Injury Status Board - Week 2

Week 2 Injury status board

Foundry read: Week 1 was rough.

Week 1 cost fantasy managers two starting quarterbacks, a first-round tight end and the receiver New England traded for in the spring. Designations and practice reports are current through Wednesday, Sept. 16. I'll update statuses throughout the week. Projections below are the Week 2 board in PPR points per game, and every number on it carries into the Start/Sit tool.

The board

The long absences

A.J. Brown, WR, Patriots: high-ankle sprain, IR

Brown left the Wednesday night opener in Seattle during the third quarter with a right high-ankle sprain and was on injured reserve by Saturday. The Patriots did not wait to see how the four-week minimum played out; the team called the injury "a little more serious" than the usual case, and Ian Rapoport's report is about six weeks. That points to Week 8 against a schedule that still has the Week 11 bye in front of him. ESPN's return date is Nov. 1.

Our board reads a fresh IR move as five games missed and has him back in Week 7. We would plan on Week 8. Behind him, the redistribution layer split Brown's vacated targets three ways: Romeo Doubs is up to 10.9 (WR31), Mack Hollins to 9.3 and DeMario Douglas to 8.3. Hollins led the Patriots in receiving yards once Brown was gone. The Week 2 draw is Pittsburgh, which sits first on our pass-defense index, so none of the three is a start this week. Drake Maye stayed at 20.1; the quarterback is not the one to sell. We wrote about what Brown was supposed to mean for Maye when the trade happened, and that thesis is on hold rather than dead.

Foundry read: Hold Brown if you have an IR slot. Doubs is the add, but he is a bench stash until the schedule softens.

De'Zhaun Stribling, WR, 49ers: ankle surgery

Stribling went down without contact in the second quarter in Melbourne and was carted off. The Achilles was intact; the diagnosis is an ankle injury that needs surgery, and Adam Schefter reports the 49ers will place him on injured reserve. ESPN lists his return date as Nov. 22, which is Week 11, on the far side of San Francisco's Week 8 bye. The board has him at Week 12.

His targets have already moved. Mike Evans is 14.6 (WR12) and Deebo Samuel is 12.9 (WR19) against Miami, which ranks last on our pass-defense index, in a game where San Francisco carries a 29-point implied total, one of the highest on the Week 2 slate. Samuel's usage after the injury (six catches on seven targets and a touchdown) is the role we expect from here.

Foundry read: Stribling is a dynasty stash and a redraft drop in anything shallower than 14 teams. Samuel is the player whose value changed.

Ja'Kobi Lane, WR, Ravens: wrist surgery, IR

Lane fractured his wrist in Indianapolis, had surgery Wednesday and went on injured reserve the same day. Four games is the minimum, which makes Oct. 18 in Cleveland (Week 6) the first eligible game. Wrist fractures that need surgery tend to run longer than the minimum, and the board's Week 7 estimate is the better planning number.

Lane was the Ravens' third receiver, so the fantasy effect is on the depth chart rather than on your roster. With Zay Flowers also hurt, Rashod Bateman (6.3) and Mark Andrews (9.9, TE10, on 72% of the snaps in Week 1) are the ones who benefit.

Foundry read: Drop in redraft. In dynasty, a rookie third-round pick who was the talk of camp is worth keeping through an IR stint.

Jordan Mason, RB, Vikings: thumb surgery, IR

Mason fractured his thumb against Green Bay, had surgery and is on short-term injured reserve. Four games out runs into the Vikings' Week 6 bye, so Week 7 (Oct. 25) is the first game he can play, and that is the board's number too.

Aaron Jones inherits the backfield. He played 30 snaps in Week 1 with Mason sharing the work, and the board moves 1.8 points of Mason's opportunity to him: 10.5 (RB26) at Chicago. DeeJay Dallas, Demond Claiborne and Jerome Ford are the depth behind him, and none of them is projectable.

Foundry read: Jones is a flex with a real workload for the next five games. Stash Mason on IR if you can; the split resumes when he is back.

Dylan Sampson, RB, Browns: knee, IR

Cleveland placed Sampson on injured reserve Tuesday with a knee injury. He is expected back this season, per Mary Kay Cabot, which makes Week 6 (Oct. 18) his first eligible game; the board carries Week 7.

Quinshon Judkins was already the lead back and now has the passing downs as well. The board moves 1.6 points of vacated opportunity to him, but the Browns are projected for 16.5 points at Tampa Bay, and that is the cap on his week: 11.1 (RB24). Jaleel McLaughlin was promoted from the practice squad, and Raheim Sanders played 18 snaps after Sampson left.

Foundry read: Judkins is a volume RB2 in a bad offense. Sampson is droppable in redraft.

Malik Davis, RB, Cowboys: hip surgery, out for the year

Davis was carted off at Friday's practice with a hip injury, had surgery Saturday and is expected to miss the entire season, per Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News. Our news reader credited only the IR move, so the board still shows a Week 6 return; treat him as done for 2026.

The reason he mattered is Javonte Williams. Williams handled 12 carries and all five of his targets against the Giants with two touchdowns, and no teammate had more than two carries. The board has him at 17.7 (RB8) against Washington with 1.7 points of Davis's opportunity added. Emari Demercado is the No. 2 back, and Israel Abanikanda was signed from the practice squad as the third.

Foundry read: Williams is a locked-in RB1/RB2 with no committee. Demercado is the handcuff now.

Isiah Pacheco, RB, Lions: back surgery

Pacheco was already on injured reserve with a back injury; he had surgery Monday, and Ian Rapoport puts the recovery at 12 weeks, a December return at best. Jahmyr Gibbs took 29 of Detroit's 31 running-back carries in Week 1 for 156 yards and two touchdowns and played 57 of 77 snaps.

Foundry read: Nothing to do except appreciate Gibbs. Pacheco can be dropped in redraft.

The quarterbacks

Sam Darnold, Seahawks: glute, out for Week 2

Darnold lasted five plays in the opener. What was first called a hip injury has since been described as a glute injury, "very unique" per Mike Garafolo, with a four-week timetable. Mike Macdonald ruled him out for Week 2 in Arizona on Wednesday.

Four weeks from Sept. 9 points to Week 5. The board still reads Week 3 from last week's "optimistic" reporting, and we are moving that to Week 5. Drew Lock starts for as long as Darnold is out. Lock was clean in relief (16 of 22 for 187 yards, a touchdown and no turnovers), and the board has him at 8.4 (QB32). The pass catchers are scaled by the change at quarterback, 0.94 on this board: Jaxon Smith-Njigba is 18.2 (WR4) instead of 19.3.

Foundry read: Smith-Njigba is still a WR1. Lock is a superflex fill, not a one-quarterback start. Darnold is an IR stash in superflex and a drop in most one-quarterback leagues.

Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr., Falcons: oblique and knee

Tagovailoa strained his oblique in practice on Sept. 10, missed the loss in Pittsburgh and did not practice Wednesday. Kevin Stefanski has called him week-to-week. Michael Penix Jr., inactive in Week 1 while working back from knee surgery, practiced in full Wednesday, split first-team reps with Cooper Rush, and said he expects to play Sunday against Carolina.

The board already treats Penix as the Week 2 starter: 11.3 (QB28) after the questionable haircut, with Rush and Tagovailoa at zero. Either healthy quarterback is a step up from Rush, who threw two interceptions and took four sacks. Drake London (14.2, WR14) played 98% of the snaps and Kyle Pitts (7.6) 63%; the volume is there when the quarterback is.

Foundry read: Penix is the Falcon to roster in superflex. Carolina gave up 59 points in Week 1 and sits 31st on our pass-defense index, so London is a start no matter who throws to him.

Kyler Murray, Vikings: concussion

Murray was sandwiched between two defenders on his 11th snap against Green Bay and left with a concussion. Carson Wentz finished a 39-22 win. Kevin O'Connell had Murray limited on Wednesday, and clearance from an independent neurologist is the only timeline that matters.

The board's role gate read the reporting the way we do: Wentz is the Week 2 starter at Chicago (9.8, QB30) and Murray is zeroed until he is cleared. Justin Jefferson is 18.1 with Wentz throwing; the offense scored 39 with him.

Foundry read: Plan on Wentz. Murray is a Week 3 quarterback in superflex if he clears the protocol, and there is no reason to start Jefferson or Jordan Addison any differently.

Week 2 game-time calls

Brock Bowers, TE, Raiders: meniscus

Bowers had a meniscus trim on Sept. 8 and missed the opener. Klint Kubiak called him day-to-day Monday, and Dan Graziano reports the injury "is not overly serious" with a Week 2 return "possible." Wednesday's practice report is the first real signal, and it is the same knee he played on through last season's PCL sprain.

The board keeps him on the field: 11.4 (TE5) at the Chargers after the questionable haircut, with a day-to-day timeline rather than a return week. Michael Mayer handled the role in Week 1 (six catches on seven targets for 32 yards, 81% of the snaps) and sits at 4.5 with Bowers listed. If Bowers is ruled out, the redistribution layer moves the targets back to Mayer at kickoff.

Foundry read: If Bowers practices Thursday or Friday, start him. A limited Bowers still beats every streamer at the position. Keep Mayer through Sunday as the contingency, not as a starter.

Zay Flowers, WR, Ravens: hamstring

Flowers had 150 yards in the first half against the Colts and did not come out for the second after aggravating the hamstring he had in the preseason. Jesse Minter called him day-to-day, and he did not practice Wednesday.

The board lists him questionable at 14.5 (WR13) against New Orleans. Two shades are in that number: the 7% health haircut and a usage shade from his 29% snap share, which is the early exit rather than a role change. If he plays, the number without the usage shade is closer to 16. If he sits, Andrews (9.9, TE10) and Bateman (6.3) absorb the targets, and Baltimore's 27.5-point implied total is tied for the highest on our Week 2 board.

Foundry read: A Thursday practice makes him a start. No practice by Friday makes him a sit, with Bateman as the deep-league pivot. A hamstring that recurs inside a month is the kind we hold out an extra week on.

Ladd McConkey, WR, Chargers: ribs

McConkey took a hit to the midsection against Arizona and did not return. The Chargers called it a chest injury on Sunday and a rib injury on Monday; Jim Harbaugh called him day-to-day, and he did not practice Wednesday. He needs to get on the field Thursday or Friday to have a chance against the Raiders.

The board has him questionable at 11.8 (WR25), again with both the health and the early-exit usage shades applied. Quentin Johnston is 11.2 (WR30) either way; he caught two of six targets after McConkey left, and the Chargers' 25-point implied total is what holds his number up, not his Week 1.

Foundry read: Rib injuries are pain-tolerance decisions that tend to end on the inactive list. If he practices in any capacity Friday, keep him in; if not, have the pivot ready before kickoff.

Chig Okonkwo, TE, Commanders: hamstring

Okonkwo left the loss in Philadelphia late with a hamstring injury and did not practice Wednesday. He is questionable for Dallas with two practices left this week.

The board has him at 8.6 (TE18) with the questionable haircut, a number that carries an editor adjustment for the TE1 role Washington gave him this offseason. John Bates (34 of 70 snaps, two catches) and Ben Sinnott (18 snaps) are the tight ends behind him, and neither is a fantasy option.

Foundry read: A hamstring that costs a Wednesday practice usually costs the game. Stream elsewhere this week and revisit Thursday's report.

Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jaguars: shoulder

Thomas played through a shoulder injury against Cleveland but was on the field for only 35% of the snaps, and Liam Coen said Monday he would be limited in practice all week. He was limited Wednesday, and Coen expects him to be available in Denver.

That is the least useful kind of injury for a Sunday decision: available but capped. The board has him at 9.0 (WR51) with both the health and usage shades, against a Broncos defense that ranks second on our pass-defense index. Parker Washington (five catches for 83 yards and a touchdown) is 11.8 (WR26). Jakobi Meyers, limited with a thumb injury, is 9.4.

Foundry read: Thomas is a WR3 this week at best. Washington is the Jaguar to start if you need one, and the matchup argues for neither.

Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Jets: ankle sprain

Cooper sprained his ankle against Tennessee. The MRI brought "positive news," per Ian Rapoport, and the team hopes he returns within four weeks. The board reads that as a Week 4 return.

Cooper was the Jets' third receiver as a rookie. Isaiah Williams took his snaps, and Adonai Mitchell (three catches for 60 yards on 46 snaps) is the deep threat in this offense. Garrett Wilson (12.6) is the only Jets receiver who belongs on a fantasy roster this week.

Foundry read: Nothing to add. A first-round rookie is worth holding in dynasty; in redraft he was not startable before the injury.

Coming back

• TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Patriots (ankle): full practice Wednesday after missing the opener. New England averaged 3.9 yards per carry without him, and Rhamondre Stevenson and Corey Kiner combined for 62 yards on 24 carries. The board has him at 11.3 against a Pittsburgh run defense that ranks fourth on our index.

• Alvin Kamara, RB, Saints (knee): full practice Wednesday. He sat out Week 1 as a precaution after an August MCL sprain and is on track for Baltimore.

• Michael Penix Jr., QB, Falcons (knee): full practice and first-team reps Wednesday, covered above.

The board's timelines refresh from the news feeds every two hours and by hand when the reporting outruns the feeds. Thursday's practice reports settle most of the Week 2 questions above, and the weekly projections will show the change before this column does.