Friday Injury Report: Titans Ailing, Chargers Improving, Metcalf Out

Injury hotspots this week include the Dallas cornerbacks, Baltimore D-line, Miami secondary, New Orleans cornerbacks, Los Angeles (Chargers) cornerbacks, Cleveland linebackers and Jacksonville skill-position players.

Below you'll find four different categories, with our lists including key offensive linemen and defensive players whose presences/absences might impact fantasy decisions. The bottom section — truly questionable — is sorted by kickoff times and can be used as a checklist/cheatsheet for Sunday morning and afternoon when inactives come out. First, let's see who's definitely in and who's definitely out...

Good to Go 💯

• QB Lamar Jackson (knee/back)
• QB Derek Carr (oblique)
• QB Jared Goff (ankle)
• QB Jayden Daniels (ribs)
• RB Tyrone Tracy (concussion)
• RB Alvin Kamara (hand/rib)
• RB Kareem Hunt (quadriceps)
• RB Antonio Gibson (toe)
• WRs Josh Downs (foot) & Michael Pittman (back)
• WR Calvin Ridley (shoulder)
• WR Tyler Lockett (oblique)
• WRs Ladd McConkey (hip), Quentin Johnston (ankle) & DJ Chark (groin)
• WR Jerry Jeudy (knee)
• WR Olamide Zaccheaus (hamstring)
• WR Ja'Lynn Polk (concussion)
• TE David Njoku (ankle/hand)
• TEs Will Dissly (shoulder) & Hayden Hurst (groin)
• TE T.J. Hockenson (knee)
• TE Harrison Bryant (elbow)

Ruled Out/Doubtful 🚑 

• RB Zack Moss (D - neck)
• RBs Kendre Miller (hamstring) & Jamaal Williams (groin)
• WR Tee Higgins (D - quad)
• WR DK Metcalf (knee)
• WR Mike Evans (hamstring)
• WR Bub Means (ankle)
• WR Adam Thielen (D - hamstring)
• WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (hamstring)
• WR Christian Kirk (OFS - collarbone)
• TE Dallas Goedert (hamstring)
• TE Noah Fant (groin)
• TE Stone Smartt (D - ankle)
• TE Julian Hill (shoulder)
• K Greg Joseph (oblique)

Players set for more playing time due to the injuries listed above include Bengals RB Chase Brown, Bengals WR Jermaine Burton, Seahawks WR Jake Bobo, Buccaneers WRs Jalen McMillan and Trey Palmer, Saints WR Mason Tipton, Panthers WR Jalen Coker, Jaguars WR Parker Washington, Eagles TE Grant Calcaterra and Seahawks TE AJ Barner. Plus, we project higher target rates for Bucs TE Cade Otton and Bengals TE Mike Gesicki based on what we've previously seen in the absence of Evans/Godwin (TB) and Higgins (CIN). 

Last but not least, Saints RB Alvin Kamara is in an A+ smash spot, facing the woeful Panthers with QB Derek Carr back in the lineup and both of Kamara's backups unavailable. A projection of 20-plus touches and strong efficiency puts Kamara back in the alpha-RB1 range he inhabited earlier this season. (Chase Brown has a lot of the same factors working in his favor, elevating him to the RB1/2 borderline).

Key Defensive Players + Offensive Linemen

• DE Micah Parsons (ankle), CB DaRon Bland (foot), CB Amani Oruwariye (IR - back)
• S P.J. Locke (thumb)
• DT Michael Pierce (IR - calf), DE Brent Urban (concussion)
• S Jevon Holland (D - knee), CB Kader Kohou (neck), DT Zach Sieler (orbital)
• CBs Marshon Lattimore (hamstring) & Kool-Aid McKinstry (hamstring)
• LT Ikem Ekwonu (ankle) 
• C Andre James (ankle)
• LT Orlando Brown (D - knee)
• CB Kristian Fulton (hamstring)
• LBs Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (neck) & Jordan Hicks (elbow)
• CB L'Jarius Sneed (quad)
• S Jaquan Brisker (concussion), LT Braxton Jones (knee), LT Kiran Amegadjie (calf)
• LG Ezra Cleveland (ankle)
• CB Darius Slay (groin)
• C Josh Myers (D - wrist), S Evan Williams (hamstring)
• LT Bernhard Raimann (concussion)
• LB Blake Cashman (toe)

Listed as Questionable - Should Play 👍

There are no clear choices for this list, although I suspect Bills WR Amari Cooper won't actually let a wrist injury prevent him from playing. Packers RB Josh Jacobs (ankle) is another 'questionable' player who seems likely to play, but I wouldn't bet my life on it by any means. The same goes for Jaguars RB Tank Bigsby, whose backfield mate Travis Etienne (hamstring) is more of a 50/50 case.

Truly Questionable / Game-Time Decisions 🤔

Early Games

• QB Drake Maye (concussion)
• QB Will Levis (shoulder)
• RB Tony Pollard (foot)
• RB Brian Robinson (hamstring)
• RB Zamir White (quad)
• WRs Amari Cooper (wrist) & Curtis Samuel (pectoral)
• WR Xavier Legette (toe) & TE Tommy Tremble (back)
• WR Cedrick Wilson (hip)
• WR Tyler Boyd (shoulder)

Both quarterbacks are questionable for the Patriots-Titans game, which has an implied total (38) that's 4.5 points south of any other Week 9 contest. Patriots QB Drake Maye has shown enough raw talent (and scrambling ability) to warrant superflex consideration or DFS punt-play status, and his presence arguably would improve the projections for the New England pass catchers. With Will Levis, you can make the opposite case — Mason Rudolph may be terrible, but he's probably better news for Calvin Ridley and Co. than Levis would be.

Titans RB Tony Pollard is the more immediately fantasy-relevant injury concern from that NE-TEN pillow fight, listed as questionable after not practicing at all this week. He played at least 80 percent of snaps both of the past two games without Tyjae Spears, who has been ruled out for a third straight week with a hamstring injury. You may associate chestnuts with Christmas, but it'll be Julius Chestnut SZN in early November if Pollard ends up inactive. Given the opponent, Chestnut would be a reasonable RB2 or FLEX plug-in. He's a 228-pound power back who made the team as a UDFA in 2022 and hasn't seen much work on offense outside of the preseason, so don't expect big-time receiving stats or long runs. A 20-touch day, however, wouldn't be out of the question.

Speaking of 20 touches, that's the kind of workload upside Commanders RB Austin Ekeler will have if Brian Robinson is declared inactive Sunday morning. Ekeler was disappointing in Robinson's only missed game this season, but that was in negative game script against Baltimore's league-leading run defense. Ekeler played 75 percent of snaps in the game, taking nine carries for 21 yards and four catches for 47 yards (five targets). He could reasonably see 15 carries and a handful of targets in Robinson's absence.

Late-Afternoon Games

• QB Jordan Love (groin)
• RB Josh Jacobs (ankle)
• RBs Travis Etienne (hamstring) & Tank Bigsby (ankle)
• WRs Brian Thomas (chest) & Gabe Davis (shoulder)
• WRs Puka Nacua (knee) & Jordan Whittington (shoulder)

It's hard to feel good about either Etienne or Bigsby as a fantasy option this Sunday, especially on the road as 7.5-point underdogs against a Philadelphia team that's been playing tough defense for coordinator Vic Fangio. Both running backs were limited practice participants Wednesday through Friday, but Bigsby seemingly has a better chance to play, considering he played a full game last week while Etienne was out for a second straight game.

Jaguars coach Doug Pederson implied Friday that Etienne and Thomas are in more danger of missing Sunday's game than Bigbsy and Davis are (see tweet below). Pederson didn't even mention Bigsby when discussing possible game-time decisions.

Meanwhile, Rams coach Sean McVay made optimistic comments about WR Puka Nacua, namely saying that he "wouldn't bet against this guy." Nacua banged his knee during Thursday's practice and was held out Friday; he missed five games the last time he "banged" his knee, but the Rams seem insistent that this time is much different.

Primetime Games

• RB Bucky Irving (toe) - MNF
• WR Sterling Shepard (hamstring) - MNF

It sounds like Irving's lingering toe injury is something that requires management in practice rather than posing a real threat to his in-game workloads, but it does add to the already-present risk in starting a timeshare back, especially when he's playing the last game of the week and a late flare-up could leave his fantasy managers without alternatives. Starting Irving is more palatable if you also have Sean Tucker (or can add him) as a fill-in.

Key Defensive Players + O-Linemen

• CB Trevon Diggs (calf), LB Eric Kendricks (shoulder), G Zack Martin (shoulder)
• CB Marlon Humphrey (knee), DT Travis Jones (ankle)
• CB Storm Duck (ankle), FB Alec Ingold (calf)
• CB Christian Benford (wrist)
• G Nick Saldiveri (shoulder)
• RG Dylan Parham (foot), LB Robert Spillane (knee)
• OLB Joey Bosa (hip), ILB Denzel Perryman (toe)
• CB Denzel Ward (concussion)
• S Amani Hooker (groin), DT T'Vondre Sweat (hip), G Dillon Radunz (foot)
• DE Montez Sweat (shin), CB Kyler Gordon (hamstring), G Teven Jenkins (knee)
• RG Brandon Scherff (knee)
• CB Jaire Alexander (knee)
• S Kamren Curl (knee)
• LB Ernest Jones (neck)
• LB Lavonte David (ankle), S Antoine Winfield (foot)