WRU Battle 2025: LSU left licking its wounds as Ohio State takes commanding lead in Week 4
Published:
We knew injuries could impact our WRU Battle between Ohio State and LSU. Unfortunately, the injury bug hit us sooner – and harder – than we ever would have imagined.
MetLife Stadium claimed another victim in Week 4, robbing us of a full 2025 campaign for Malik Nabers. The second-year wideout tore his ACL on Sunday afternoon, putting a damper on Jaxson Dart’s debut victory over the Los Angeles Chargers and our WRU Battle as a whole.
LSU has already dug a hole against Ohio State in this competition with Nabers. Without him, the Tigers – whose biggest superstars are both playing with backup quarterbacks – have a long way to go to catch the Buckeyes. We’re only a quarter of the way through the season, but right now, the outlook is dark in Baton Rouge and rosy in Columbus.
LSU WR of the Week: Justin Jefferson (Vikings)
Week 4 Stats: 10 rec., 126 yds., 0 TD
Jefferson is our first repeat Wide Receiver of the Week in this competition. He didn’t find the end zone against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but shredded their secondary throughout the first half in Ireland.
Whether it’s Carson Wentz, Nick Mullens or Kirk Cousins throwing him the ball, Jefferson finds a way to produce. There’s probably no better HC-WR combination for a quarterback than him and Kevin O’Connell. If J.J. McCarthy can’t figure it out in Minneapolis when he’s healthy again, he might not figure it out anywhere.
Ohio State WR of the Week: Marvin Harrison Jr. (Cardinals)
Week 4 Stats: 6 rec., 66 yds., 1 TD
Through 30 minutes of Thursday Night Football, Kyler Murray had more interceptions (2) than completions (1) when targeting his No. 1 wideout. Harrison did him no favors on the second giveaway by quite literally juggling it to the other team. In the end, though, he topped 60 yards for the second time this season and tallied his second touchdown in Week 4. Based on his reaction, the 16-yard score was much needed for his psyche.
Emeri Demercado and Michael Carter will share the Cardinals’ running back snaps with Trey Benson on injured reserve. Arizona should be more pass-heavy because of this, which means Harrison should see a consistently high number of targets going forward (cue fantasy managers everywhere theoretically rejoicing).
Other LSU WRs in Week 4
We alluded to the Tigers having an underwhelming Week 4 in our introduction. Beyond Jefferson, no LSU wideout topped 50 receiving yards. The Tigers, combined, also didn’t score a single touchdown for the second-straight week. Their trademark explosive games are undoubtedly coming. Will they be too little, too late?
Brian Thomas Jr. (Jaguars): 5 rec., 49 yds., 0 TD
- In our purely receiving world, Thomas has still yet to crack double-digit fantasy points this season. He has 49, 55 and 49 yards, respectively, over the last 3 weeks. It feels like Thomas is due for a breakout game, but Jacksonville has 3 stout defenses (Kansas City, Seattle, Los Angeles Rams) on tap. For Duvall’s sake, hopefully Trevor Lawrence can get him the ball on Monday night.
Ja’Marr Chase (Bengals): 5 rec., 23 yds., 0 TD
- Cincinnati’s offense has been atrocious without Joe Burrow. You’ve got to think Zac Taylor will find more ways to get Chase the football in the weeks ahead. Otherwise, he’ll be looking for an offensive coordinator or QB coach job before he can blink.
Malik Nabers (Giants): 2 rec., 20 yds., 0 TD
- Nabers’ Week 2 performance could very well be the best any receiver in our competition has this season. It’s unfortunate that we won’t be seeing him on the field again until 2026. He ends his second year with 18 rec., 271 yds. (15.1 yards per reception) and 2 touchdowns.
Kayshon Boutte (Patriots): 1 rec., 18 yds., 0 TD
- Since posting 6 catches for 103 yards in Week 1, Boutte has recorded a combined 4 receptions for 62 yards. He has not carved out the role in New England’s offense that we expected following of the season opener. With Nabers under the knife, there’s little chance for LSU to stick with Ohio State in this race if Boutte remains an afterthought.
Other Ohio State WRs in Week 4
Here’s how the other Buckeye receivers we’re tracking performed in Week 4.
Emeka Egbuka (Buccaneers): 4 rec., 101 yds., 1 TD
- That’s 4 touchdowns in 4 career games for Egbuka, who gashed the Philadelphia Eagles for a 77-yard score last week. He has at least 4 receptions in every contest this season. Hard to nail a first-round pick more than Tampa Bay did by selecting him at No. 19 overall back in April.
Garrett Wilson (Jets): 6 rec., 82 yds., 1 TD
- Wilson has 27 receptions for 311 yards and 3 touchdowns this year, but New York is 0-4. He’s ripe to boost his stat line further in Week 5 versus the Dallas Cowboys. Hopefully, for his and Justin Fields’ sake, he does so in a winning effort.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Seahawks): 4 rec., 79 yds., 0 TD
- The Cardinals made it pretty clear that they weren’t going to let Smith-Njigba beat them when they held him without a catch in the first half of their Week 4 meeting. He still wound up beating them, though, with a 20-yard grab in the final 30 seconds of regulation. JSN will reunite with Egbuka on Sunday when Seattle hosts Tampa Bay.
Chris Olave (Saints): 3 rec., 20 yds., 1 TD
- Olave threw a critical red-zone interception in this game (yes, you read that right). If New Orleans had tried throwing him the ball there, like it did when he scored 2 drives later, perhaps the Saints would have upset the Bills in Buffalo. The Saints are favored for the first time this season vs. the New York Giants in Week 5; they’d be wise to take advantage of Jaxson Dart making his first road start.
Week 4 Totals
LSU: 23 rec., 236 yds. (10.3 yards per reception), 0 TDs
Ohio State: 23 rec., 348 yds. (15.1 yards per reception), 4 TDs
Week 4 Winner: Ohio State (3-1)
Season Totals
LSU: 88 rec., 1,190 yds. (13.5 yards per reception), 5 TDs
Ohio State: 113 rec., 1,388 yds. (12.3 yards per reception), 11 TDs
Season Leader: Ohio State
