Gameday Injury Expectations: Week 7

Jene Bramel's Gameday Injury Expectations: Week 7 Jene Bramel Published 10/22/2022

UNDERSTANDING THE NFL'S INJURY REPORT

The injury report released by the NFL is 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).

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

Here's the latest on key injured players on the practice participation and game status report this week:

Current Status on High-Impact Injured Players

Scroll down for full details, extensive updates, and the complete table of projected availability. Here are the most important notes for this week's games:

Sunday Decision

Trending Doubtful (Likely Inactive)

Trending Probable (Expected to Play)

Ruled Out

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Playing Sunday at 1:00 pm Eastern

Mark Andrews | Knee | Questionable | Expected to play

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

Andrews missed practice Wednesday and Thursday after playing 54 of 59 possible snaps last week. Video review did not show a specific injury event. Andrews returned to drills on Friday and told reporters he "feels good" and was "ready to go."

Expect Andrews to see his usual snap count and targets.

Sunday update: Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport tweeted Andrews will play.

DAndre Swift | Ankle / Shoulder | Questionable | Likely inactive

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

Swift missed two games and then rested through Detroit's Week 6 bye, giving him an entire month to recover from a shoulder sprain and aggravation of an early-season ankle sprain. Swift returned to limited practices this week.

The limited practices are not as reassuring as a full practice during the week would have been, but also not unusual for the Detroit medical staff, as Lions' veterans often rest during the week. Dan Campbell wouldn't confirm Swift's availability during a Friday press conference.

Swift told reporters he was "pushing toward playing" and running backs coach Duce Staley said Swift looked "pretty good" in drills.

With Jamaal Williams healthy and capable, it's difficult to trust Swift for a full workload. Expect a ceiling of 8-12 touches.

Sunday update: Jeremy Fowler tweeted overnight Swift is "not expected to play" as he "appears to need another week to fully heal." Fowler's report was retweeted by Adam Schefter and later followed by an Ian Rapoport tweet reporting "real doubt" Swift plays. Expect him to be inactive.

Rashod Bateman | Foot | Questionable | Sunday decision

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

Bateman told reporters his foot was improving every day a full week of limited practice is a good sign after missing two games. Bateman would not commit to playing, however, saying his status was up to the team.

Local reporters are not speculating on Bateman's chances of playing. The media availability is a reassuring sign but no guarantee Bateman will be active. When healthy, his snap percentage hovered in the 60-65% range. If Bateman plays, 4-6 targets are a reasonable ceiling expectation.

Sunday update: Ian Rapoport is reporting "there is optimism" Bateman plays. That essentially confirms limited upside for Bateman if active.

Josh Reynolds | Knee | Questionable | Sunday decision

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

Reynolds injured his knee in the fourth quarter of the team's Week 5 game. Despite rehab through the bye week, Reynolds was unable to practice until Friday. He described his status as "hopeful" but is questionable at best to play.

Jahan Dotson | Hamstring | Questionable | Likely inactive

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

Dotson was trending toward playing after practicing Wednesday but appeared to aggravate his hamstring strain while running a route in Thursday's practice. He did not practice on Friday and is clearly more doubtful than questionable. Aggravated hamstring strains generally require multiple weeks of rehab and Dotson could miss multiple games.

Marvin Jones | Hamstring | Questionable | Sunday decision

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

Jones returned to limited practices after missing Week 6 with a hamstring strain. There were no updates on his status other than the questionable designation.

Playing Sunday at 4:05 pm Eastern

Hunter Renfrow | HIp | Questionable | Likely to play

Practice Participation: Wed - Not listed | Thurs - DNP | Fri - Limited

Renfrow was held out of practice with a hip condition on Thursday but returned Friday and is on track to play. Renfrow described himself as hopeful but all local writers currently expect him to be available.

Russell Wilson | Hamstring | Questionable | DECLARED OUT sATURDAY

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

Wilson struggled through limited practices this week with a hamstring strain. He is considered a game-time decision after splitting first-team reps with Brett Rypien all week.

Limited mobility is a significant issue for Wilson, who needs to be more than a pocket quarterback to be successful with the current Denver offense. Some local reporters feel Wilson looked better as the week progressed, while others do not believe he's anywhere near full strength.

Watch for updates through the weekend.

Saturday update: The Broncos have ruled Wilson out. Rypien starts Sunday.

Playing Sunday at 4:05 pm Eastern

Tyler Lockett | Hamstring | Questionable | LIkely to play

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

Lockett did not practice but is one of the few players capable of playing through a soft-tissue injury without practice. Pete Carroll told reporters Lockett's "chances of playing are really good" despite the lack of practice. Lockett remains a game-time decision and will be at high risk of aggravation if he plays.

A wide range of projections is possible. Look for an actionable report on Saturday night / Sunday morning from Adam Schefter or the NFL Network crew of reporters.

Sunday update: All overnight reports are Lockett is expected to play.

Keenan Allen | Hamstring | Questionable | Sunday decision

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

It was a roller-coaster week of media responses from Allen this week.

Midweek, Allen told reporters, "I think I would be comfortable waiting" to return until after the Chargers' Week 8 bye, but said if he could play, "I'm definitely going to go." As the week progressed, Brandon Staley said the team had "high hopes" Allen would be available. And multiple reporters noted Allen's presence in red zone preparations during Friday's practice -- a strong sign the Chargers are expecting Allen to contribute in some way this week.

Staley told reporters the Chargers would not use Allen unless they were comfortable with his health. Staley also said Allen would have a limited role in his first week back.

Allen is currently trending to play but likely in a red zone role with limited passing down snaps.

Sunday update: Adam Schefter reported overnight Allen "wants to see how he feels Sunday before making a final decision." Schefter pointed out the potential upside in allowing for extra healing during the upcoming bye.

Playing Sunday at 8:20 pm Eastern

Jaylen Waddle | Shoulder | Questionable | Likely to play

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

Waddle left last week's game briefly with a shoulder injury but finished with six catches on ten targets. The Dolphins limited his reps and did not allow contact during practice but all indications are Waddle will play.

Mike McDaniel stopped just short of confirming Waddle's injury as an AC sprain this week, but that's the most likely diagnosis. Shoulder sprains are easily aggravated in players who carry the ball but Waddle's route tree shouldn't put him in significant danger of aggravation. Expect Waddle to play with some in-game risk of missed snaps or an early exit.

Playing Monday at 8:15 PM Eastern

Mac Jones | Ankle | Questionable | Expected to play

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

Jones remains optimistic he'll play Monday night after a second consecutive week of limited practices. Jones told reporters he's "definitely moving better" and expects to be available. While not fully recovered, Jones will be cleared to play if he can protect himself in the pocket.

I'll update further after the Patriots release their game status report following Saturday's practice. Expect a questionable tag and hints about a game-time decision, but Jones will likely play.

Sunday update: Jones practiced again on Saturday and all reports are that he'll start on Monday night.

Footballguys injury coverage will return Monday with a review of the most important Week 7 injuries.

Photos provided by Imagn Images
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