Gameday Injury Expectations: Week 11

UNDERSTANDING THE NFL'S INJURY REPORT

The injury report released by the NFL is actually two reports. The first is the Practice Participation report, which lists which injured players were able to practice and how much. It also includes players who rested or missed practice for non-injury related reasons. The second is the Game Status Report, which gives the probability a player will play, i.e. Questionable, Doubtful, Out. The Practice Participation Report is released every day of the week (Monday through Saturday). The Game Status Report is released with the Friday participation report (Wednesday for Thursday games, Saturday for Monday games).

In this feature, I'll include the Game Status Listing, my expectation of their likelihood to play, and the player's practice participation throughout the week.

Key:

PLAYER | INJURY | GAME STATUS LISTING | FOOTBALLGUYS EXPECTATION

Practice Participation Listing by Day

* = playing on Monday night

I'll also include a table at the bottom of the article for easy reference.

Here's the latest on every relevant injured player on the practice participation and game status report this week:

QUARTERBACK

Philip Rivers | Concussion | Questionable | Expected to Play

Practice Participation: Wed - Limited | Thurs - Full | Fri - Full

The Chargers announced Rivers was officially cleared by an independent neurologist on Friday afternoon and will play. After self-reporting symptoms on Monday, Rivers quickly advanced through the return-to-play protocol and participated in two days of individual drills without difficulty.

Others of note: Russell Wilson (jaw), Brett Hundley (hamstring), Brock Osweiler (shoulder), Tom Savage (shoulder), DeShone Kizer (ribs), and Blake Bortles (wrist) have practiced, are not listed on the game status report, and are expected to play without limitation. Drew Stanton (knee) may be active but only as a backup to Blaine Gabbert. Jameis Winston (shoulder) has been declared out. I'll update return to play expectations on all inactive players in Monday's column.

RUNNING BACK

Leonard Fournette | Ankle | Questionable | Active

Practice Participation: Wed - Limited | Thurs - Limited | Fri - DNP

The rollercoaster of the unknown with Fournette continues. Fournette rested an injured ankle through the Jaguars' Week 8 bye, was benched in Week 9 for disciplinary reasons (which reportedly included missing treatment sessions on the injured ankle), then aggravated his injury last week. Now after two limited practices on Wednesday and Thursday, the Jaguars held Fournette out of Friday's practice. 

Doug Marrone told reporters the team was "being cautious" and "trying to be smart" with Fournette. I'm not sure that explanation holds water. Three weeks ago, caution meant slowly rehabbing Fournette through the week and holding him out of practice in the hopes he would prove himself ready by Friday -- which he didn't. This week, caution apparently means allowing him to work out on Wednesday and Thursday, then resting on Friday. Mike Garafolo tweeted a "sense there isn't a setback here and they're legitimately being cautious" and the Jaguars have not ruled Fournette out yet.

Still, the pieces don't easily fit together here for a positive outcome. We're a month removed from Fournette's original injury. His recovery took longer than may have been expected. He's re-aggravated the injury. The team has already held him out of a game for cautionary reasons. Watch for a weekend report for Ian Rapoport or Adam Schefter but prepare for Fournette to be inactive or limited on Sunday.

***Sunday Update: Both Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport tweeted overnight that the Jaguars are expected to evaluate Fournette during pregame warmups and decide on his availability. Schefter says the team is "non-committal" about Fournette playing, Rapoport was told Jacksonville was optimistic.

***Sunday Update 2: Fournette will be active. Ian Rapoport is reporting Chris Ivory is battling an illness and will be limited today. It's not clear whether Fournette is healthy enough for a full workload but it's reassuring to see him on the active roster. Consider a wide range of expectations for Fournette today. The range includes his usual ceiling expectation, though the odds of 20+ touches are lower than normal.

*Eddie Lacy | Groin | Not Listed | Expected to Play

Practice Participation: Thurs - Limited | Fri - Full | Sat - Full

Darren Bevell told reporters earlier this week the team would give Lacy reps in practice throughout the week but wouldn't confirm the running back's return. Lacy then fully practiced on Friday. Full practices haven't been a guarantee an injured player will return for Seattle. We've seen similar lines of participation from C.J. Prosise and Jeremy Lane this season before games in which the team kept them inactive. Pete Carroll has been straightforward with injury information in his press conferences. The Seahawks play Monday night and Carroll's Saturday comments are key. I'll update after Seattle's weekend practice.

***Sunday Update: Lacy fully practiced on Saturday and is not listed on Seattle's game status report. Pete Carroll told reporters Lacy was ready to play.

Terrance West | Calf | Questionable | Inactive

Practice Participation: Wed - Full | Thurs - Full | Fri - Full

West fully practiced this week and is listed questionable. The Ravens commonly list players they expected to play as questionable and I believe the full week of practice after the Ravens' bye week suggests West is healthy enough to play. However, Alex Collins has cemented himself as the lead back in the base offense and the Ravens have confirmed Collins will continue in that role regardless of the status of West or Danny Woodhead. There are indications the Ravens will activate Woodhead this week, which leaves little change of pace work for West. It's possible West will be a healthy scratch.

***Sunday Update: Ian Rapoport also believes West may be a healthy scratch today.

Danny Woodhead | Hamstring | Not Listed

Not on practice participation or game status report

Woodhead is not on Baltimore's active roster yet and the team does not have to include him in their practice participation or game status reports to the league. John Harbaugh provided no information on Woodhead this week, consistently saying the team was prepared to play with or without him. Multiple beat writers expect Woodhead to be active, however. Woodhead has been back at practice for weeks and has been observed to participate in individual drills for some time. The Ravens must activate Woodhead to the active roster by Saturday afternoon. If they choose to activate him, it's a good sign the team feels he's ready for a sizable role in the game plan. I wouldn't expect more than 3-6 carries but it's possible Woodhead could see 5+ targets.

***Saturday Update: Woodhead was activated today. He will play and should see a reasonable workload on passing downs.

Others of note: Isaiah Crowell (shoulder) and Duke Johnson Jr (shoulder) have practiced, are not listed on the game status report, and are expected to play without limitation. Devonta Freeman (concussion), Aaron Jones (knee), Ty Montgomery (ribs), and Mike Tolbert (hamstring) have been declared out. I'll update return to play expectations on all inactive players in Monday's column.

WIDE RECEIVER

*Julio Jones | Ankle | Not Listed | Expected to Play

Practice Participation: Thurs - DNP | Fri - Limited | Sat - Limited

The Falcons gave Jones a day off on Thursday but there was no suggestion of a significant setback or new injury in his 43 snaps last week. He was back at practice on Friday without concern. Barring a Saturday surprise in practice or the Falcons' media session, Jones should see his usual workload on Monday night. I'll update with any news throughout the weekend.

Sterling Shepard | Migraine | Questionable | INACTIVE

Practice Participation: Wed - Not Listed | Thurs - Not Listed | Fri - Not Listed

The Giants added Shepard to the game status report with an illness on Saturday. He was listed questionable. No further information was given. Most players added with illness on Saturday see their usual workload on game day. Whether that proves the case with Shepard remains to be seen. The Giants' decision to list him on the injury report means they believe there is a non-zero chance of Shepard missing this week's game. We'll know more overnight and tomorrow morning.

***Sunday Update: According to Ian Rapoport, Shepard has a migraine and may not be able to play. The Giants will evaluate him this morning but may not risk having him on the active roster if his symptoms remain significant.

***Sunday Update 2: Adam Schefter is reporting Shepard will be inactive today.

Alshon Jeffery | Hamstring | Questionable | Expected to Play

Practice Participation: Wed - Not Listed | Thurs - Limited | Fri - Full

Jeffery wasn't included on Philadelphia's injury report until Thursday but Doug Pederson told reporters Jeffery's ankle injury had been lingering for some time. Jeffery also told reporters his ankle would be fine. The Eagles listed him questionable but Jeffery fully practiced on Friday and will play.

Corey Coleman | Hand | Not Listed | Expected to Play

Not Listed on Practice Participation or Game Status Reports

Coleman was returned to the Browns' active roster on Thursday. He was not listed on Friday's injury report and has had multiple full practices over the past two weeks. Hue Jackson cautioned against high expectations for Coleman but told reporters the returning wide receiver would see a full workload. Coleman will likely be wearing a small functional splint as added protection but should not be limited much by his injury. The matchup against the Jacksonville secondary is likely a bigger limiting factor on Coleman's statistical expectation.

Jordan Matthews | Knee | Questionable | Expected to Play

Practice Participation: Wed - Limited | Thurs - Limited | Fri - Limited

Matthews is frequently limited in practice with knee soreness. Including his time in Philadelphia, it's not been significant enough to cause him to miss games. There are no indications this week's soreness is atypical and Matthews can be expected to see his usual workload.

***Sunday Update: Adam Schefter reports the Bills are uncertain whether Matthews will play today. He's expected to be evaluated during pregame.

Kenny Stills | Back | Questionable | Active

Practice Participation: Wed - Not Listed | Thurs - Limited | Fri - DNP

Stills left practice on Thursday with back spasms and the Dolphins chose treatment over practice on Friday. Adam Gase told reporters Stills was felt better on Friday. Stills told reporters he expects to play. Back spasms are tricky recoveries, however. Ultimately, Stills' availability will depend on how he feels Sunday morning and whether he has any issues during pregame warmup. He'll have the benefit of playing at home in warmer weather.

Brandon LaFell | Hamstring | Questionable | Likely to Play

Practice Participation: Wed - DNP | Thurs - Limited | Fri - Full

In previous weeks, LaFell was rested with knee or hamstring concerns, returned to a full Friday practice, but wasn't listed on the game status report. This week's questionable listing after Friday's practice is a little cause for concern but LaFell is expected to play. I'll watch pregame notes on LaFell for any worries but he's likely to see his usual workload.

Danny Amendola | Knee | Questionable | Expected to Play

Practice Participation: Wed - Limited | Thurs - Limited | Fri - Limited

Amendola is routinely listed on the Patriots' game status report as questionable with a knee injury. He is expected to play. Amendola did not see his snap count or targets increase last week despite the loss of Chris Hogan. That may have had more to do with the game script in Denver as an injury concern.

Dede Westbrook | Core abdominal surgery

The Jaguars activated Westbrook on Saturday and he is expected to play. Westbrook has been practicing for multiple weeks and should be in good conditioning and low risk of compensatory injury. Westbrook himself is confident, jokingly telling reporters he was going for 200 receiving yards on his return. The Jaguars previously said they'd limit Westbrook's role on his return. However, that was before another two weeks of practice and the loss of Allen Hurns to an ankle injury. Westbrook may not see every snap this week but he should be in line for a sizable role.

John Brown | Back | Questionable | Active

Practice Participation: Wed - Limited | Thurs - DNP | Fri - Limited

Brown played a season-high 68 snaps against Seattle last week. His increased snap count did not translate to increased production and he was limited in practice by a back injury this week. There were no actionable updates on his condition. He returned to a limited Friday practice and has not been ruled out. I'll update with any news this weekend.

***Sunday Update: Adam Schefter is reporting Brown will play today.

Ryan Grant | Concussion | Questionable | Active

Practice Participation: Wed - Limited | Thurs - Limited | Fri - Limited

Washington listed Grant questionable after a week of limited practice following last week's concussion. There were no reports on whether he was scheduled to see the independent neurologist or expecting to be cleared.

Others of note:  Doug Baldwin (hip), Dez Bryant (knee), Demaryius Thomas (hamstring), Jarvis Landry (chest), Marqise Lee (knee), and Bruce Ellington (ribs) have practiced, are not listed on the game status report, and are expected to play without limitation. Chris Hogan (shoulder), Will Fuller (ribs), and Allen Hurns (ankle) have been declared out. I'll update return to play expectations on all inactive players in Monday's column.

TIGHT END

Charles Clay | Knee | Questionable | Likely to Play

Practice Participation: Wed - DNP | Thurs - Limited | Fri - Limited

Clay returned last week after a long absence with a knee injury. He played only 29 snaps, but that had more to do with the huge deficit the Bills faced than an injury aggravation. The Bills rested LeSean McCoy for similar reasons. Clay looked limited at times and dropped more than one catchable pass. He was targeted more times than the stat line suggests, with two catches nullified by penalty. Clay had a day off on Wednesday then returned to practice. He's expected to play. His target count is tough to project. The switch to Nathan Peterman may not be unfavorable -- unless Buffalo gets blown out early again.

***Sunday Update: Adam Schefter is reporting the Bills are concerned about Clay's status and will re-evaluate him in warmups. Ian Rapoport tweeted Sean McDermott remains optimistic Clay will be active and play.

Martellus Bennett | Shoulder / Hamstring | Questionable | Awaiting Information

Practice Participation: Wed - Limited | Thurs - Limited | Fri - Limited

Bennett played through a rotator cuff injury last week but suffered a hamstring strain of unknown severity. His practice participation is the usual Patriots' three limited listings and the local writers have not offered an opinion on his availability.

Niles Paul | Concussion | Questionable | Awaiting INformation

Practice Participation: Wed - Limited | Thurs - Limited | Fri - Limited

Washington did not comment on Paul's status this week. Generally, players who don't return to a full practice aren't cleared for game day but Paul has not yet been ruled out.

Others of note: Zach Ertz (hamstring), Jimmy Graham (ankle), and Marcedes Lewis (knee) have practiced, are not listed on the game status report, and are expected to play without limitation. Jordan Reed (hamstring), A.J. Derby (shoulder), and Jeff Heuerman (knee) have been declared out. I'll update return to play expectations on all inactive players in Monday's column.

*Note: Monday night players with asterisk practice Thursday/Friday/Saturday.