NFL Injury Report Friday Updates: Love Out, AJB In, Fannin Questionable

This article is part of our Exploiting the Matchups series.

Hotspots on this week's NFL injury report include New England's wide receivers, Pittsburgh's wide receivers, the Giants' offensive line, Buffalo's interior D-line, Arizona's O-line and Arizona's secondary.

Make sure to keep up with NFL breaking news throughout the weekend, especially Sunday morning when inactive lists are released at 11:30 a.m. ET for the early games.

Below you'll find four different categories, with our lists including key offensive linemen and defensive players whose absences might impact fantasy decisions. The bottom section, for potential game-day decisions, is sorted by kickoff times. It can be used as a checklist/cheatsheet for Sunday when inactives come out and we need to adjust lineups.

Good to Go 💯

Players that missed their team's previous game are listed in bold.

Cleared to Play this Week

• RB Woody Marks (ankle)
• WR A.J. Brown (teeth)
• WR Romeo Doubs (wrist/pride)
• WR Luther Burden (ankle)
• WR Chris Godwin (fibula/rest)
• WR Tim Patrick (foot)
• TE Darren Waller (groin/rest)
• TE Gunnar Helm (toe)

Ruled Out/Doubtful 🚑 

New absences listed in bold (guys that played in the previous game).

Out/Doubtful/IR

• QB Lamar Jackson (D - back)
• QB Jordan Love (concussion/shoulder)
• RB Alvin Kamara (knee)
• WRs DK Metcalf (suspension) & Calvin Austin (hamstring)
• WRs Kayshon Boutte (head) & Mack Hollins (abdomen)
• WR Rome Odunze (foot)
• WR Davante Adams (hamstring)
• WR/RS Anthony Gould (foot)
• WR Dee Eskridge (D - toe)
• WR/RS Derius Davis (ankle)
• TE Brock Bowers (IR - knee)
• TE Mason Taylor (neck)
• TE David Njoku (knee)
• TE Drew Ogletree (neck)
• K Matt Prater (quad)

Potential Workload Beneficiaries (From Injuries Above)

• QB Tyler Huntley
• QB Malik Willis (shoulder/illness)
• RB Audric Estime, RB Evan Hull, TE Taysom Hill
• WRs Adam Thielen, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Scotty Miller
• WRs Stefon Diggs, Kyle Williams, TE Hunter Henry, TE Austin Hooper
• WRs DJ Moore, Luther Burden & Olamide Zaccheaus
• WRs Puka Nacua & Konata Mumpfield
• TE Michael Mayer
• TEs Jeremy Ruckert & Stone Smartt

Key Defensive Players + Offensive Linemen

• OL Jamaree Salyer (hamstring)
• RT Trent Brown (knee)
• S Minkah Fitzpatrick (calf), DT Benito Jones (back)
• LT Tristan Wirfs (toe)
• LB Harold Landry (leg), LB Robert Spillane (leg), DT Khyiris Tonga (foot), G Jared Wilson (head)
• OLB T.J. Watt (lung), CB James Pierre (calf), CB Brandin Echols (groin)
• CB Sauce Gardner (calf), OT Bernhard Raimann (elbow), RG Dalton Tucker (shoulder)
• G Patrick Mekari (back)
• G Cesar Ruiz (ankle), DL Bryan Bresee (knee)
• LB Trevin Wallace (shoulder), DL Tershawn Wharton (hamstring)
•  LT Charles Cross (hamstring), S Coby Bryant (knee)
•  S Budda Baker (head), G Evan Brown (personal), T Paris Johnson (knee), CB Kei'Trel Clark (back)
• C John Michael Schmitz (hand), LT Andrew Thomas (leg), S Tyler Nubin (neck)
• DE Maxx Crosby (knee)
• S Jordan Poyer (leg), DT DaQuan Jones (calf), DT Jordan Phillips (ankle)
• RT Lane Johnson (foot), LB Nakobe Dean (hamstring)
• CB Mike Hughes (ankle)

Listed as Questionable - Should Play 👍

• QB Malik Willis (shoulder/illness)
• WR Chris Olave (back)
• TE Noah Fant (ankle)

Truly Questionable / Game-Time Decisions 🤔

Players with key fantasy repercussions listed in bold.

Saturday

• RB Kimani Vidal (neck)
• WR Christian Watson (illness)

Vidal's availability is of massive interest to anyone on the fence about starting Omarion Hampton this week. Watson's availability might be similarly important, but any interest in Green Bay's WRs mostly dies out with Willis starting at QB. Jayden Reed is the best play of the bunch, given his semi-regular involvement as a ballcarrier and lower aDOT.

Early Games

• RB TreVeyon Henderson (head)
• RB Dylan Sampson (hand)
• RB Bhayshul Tuten (finger)
• WR Marvin Harrison (heel)
• WR DeMario Douglas (hamstring)
• TE Harold Fannin (groin)

Henderson upgraded to full practice participation Friday but still needs clearance from an independent neurologist.

Sampson likely will start if he's active, but the fact that he's coming back from a hand injury does temper some of my enthusiasm about pass-catching volume, which has been a large part of the theoretical appeal if he were to land in a lead role.

Late-Afternoon Games

• RB Raheem Mostert (ankle)
• WR Jack Bech (back)
• TEs Dalton Kincaid (knee) & Dawson Knox (knee)

Primetime Games

• WR Ricky Pearsall (knee) - SNF
• TE George Kittle (ankle) - SNF
• WR Drake London (knee) - MNF

Key Defensive Players + O-Linemen

• T Zach Tom (back), C Sean Rhyan (knee), S Evan Williams (knee)
• G Mekhi Becton (knee), DT Teair Tart (groin)
• LT Aireontae Ersery (thumb)
• C Aaron Brewer (neck), LB Tyrel Dodson (chest)
• G Wyatt Teller (calf)
• G Isaac Seumalo (triceps), S Jalen Ramsey (illness)
• C Robert Hainsey (groin)
• CB Will Johnson (thumb), CB Max Melton (heel), S Jalen Thompson (leg), LB Josh Sweat (ankle)
• C Hjalte Froholdt (elbow)
• CB Cor'Dale Flott (knee), DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches (ankle)
• CB Nahshon Wright (leg/illness), DB Josh Blackwell (illness), LB T.J. Edwards (glute) 
• LB James Pearce (neck)