We are only two weeks into the season, but this list only continues to grow. Unfortunately, that is a

trend we are all too accustomed to these days and monitoring the news and practice reports through

weekend is a necessary evil. Let’s not waste anymore time as we jump into which injury situations we are keeping an eye on heading

Week 3.

 

Quarterbacks

From the low hanging fruit department, Andy Dalton will be sidelined, at least for this week, with a knee

injury. We knew that Dalton wouldn’t last long in the starter’s chair, but the assumption is that he was

going to lose his job due to poor performance. At this point, Matt Nagy continues to insist that Dalton is

still the starter, but we aren’t sure if this will be a multi-week injury for him or if anything will change

based on what Justin Fields does against Cincinnati. While the excitement is brewing and the upside is

there, I would still move forward with tempered optimism when it comes to your roster decisions.

Tua Tagovailoa has also been ruled out, with rib fractures, and while we don’t know for sure, it looks like

a multi-week absence. Jacoby Brissett will take his place under center, and from a fantasy perspective

there isn’t much to see here and it’s a situation I would, if possible, with respect to the Miami skill

position players. 

 

On the opposite side of the field, Derek Carr has been practicing in full and there doesn’t appear to be

anything to see regarding his ankle injury. That is good news as Carr looks to build on his solid start with

817 passing yards and four touchdowns through two games.

 

It hasn’t been the most ideal of starts to Carson Wentz’s career with the Colts, and this point his status

for Sunday appears to be very much in doubt. With sprains to both his ankles, Wentz didn’t practice on

Thursday and unless something changes it is looking more and more like Brett Hundley will be under

center for the Colts with support from Jacob Eason. Even if Wentz does start the game, it’s hard to be

confident in him making it through the full game. At this point I would downgrade the Colts’ receivers

while upgrading the running backs based on the increase in volume they should see as Indianapolis will

be relying on the ground game perhaps a bit more than usual.

Ben Roethlisberger didn’t practice on Wednesday and was then limited on Thursday with a pectoral

injury and seeing the Pittsburgh quarterback banged up shouldn’t be all that surprising. At this point in

his career the Steelers are going to operate with a high level of caution regarding him and practice and

he also needs time during the week to get ready for Sunday. The return to practice was a good sign, and

while I might look for another option, it doesn’t appear that his status is in doubt.

After practicing in full on Wednesday, there shouldn’t be any concern regarding Baker Mayfield’s

shoulder injury and the fact that it is to his non-throwing side makes us even more optimistic. Of greater

concern is the fact that he has only thrown for one touchdown pass through the first two weeks of the

season and his receiving corps is in flux.

 

Seeing Lamar Jackson miss practice on Thursday is always going to be concerning, but on the heels of a

three-touchdown performance in a victory against Kansas City, all systems should be a go as it was just a

stomach bug that shouldn’t impact his status.

 

With the beating he has taken over the first two weeks of the season, seeing Zach Wilson’s name on the

injury report should not be a surprise. Despite dealing with a groin injury, Wilson has been practicing in

full all week, but at this point he should be ignored for fantasy purposes regardless of his health.

 

Running Backs

Seeing Dalvin Cook exit Sunday’s game with an ankle injury couldn’t have been easy to watch for fantasy

owners and the same can be said for the fact that he hasn’t practiced this week as of Thursday. The

indication now is that he will get back on the practice field Friday, but it remains to be seen whether

that will actually happen. We know that Minnesota will roll Cook out there if he is able, and you should

do the same. At the same time, keep an eye both on his status and Alexander Mattison as a handcuff or

DFS chalk option.

 

The 10 days between games for Saquon Barkley should ultimately prove to be a good thing for him. The

fact that Barkley has been limited at practice this week shouldn’t be surprising as New York is going to

be careful with him. Instead, I’d prefer to focus on Barkley’s 83% snap share from last week’s game

along with his 15 carries for 69 yards; although the majority of that came on one run. We can move

forward on Barkley without issue for this week.

 

Seeing D’Andre Swift only practice on a limited basis Thursday shouldn’t be a surprise. Detroit will

continue to exercise caution with him as he battles a groin injury and the Lions are also working on a

short week after playing Monday night. Through the first two weeks of the season, Swift has had success

with 76 rushing and 106 receiving yards as Detroit continues to tread carefully but his status shouldn’t

be in doubt. With that being said, it is a tough matchup against Baltimore for Swift this week.

Rib injuries are both tricky and painful so it is for good reason that Darrell Henderson has yet to practice

this week. The hope is that we will know more on Friday but I would stay away from a fantasy

perspective unless we gain true clarity. Should Henderson be sidelined, which seems likely, Sony Michel

is more than capable of taking the reigns after carrying the ball 10 times for 46 yards last week.

After being a full participant in Thursday’s practice, we can move forward confidently with Antonio

Gibson and his shoulder for this week. Now we just have to deal with the share of targets and playing

time in the passing game J.D. McKissic has gotten.

 

It’s never a good sign to see a late addition to the injury report, but at least Miles Sanders was a limited

participant in practice on Thursday while dealing with a chest injury. Sanders had 14 touches on 37

snaps last week and if healthy, he is a borderline FLEX option but of course things are more difficult this

week with Philadelphia playing Monday night. Sanders has an extra day to get healthy but our options

are also that much more limited with that being the case, but Kenneth Gainwell is the running back to

own.

 

Now for the confusing part; San Francisco’s backfield. To say that this has been a disaster since before

the season even started would be an understatement, and things just keep on getting worse. JaMycal

Hasty is dealing with a high ankle sprain and that appears to be a multi-week injury. While that is not

officially confirmed, Hasty hasn’t practiced this week and we can move past him for now.

Some of the drama began with Trey Sermon was ruled inactive prior to Week 1, and then when he got

his chance last week, the rookie promptly carried the ball one time for eight yards before exiting with a concussion. Sermon has practiced on a limited basis both Wednesday and Thursday but he has yet to

see contact this week and needs to clear the concussion protocol first. At this point, things are moving in

the right direction, and the value might be based on the lack of other options as we know the upside is

there. That now brings us to Elijah Mitchell who is dealing with a shoulder injury and once again didn’t practice

on Thursday. There is still the possibility Mitchell practices on Friday and can take the field on Sunday,

but at this point, things aren’t looking too good for him either.

 

With Sermon being the 49ers’ best chance for a healthy, available running back, reinforcements were

brought in and Jacques Patrick has some value as a dart throw with Trenton Cannon also on the roster.

Derrick Henry is a beast. After rushing for 182 yards on 35 carries last week while also catching six

passes for another 55 yards, Henry deserves a rest and Tennessee should take things easy with him

during the week. Seeing Henry’s name on the injury report as a DNP-rest should not be alarming and

instead it is a good thing as fills the tank back up for Sunday.

 

We will likely continue to see Austin Ekeler’s name on the injury report with an ankle injury, but as long

as he is a full participant in practice and gains a combined 115 yards like he did last week, there is no

cause for concern. It just would be nice to see the Chargers’ offense start living up to their potential.

After not playing last week, Josh Jacobs has yet to practice through Thursday as he still deals with his

ankle injury. At this point, things are not looking good for Jacobs to take the field once again as the

Raiders will once again turn to Kenyan Drake. Last week, Drake couldn’t get it going on the ground

(seven carries for nine yards) but he did catch five passes for 46 yards. The Raiders will likely take a two-

pronged approach once again as Peyton Barber had 13 carries, but with just 32 yards the results weren’t

there. Drake is the more talented option of the two, but he is best left for PPR leagues.

After carrying the ball 23 yards to start the season, Damien Harris gained 62 yards on 16 carries last

week while scoring a touchdown and emerging as the main option in New England’s backfield. Harris has

been limited all week with a finger injury, but at this point we should be able to move forward with him

for Week 3. We will take a healthy Chris Carson for as long as we can get it, so seeing him limited at 

practice this week for rest purposes shouldn’t be surprising or alarming.

 

Wide Receivers

Not practicing on both Wednesday and Thursday with a rib injury is a concern for DeAndre Hopkins.

Seeing Hopkins miss practices during the week shouldn’t be a complete surprise, but until we see him

take field on Friday or we get news to the contrary, this is a situation to keep an eye on. If Hopkins is

active on Sunday though, he needs to be in your lineup after catching 10 passes for 137 yards and three

touchdowns through the first two weeks of the season.

 

Things didn’t look good for Diontae Johnson when he went down on the last play of the game, and as he

has yet to practice this week, the same can be said for his Week 3 status. I would make alternate roster

plans for Sunday despite not receiving official word of his status yet as James Washington would step in

as the third receiver.

 

Zach Pascal returned to practice on Thursday after missing Wednesday’s practice with an illness. That is

a good sign for Pascal as we look towards a favorable matchup against Tennessee this week after he

caught nine passes for 81 yards and three touchdowns to begin the season.

Alongside Pascal, we are still waiting on Parris Campbell who has been limited in practice Wednesday

and Thursday with an abdominal injury. The match-up is there, but there are equal doubts about who

will be under center for the Colts in Campbell’s first real action of the season.

I feel like this is a copy and paste scenario with A.J. Brown as he starts the week out being limited and

then upgrades to a full practice participant prior to taking the field on Sunday. And this week is no

different.

 

Another stud wide receiver that we shouldn’t be concerned about it is D.K Metcalf. He has been a full

participant in practice, and while there was talk about him being sore last week, you can roll him out

there without any doubts.

 

After struggling with his health all summer, seeing Kenny Golladay limited with his hip injury shouldn’t

be a surprise. This isn’t the first time Golladay has dealt with a hip injury and he actually took a step back

on Thursday compared to what he did Wednesday. With just seven receptions for 102 yards through the

first two games of the season, I would watch this one closely and go in another direction, if possible,

when setting your lineup.

 

Denver lost Jerry Jeudy in the first week of the season which led to increased roles and targes for both

Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick. Of the two, Sutton had fantasy value on his own merits even

alongside Jeudy, but both are nursing injuries. Sutton practiced in full on Thursday so his hip injury

appears to be minor after catching 10 passes for 173 yards in the first two weeks of the season. After

catching a touchdown in each of the first two games of the season, Patrick is also dealing with a hip

injury of his own but he was able to take the mound on a limited basis Thursday. At this point, we can

safely move forward with both receivers while of course continuing to keep an eye on things.

Seeing that Marquise Brown is dealing with an ankle injury is nothing new and Baltimore will tread

carefully with him. For that reason, it shouldn’t be too surprising that Brown didn’t participate in

practice on Thursday after being limited on Wednesday. To this point, it hasn’t impacted Brown’s

performance as he has caught 12 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns through the first two games

of the season.

 

Cooper missed only two plays last week after bruising his rib but he caught just three passes for 24 yards

in an underwhelming performance. With Dallas not playing until Monday, Cooper has an extra day to

get healthy and he did begin the week by practicing so that is a good sign. I would keep an eye on him

through the weekend, but at this point it appears he will be ready to go against the Eagles. If you have

other options though, he isn’t a must start.

Despite being vaccinated, Antonio Brown has tested positive for COVID-19, but at this point, it might be

hard for him to get the two negative tests 24 hours apart to take the field on Sunday. Scotty Miller

stands to be biggest beneficiary with some deep league value, and I would expect to have Brown on

your bench for this week.

 

After being placed on Injured Reserve, for at least the next three weeks, there is no questioning Tyrell

Williams’ status. In his absence, Quintez Cephus appears to be the biggest beneficiary after catching four

passes for 63 yards while catching a touchdown for the second straight week.

Darnell Mooney is now dealing with a groin injury after working through a back injury for the first two

weeks of the season while catching 11 of his 15 targets for 92 yards. Of bigger concern is that Mooney

has yet to catch a touchdown and how the Chicago passing game will look with Fields under center.

Once again, Odell Beckham is practicing, full sessions on both Wednesday and Thursday, and maybe at

this point he will be taking the field on Sunday. With Jarvis Landry sidelined for the next few weeks,

Cleveland is going to need to take the kid gloves off Beckham, and it’s very possible he is a busy man in 

his season debut.

 

With Tee Higgins missing practice for two days in a row (Wednesday and Thursday) it’s beginning to get

a little concerning regarding his status for this week. Things should clear up over the weekend regarding

his status, but both Ja’Marr Chase and Tyler Boyd should see a boost.

Brandon Aiyuk continues to be a full participant in practice, so can we really keep on blaming his

hamstring for his lack of on field role and production? At this point, it’s hard to rely on him from a

fantasy perspective until San Francisco brings his role back up to his expected levels.

From a health perspective, there is nothing to worry about concerning Laviska Shenault’s shoulder

injury. On the field though, things haven’t been as good with Shenault catching just nine of his 17

targets for 47 yards.

 

With Julio Jones now in Tennessee, things were looking up for Russell Gage in Atlanta. Through the first

two games though, after just five receptions for 28 yards, that hasn’t been the case. Gage didn’t

participate in Thursday’s practice with an ankle injury but based on what we have seen from him to this

point, his absence shouldn’t impact your fantasy plans.

 

Last week it looked like Jamison Crowder was going to return to action but his groin kept him on the

sideline. Relying on anyone from the Jets’ offense at this point is a dicey situation even if health isn’t an

issue, so with Crowder not practicing yet this week alternate plans should be made as Braxton Berrios

continues to take advantage in the slot with 12 catches for 124 yards.

Gabriel Davis caught a touchdown in Week 1, but that has been the extent of his fantasy relevance

through the first two weeks of the season. He is still dealing with ankle injury, but that shouldn’t be

factoring into fantasy decisions.

 

Tight End

Might we finally see Evan Engram this week? He is practicing more this week than in the two weeks

prior and while the Giants appear to be getting set to utilize him on Sunday, I wouldn’t plan on following

suit.

 

Denver is being careful with Noah Fant when it comes to practice this season and at this point, it doesn’t

appear his ankle will hold him back from facing the Jets in a favorable matchup this week. Fant can

continue to be rolled out as a back end TE1 in most leagues.

 

After missing last week with a knee injury, it wasn’t a good sign to see Anthony Firkser held out of

practice on Thursday and I would look in a different direction this week.