Week 4 Final Injury Report: Jefferson, Daniels and Smith Are Out, McLaurin and Evans Go to Game Time
By Verdexed NFL Desk
Friday's final injury reports settled most of the Week 4 lineup calls. Justin Jefferson, Jayden Daniels, DeVonta Smith, Caleb Williams and Breece Hall are all officially out, Nico Collins is off the report entirely, and a handful of questionable tags, led by Terry McLaurin, Mike Evans and Keenan Allen, will not be resolved until inactives drop 90 minutes before kickoff. Here is every designation that matters for fantasy lineups, the player who absorbs the work, and how to set your roster before the London game kicks off Sunday morning.
The final designations
The table below covers the fantasy-relevant skill players with an official Friday designation or a confirmed injured reserve move. Statuses were confirmed through team sites and multiple outlets (NBC Sports, Yahoo, SI, CBS).
| Player | Team | Injury | Final status | Who benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Jefferson | MIN | Ankle | Out | Jordan Addison, Jauan Jennings, T.J. Hockenson |
| Jayden Daniels | WAS | Elbow | Out | Marcus Mariota starts |
| Caleb Williams | CHI | Hamstring | Out | Starter not announced, Tyson Bagent indicated |
| DeVonta Smith | PHI | Hamstring | Out | Dontayvion Wicks, Makai Lemon |
| Hollywood Brown | PHI | Undisclosed | Out | Wicks, Lemon |
| Dallas Goedert | PHI | Knee | Out | Zach Ertz, Johnny Mundt |
| Breece Hall | NYJ | Quad | Out | Braelon Allen |
| Travis Etienne | NO | Hamstring | Injured reserve | Alvin Kamara, Kendre Miller |
| Terry McLaurin | WAS | Hamstring | Questionable | Stefon Diggs |
| Mike Evans | SF | Ribs | Questionable | Game-time decision |
| Keenan Allen | IND | Groin / rest | Questionable | Tyler Warren, Josh Downs |
| Ray Davis | BUF | Hamstring | Questionable | Backup running back role |
| Nico Collins | HOU | Hamstring | No designation | Returns after two missed games |
The outs: who replaces them
Justin Jefferson (Vikings vs. Dolphins). Jefferson did not practice all week with his sprained right ankle, and Minnesota made it official Friday. Jordan Addison is the immediate beneficiary. When Jefferson went down on Minnesota's first drive in Week 3, Addison caught five of nine targets for 90 yards and a touchdown, and Miami's secondary has been one of the league's weakest units. Addison is a WR2 with WR1 upside this week. Jauan Jennings is a flex option and T.J. Hockenson should see a bump in volume.
Jayden Daniels (Commanders vs. Colts in London). Washington ruled Daniels out as he continues to rehab the dislocated left elbow, and Marcus Mariota starts. Mariota keeps Washington's rushing element alive, which helps Jacory Croskey-Merritt's floor less than it helps Mariota's own fantasy value in superflex leagues. The bigger issue is the new McLaurin tag (below).
Caleb Williams (Bears vs. Jets). Williams sits again with his hamstring. Ben Johnson has not officially named a starter, but multiple reports say all indications point to Tyson Bagent. Chicago also ruled out offensive lineman Braxton Jones and defensive back Kyler Gordon. Treat Bears pass catchers as volume-dependent flexes, not locked-in starters.
Breece Hall (Jets vs. Bears). The quad injury is week to week, and Braelon Allen is in line for lead-back work. Allen is an RB2 on volume. The Jets also ruled out Adonai Mitchell (finger) and tight end Mason Taylor (thumb), so Garrett Wilson, who cleared concussion protocol after a late Week 3 evaluation, and tight end Kenyon Sadiq absorb the passing targets.
DeVonta Smith, Hollywood Brown and Dallas Goedert (Eagles vs. Rams). Philadelphia is down its top three pass catchers. Dontayvion Wicks is the WR3 play and rookie Makai Lemon is a stash. Zach Ertz is a deep-league tight end streamer only.
Travis Etienne (Saints vs. Falcons, Monday). New Orleans placed Etienne on injured reserve Thursday after he aggravated his hamstring in the Week 3 loss to Las Vegas, so he misses at least four games. Alvin Kamara and Kendre Miller split the bulk of the work, with rookie CJ Donaldson handling short yardage. Kamara is the safer start; Miller is the speculative add.
The questionable tags
Terry McLaurin (hamstring). McLaurin was a surprise addition to Friday's report after he was limited in practice, and reporting suggests he hurt the hamstring in that session. That is a bad sign two days before a game. Because Washington plays at 9:30 a.m. ET in London, you will know before the 1 p.m. window locks. If he is active, he is a risky WR3 with Mariota throwing. If he sits, Stefon Diggs becomes the first read.
Mike Evans (ribs). Kyle Shanahan called Evans a game-time decision against Denver. He returned to a limited practice Friday after missing Wednesday and Thursday, and per NBC Sports' Pro Football Talk he plans to play wearing protective padding. Even if active, a rib injury can limit snaps and contested catches. Have a pivot from a later game ready.
Keenan Allen (groin, rest). Allen was limited Wednesday and Thursday and did not practice Friday. If he is out, targets concentrate on tight end Tyler Warren and Josh Downs, both of whom move up into must-start and solid flex territory respectively.
Ray Davis (hamstring). Davis is Buffalo's backup back, so this matters mostly for handcuff holders and for anyone counting on a goal-line vulture role against New England.
The good news: Nico Collins is back
Nico Collins carries no designation for Sunday against Dallas after a full practice Friday. He missed two games with a grade 1 hamstring strain, and Houston scored just 23 points total across those two games. In Week 1 he caught seven passes for 75 yards and a touchdown. Start him with confidence as a WR1 and expect C.J. Stroud's efficiency to rebound. Dalton Schultz, who carried the passing game while Collins was out, drops back to a TE2.
The Rams also get Puka Nacua back. He was listed as good to go for Philadelphia, and with tight end Terrance Ferguson on injured reserve, Nacua and Davante Adams should dominate the Rams' targets.
Betting angle
Final designations matter most where the market has not fully priced the replacement. Two spots stand out. First, the Eagles at home against the Rams: the spread sits around Rams -3, and Philadelphia's receiver room is now Wicks and a rookie. Second, the London game: Washington is without Daniels and possibly McLaurin, and that early kickoff gives bettors and fantasy managers a live look at whether McLaurin is active before the rest of the slate.
For player props, watch backup receivers who inherit volume (Addison, Wicks, Warren if Allen sits). Books adjust main receivers quickly but are sometimes slower on the second and third options. For the Verdexed view of each game with the final injury picture included, see /nfl/predictions and the weekly board at /blog/nfl-week-4-picks-2026.
What's next
Sunday inactives post 90 minutes before each kickoff. The order of operations: check McLaurin and Allen at roughly 8 a.m. ET for the London game, then Evans and the 1 p.m. questionable tags. Have a Monday Night pivot in place for Evans if your league allows late swaps, since the Falcons and Saints game closes the week and Kamara, Bijan Robinson and the New Orleans receivers are all available.
Next week, the timelines to track are Smith's hamstring (two to three games per league sources), Hall's quad (week to week), Etienne's IR stint (eligible to return Week 9) and whether Jefferson can get back on the practice field Wednesday.