Dynasty News: Week 4

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The season is now in full swing and the news and injuries are increasing. In today’s  “Dynasty News,” we will examine some of the larger happenings of the week from a dynasty perspective.

Dynasty News: Tua Tagovailoa, Miami

On Tuesday,  Mike Garafolo tweeted, “Sources to me and @RapSheet: The #Dolphins are placing QB Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve in order to give him ample time to progress through the stages of concussion protocol and meet with outside neurologists. The earliest Tagovailoa could return is Week 8 against the #AZCardinals, but the Dolphins are committed to placing no timeline on him as he works through a deliberate process and eventual return to play.” After the loss at Seattle, the Dolphins have three winnable games on the schedule for quarterback Skylar Thompson: home versus Tennessee, at New England, and Indianapolis, including a Week 6 bye. The team will not rush Tagovailoa back. He is in the concussion protocol and may not play until November or even ever. We just want him to have a healthy life post-football. The team signed Tyler Huntley to join the quarterback mix. Signing the athletic Huntley over ex-Dolphin Mike White signals that the team knows it needs mobility at the quarterback position with the way the offensive line is playing. None of these backups are worth pursuing unless in the deepest of dynasty leagues.

Dynasty News: Justin Herbert, LA Chargers

Herbert had an ankle sprain entering Week 3, but reinjured the ankle in the loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Monday morning, Ian Rapoport tweeted, “#Chargers QB Justin Herbert, who aggravated his high-ankle sprain against the #Steelers and exited the game, had X-rays that were negative after the game, source said. He'll continue to be monitored this week.” The good news is that the X-rays were negative. With the team’s bye coming up in Week 5, we expect Los Angeles to hold their star passer out this week and allow him time to recover. The run-oriented Harbaugh offense has stifled fantasy upside, but Herbert has executed at a high level this season.

Dynasty News: Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City

Last week, reporters asked Kansas City head coach Andy Reid about the potential timing of Isiah Pacheco’s return. Reid said that the team would soon make an evaluation on the timeline. Reid said, “I can’t give you a time when he’ll return … We’ll just see if it’s this season or next season.” While many hypothesized that Pacheco could return in a couple of months, Reid opened the door that his star back might not make it back this season. Even though he did not play Sunday against Atlanta, we expect Kareem Hunt to get the majority of early-down work - with Carson Steele worked into the mix - and Samaje Perine getting the passing-down work. Hunt was not needed against the Falcons and will be brought along slowly. Reid told reporters that Hunt was not “ready yet” so we expect him to play in Week 4 and be worked up to speed. As Jerick McKinnon showed last year, Perine will have some huge fantasy games. This situation might be a large enigma for dynasty managers. But, the best dynasty play might be to acquire Pacheco while he is on the shelf.

Dynasty News: MarShawn Lloyd, Green Bay

Last week, the Green Bay Packers placed MarShawn Lloyd on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. Lloyd has been trying to recover from the injury that shelved him for most of the preseason. He makes the second back that has landed on injured reserve, with A.J. Dillon the other.  Emanuel Wilson will back up Josh Jacobs. Chris Brooks is a player to monitor as he was signed to the active roster. Expect a large workload for Jacobs. Dynasty managers should be worried about Jacobs’ large workload as he had over 1,300 rushing attempts coming into the season. The Packers will want to support quarterback Jordan Love with a strong running game as he returns to full health so Wilson makes a solid dynasty stash.