Fantasy Football Week 4 Updates: Jayden Daniels, Terry McLaurin Out; Xavier Worthy In

News came down Friday on three important fantasy football players: quarterback Jayden Daniels and wide receivers Terry McLaurin and Xavier Worthy. It's bad news for the two Washington guys, who have both been ruled out, but Worthy will finally make his return after suffering an injury three plays into the season and missing essentially three games.

Let's look at what these updates mean from a real-life and fantasy football perspective. We'll talk about what each team can expect in Week 4, the players' own fantasy outlook (if applicable), and the effect on those around them.

Check out FantasySP's injury news wrap-up to keep up with every injured player's status heading into each week of games.

Washington will be without Daniels, McLaurin

The Commanders' quarterback will miss his second straight game after suffering a knee injury in Week 2 against the Packers. Things went fine without Daniels in Week 2, as Marcus Mariota stepped in against a subpar Raiders team and put 41 points on the board (there was a punt return touchdown).

Mariota only had to throw 21 times, completing 15 for 207 yards (9.9 per attempt) and a touchdown. He added 40 yards and a touchdown on the ground, an important part of his success as a quarterback. McLaurin led the team with three receptions and 74 yards; it might not seem like much, but with such low volume, that is a good day.

The matchup this week against Atlanta is a tougher one. The Falcons have allowed the third-fewest yards per pass attempt and less than 20 points per game. Their Week 3 loss to the Panthers was embarrassing, as any 30-0 loss would be, but Atlanta has otherwise looked very functional, particularly on defense.

Fantasy Football Implications

Daniels is a weekly fantasy starter, so his loss is always big for fantasy owners. If you're looking at Mariota as a fill-in, he was a decent option against Vegas last week but is less appealing against the Falcons. Atlanta has allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks, looking good against Baker Mayfield, J.J. McCarthy, and Bryce Young.

That's not exactly a murderer's row, but Atlanta's numbers are near the best in the league; they did what they were supposed to. Against a backup quarterback without his top receiver, that performance so far matters. Skip Mariota this week.

The other pass catchers get a boost with no McLaurin, but they have to deal with the same brutal matchup, as the Falcons have allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers. They have also given up the fewest fantasy points to tight ends, so Zach Ertz should stay on your bench this week.

The other receiver of note is Deebo Samuel Sr., who leads the team with 21 targets and 16 receptions and is second with 132 receiving yards (he has also run four times for 37 yards). With McLaurin out, it would seem to make Samuel a must-start player, but the tougher matchup gives some pause. Samuel is in the WR3/4/flex discussion; he will get the ball, but a tougher matchup means he might not be productive. Stay away from any other Washington receiver.

The running backs don't see their value change much. Jacory Croskey-Merritt will lead the way with Jeremy McNichols and Chris Rodriguez Jr. backing him up. Atlanta is in the middle in terms of defending the run, so Croskey-Merritt is still a very start-able RB, though I don't trust the backups in fantasy.

Kansas City gets Worthy back

On the third play of their Week 1 game in Brazil, Worthy ran into Travis Kelce on a crossing route and suffered a dislocated shoulder. His absence in the meantime has left the Chiefs perilously thin at wide receiver, with Rashee Rice suspended for the first six games of the season.

Marquise Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Tyquan Thornton have been holding things down in the meantime. That underwhelming triumvirate combined with the running game doing absolutely nothing and Kelce looking middling at best has made everything tough on the Chiefs in the first three games.

Patrick Mahomes is averaging just 6.4 yards per pass attempt and 223 yards per game while completing fewer than 60% of his passes. He has actually led the team in rushing, probably using his legs more because he has to than because he really wants to. Getting the speedy Worthy back in the lineup gives him a better top-line receiver while pushing everyone else down into a role for which they are better suited.

Fantasy Football Implications

Worthy himself probably steps back into the WR1 role, where it was expected he would be with Rice out. Rice is likely the top guy when on the field, but Worthy has a little extra value until he returns. That immediately puts Worthy on the fantasy radar under weekly consideration.

The matchup this week against the Ravens is a nice one also. Baltimore has allowed the 12th-most yards per pass attempt after finishing right around the middle last year. They have also given up an above-average number of fantasy points to opposing receivers, showing vulnerability against the pass.

That makes Worthy a WR2/3 type player depending on your roster and worthy (no pun intended) of a lineup spot. There is a risk of reinjury, so it's understandable if you have a strong unit and want to leave him on your bench, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see Worthy lead KC in receiving this week.

The other receivers are mostly off the fantasy radar, falling to WR3/4 territory or worse. Smith-Schuster doesn't get enough volume, and Thornton has done well but relied too much on explosive plays. With Worthy filling that deep role more often, Thornton might get squeezed out of most opportunities.

Brown got the most volume with Worthy out, leading the team with 27 targets, 19 receptions, and 171 yards (tied with Thornton) through the first three weeks. He still has a little deep-league value, but I don't feel good about counting on Brown with a more complete receiving corps; he's a low-floor player.

Mahomes gets a boost as a passer, but if he runs less with stronger receivers, that could hurt his fantasy value. His career high for rushing yards before this season was 389; Mahomes is currently on pace for 708 yards. He's going to slow down running, again, something that drops his fantasy value a bit (he's QB8 right now).

Mahomes is still a good but not great fantasy quarterback, the type of guy who is worth benching some weeks, though most owners will always have him in the lineup. This is a good week to start him, as the Ravens have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks.

Kelce stays as an underwhelming option who is fine as a middling fantasy tight end. The running backs are impossible to trust right now, and I recommend leaving both Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt on the bench.