Footballguys subscribers and fantasy football enthusiasts alike…welcome back!
Earlier this week, I reintroduced myself as my weekly content at Footballguys officially kicks off, but if you missed the Injury Roundup, allow me to repeat the formalities.
My name is Adam Hutchison. I am a licensed physical therapist, and, lucky for you, I'm also obsessed with fantasy football. Few in this space have studied and examined injuries like I have. I've crunched the numbers all offseason, looking at injury trends and players' specific performance post-injury in fantasy football. Every Saturday, I'll use this information, combined with my clinical experience, to help review the injuries leading up to the weekend games to help predict which players will play and if they are good fantasy options that week.
Understanding the NFL's Injury Report
(per Dr. Bramel - Footballguys OG)
"The injury report released by the NFL is [made up of] two reports. The first is the Practice Participation report, which lists which injured players practiced and their participation level. 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 and my expectations of their likelihood of playing."
If you are reading this article on Saturday, make sure to come back on Sunday morning as more updates trickle in within the next 24 hours.
Current Status on High-Impact Injured Players
Gameday Decision
- RB Christian McCaffrey
- WR Jayden Reed
- WR Darnell Mooney
- WR Dontayvion Wicks
Trending Doubtful (Likely Inactive)
- NA
Trending Probable (Expected to Play)
- WR Khalil Shakir
- RB De'Von Achane
- WR Jauan Jennings
Ruled Out
- WR Christian Kirk (hamstring)
- TE Darren Waller (hip)
- TE Isaiah Likely (foot)
- WR Jalen Coker (quadriceps - on IR)
- RB MarShawn Lloyd (hamstring - on IR)
- RB Tyjae Spears (high ankle sprain - on IR)
- RB Chris Godwin (ankle)
- WR Jalen McMillan (neck - on IR)
* Key: Player, Team | Injury | Game Status Listing | Playing Expectation
Sunday 1:00 PM EST Games
RB Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco | Calf | Questionable | 50/50
No, you did not enter a time machine to go back in time to the start of the 2024 season. It is very much still 2025, but alas, heading into Week 1o of the NFL season, Christian McCaffrey is on the injury report with a calf issue. When providing advice, I try hard not to be too much of an alarmist or sound the panic alarm for our subscribers, but this situation does warrant some concern. Most professional teams recently are taking calf strains very seriously because of the effect they can have on Achilles ruptures, and given McCaffrey's injury history, it would make sense for the 49ers to be cautious.
Examining calf strains in NFL RBs from 2017, there is a low incidence of re-injury, but the data does show that most RBs do see some fantasy production declines post-injury. Additionally, most RBs in this sample (78%) missed at least one week with a calf injury, with the majority missing between 1 and 4 weeks.
Examining practice reports, McCaffrey first popped up with the calf injury on Thursday, where he was listed as a limited participant, and while McCaffrey was downplaying the severity of the injury, he was officially listed as "DNP" (did not practice) on the Friday practice report.
While it's possible that the 49ers are allowing their veteran RB some extra rest, this situation resembles last season, where McCaffrey and the 49ers downplayed the injury, but everything else suggested he would miss time.
Sunday Update: All signs point to McCaffrey playing in Week 1.
WR Jauan Jennings, San Francisco | Calf | Off Injury Report| Active
It's difficult to quantify how much Jauan Jennings calf injury vs. his contract dispute with the 49ers affected his availability this offseaon. Jennings and the team have since agreed on a new deal and Jennings practiced all week. On Friday Jennings was removed from the 49ers' offical injury report.
RB De'Von Achane, Miami | Calf | Off Injury Report | Active
De’Von Achane gave fantasy managers a slight scare to start the season after missing the tail end of Miami’s training camp with a calf injury. His ADP dipped in some leagues due to the uncertainty, but as it stands, the Dolphins’ lead back is on track to start Week 1. Unlike Christian McCaffrey’s situation, Achane’s calf issue is not a new concern. He’s now about three weeks removed from the initial injury, giving him plenty of time to recover. On Friday, Miami officially removed him from the injury report.
For fantasy purposes, patience is key. I wouldn’t recommend benching Achane, but there’s a realistic chance rookie Ollie Gordon II mixes in more than managers might like as the Dolphins look to avoid an early setback. Achane’s ceiling may be slightly capped for the next 3–4 weeks, but his role should remain secure.
WR Jayden Reed, Green Bay | Foot Fracture | Questionable | Projecting Active
Jayden Reed is on track to play in Week 1 despite dealing with a Jones fracture. I’ve voiced concerns about Reed’s 2025 outlook because this injury is notoriously difficult to manage and carries a high risk of ending his season prematurely. Given the wide range of possible outcomes, I’d strongly consider other wide receiver options in Week 1.
WR Dontayvion Wicks, Green Bay | Calf | Questionable | Projecting Inactive
Another Green Bay WR battling injury is Dontayvion Wicks, who was limited all week with a calf injury. Typically players with this injury and this practice trend end up sitting come Sunday, which is why I have Wicks projected as inactive in Week 1.
WR Darnell Mooney, Atlanta | Shoulder| Questionable | Projecting Inactive
There has been little clarity regarding Darnell Mooney’s shoulder injury, making it difficult to project his availability. Based on the timeline, I suspect Mooney is dealing with an AC joint sprain, an injury that carries a high risk of re-injury for NFL wide receivers. He appears to be a 50/50 shot for Week 1, but given the circumstances, I currently lean toward Mooney sitting out the opener.
Sunday Update: Mooney is officially out.
WR Khalil Shakir, Buffalo | High Ankle Sprain | Off Injury Report| Active
Khalil Shakir missed most of training camp with a high ankle sprain but has been practicing in full this week, heading into Buffalo's Week 1 matchup with Baltimore. On Friday, Shakir came off the injury report and will be active come Sunday.
Some fantasy managers might be hesitant to play Shakir coming off his injury, as most have associated "high ankle sprain" with decreased fantasy football production. While this can be true for any injury, the data does not suggest so regarding WRs. Based on this information and the fact that Shakir has not been limited, I believe he is still in flex consideration depending on your options.
WR Christian Kirk, Houston | Hamstring | Ruled Out | Inactive
Christian Kirk popped up on the injury report this week with a hamstring strain. Typically hamstring strains net 2 weeks missed so, Kirk playing this week always felt like a long-shot. Kirk's injury opens up playing time for Jayden Higgins and Jalin Noel the next few weeks.
WR Xavier Worthy, Kansas City | Shoulder Injury | Timeline
For those who were watching Friday Night's Brazil game of Kansas City vs. the Los Angeles Chargers, Xavier Worthy exited early due to a shoulder injury after some friendly fire from Travis Kelce.
Xavier Worthy appears to get injured on this play pic.twitter.com/HCWGRdT03T
— BSGsports (@BSGsportsmedia) September 6, 2025
It was hard to tell from the video what the exact injury was, but based on how the Chief trainers/medical staff were tending to Worthy, I think there is a high chance of a shoulder dislocation/subluxation.
Wish I had video, but this is what I saw that made me think the trainer was relocating Xavier Worthy’s potentially dislocated shoulder. https://t.co/ijSUG4puvI pic.twitter.com/GKphJmigJg
— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) September 6, 2025
If we assume a shoulder dislocation, the best-case scenario is that Worthy sustained minimal damage to his shoulder and could return in 1-2 weeks. Worst case, Worthy's injury requires surgery that could very likely end his season.