Upper Hand Fantasy Podcast: Week 4 QB & RB Matchups! Where does Jayden Daniels rank after his explosive Week 3 performance? How far down is Anthony Richardson sliding? All those questions and more answered here:

• Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III officially practices in a limited fashion Thursday for first time in two weeks

  • Does this mean that Kenneth Walker is absolutely playing in Week 4 against the Lions? Of course it doesn’t. In fact, it’s only a baby step in the right direction considering the amount of time he’s already missed up to this point. However, it’s the first progress towards a return we’ve seen since he began missing practices in the wake of his strong Week 1 performance. Zach Charbonnet has filled in serviceably the past two weeks, taking nearly every snap in the Seattle backfield while Walker has been on the mend. However, if Week 1 was any indication about what the backfield share will look like when Walker is healthy, Charbonnet will likely be a non factor once Walker re-enters the lineup. With the Seahawks not slated to take the field until Monday night against the Lions, Walker will have an extra day to try and get right in time to suit up for Week 4. However, fantasy managers shouldn’t bank on a Walker start, especially if they have more secure options playing in the games on Sunday. The best course of action would be to assume that Walker will miss.

• Chargers QB Justin Herbert logs limited practice for second-straight day on Thursday, status for Week 4 firmly in question

  • Despite taking the field in a limited fashion, it still doesn’t paint a rosy picture regarding his availability for this weekend’s game against the Chiefs – though Jim Harbaugh and the Roman empire haven’t asked Herbert to do a whole lot in the way of throwing the ball through three games so far. He has yet to attempt more than 26 passes in a game with the Chargers’ run-heavy scheme dominating the play calling, and as a result, Herbert is just the QB29 in fantasy points scored. While he likely wasn’t in your lineup this week regardless, his ability to support WRs Quentin Johnston and Ladd McConkey to fantasy relevance (at the very least) makes his presence on the field important. Journeyman QB Taylor Heinicke would be slated to start in place of Herbert this week should he ultimately be ruled out. In that case, the overall scoring ceiling of the Chargers offense in their matchup against the Chiefs would sink to a likely unusable level. With the Chargers bye coming up in Week 5, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Herbert take the extra week off to get back to 100% – but we’ve also seen Herbert play through injury before, too. Pay close attention to any developments over the weekend.

• Texans WR Tank Dell not expected to play in Week 4 with rib injury after missing first two practices on Wednesday/Thursday

  • Dell hasn’t been able to get a whole lot going through the first quarter of the 2024 season, failing to reel in any touchdown catches from QB C.J. Stroud and while averaging just 33 receiving yards per game. It’s officially a rib injury for Dell on the injury report, but he’s reportedly also dealing with a wrist injury, as well. With Dell out of the lineup, WRs Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs have their fantasy floors secured in Week 4 – although both have been productive even with Dell playing. Collins ranks currently as the overall WR6 in points per game, while Diggs checks in as a low-WR1 as the WR11. With the Jaguars being a top-9 matchup across the board against wide receivers on the left, right and the slot, Dell’s absence shouldn’t be too entirely consequential when it comes to projecting C.J. Stroud’s numbers this week. However, with Tank Dell vacating 17% of the team target share, players like TE Dalton Schultz could have increased upside this week and be worth a look in an extremely deflated tight end market. It doesn’t seem like it’ll be a multi-week injury for Dell, though fantasy managers will want to stay tuned to injury reports next week in the wake of Dell’s first game missed of the 2024 season.

BUY Jameson Williams (WR - Detroit Lions)

• After back-to-back 14+ point games to start the season, Williams seems to be a buy-low opportunity after a very poor Week 3, garnering just 3 targets and 1 catch for 9 yards against the Cardinals. That comes after 5+ catch games in each of the first two weeks where he amassed 20 targets.

• He's garnered 5 redzone targets - something we didn't really expect coming into this season, but clearly an emphasis in the Lions' offensive scheme - and he's yet to score on any of them. With LaPorta now injured (ankle) in the short-term, Williams very easily should bounce back to WR2/FLEX-level production and remains a potential top-12 WR on any given week due to his big play ability and absurd 6th-most air yards on the season.

• Worth an investment as a low-WR2/excellent FLEX - just be sure to position your pitch as he's reverted back to his inconsistencies of the past (hint: he really hasn't).

SELL Chuba Hubbard (RB - Carolina Panthers)

• Week 3 was an uncharacteristically amazing game for the Panthers' offense and for RB Chubba Hubbard, who had a career day with 21 carries for 114 yards plus another 55 and a TD via 5 catches (on 5 targets), amounting to a career-best 28-point performance on the week.

• While I expect the Panthers' offense to be better under Dalton than in Bryce Young's first two weeks, one shouldn't expect anything close to the 36-point offensive explosion from Carolina on a weekly basis. That in itself would've been enough for a sell-high moment for Hubbard, but factor in Young is expected to reclaim the starting spot in the coming weeks, plus RB Jonathon Brooks will likely come off the NFI List within a month, Hubbard is a must-sell after his big Week 3.

STASH Ladd McConkey (WR - Los Angeles Chargers)

• McConkey's not a flashy player in reality, standing at just 6'0", 185 lbs, or in fantasy, tallying a steady 17 targets over his first 3 career games, but his 26% target share stands 15th in the NFL, even this early into his NFL career.

• It won't be long before that target share becomes a strong PPR baseline as the Chargers can't expect to maintain their mere 22 passing attempts per game and remain competitive, seeing as they had drawn Las Vegas, Carolina, and Pittsburgh in their opening three games - all subpar offenses.

• McConkey projects as a very low-cost, but PPR-friendly depth option, likely to cost pennies on the dollar as a WR4/5 option, but is likely to far exceed that value throughout the season, especially later in the year.