Photo: USA Today Sports

NOTE: This column is a living document through Tuesday morning. 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. 

Scroll to the bottom of this article for a quick look table of the week's most pressing injury situations and a review of players on injured reserve / PUP / NFI.

Footballguys will have close and detailed coverage of all injuries this season. Here's a look at my expected schedule. I will do my best to stick to this. Work and family responsibilities may sometimes cause brief delays.

Monday Injury Rounds: Posted Sunday night, updated through Tuesday AM. Detailed analysis of the week's injuries with table for quick review. Offensive injuries will be live Sunday night. Critical defensive and offensive line injuries will be added throughout the day on Monday. I'll be updating with news and analysis through Tuesday.

Wednesday and Thursday Injury Expectations: Posted late Wednesday and Thursday evening. Analysis of the practice participation report with a table including my projection of each injured player's likely game status. Will include discussion of any major breaking injury news.

Sunday Gameday Expectations: Posted by Saturday afternoon, updated through Sunday morning inactives. Will include individual player blurbs with detailed thoughts on the week's injury news and my speculation on player availability and limitations. Will include table highlighting each day's practice participation, official game status, and my availability expectation.

I'll also be contributing to our waiver wire podcast (Tuesday release), our live Sunday morning pregame show (10 ET Sunday on YouTube), and plan at least one weekly Periscope Q&A (shortly before Monday Night Football) with additional shows if/when possible. As always, I will be retweeting 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.

INJURY ROUNDS

Antonio Brown | Calf strain | week-to-Week | Possible playoff return

Brown was leg-whipped in the end zone on Sunday with his leg elevated. The Steelers initially reported Brown's injury as a calf bruise, then told the media Brown required hospital evaluation. Multiple reports followed that Brown's testing was reassuring and he sustained a partially torn calf muscle.

It would be unusual -- even for a star football player -- to be immediately transported to a hospital to look for a fracture not seen on x-ray or for an MRI to evaluate soft tissue structures. Those are not emergent conditions. Most likely, given the initial diagnosis of a bruise, the Steelers' medical staff was worried about rapidly increasing swelling and pain in the area. That can be a sign of a condition called compartment syndrome, in which bleeding in one location of the lower leg increases pressure in a small area and threatens to cut off blood supply to the area. That's an emergency and did not prove to be a concern here.

However, Brown may not be out of the woods. The mechanism of injury is odd for a torn calf muscle. The early timetable on Brown has ruled him out for the regular season. If he has a partially torn calf muscle, it could well be a 4-8 week injury. There are no guarantees Brown will be available for a playoff game, even if Pittsburgh claims a bye week.

Keenan Allen | Back injury | Day-to-Day

Allen was carted off with a back injury that reportedly left him unable to take deep breaths after the game. The Chargers did not update his condition after the game. It's not unusual for chest wall bruise or rib injuries to cause significant pain with movement or deep breaths. If that's what Allen is dealing with, his return will be based on pain tolerance and he could be available to practice and play in Week 16. If Allen has a more significant injury (lung bruise, other organ injury), he could have an extended absence. Allen has had organ injuries before (kidney laceration) but it's a good sign that we've not heard of hospitalization for imaging and observation. We should know more soon.

Davante Adams | Concussion | Week-to-Week | Week 17+ Return

Adams took a vicious hit from Thomas Davis and was down for several minutes before walking off the field. Adams has already suffered one concussion this season. Most players are more slowly advanced through the concussion protocol while recovering from a second concussion within the same season. The Packers play on Saturday this week, making it very unlikely Adams will be cleared to play. Week 17 may also be in doubt.

Rex Burkhead | Knee injury | Week-to-Week | Week 17+ return

Sideline and locker room exams did not indicate an ACL tear for Burkhead, according to Adam Schefter. Early reports have Burkhead questionable for Week 16 but there are no current indications the injury is season-ending.

Marqise Lee | Right high ankle sprain | 1-4 Weeks | Week 17+ Return

Lee suffered a high ankle sprain. Although he's missed practice and returned to play effectively with knee and foot injuries throughout the season, this will be a tougher injury to rehab quickly and play through. The first 24-48 hours are critical for Lee. Players who have less swelling and stiffness than expected can sometimes return within two weeks. Lee struggled to bear weight after the injury, unfortunately. That suggests a longer term recovery.

Others of Note: Emmanuel Sanders suffered a bruise to the same ankle he's sprained multiple times and could miss additional weeks. Jeremy Maclin has a knee injury of unknown severity. Austin Ekeler will have surgery on a broken hand and will be out for the rest of the regular season. James Conner has an MCL sprain and is likely to miss multiple weeks.

FOLLOW-UP APPOINTMENTS

Leonard Fournette | Quad contusion | Day-to-Day | Week 16 Return

The Jaguars have been consistent with Fournette this season. Whether he's capable of practicing or not, if he's healthy enough to manage a full workload, he's active and plays. If they aren't certain he'll hold up for 20+ touches, he's inactive. There were indications Fournette would try to play through a quad contusion on Sunday but Jacksonville ultimately elected to allow him more time to heal. The added rest should also help his chronic ankle issues. Multiple reports already suggest he'll be available in Week 16.

Joe Mixon | Concussion | Day-to-Day
Tevin Coleman | Concussion | Day-to-Day

Mixon was able to return to a full Friday practice but was not cleared to play. Hopefully, there were no late week symptoms preventing his clearance. If that proves to be the case, Mixon may be done for the season. His Wednesday practice participation will be informative. Coleman did not practice this week. He had an extra few days -- Thursday night to Monday night turnaround -- but was never cleared for individual drills. Wednesday practice is also a critical data point for Coleman.

Kyle Rudolph | Ankle injury | Day-to-Day | Week 16+ Return

Rudolph was listed doubtful, then upgraded to questionable, then active for Sunday's game after Mike Zimmer told reporters Rudolph would not play on Friday. Rudolph looked limited, left the game and was reported to be out, only to return and catch a touchdown pass. Expect another week of limited practice as Rudolph continues to recover.

Carson Wentz | ACL reconstruction / IT band injury / meniscus tear | 2018 Return

Initial reports -- based off comments from Doug Pederson -- suggested Wentz had an isolated ACL tear. These reports are rarely trustworthy, however, and a Sunday morning tweet from Ian Rapoport detailed additional injuries. According to Rapoport, Wentz also suffered meniscus damage and a partially torn IT band (a fibrous tissue that runs from the outside of the hip to the outside of the knee. Associated injuries often complicate and lengthen rehab but it's hard to speculate on the significance of Wentz's situation. 

IT band injuries are rare in football players and I'm unaware of a clean comparison here. However, there were immediate worries about the lateral stability of Wentz's knee based on video replays. While the Sunday report did not specifically mention an LCL injury (the ligament stabilizing the outside part of the knee), the IT band injury could be a sign there are still concerns there. The meniscus injury is tough to discuss without knowing specifics about size and location and expected surgical approach.

For now, it's reasonable to expect Wentz to return late in 2018. Whether that's Week 1 or later and how limited he may be outside the pocket won't be known until we get much closer to training camp.

David Johnson | Wrist dislocation | Week-to-Week

We're now 4-5 weeks since Johnson had his cast removed and began rehabbing his wrist injury. Two weeks ago, Johnson admitted he continued to feel stiffness in the wrist. Early last week, general manager John Keim told reporters he would be comfortable returning Johnson from injured reserve but "if there are any gray areas, I don't know why you'd want to risk it." The Cardinals are now 6-8 and out of playoff contention. With little to play for and no sign of reassuring progress in rehab, there's no chance we see Johnson back this season.

Andrew Luck | Right shoulder labrum repair | Month-to-Month

The reporting around Luck's injury and rehab continues to be odd. On Sunday, Chris Mortensen reported Luck would return to the Colts' facilities after a month of non-US-approved treatments in Europe. The plan is for Luck to begin a brief throwing program and evaluate the success of his orthobiologic treatments. Mortensen further reported that the limiting factor in Luck's return may be an injury to his biceps tendon -- another structure found in the area of his injured shoulder joint -- and that surgical intervention remains on the table.

Although the Colts have said very little about Luck's injury and surgical procedures over the past 12 months, owner Jim Irsay specifically told reporters Luck's biceps tendon was "pristine." It's also hard to avoid questioning why Luck continues to delay what seems like an inevitable surgical procedure to visualize and address whatever may be limiting his recovery -- biceps tendon issue, rotator cuff tendinopathy, ongoing instability in another area of the labrum.

Surgery to move the biceps tendon to a less troublesome location -- tenodesis -- or another procedure to address those issues postulated above would require another six months of rehab. As we move toward January, the longer a definitive procedure is delayed, the more likely Luck will be up against the training camp clock again.

Others of Note: Paxton Lynch (ankle) will reportedly be cleared to return and start in Week 16.

INJURED PLAYERS ON ACTIVE ROSTER

Due to travel and time constraints, there will be no updates on offensive linemen or defensive players in this table through Week 17. I'll add players to the injured reserve tables. Shortly following the end of the regular season, I'll produce a complete table of offseason injury concerns with context for publication at Footballguys.

INJURED PLAYERS NOT ON ACTIVE ROSTER

Check back for more injury analysis throughout training camp and follow on Twitter @JeneBramel for breaking injury news, commentary, and analysis of injury news around the NFL.