The question — is Marquise Brown playing in Week 4 — got raised on Friday when the Arizona Cardinals‘ WR was listed on the team’s injury report as limited with a foot injury.
The injury has caused an issue for fantasy football managers because with the injury happening on a Friday, we have had little in the way of updates since. Let’s look at the latest news regarding Brown’s status for Week 4 and the fantasy implications.
Update: Marquise Brown is active and will play today against Carolina.
Is Marquise Brown playing today?
Brown was already on the Cardinals’ injury report this week, but simply due to resting. He was back at practice on Thursday before picking up the foot injury and being limited on Friday.
We saw a similar situation happen with Gabe Davis a couple of weeks ago, where he picked up an injury in the final practice of the week and then missed the game that weekend.
The positive news is that as of Saturday, the Cardinals did not rule out Brown. That positive news was reinforced when ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Saturday night that Brown is expected to play in Week 4. On Sunday morning, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported similar news, suggesting we should expect to see Brown this week.
Can fantasy managers trust Brown in Week 4?
If we had not gotten this news from Schefter and Rapoport overnight, then there would be some level of concern. With the Cardinals playing in the Week 4 late afternoon window, if Brown was a true game-time decision, then it would leave a quandary for fantasy managers.
However, with the expectation that he will suit up, some level of concern is diminished in terms of having a reserve option available.
It would still be prudent for fantasy managers to ensure they have another option on their roster who is playing in the late afternoon window, Sunday Night Football, or Monday Football. That way, if something does happen to Brown, fantasy managers have somewhere to turn, rather than being stuck in terms of options if he is listed inactive at around 2:45 p.m. ET.
The question now really becomes what we can expect from Brown in Week 4. In the past two weeks, he has been targeted a total of 28 times for 20 receptions and 208 yards. Brown also had a touchdown catch on four receptions back in Week 1.
With DeAndre Hopkins suspended and injuries for Rondale Moore and A.J. Green, Brown has established himself as the WR1 option for the Cardinals in the early part of the season.
Therefore, even if he is limited and loses a portion of his workload, we could still be looking at 7-10 targets for the WR this week. For that reason, Brown sits as the WR13 in our Week 4 WR fantasy rankings and 43rd overall in our Week 4 PPR fantasy rankings.
Greg Dortch and Zach Ertz could both benefit if Brown is limited
If Brown is limited in terms of snaps, then both Greg Dortch and Zach Ertz could see a bump in targets. Given that both have seen more than seven targets per game through the first three weeks, that is promising news for their fantasy value.
The Panthers are very much a middle-of-the-road matchup for WRs this season, allowing an average of 28.33 fantasy points per game in half-PPR to the position. However, they allowed 49.2 points to the position in Week 3.
For Ertz, the matchup appears to be tougher. The Panthers are the 10th-toughest matchup for the position in terms of fantasy points allowed (5.9 per game).
However, the Panthers have yet to face a significant test at tight end this season, so those numbers should be taken with a pinch of salt. Ertz remains a tight end you should start this week, sitting seventh in our Week 4 TE fantasy rankings.
The other two WRs that could benefit are Andy Isabella and the returning Rondale Moore. However, neither carries much value outside of extremely deep leagues. Moore should be limited as he returns from a hamstring injury that kept him out for the first three weeks.