Photo: USA Today Sports

NOTE: During the regular season, this column is a living document through Tuesday morning. I'll be updating as needed after team press conferences, imaging reports, Monday Night Football injuries, etc. Major changes to the content will be noted in red.

Scroll to the bottom of this article for a quick look table of the week's most pressing injury situations and a review of players on injured reserve / PUP / NFI.

Footballguys will have close and detailed coverage of all injuries this season. Here's a look at my expected schedule. I will do my best to stick to this. Work and family responsibilities may sometimes cause brief delays.

Monday Injury Rounds: Posted Sunday night, updated through Tuesday AM. Detailed analysis of the week's injuries with table for quick review. Offensive injuries will be live Sunday night. Critical defensive and offensive line injuries will be added throughout the day on Monday. I'll be updating with news and analysis through Tuesday.

Midweek Injury Expectations: Posted Wednesday night. Analysis of the practice participation report with a table including my projection of each injured player's likely game status. Will include discussion of any major breaking injury news.

Sunday Gameday Expectations: Posted by Saturday afternoon, updated through Sunday morning inactives. Will include individual player blurbs with detailed thoughts on the week's injury news and my speculation on player availability and limitations. Will include table highlighting each day's practice participation, official game status, and my availability expectation.

I'll be contributing to our waiver wire podcast (Tuesday release) and our live Sunday morning pregame show (10 ET Sunday on YouTube). I will also be retweeting key pieces of news and my own reaction and analysis, so make sure you're following me @JeneBramel and checking my timeline on Twitter throughout the week.

INJURY ROUNDS

Melvin Gordon | hamstring strain | Week 7 | Day-to-Day | Bye Week 8 | Week 9 Return

Gordon suffered a hamstring strain during practice last Friday. Initially, it didn't seem concerning. The Chargers chose not to include him on their game status report, suggesting they had no concern about his availability. Unfortunately, Gordon's hamstring strain tightened up on him while flying to London and didn't improve enough overnight to allow him to play. The Chargers have a Week 8 bye, giving Gordon another two weeks to rehab. I'll update with news on Monday but it's reasonable to expect Gordon to return in Week 9.

Rob Gronkowski | Back spasm / Ankle sprain | Week 6 | Day-to-Day | Probable Week 8

Gronkowski was a late downgrade after back spasms kept him from being able to board the team's flight to Chicago on Saturday. There is always reason for concern when Gronkowski's name is connected to a back issue after his multiple microdiscectomy surgeries but Ian Rapoport reported Gronkowski's back only "locked up" on him. The injury is not expected to keep Gronkowski out this Monday night in Buffalo.

Sony Michel | Left knee injury | Week 7 | Awaiting Information | Doubtful Week 8

Michel was in significant pain and needed help off the field after an awkward tackle stressed his left knee. Television replays did not show a clear injury mechanism, unfortunately. Dr. David Chao was unwilling to conclude anything on his review of the video but did not see anything suggestive of a torn ACL or season-ending injury. However, I'm not sure a season-ending injury can be ruled out yet. Michel's difficulty getting off the field and reported history of degenerative disease to the same knee raise questions of significant bone bruises or meniscus injuries that could require long periods of recovery.

Michel will have an MRI on Monday. I'll update his condition after results are reported. Even the best-case scenarios likely have him doubtful for New England's Monday night game in Buffalo this week.

Monday Update: Michel's MRI reported "revealed no structural damage" and "doesn't appear to be season ending." As of now, his timetable remains unclear. There was speculation earlier on Monday that Michel may have suffered an MCL sprain. If that proves accurate, Michel could miss 1-2 weeks or more depending on his recovery. It's unlikely he'll play this week but there's reason to be optimistic about a relatively quick return.

Marshawn Lynch | Groin strain | Week 6? | 4+ Weeks | Out Week 8

Lynch had an MRI for a groin strain early last week. Soon after, Ian Rapoport reported Lynch could miss over a month. No additional details have been reported and it's unclear what type of groin injury Lynch has. Some torn groin muscles do not require repair but need 3-4 weeks to heal enough to play. In those cases, injured reserve is not a consideration -- which Ian Rapoport also raised as a possibility for Lynch last week. Other groin strains are actually core abdominal muscle injuries, a.k.a. sports hernias, and usually require surgery and a 4-6+ week recovery.

Lynch was listed on the injury report with an abdomen condition in Week 4 and a hip condition in Week 5. That's suspicious for a core abdominal issue. While there's been no report of surgery, something doesn't add up here. Nebulous and changing injury listings followed by reports of a groin strain significant enough to possibly require injured reserve suggest there's another pessimistic report to come.

Monday Update: The Raiders will move Lynch to injured reserve this week. Ian Rapoport tweeted that Lynch's injury "is more core muscle than groin" and that Lynch was seen in Philadelphia this weekend. Unfortunately, that confirms the suspicions above -- expect to hear Lynch has had surgery to repair a core abdominal muscle soon. Recovery is most commonly in the 4-6 week range but Lynch's soonest return is now Week 16. His season may be over.

Others of note:

***Keke Coutee aggravated his hamstring strain and will not play Thursday night. Monday Update: An MRI did not show evidence of a significant strain and Coutee may only miss Thursday night's game.

***The Dolphins will likely be without Albert Wilson on Thursday night. He suffered a hip injury that is expected to keep him out multiple weeks. Kenny Stills hurt his right shoulder but has a chance to play. Monday Update: Wilson has a hip labrum injury that will likely require surgery and end his season. Stills also strained a groin muscle. Both receivers have already been ruled out of Thursday night's game.

***Josh Rosen suffered a toe sprain late in a blowout loss but is expected to be available this week.

***Royce Freeman has a high ankle sprain. Initial reports had him missing time but follow up reports suggest he could play this week. The extra days after last week's Thursday night game will help but he's still likely questionable at best.

Offensive line and defensive notes:

***New Orleans will be rehabbing their top three guards this week. Andrus Peat suffered a concussion in practice last week. Larry Warford was unable to play through a back injury. And Josh LeRibeus couldn't finish the game Sunday after a painful ankle injury.

***Arizona's guard depth chart is also concerning. Their three top guards -- Mike Iupati (back), Justin Pugh (hand), and Jeremy Vujnovich (hamstring) -- are all considered day-to-day.

***Minnesota guard Tom Compton has an MCL sprain and could miss time. Hopefully, an MRI on Monday will not show any additional damage.

***The Buccaneers are expected to confirm a torn ACL for linebacker Kwon Alexander on Monday.

Follow-up Appointments

Leonard Fournette | Aggravated right hamstring strain | Week-to-Week | Out Week 8

Adam Schefter finally reported what's seemed inevitable for weeks now: Fournette will likely not return until after Jacksonville's Week 9 bye. Yet to practice three weeks after aggravating his early-season hamstring strain, the Jaguars have -- as expected -- shown no interest in rushing Fournette's recovery. To ensure they aren't tempted to return Fournette too soon, the Jaguars traded for Carlos Hyde this week. Hyde will allow the team to limit T.J. Yeldon's workload.

Week 10 is not a foregone conclusion, however. Schefter reported Jaguars would not place Fournette on injured reserve. But that doesn't mean he's close to returning. Moving Fournette to injured reserve now would mean he could not return until Week 17. That's obviously an unnecessary precaution. Fournette needs to return to practice this week or early during the bye week and begin his reconditioning process. If Fournette is not fully practicing as Week 10 approaches, he could miss more time coming out of the bye.

Dalvin Cook | Left hamstring strain | Week-to-Week | Doubtful Week 8

Cook was reportedly close to playing in Week 6 despite a clear lack of confidence in his health during practice. The Vikings ultimately deemed him not ready and did not activate him. This week, a full Wednesday practice sparked further optimism. Unfortunately, Cook did not practice the rest of the week, did not speak with reporters at all, and was ruled out on Friday. The practice line is highly suspicious for another setback in his recovery and puts Week 8 -- and possibly beyond -- in doubt.

The Vikings play New Orleans at home on Sunday night this week. They follow with three divisional games spread around a Week 10 bye. If there was any kind of aggravation on Wednesday last week, don't expect to see Cook until after that Week 10 bye.

Ryan Tannehill | Right shoulder Injury | Week-to-Week | Doubtful Week 8

Adam Gase would not discuss specifics about Tannehill's injury last week, citing federal privacy laws that do not apply to NFL coaches and players. Gase would only tell reporters surgery wasn't being considered to address Tannehill's worsening shoulder symptoms. On Sunday morning, Ian Rapoport called Tannehill's condition a "labral issue" and reported the Dolphins were in "wait-and-see mode."

Gase said Tannehill "just couldn't throw" last week. Rapoport said Tannehill's "complex shoulder issues limit his range of motion" and reported Tannehill didn't throw at all last week. Though there are many types of labral issues, none is a good thing for a throwing athlete. There's currently no timetable for Tannehill's return. He won't play on Thursday night this week and his recovery could easily stretch into November.

Others of note:

***Cooper Kupp returned to play in Week 6 after suffering an MCL sprain but could not practice or play last week. He has a chance to return this week.

***The Jets have designated Eli McGuire to return from injured reserve. He can return to the active roster in Week 9.

***After some optimism for D'Onta Foreman's return, the Texans did not activate him in time to play this week and it's unclear where his recovery currently stands.

Offensive line and defensive notes:

***Joey Bosa has been running well. He is expected to return to individual drills over the Chargers' Week 8 bye. If no setbacks, he will likely return in Week 9.

INJURED PLAYERS ON ACTIVE ROSTER