Here’s a look at some of the bigger injury news and notes and the fantasy implications as we head into Week 4.

A look at the official Thursday injury reports reveals a number of ailing players — including Marion Barber, Darrelle Revis, Justin Tuck and Cedric Benson — taking part in full practices today.

The first official injury reports have the week were released Wednesday. While the Chargers finally got RB LaDainian Tomlinson back, a number of other key players — Willie Parker, Marc Bulger, Vince Wilfork and Cedric Benson — were unable to practice.

Lions RB Kevin Smith hasn’t returned following a shoulder injury, giving Maurice Morris and Aaron Brown the bulk of the workload against the Redskins.

A good bit of news for the Redskins in their game against the Lions today: Injured DT Albert Haynesworth has returned.

One of the first impressions that you draw from the Lions’ training-camp practices is that this looks like a much tougher and more physical club than the one they had last year.

In an effort to help prepare you for your fantasy drafts, Michael Fabiano examines the best and worst schedules against the pass and run, based on last season’s final defensive totals.

The Raiders haven’t been fantasy relevant for what seems like a long time. But the team made a move in that direction by signing a guy that won’t score many direct fantasy points. The Raiders signed FB Lorenzo Neal in a move that should be viewed as good news for RB Darren McFadden. The move might also give the Ravens a true No. 1 running back.

The Detroit Lions announced today that Scott Linehan has been hired to be their new offensive coordinator. The move should benefit the team’s two top fantasy players, RB Kevin Smith and WR Calvin Johnson.

Carolina is not going to have an easy time stopping the run today, even though the Saints have deactivated running back Pierre Thomas. Panthers defensive tackles Damione Lewis and Maake Kemoeatu were both deactivated, leaving Carolina short-handed against the run.

DT Nick Hayden, a 2008 sixth-round pick from Wisconsin, should make his first NFL start for the Panthers.

Lions rookie RB Kevin Smith was a full participant in Friday’s practice and is listed as probable on Detroit’s Week 7 injury report.

A report out of Detroit indicates that Rudi Johnson has moved ahead of rookie Kevin Smith on the Lions’ depth chart. Signs of this move began in Week 3, when Johnson saw the lion’s share of the carries against San Francisco.

I’m not sure if Kevin Smith is injured or simply not playing, but the rookie hasn’t see much work against San Francisco. In fact, Rudi Johnson appears to have taken over as the Lions’ featured back.