Higgins making a year-two jump

The 34-year-old vet functioned as an emergency Fred Warner replacement last year and will presumably get a shot to be active for the Rams in the near future.

Mannion defended his approach during a Tuesday presser, two days after the Eagles offense — missing DeVonta Smith and Saquon Barkley — sputtered to a loss against the Rams. The Eagles have put Jalen Hurts under center and utilized play action much more than usual this season. It’s a strategy that hasn’t paid off quite yet. Hurts ranks 31st out of 38 qualifying QBs in adjusted yards per attempt on passes from under center; his 18 percent success rate from under center is by far the worst in the NFL. It’s hard to envision brighter days ahead for Hurts if Smith remains sidelined. He’s barely startable in 12-team formats for now.

The injury, sustained during the Bolts’ Week 4 loss to the Seahawks, will cost Slater between four and six weeks, Rapoport said. It’s yet another massive blow for the struggling Chargers offense. Through Week 4 the Chargers rank 30th in ESPN’s pass blocking win rate and fifth in run blocking win rate. Justin Herbert’s weekly prospects take a hit with the oft-injured Slate sidelined, as do the prospects of LA’s pass catchers.

Key sustained the hamstring injury in Week 4’s win against the Commanders in London. Colts head coach Shane Steichen confirmed Key will be sidelined for a while as he recovers from the injury. The Colts defense ranks 15th in pressure rate through the first four games of the season. They rank ninth in quick pressure rate.

Brooks left the Packers’ Week 4 win over the Bucs with an ankle injury in the first half. He did not return after the break and LaFleur didn’t have any definitive answers about the injury on Monday. It sounds like his status for Week 5 is very much up in the air. After coughing up a goal line fumble, Kaleb Johnson would likely take a backseat to MarShawn Lloyd once again. Lloyd has some low-end RB3 appeal as the potential lead back, but this is ultimately a backfield to avoid for fantasy purposes if possible.

Dealing with a sprained ankle he sustained last week against the Titans, Jackson will sit out at least one game and could miss multiple weeks, according to Rapoport. Tyler Huntley will make his annual start or two (or three) for the Ravens when they take on the Falcons defense, which is allowing the third lowest drop back success rate in the NFL. It’s a downgrade for Mark Andrews and Zay Flowers, though both should be played in 12-team leagues in Week 5. Huntley should be added in all superflex leagues.

Vele’s nine targets ranked behind only alpha Chris Olave, although he was headed for another modest fantasy outing before a garbage time touchdown with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter of the blowout loss. Vele has yet to eclipse 69 yards through the first month of play as he continues to operate in an intermediate role for a Saints team struggling to attack downfield. Fantasy managers could consider sitting Vele against the ferocious Vikings defense in Week 5.

Johnson saw a slight uptick in snaps and routes after Noah Fant was inactive with an abdominal injury but returned a modest receiving line while being kept out of the end zone. The towering veteran finished third on the team in targets behind Chris Olave and Devaughn Vele, the latter of whom scored the only receiving touchdown in a game that saw the two teams combine for seven rushing scores. Johnson remains a back-end TE1 for as long as rookie Jordyn Tyson remains sidelined, which appears likely to persist for another few weeks, at minimum. That holds true ahead of a Week 5 meeting with the vaunted Vikings defense.

Olave found himself with a relatively quiet receiving line in the first half as the Saints struggled to consistently move the football, something that has become far too familiar under head coach Kellen Moore’s tutelage. As has been the case for some time, Olave got going after the break, ending with his third 100-yard game in four tries, now trailing only CeeDee Lamb in receiving yards through the first month of the season. Fantasy managers will want to monitor the electric wide receiver’s practice status in the coming days after he pulled himself out of the game on the team’s final possession with some sort of ailment. If healthy, Olave remains an elite WR1 ahead of a Week 5 meeting with the Vikings.

The Saints mustered just 16 running back carries in the first game without Travis Etienne, gaining just 50 yards on the ground in the blowout loss. The New Orleans offensive line was completely out-classed by the stout Atlanta defensive front. Kamara briefly departed with a knee injury that required two trips to the medical tent but would return to score his second touchdown of the evening in the fourth quarter. Kamara should continue to lead the backfield in the absence of Etienne and suddenly finds himself as an RB2 in fantasy circles ahead of a Week 5 meeting with the Vikings.