NOTE: This column is a living document. I'll be updating as needed after team press conferences, imaging reports, Monday Night Football injuries, etc. Major changes to the content will be noted in red. I'll also be retweeting any key pieces of news and my own reaction and analysis, so make sure you're following @JeneBramel and checking my timeline on Twitter throughout the week.
Scroll to the bottom of this article for a quick look table of the week's most pressing injury situations and a review of the skill position players on injured reserve / PUP / NFI.
INJURY ROUNDS
Thankfully, Week 3 was much kinder to the bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, and muscles of NFL players. The training room will still be busy, however, with a large number of ongoing injury rehabilitations and recoveries. Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, T.Y. Hilton, Stefon Diggs, Doug Baldwin, and Devante Parker all played through injury this week. Hopefully, Julio Jones and Willie Snead will be able to do the same on Monday night.
Russell Wilson | Left MCL sprain | Day-to-Day
Wilson had his left leg twisted awkwardly on a horse collar tackle. He was braced and returned to the game. The mechanism of injury was most consistent with an MCL sprain and Pete Carroll told reporters after the game Wilson had suffered a knee sprain. Wilson told reporters he felt he could've returned had the game been close.
Data from the NFL shows most players with low-grade MCL injuries return within 7-10 days. Wilson has already recovered at the low end of a recovery timetable from his recent high ankle sprain, so it's tough to bet against a return in Week 4. Brandon Marshall, who returned to play in Week 2 with a similar injury, struggled to practice at all last week, so Wilson's recovery isn't yet assured. Expect limited practice this week and watch late week practice participation and media comments for more.
Monday Update: Pete Carroll confirmed the diagnosis of an MCL sprain in the team's press conference today.
Sammy Watkins | Foot soreness | Day-to-Day
It's tough to know how much to worry about Watkins. He returned and looked in form by the end of the preseason. Leading into Week 1, Adam Schefter reported Watkins' foot was still sore and problematic. After Week 1, Watkins was concerned enough to request an x-ray to reassess the surgical site. Immediately after getting a reassuring result, he denied his concerns were anything more than precautionary. Since then, Watkins has been limited in practice leading into Week 2, looked hobbled at times during the Thursday night game against the Jets ten days ago, then missed every practice leading into Week 3 after being "stepped on" during an early week walk through. I also think it's notable that Rex Ryan never seems pleased about Watkins' status when asked in press conferences.
Throughout these past 3-4 weeks of worry, there's been an undercurrent of reports that suggest Watkins and/or the team may be strongly considering resting Watkins until the pain in his foot subsides. Watkins has been telling reporters he wants to play -- and he did play effectively through the stress reaction in his foot last year.
That's a lot of useful data points without a clear conclusion. The next helpful data point comes Wednesday. If Watkins isn't practicing, prepare for a multiple-week absence and intensive rehab work.
Jeremy Langford | Right ankle injury | Week-to-Week
I reviewed Langford's injury frame-by-frame. The precise moment of injury to his ankle is difficult to interpret but the position of his knee is most consistent with a high ankle sprain. On the television broadcast, Michele Tafoya said the medical staff seemed focused on his Achilles tendon. I didn't see an Achilles mechanism to the injury and Langford didn't react that way on the field. It's likely Tafoya saw the medical staff performing a squeeze test to evaluate for a high ankle sprain and misinterpreted that as an Achilles squeeze test. The exam is similar. If that's true, it's additional evidence for a high ankle sprain.
Unfortunately, unless one of our friendly national media members cracks the case for us, we won't get anything of note from Chicago. John Fox runs the quietest injury ship in the league.
If Langford has a low grade high ankle sprain, it's possible but unlikely he'll be able to return in Week 4. That's a tough ask for a running back, however. Prepare for a 2-4 week absence.
Monday update: The Bears say Langford's injury is an ankle sprain and not a torn Achilles. They provided no specifics on the type or severity of sprain or a timetable for his return.
Monday night update: Adam Schefter tweeted Langford is expected to miss 4-6 weeks. That's even more evidence for a high ankle sprain. Langford likely narrowly avoided a broken bone with this mid-grade sprain.
Shane Vereen | Triceps tear | Injured Reserve
The Giants revealed Vereen's injury today, moving him to injured reserve. There's a slim chance he'll be able to return to the active roster late this season if his post-surgical rehab goes smoothly. The early timetable given today was two months. We've seen players recover quickly from torn muscles, but tendon tears requiring surgery are more difficult to recover from in the same season.
Dez Bryant | Right knee injury | Day-to-Day
Bryant returned to Sunday night's game after having his right knee twisted and driven into the turf. Television replays showed mechanisms consistent with an MCL sprain and/or a knee contusion. Bryant didn't show any limitations after a halftime cool down, but these injuries sometimes are worse the following day. There may be nothing of concern here but watch for Bryant's practice participation to be certain.
Ryan Mathews | Ankle injury | Day-to-Day
Mathews was ineffective early yesterday, left the game, and never returned. There was speculation he was dealing with ongoing ankle soreness and the Eagles confirmed as much today. Philadelphia has a bye this week, giving Mathews time to recover without missing additional snaps. Doug Pederson said today Mathews would remain the starter when healthy.
Michael Floyd | Concussion | Day-to-Day
Floyd was evaluated for a head injury during the game yesterday and cleared. He reported a headache after arriving at the team facility this morning and was put into the concussion protocol. Expect limited practice early in the week, with the Friday practice participation report key. If Floyd does enough to be cleared to practice, there's a good chance the independent neurologist will clear him to return this week.
Josh Doctson | Achilles tendinitis | Week-to-Week
Doctson was a surprise Sunday scratch after expressing concern over his Achilles tendinitis during pregame warmups. Washington has given Doctson multiple weeks to rest and recover more than once since May and the injury has never fully responded. They've limited his practice time in each week during the regular season and he's still having difficulty staying in condition. This may prove to be a minor setback but the team may have to consider shutting him down for multiple weeks once again to minimize the risk of a major cascade injury.
Jordan Cameron | Concussion | Week-to-Week
Cameron was diagnosed with a concussion this week and has already been ruled out of the Thursday night game. With his history of concussion, this could be a multiple week recovery.
Followup Appointments
Tyler Eifert | Deltoid ligament repair | Day-to-Day
Eifert returned to practice this week as he continues his prescribed 4-5 month rehab from ankle surgery. I think there's a good chance Eifert returns to limited duty on Thursday night and continues to rehab over the following ten days with the hope he'll be able to return as close to full form as possible by Week 5. However, don't be surprised if the Bengals stay conservative and continue to slowly rehab Eifert into mid-October. We'll know more midweek.
Thomas Rawls | Right leg contusion | Day-to-Day
Lower leg contusions are tough injuries to rehab. There's not much muscle overlying the lower leg bones and any bleeding into those spaces is painful and takes time to resorb. Rawls was unable to practice last week. That means his injury didn't respond well to treatment. Without more specifics, it's impossible to know whether this turns into a multiple week recovery or if Rawls will be back fully practicing on Wednesday.
Monday Update: The Seahawks re-evaluated Rawls after his inability to return to practice last week. Further imaging studies showed a hairline fracture in his fibula, the smaller bone in the lower leg. The fibula isn't the major weight-bearing bone in the lower leg -- the bigger shin bone takes about 80-90% of the weight -- but the bone will still need to heal for Rawls to return. Media reports today set the timetable for a "few weeks." I think the over-under for Rawls' return is around six weeks from the date of injury and I'd lean slightly to the over.
Doug Martin | Right hamstring strain | Week-to-Week
Arian Foster | Groin strain | Week-to-Week
Jonathan Stewart | Hamstring strain | Week-to-Week
After some early optimism for each of these running backs, it was clear early last week that each player had more than a low grade strain. Both Martin and Stewart were given 3-4 week timetables, which means both have at least mid-grade injuries. Running backs with mid-grade strains often return at the long end of the return to play timetable. The Buccaneers have a Week 6 bye, which puts Martin's earliest likely return at Week 7. The Panthers have a Week 7 bye, which could mean Stewart won't be able to return until Week 8 if his injury doesn't respond to treatment over the next week. Foster was given a week-to-week timetable but his recoveries from muscle strains rarely go smoothly.
Jamaal Charles | ACL recovery | Week-to-Week
Another week has passed in Charles' recovery with mostly scout team reps in practice and him watching from the sideline on gameday. There seems little urgency from Charles or the Chiefs to accelerate his rehab and consider him a viable part of their weekly game plan. With Spencer Ware continuing to play well and Charcandrick West healthy, it's likely we'll continue to see Charles recondition. At best, he'll return to take a handful of snaps in Week 4.
Antonio Gates | Hamstring strain | Week-to-Week
Gates did not practice last week and gave no media interviews. That's an ominous sign for a player who has played through MCL sprains and torn plantar fascia effectively in recent years. I think we'll learn this week that Gates suffered a higher grade strain and is expected to miss multiple weeks.
Delanie Walker | Hamstring strain | Week-to-Week
Walker was strikingly optimistic after a limited Wednesday practice, telling reporters there was "no chance" he'd miss yesterday's game. But his hamstring didn't improve through the week and Walker did not practice on Friday. He was close enough to put the medical staff to a decision in pregame warmups. As long as the Friday DNP wasn't due to a late week setback, Walker should have a good chance to return in Week 4.
Rashad Jennings | Right thumb sprain | Day-to-Day
The Giants had prepared to play with Jennings as an early down option only but decided against risking a setback or a turnover due to the splint on his thumb. If Jennings can practice with his thumb taped instead of splinted this week, he should be able to return to play in Week 4.
Zach Ertz | First rib displacement | Week-to-Week
The Eagles are on bye this week. Though not precisely the same injury as the sternoclavicular dislocations suffered by Ben Roethlisberger and Danny Amendola in the past, the recovery concerns are similar. Both Roethlisberger and Amendola returned in 3-4 weeks. If Ertz heals at a similar rate, he should be able to return to practice and prepare to play in Week 5.
Jay Cutler | Right thumb sprain | Day-to-Day
Cutler was reportedly working to convince his medical staff he was capable of playing yesterday. And there were reports last week that Cutler had been playing through a low grade sprain for some time. The original timetable given was 2-3 weeks here, but it's possible Cutler convinces the team he's ready sooner.
Jimmy Garoppolo | Right AC sprain | Day-to-Day
Jacoby Brissett | Right thumb sprain | Day-to-Day
The Patriots have one more week before Tom Brady returns. Both options for this week will be limited by injuries to their throwing arm. Garoppolo had no chance to recover from a shoulder sprain in time for Thursday night's game but there have been multiple reports that he has a chance to return this week. Brissett's thumb injury isn't serious enough to require surgery, but grip strength will be an issue. He'll have an extra few days to recover. Practice participation will define this competition better by midweek.
Kenneth Dixon | Left MCL sprain | Week-to-Week
The Ravens had tentatively expected Dixon back around Week 4 but he's yet to return to practice. Generally, players who miss multiple weeks of practice need at least a week of limited practice and conditioning before they're able to return to the active gameday roster. Dixon isn't there yet and it's unlikely he'll be ready for Week 4.
Tony Romo | L1 compression fracture | Week-to-Week
Now cleared to throw on the side, Romo's rehab is progressing well. However, it will be 3-4 additional weeks before Romo will have healed sufficiently to be cleared for contact. Don't expect to see Romo before Dallas' Week 7 bye.
| Quarterbacks Injured But on the Active Roster | |||||
| Player | Injury | Date | Player/Team Says | FBGs Expects | Notes |
| Russell Wilson | Left MCL sprain | W3 | Day-to-Day | Day-to-Day | |
| Jay Cutler | Right thumb sprain | W2 | Day-to-Day | Week-to-Week | Will try to convince med staff to play W4 |
| Josh McCown | Left AC sprain / Clavicle fracture | W2 | Week-to-Week | 3-4 Wk | High-grade AC sprain |
| Jimmy Garoppolo | Right AC sprain | W2 | Day-to-Day | W4 earliest return | |
| Jacoby Brissett | Right thumb sprain | W3 | Day-to-Day | Week-to-Week | |
| Tony Romo | L1 compression fracture | PS W3 | 6-10 WK | 8-10 WK (W8+) | |
| Running Backs Injured But on the Active Roster | |||||
| Player | Injury | Date | Player/Team Says | FBGs Expects | Notes |
| Jeremy Langford | Left ankle injury | W3 | No timetable given | 4-6 Weeks | Likely high ankle sprain; Schefter says 4-6 Wk |
| Jamaal Charles | Right ACL tear | Mid Oct 2015 | Week-to-Week | Week-to-Week | |
| Doug Martin | Right hamstring strain | W2 | 3 Weeks | 3-4+ Weeks | Mid-grade injury or worse |
| Thomas Rawls | Fibula fracture | W2 | "Few Weeks" | 6 Weeks | |
| Arian Foster | Groin strain | W2 | Week-to-Week | Week-to-Week | |
| Jonathan Stewart | Hamstring strain | W2 | 2-4 Weeks | 3-4+ Weeks | Mid-grade injury or worse |
| Ryan Mathews | Ankle injury | W3 | Day-to-Day | Day-to-Day | W4 bye |
| Rashad Jennings | Right thumb sprain | W2 | Day-to-Day | Day-to-Day | |
| C.J. Prosise | Hand injury | PS | Day-to-Day | Day-to-Day | |
| Kenneth Dixon | Left knee sprain | PS W3 | 4 WK | 3-6 Wk (W4+) | Has not returned to practice yet |
| Wide Receivers Injured But on the Active Roster | |||||
| Player | Injury | Date | Player/Team Says | FBGs Expects | Notes |
| Julio Jones | Right knee contusion / Calf strain | W2 | Day-to-Day | Day-to-Day | Expected to return to play Monday night |
| Sammy Watkins | Foot soreness related to fracture repair | Ongoing | Day-to-Day | Day-to-Day | |
| Donte Moncrief | Fractured scapula | W2 | 4-6 Weeks | 4-6 Weeks | |
| Willie Snead | Toe sprain | W2 | Day-to-Day | Week-to-Week | Game-time decision Monday night |
| Corey Coleman | Fractured hand | W3 | 4-6 Weeks | 4-6 Weeks | |
| Josh Doctson | Achilles tendinitis | Ongoing | Day-to-Day | Week-to-Week | Another flare in Week 3 |
| Braxton Miller | Hamstring strain | W2 | Week-to-Week | Week-to-Week | |
| Kendall Wright | Aggravated hamstring strain | August 1 / 29 | Week-to-Week | 4+ WK (W3+) | |
| Tight Ends Injured But on the Active Roster | |||||
| Player | Injury | Date | Player/Team Says | FBGs Expects | Notes |
| Tyler Eifert | Deltoid ligament repair | Late May | 4-6 Months | 5-6 Months (W4+) | Returned to practice, shot at limited W4 duty |
| Antonio Gates | Hamstring strain | W2 | Week-to-Week | Week-to-Week | |
| Delanie Walker | Hamstring strain | W2 | Day-to-Day | Day-to-day | |
| Zach Ertz | First rib displacement | W1 | Week-to-Week | 2-4 Weeks (W5) | Eagles have W4 bye |
| Virgil Green | Calf strain | W2 | Week-to-Week | Week-to-Week | |
| Jordan Cameron | Concussion | W3 | Week-to-Week | Week-to-Week | Already ruled out W4 |
| Notable Quarterbacks on PUP/NFI/IR | |||||
| Player | Injury | Date | Player/Team Says | FBGs Expects | Notes |
| Teddy Bridgewater | Left knee dislocation/ACL tear/+ | Late August | IR / 2017 | 9-12 Mo + (2017) | Associated damage key |
| Robert Griffin III III | Left AC sprain / Coracoid fracture | W1 | IR / 10-12 Weeks | 2017 Return | Browns lengthened timetable last week |
| Notable Running Backs on PUP/NFI/IR | |||||
| Player | Injury | Date | Player/Team Says | FBGs Expects | Notes |
| Adrian Peterson | Right knee meniscus tear | W2 | IR / 3-4 Months | 2017 Return | |
| Dion Lewis | Left ACL tear / Arthroscope during rehab | PS W4 | PUP / Undetermined | Undetermined | Still no details reported |
| Ameer Abdullah | Left foot sprain | W2 | IR / 8-10 Weeks | 2017 Return | Torn ligament is early report |
| Danny Woodhead | Right ACL tear | W2 | IR / 2017 | 2017 Return | |
| Shane Vereen | Triceps tear | W3 | IR / 2 Months | 2017 Return | |
| Darren McFadden | Right elbow fracture | Early Jun 2015 | NFI / 2-3 Months | W6+ | |
| Keith Marshall | Left UCL sprain | PS W3 | IR / 3-4 Weeks | W6+ | |
| Notable Wide Recievers on PUP/NFI/IR | |||||
| Player | Injury | Date | Player/Team Says | FBGs Expects | Notes |
| Keenan Allen | Right ACL tear | W1 | IR / 2017 | 2017 Return | |
| Bruce Ellington | Hamstring strain | PS W3 | IR / 2+ Months | 2017 Return | |
| Notable Tight Ends on PUP/NFI/IR | |||||
| Player | Injury | Date | Player/Team Says | FBGs Expects | Notes |
| Ladarius Green | Ankle surgery / ? Headaches | January | PUP / Undetermined | W6+ | Steelers say ankle not ready |
I'll be updating this feature throughout the day. Footballguys Insiders will get a full update from Craig Zumsteg with additional fantasy perspectives on Wednesday and analysis of the week's game-time decisions early Sunday morning. Follow me on Twitter @JeneBramel for breaking injury news and analysis throughout the week.
