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
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
Sunday Decision
Trending Doubtful (Likely Inactive)
- QB Kyler Murray
- QB Matthew Stafford
- RB J.D. McKissic
Trending Probable (Expected to Play)
- QB Josh Allen
- QB Ryan Tannehill
Eligible to return from injured reserve
- RB Elijah Mitchell -- Activated
- WR Treylon Burks -- Activated
- RB Kyren Williams -- Activated
Ruled Out
- RB Mark Ingram
- RB Deon Jackson
- RB J.D. McKissic
- WR Mike Williams
- WR Keenan Allen
- WR Mecole Hardman
- WR Romeo Doubs
- WR Russell Gage
- WR Josh Reynolds
- TE Darren Waller (Injured Reserve)
- TE David Njoku
- TE Daniel Bellinger
Playing Sunday at 9:30 AM Eastern
Cameron Brate | Neck | Questionable | Likely to play
Practice Participation: Wed - Full | Thurs - Full | Fri - Full
Brate fully practiced and traveled with the Buccaneers to Germany but is listed questionable. He's likely to return in a supporting role behind Cade Otton.
Playing Sunday at 1:00 pm Eastern
Josh Allen | Elbow | Questionable | Likely to play
Practice Participation: Wed - DNP | Thurs - DNP | Fri - Limited
Allen has a ligament sprain in his throwing elbow. Early-week imaging showed a low-grade sprain. That was welcome news but doesn't guarantee a return to play this week.
The Bills allowed Allen to throw early in Friday's practice before pulling him from the field when beat writers arrived. Sean McDermott told reporters Allen was "hour-to-hour" after practice, and the Bills are likely to give Allen as much time as needed to rehab prior to Sunday's game.
If Allen was comfortable throwing in practice and continues to recover through the weekend, there's a chance he'll be cleared to play. More likely, the Bills will choose caution and continue to rehab through next week.
Sunday update: Weekend reports strongly suggest Allen will play today. Ian Rapoport tweeted Allen is able to grip the football and throw. The Bills did not elevate another quarterback to the active roster. And Adam Schefter reported Sunday morning that orthopedic specialists told Allen and the team the injury was not at risk of aggravation. Look for Allen to play -- with the Bills likely limiting their downfield routes and possibly asking Allen to remain in the pocket more than usual.