NFL Injury Report Friday Updates: Egbuka, Kraft, Warren Deemed Questionable

This is the first slate of the season with more than one or two potential game-time decisions among the crop of players with mainstream fantasy relevance. We avoided QB drama, at least, but only because all of the injured starters have already been ruled out. Five backup QBs will start this week, including on both sides of a Vikings-Bengals matchup where RB Jordan Mason seems to have more hype than Justin Jefferson or Ja'Marr Chase (just like we drew it up).

The injury bug has also been biting early standouts at other positions, with Emeka Egbuka, Tyler Warren and Tucker Kraft highlighting the list of potential game-time decisions this week. Their availability, or lack thereof, could have a big impact on DFS lineup constructions, as all three have accounted for more than 20 percent of the targets in offenses that are playing well.

In addition to those fantasy standouts, hotspots on the Week 3 NFL injury report include Chicago's secondary (vs. DAL), Cincinnati's secondary (at MIN), Seattle's secondary (vs. NO) and Pittsburgh's defense (at NE).

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 morning and afternoon when inactives come out and we need to adjust lineups. Before we get to the 'questionable' players, let's see who's definitely in and who's definitely out...

Good to Go 💯

• RB Josh Jacobs (ankle)
• RB Tyrone Tracy (calf)
• RB Bhayshul Tuten (shoulder)
• WR Brian Thomas (wrist)
• WR Ladd McConkey (biceps)
• WR Josh Downs (ankle)
• WR Christian Kirk (hamstring)
• WR Tory Horton (groin)
• WRs Wan'Dale Robinson (foot) & Darius Slayton (groin)
• TE Brock Bowers (knee)
• TE Dallas Goedert (knee)
• TE Kyle Pitts (toe)

Ruled Out/Doubtful 🚑 

Out/Doubtful/IR

• QB Joe Burrow (IR - toe)
• QB Justin Fields (concussion)
• QB J.J. McCarthy (ankle)
• QB Jayden Daniels (knee)
• QB Brock Purdy (Q - toe/shoulder) - only expected to be backup if he plays
• RB Zach Charbonnet (D - toe)
• RB Will Shipley (oblique)
• RBs Aaron Jones (IR - hamstring) & Ty Chandler (IR - knee)
• RB Austin Ekeler (IR - Achilles)
• WR Chris Godwin (ankle)
• WR Jayden Reed (shoulder)
• WR Justin Watson (IR - calf)
• WR Josh Reynolds (hamstring)
• WR Noah Brown (groin) & TE John Bates (groin)
• TE Evan Engram (back)
• TE Will Dissly (knee)

Potential Workload Beneficiaries (From Injuries Above)

• QB Jake Browning
• QB Tyrod Taylor
• QB Carson Wentz
• QB Marcus Mariota
• QB Mac Jones
• RBs Kenneth Walker & George Holani
• RBs Jordan Mason, Zavier Scott & Cam Akers
• RBs Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Jeremy McNichols & Chris Rodriguez
• WRs Dontayvion Wicks & Matthew Golden
• WR Tyler Johnson
• WRs Jaylin Lane & Luke McCaffrey / TE Ben Sinnott
• TEs Adam Trautman, Nate Adkins & Lucas Krull
• TEs Tyler Conklin & Oronde Gadsden

Browning got all the buzz this week because he has a chance to start for the rest of the season, but Mariota is a much better fantasy play for Week 3, facing the Raiders defense at home while operating a Kliff Kingsbury offense that can sometimes hides Mariota's weaknesses. He averaged more than 30 rushing yards per game last time he was a starter, back in 2022 for Atlanta, and last season in Washington he ran for 92 yards and a TD on just 100 snaps (about 1.6 games worth).

Key Defensive Players + Offensive Linemen

• CB A.J. Terrell (hamstring)
• CBs Jaylon Johnson (groin), Kyler Gordon (hamstring) & Jaylon Jones (hamstring) 
• CB Cam Taylor-Britt (D - hamstring)
• CB DaRon Bland (foot)
• CB Devon Witherspoon (D) + S Julian Love (D) + S Nick Emmanwori (D)
• CB Joey Porter (O) + OLB Alex Highsmith (O) + S DeShon Elliott (O)
• DT T'Vondre Sweat (ankle) + RT JC Latham (hip)
• C Ryan Kelly (concussion)
• G Steve Avila (ankle)
• LT Tristan Wirfs (knee)

Listed as Questionable - Should Play 👍

I don't see anyone fantasy-relevant for this category. Maybe Chicago's D'Andre Swift, who was a limited practice participant all week, but there is still a degree of risk given his failure to progress to 'full' status. Unfortunately, there's a lot still up in the air for fantasy heading into the weekend...

Truly Questionable / Game-Time Decisions 🤔

Early Games

• WR Emeka Egbuka (hip)
• WR Xavier Legette (hamstring)
• TE Tyler Warren (toe)
• TE Tucker Kraft (knee)

We've got a trio of big ones here, with Kraft the least likely of the three to play. He was injured during Thursday's practice and sat out Friday, while Egbuka and Warren followed the more conventional path (missing practice early in the week before returning Thursday or Friday). All three teams are favored by more than a field goal, which might decrease urgency.

Warren practiced both Thursday and Friday, seemingly giving him better than 50/50 odds to suit up. Egbuka is the one in the middle, where I don't really have a read one way or another.

In fantasy terms, Luke Musgrave is the most interesting direct replacement here, but the more relevant thing outside of deep leagues is how absences for the guys listed above could boost target projections for the likes of Mike Evans, Sterling Shepard, Cade Otton, Michael Pittman, Josh Downs, Matthew Golden and Romeo Doubs. 

Late-Afternoon Games

• RB D'Andre Swift (quad)  - 4:25 p.m. ET
• WR Jauan Jennings (shoulder/ankle) - 4:25 p.m. ET
• WRs Devaughn Vele (hip) & Trey Palmer (hamstring) - 4:05 ET

Kyle Monangai is the only Bears RB besides Swift to take a snap this season, and even the rookie has barely gotten touches outside of garbage time. I lean toward Swift playing, after he was a limited practice participant Wednesday through Friday. A reduced role is possible — something we also saw last week after Swift lost a fumble in the first half. Prior to that fumble, Swift had completely dominated Chicago's RB snaps and touches through the first five quarters of the season.

Jennings appears less likely to play, after not practicing at all this week. Ricky Pearsall's target-share projection will get a big boost if Jennings ends up inactive, while potential snap beneficiaries include Kendrick Bourne, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Russell Gage and Skyy Moore. FWIW, Bourne was ahead of the others last week, working as the No. 3 receiver behind Jennings and Pearsall.

Primetime Games

• WRs Xavier Worthy (shoulder) & Jalen Royals (knee) - SNF
• TE Isaiah Likely (foot) + FB Patrick Ricard (calf)

Royals looks ready for his NFL debut after full practices Thursday and Friday, but that doesn't mean he'll have much of a role. Summer reports had him filling in for Rashee Rice... before Royals was out for a month.

Worthy, meanwhile, was a limited practice participant throughout the week. It sounds like he's pushing to play, and he may even be effective, but every hit comes with risk of a re-injury that could require season-ending surgery. Knowledge of that danger may impact Worthy's role/usage even if he feels fine.

For MNF, we're mostly looking at injuries on the defensive side for both teams, but Baltimore's offense could get a boost if Likely or Ricard suit up for the first time this year. That might also mean less playing time for some of the wide receivers, even though backups DeAndre Hopkins, Devontez Walker and Tylan Wallace have combined for five TDs already. Mark Andrews is also a potential loser there, but he should still do better than his meager output the past two weeks, and projects for route share well above 50 percent in any scenario. There is some risk of Andrews falling behind Likely as the season progresses, but not in Likely's first week back from foot surgery.

Key Defensive Players + O-Linemen

• LT Christian Darrisaw (knee), S Harrison Smith (illness), OLB Andrew Van Ginkel (head)
• CB DJ Turner (hamstring)
• CB Christian Gonzalez (hamstring)
• RT Taliese Fuaga (knee) + LG Trevor Penning (toe)
• G Joel Bitonio (back), T Jack Conklin (elbow), K Andre Szmyt (calf), RS DeAndre Carter (head)
• LT Andrew Thomas (foot)
• OLB Kyle Van Noy (hamstring) + CB Nate Wiggins (groin) + DT Nnamdi Madubuike (neck)
• LB Jack Campbell (ankle) + DE Marcus Davenport (chest)