Week 4 Fantasy Football Injury Updates: Latest on Christian McCaffrey, Sam LaPorta, DeVonta Smith and more

Another round of NFL regular season games ended on Monday night. Even though the NFL's injury bug isn't quite as serious as some other weeks going into Week 4, there are still plenty of top fantasy football assets to discuss.

Injury-related shortages at specific positions might cause problems for some teams in Week 4 unless things improve significantly before the weekend.

In light of that, let's examine the health of a few players before teams start releasing their Week 4 injury reports.

Fantasy Football injury report on Christian McCaffrey

San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey missed one month of practice after suffering an injury early in training camp. He did, however, begin limited practice ahead of the Week 1 matchup with the New York Jets.

McCaffrey was put on injured reserve five days after being a late scratch for the season's first game. According to reports, the All-Pro RB experienced discomfort in the Achilles tendon after a drill.

McCaffrey is eligible to return for the Week 6 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, but there's no guarantee he'll be well enough to play by then.

Adam Schefter of ESPN revealed on Monday that McCaffrey flew to Germany over the weekend to consult with a doctor to assess what is wrong with his Achilles tendinitis. It is expected that he will be there for a few days this week while the injury is further examined.

Regarding McCaffrey, head coach Kyle Shanahan said to reporters on Monday, "I know he's going to see a specialist that I believe can help him with his Achilles process. I think he’s doing that over these next few days, and hopefully, it’ll help.”

Fantasy Football injury report on Sam LaPorta

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta was carted off to the locker room following his injury (low-ankle sprain) sustained in the team's Week 3 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. Luckily for the star tight end, examinations revealed his ailment was not serious.

Dan Campbell, the head coach of the Detroit Lions, said in his Monday press conference that LaPorta is battling with a sprained ankle and will be day-to-day.

We will have additional information on LaPorta as the week progresses, but this first update is positive.

The Lions' next game is scheduled for Monday Night Football against the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 30.

Fantasy Football Injury Update on DeVonta Smith

Defensive tackle Khristian Boyd of the New Orleans Saints struck wide receiver DeVonta Smith of the Philadelphia Eagles with a huge hit from behind in the second half of the Week 3 game on Sunday.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the wide receiver sustained a concussion. As a result, it is highly unlikely that he will participate in Week 4 when the Eagles travel to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Due to a hamstring injury, Philadelphia's offense is already without one of its top receivers, A.J. Brown, so Smith's absence would be even more devastating.

Fantasy Football Injury Update on Adam Thielen

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen injured his hamstring in the process of catching a touchdown pass against the Las Vegas Raiders. The 34-year-old receiver will now miss at least four games as the team has placed him on injured reserve, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported on Tuesday.

Thielen and quarterback Andy Dalton clicked right away in the early stages of the Week 3 game, but that connection will not be on show for some time since Thielen will be sidelined due to the hamstring issue. Before departing the Week 3 game, he had three catches for 40 yards and a touchdown.

Fantasy Football Injury Update on Justin Herbert

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert re-aggravated his high ankle sprain from Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

Herbert, who was wearing a walking boot, reported that he didn't have any ankle pain before kickoff but that it started to hurt as the game went on. The quarterback has continued to be upbeat about his prospects of facing the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported on Monday that Herbert had X-rays done, but the results were negative. Now, as the Chargers get ready for a pivotal Week 4 matchup with the Chiefs, the quarterback will be watched closely all week.