Gameday Injury Expectations: Week 14

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UNDERSTANDING THE NFL'S INJURY REPORT

The injury report released by the NFL is actually two reports. The first is the Practice Participation report, which lists which injured players were able to practice and how much. 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).

The NFL has made the practice participation report more complicated this season. Teams are no longer allowed to declare players "probable" to play. The current designations are Questionable (Uncertain to Play), Doubtful (Unlikely to Play), and Out. In our Monday Injury Rounds column, we'll often review how these changes are impacting the injury reports.

In this feature, I'll include the Game Status Listing, my expectation of their likelihood to play, and the player's practice participation throughout the week.

Key:

PLAYER | INJURY | GAME STATUS LISTING | FOOTBALLGUYS EXPECTATION

Practice Participation Listing by Day

* = playing on Monday night

I'll also include a table at the bottom of the article for easy reference.

Here's the latest on every relevant injured offensive player on the practice participation and game status report this week:

QUARTERBACK

AARON RODGERS | HAMSTRING | Not Listed | Active

Practice Participation: Wed - Limited | Thurs - Limited | Fri - Limited

Rodgers struggled at the end of a few scrambles last week but his accuracy was rarely limited. He participated in every practice and was not listed on the game status report by the Packers. Weather will be an issue in Green Bay this week and is a bigger factor for the Green Bay offense than Rodgers' hamstring strain.

Andrew Luck | Shoulder | Not Listed | Active

Practice Participation: Wed - Limited | Thurs - Limited | Fri - Limited

Luck was more limited in practice this week than in recent weeks but I believe that has more to do with recovery and rest on the short post-Monday Night Football week than an indication his shoulder is worse than usual. Luck's accuracy and arm strength have been very good all season. Until that changes, I see no reason to expect Luck to struggle based on limited practices.

Trevor Siemian | Foot | Questionable | Active

Practice Participation: Wed - Limited | Thurs - Limited | Fri - Limited

Siemian has been a tough read thus far. The Broncos hinted he could practice late last week and play then rested Siemian in favor of Paxton Lynch. There were hints Siemian would then miss multiple weeks but he's managed three consecutive practices where he took a good number of reps with the starters. He's currently expected to play and reportedly looked good moving in the pocket midweek. Adam Schefter told a local radio show that it would be "a surprise if he wasn't under center." Watch for weekend news but it looks like Siemian is good to go.

Sunday AM update: Multiple reports have Siemian likely to play today.

Others of note: Carson Palmer, Tyrod Taylor (groin), Blake Bortles (shoulder), Jared Goff (illness), and Cody Kessler (concussion) all returned to a full Friday practice and none is listed on their teams' game status report. I'll update return to play expectations on Monday.

RUNNING BACK

MARK INGRAM | TOE / knee | QUESTIONABLE | Likely to Play

Practice Participation: Wed - Limited | Thurs - DNP | Fri - Limited

I've marked Ingram "likely to play" but I believe he's truly questionable. It's hard to read whether the Thursday DNP was planned rest and Ingram is further along than last week despite a mid-game aggravation or whether the DNP was evidence he's struggling and didn't respond as well as the team hoped to early week treatment. Either way, I think we see more of Tim Hightower this week. I'll have more on Ingram with any new reports. The Saints won't update Ingram's condition but both Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport had helpful Sunday AM updates last week.

Sunday AM Update: Ian Rapoport tweeted this morning that Ingram is likely to play and "should be moving better" than last week.

Theo Riddick | Wrist | Questionable | Inactive

Practice Participation: Wed - DNP | Thurs - Limited | Fri - Limited

Riddick's wrist injury is new but his consecutive late week limited practices are promising. The Lions are as quiet as any team in the league on injuries so it'll be necessary to monitor Riddick's status through Sunday morning. But it's likely Riddick will see his usual workload.

Sunday AM Update: There were no reports of concern through the weekend, but Riddick is inactive today.

Ryan Mathews | Knee | Questionable | Active

Practice Participation: Wed - Full | Thurs - Full | Fri - Full

The Eagles listed Mathews questionable but he fully practiced this week and every report had him looking healthy and ready to return. Projecting Philadelphia's running back workloads has been difficult for much of the season, but I don't expect Mathews to see the majority of carries despite his return to health.

Chris Ivory | Hamstring | Questionable | INactive

Practice Participation: Wed - Limited | Thurs - Limited | Fri - Limited

Generally, the Jaguars have allowed players with limited practice to return to play and get their pre-injury workloads. However, Ivory has had many previous soft-tissue injuries and often aggravated them. Gus Bradley also suggested the team remained in wait-and-see mode with him earlier in the week. T.J. Yeldon is healthy this week. I think Ivory will be active and his usage will likely depend on how he feels early and what the game script looks like.

Sunday AM Update: Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter both reporting Ivory will likely be inactive today.

Others of note: Lamar Miller (ankle/ribs), Matt Forte (knee), Frank Gore, Jonathan Stewart, T.J. Yeldon (ankle) and Duke Johnson Jr (ankle) have practiced, are not listed on the game status report, and expected to see their usual workloads. C.J. Prosise (shoulder) has been declared out. I'll update return to play expectations in Monday's column.

WIDE RECEIVER

Julio Jones | Toe | Questionable | Inactive

Practice Participation: Wed - DNP | Thurs - DNP | Fri - DNP

After a post-game interview that sounded positive, the news on Jones has been anything but reassuring. The Falcons sent him for an MRI to better define his toe sprain. Jones didn't practice all week, with Dan Quinn trying to minimize the missed practices by saying Jones never holds back in practice reps. While that sounds positive, it's an indication the team did not trust Jones to limit his risk of a mid-week aggravation. 

Jones has often been on the injury report over the past two seasons and his line gives us a good read on his expectation. If he returns to a full practice by the end of the week, he's a full go. If he's limited on Friday, it's generally reassuring that Jones will see his usual workload. When he's a Friday DNP, he's rarely been himself on gameday. So, though Jones is the caliber of player who can be very productive in limited snaps and usage, it's difficult to project him to do much this week. The cross-country travel to Los Angeles may also play a role here. 

Bottom line: I'm not convinced Jones will be active. If he is, it's very likely his playing time will be limited to high leverage situations only and he will be at risk of an in-game aggravation.

Sunday AM Update: Adam Schefter reported Jones remained a hopeful game-time decision last night. Ian Rapoport tweeted this morning that Jones was unlikely to play after Friday's DNP but was able to participate in Saturday's walkthrough. He remains a game-time decision for a late afternoon game but he's limited at best and may still be inactive.

Sunday Afternoon Update: Multiple reports that Jones could not convince the team he was healthy in warmups and will be inactive today.

Sunday Afternoon Update: Falcons confirm Jones is inactive.

Sammy Watkins | Foot | Questionable | Active / Limited

Practice Participation: Wed - DNP | Thurs - Limited | Fri - Limited

Watkins is going to play through this injury until he cannot. He saw double digit targets last week and didn't appear to miss much time in between those targets despite not looking fully comfortable at times. I expect Watkins to play this week but he should be considered snap-to-snap and series-to-series.

DeVante Parker | Back | Questionable | Active

Practice Participation: Wed - Limited | Thurs - Limited | Fri - Full

Parker is listed questionable but looked better than expected last week after not practicing at all. This week, he was limited early in the week and fully practiced on Friday. Back injuries are always at risk of recurring unexpectedly, but the practice line is reassuring and the home game and weather should work in his favor. Expect him to see his usual workload.

Michael Thomas | Foot | Questionable | Inactive

Practice Participation: Wed - DNP | Thurs - DNP | Fri - Limited

I've listed Thomas as a game-time decision but I have no read on this situation. There was no indication of an injury during last week's game, no report of an early week injury, and no specifics on the injury provided by the team. None of the beat writers have a read on Thomas' injury or likelihood to play. The limited Friday practice looks reassuring but it could also be a last effort from the team to see if Thomas has a chance to play any role. The Saints have used players on gameday who practiced little during the week. But those instances tend to be veteran players rather than rookies. And the wide receiver depth chart is relatively deep right now. 

That's a long way of shrugging my keyboard shoulders and asking you to follow closely this weekend in the hopes we get useful reports on Saturday or Sunday.

Sunday AM Update: There's nothing new on Michael Thomas this morning, unfortunately. Still hoping for something actionable early this morning but it's possible we get nothing of note until late afternoon inactives are released. The Saints list will post at 255 ET.

Sunday Afternoon Update: Thomas is inactive today.

Jordan Matthews | Ankle | Questionable | Active

Practice Participation: Wed - Limited | Thurs - Full | Fri - Full

Matthews couldn't go last week but fully practiced on Thursday and Friday and should see his usual workload this week.

Marvin Jones | Quad | Questionable | Active

Practice Participation: Wed - Limited | Thurs - Limited | Fri - Limited

Jones often played through limited practices earlier in the season but this quad injury kept him inactive last week. Reportedly a game-time decision last week, his consecutive limited practices suggest he'll be active this week.

Robert Woods | Knee | Questionable | Active / Limited

Practice Participation: Wed - Limited | Thurs - Limited | Fri - Limited

The Bills appear to be preparing Woods to play this week. Observations on his movement were mixed but most reports have him likely to return to play after a multiple week absence with an MCL sprain.

Marquess Wilson | Groin | Questionable | Inactive

Practice Participation: Wed - DNP | Thurs - Limited | Fri - Limited

Josh Bellamy | Shoulder | Questionable | Active

Practice Participation: Wed - Limited | Thurs - Limited | Fri - Limited

The Bears provide little injury information and the national media is not going to be chasing midweek updates on marginal wide receivers on struggling teams with middling quarterbacks -- regardless of whether those players are the two best receiving options on the depth chart. I think Bellamy is much more likely to play than Wilson -- who left early and couldn't return last week and has the more concerning injury -- but the limited late week practices are reassuring for both.

John Brown | Illness | Questionable | Active / Limited

Practice Participation: Wed - DNP | Thurs - Limited | Fri - Limited

Brown has played through his hamstring troubles but only in limited packages. That's likely the case again this week.

Others of note: Brandon Marshall (knee / foot), Larry Fitzgerald, Tyrell Williams (shoulder), Julian Edelman (foot), Stefon Diggs (knee), Jarvis Landry, Jamison Crowder (hip), Dontrelle Inman (ankle), Will Fuller (hip), Tavon Austin (chest), and Brandon LaFell (knee) are not listed and expected to play. A.J. Green (hamstring), Danny Amendola (ankle), Mohamed Sanu (groin), Dorial Green-Beckham (abdomen), Eddie Royal (toe) have been or are likely to be declared out. I'll update return to play expectations in Monday's column.

TIGHT END

Jordan Reed | Shoulder | Questionable | Active

Practice Participation: Wed - Limited | Thurs - Limited | Fri - Full

Reed did more in practice on each successive day this week, including a full Friday practice. He was cleared to talk to the media and essentially told them he'd be active this week, calling himself "ready to go." He also acknowledged he'll be "dealing with pain" and would take himself out if he aggravates the injury. Jay Gruden told reporters the team would continue to monitor Reed through pregame warmups. There were conflicting observations this week during practices. Some reporters noted that Reed would complete some individual reps without using his left arm, others noted full range of motion in the shoulder.

I think Reed wants to return and will be active. I think he'll be productive as long as he doesn't take a hit to the shoulder while being tackled or taken to the ground. That's a likely occurrence of course and Reed will be at risk of an aggravation throughout the game.

Sunday AM Update: Multiple reports confirm that Reed likely to play today.

Eric Ebron | Knee | Questionable | Active

Practice Participation: Wed - Limited | Thurs - Limited | Fri - Limited

Ebron is expected to play through this knee injury despite limited practices this week.

*Martellus Bennett | Ankle | Pending | Likely to Play

Practice Participation: Thurs - Limited | Fri - Limited | Sat - Pending

Bennett gets a little extra time to recover this week and has the added benefit of a home game. Still, he's not been right since early this season and seemingly aggravates his high ankle sprain once a quarter. It's a difficult injury to play through and Bennett remains a high variance expectation.

Charles Clay | Knee | Questionable | Active

Practice Participation: Wed - Limited | Thurs - Limited | Fri - Limited

Clay would have played through his injury last week but chose to be with his wife for the birth of his child. He should be active and play this week.

*Note: Monday night players with asterisk practice Thursday/Friday/Saturday

*Note: Monday night players with asterisk practice Thursday/Friday/Saturday.

Follow me on Twitter @JeneBramel for breaking injury news and analysis throughout the week.