NFL Week 1 Fantasy Football Injury Report Wednesday QB

Quarterback stays the quietest position on the Week 1 board, and the Wednesday reports mostly confirmed good news: the injuries that matter are backups, and the one genuine question — Patrick Mahomes — is trending the right way without a formal answer yet.

What changed since the weekend

Clubs filed their first official injury reports of the season on Wednesday, which replaces the guesswork of the preseason with real practice participation. Across the 9 quarterbacks on this board: 2 are new to the report, 2 improved, 1 got worse, and 2 cleared entirely and are no longer listed by their teams.

How to read this report

Week 1 spans six days, so teams are at different points in their reporting week and their designations do not mean the same thing:

• Seattle–New England played Wednesday, September 9. Those teams have final designations and published inactives.
• San Francisco–LA Rams play Thursday, September 10 in Melbourne — final or near-final.
• Everyone else plays Sunday, September 13 or Monday, September 14. Their Wednesday filing is practice participation only. Final Out/Doubtful/Questionable tags land Friday, September 11. A Wednesday “Full” is a strong signal, not a guarantee.

Anything on the reserve list — IR, PUP, Commissioner’s Exempt List — is an official roster transaction and is settled regardless of the day.

Ruled out or unavailable (4)

Official reserve-list designations and confirmed absences. Plan around these.

Michael Penix Jr. — ATL (No longer the starter. Tua Tagovailoa was named Week 1 QB1 on Sept 7 and Cooper Rush is the designated backup; Penix is on the 53-man roster but has been announced as INACTIVE for Week 1.)

• Wednesday practice: Full
• Official status: (b) Official practice-report entry without a final game status – he appears on Atlanta’s official Wednesday Week 1 report with a knee designation. Final Out/Doubtful/Questionable tags are not due until Friday, Sept 11. Separately, and this is NOT an injury designation, HC Kevin Stefanski has already publicly announced Penix will be inactive Sunday – a readiness/coaching decision.
• Injury: Left knee – partially torn ACL that ended his 2025 season and required surgery. It is the third ACL tear of his career.
• When it happened: Original injury and season-ending surgery during the 2025 season; he was held out of full-team drills until after the second 2026 preseason game and did not play in the third.
• Typical recovery for this injury: ACL reconstruction typically sidelines an NFL player 9-12 months, and a third tear on the same limb sits at the long end – 12+ months with a slower return to full explosiveness and cutting confidence.
• Expected back to full health: Physically cleared and practicing in full now; the club is treating true game readiness as still weeks away. Realistically mid-season 2026 before he is trusted with a start.
• Week 1: Announced INACTIVE for Sunday, Sept 13 at Pittsburgh. He will not play regardless of what Friday’s official designation says.
• Weeks 1-4: Wk1 at PIT inactive. Wk2 vs CAR, Wk3 at GB (Thu, Sept 24), Wk4 at NO (Mon, Oct 5) – he is behind both Tua and Cooper Rush, so he only plays on injury or a Tua benching. Treat him as unrosterable in redraft through at least Week 4.
• Who benefits if he sits: N/A – he is the one out. Tua Tagovailoa starts, Cooper Rush is the active backup.
• Change since the weekend: DOWNGRADED – on Sept 6 he was a co-QB1 in an open competition; he has now lost the job outright and been declared inactive for the opener.

Fantasy takeaway: Drop him in all redraft formats – he is inactive Week 1 and third on the depth chart, and only a Tua injury or collapse puts him back in play.

Graham Mertz — HOU (Was the QB3. Currently on season-ending reserve; the practice-squad QB spot behind Stroud and Mills is now Mark Gronowski, signed Sept 8.)

• Wednesday practice: not applicable — on season-ending IR
• Official status: (a-equivalent) OFFICIAL ROSTER DESIGNATION: Reserve/Injured (IR) — out for the 2026 season. Confirmed by his ‘RES’ status code on the official nfl.com Texans roster.
• Injury: Torn ACL (knee)
• When it happened: Suffered in the Texans’ preseason opener, mid-August 2026 (reported Aug 14-17, 2026).
• Typical recovery for this injury: ACL reconstruction: 9-12 months to return to play.
• Expected back to full health: Mid-to-late 2027. Note he also had his 2023 college season shortened by a broken collarbone.
• Week 1: OUT — Week 1 and all of 2026.
• Weeks 1-4: Out for the season.
• Who benefits if he sits: Davis Mills is the QB2 behind C.J. Stroud; Mark Gronowski is the practice-squad emergency arm.
• Change since the weekend: unchanged — same official season-ending IR designation as the Sept 6 report.

Fantasy takeaway: No fantasy relevance in any format — the only actionable note is that Davis Mills is the sole insurance policy behind C.J. Stroud, which matters if you roster Texans pass-catchers.

Dillon Gabriel — CLE (QB4 (on reserve; not on the active depth chart))

• Wednesday practice: not applicable – ineligible to practice until his 21-day window opens
• Official status: (a) FINAL OFFICIAL ROSTER-STATUS DESIGNATION: Reserve/Injured, designated to return (nfl.com roster code RSR). Filed Aug 30, 2026 when Cleveland set its 53. Rules him out through Week 4.
• Injury: Back
• When it happened: August 2026, during the preseason; placed on IR Aug 30, 2026.
• Typical recovery for this injury: Back injuries in NFL quarterbacks span a wide range – a lumbar strain is 2-4 weeks, a disc-related issue is 6-12 weeks, and a transverse process fracture is 4-8 weeks. The IR-return designation guarantees a minimum four-game absence. Cleveland’s willingness to use the return designation rather than season-ending IR points to the shorter end.
• Expected back to full health: Practice-eligible ahead of Week 5 (early-to-mid October 2026). Cleveland effectively used the move to keep four quarterbacks, so there is no urgency to activate him.
• Week 1: OUT – ineligible for Week 1 at Jacksonville, Sunday, Sept 13, 2026, 1:00 p.m. ET.
• Weeks 1-4: Weeks 1-4: OUT for all four, by rule.
• Who benefits if he sits: Deshaun Watson is QB1, Shedeur Sanders QB2, Taylen Green QB3 – Gabriel is fourth in line even when healthy.
• Change since the weekend: unchanged

Fantasy takeaway: No standard-league relevance; only a deep-dynasty stash, and even then he is behind three healthy quarterbacks.

Skylar Thompson — BAL (Not on the active depth chart – Reserve/Injured)

• Wednesday practice: not applicable – on injured reserve
• Official status: (a) FINAL OFFICIAL ROSTER-STATUS DESIGNATION: Reserve/Injured (nfl.com roster code RES), placed in August 2026. Baltimore signed QB Austin Reed at the time as the corresponding move, though Reed does not appear on the current active roster – Joe Fagnano holds the QB3 spot.
• Injury: Undisclosed; sustained during the 2026 preseason.
• When it happened: August 2026 (IR placement reported Aug 12-24, 2026 across outlets).
• Typical recovery for this injury: Not estimable without a disclosed injury. Season-opening Reserve/Injured without a return designation typically ends the season.
• Expected back to full health: Unknown – no public timeline.
• Week 1: OUT – not on the active roster for Week 1 at Indianapolis, Sunday, Sept 13, 2026, 1:00 p.m. ET.
• Weeks 1-4: Weeks 1-4: OUT.
• Who benefits if he sits: Not applicable – Lamar Jackson is QB1, Tyler Huntley QB2, Joe Fagnano QB3.
• Change since the weekend: NEW

Fantasy takeaway: Zero fantasy relevance; included only because the Sept 6 baseline omitted his official reserve status.

Did not practice Wednesday (1)

A Wednesday DNP four days out is the clearest warning sign on the report. Have a replacement ready and check Friday.

Tyson Bagent — CHI (QB2 – the backup to Caleb Williams on both nfl.com (ACT, No. 17) and the Ourlads 09/08 chart, ahead of Case Keenum.)

• Wednesday practice: DNP (estimated – no practice was held Wednesday).
• Official status: (b) OFFICIAL PRACTICE-REPORT ENTRY WITHOUT FINAL STATUS – listed as DID NOT PARTICIPATE on Chicago’s Wednesday Sept 9, 2026 Week 1 injury report (nfl.com league report, confirmed by Sept 9 Chicago Sun-Times and SI Bear Digest). No Out/Doubtful/Questionable tag exists yet; Chicago plays SUNDAY, so the final status comes FRIDAY, SEPT. 11. The Bears held no practice Wednesday, so this is an estimated report – the club’s judgment is that he would have missed the session entirely.
• Injury: Back. Reporting is explicit that this is a NEW and distinct problem from the hamstring issue he dealt with earlier. His status for Sunday remains uncertain; if he cannot go, Case Keenum assumes QB2 duties.
• When it happened: First appeared on the official report Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026; the onset date has not been disclosed.
• Typical recovery for this injury: Non-specific back strain in an NFL player: 1-3 weeks typically, and often just days for a mild spasm. A disc-related back issue is a different class entirely at 4-8 weeks or more. No pathology has been disclosed, so the wide range stands.
• Expected back to full health: Unclear pending Thursday and Friday participation. A missed Wednesday alone is not diagnostic; if he is still DNP on Thursday, a multi-week absence becomes likely.
• Week 1: UNCERTAIN for Sunday, Sept. 13 at Carolina – DNP on the first report of the week. The Friday, Sept. 11 report will set the actual designation. Practically, a backup quarterback’s availability rarely affects a game plan.
• Weeks 1-4: Irrelevant to fantasy in all four games unless Caleb Williams gets hurt. If Bagent’s back lingers, Case Keenum becomes the emergency QB2, which would make a Williams injury materially worse for the Chicago offense.
• Who benefits if he sits: Case Keenum (No. 11) moves up to QB2 behind Caleb Williams.
• Change since the weekend: NEW – Bagent was not on the Sept 6 baseline injury list at all, and this back problem is separately reported as distinct from his earlier hamstring issue.

Fantasy takeaway: No fantasy action – but note that Chicago’s QB insurance behind Caleb Williams is now a 38-year-old journeyman rather than Bagent, which slightly raises the tail risk on every Bears skill player.

Practiced in full (on the report, trending to play) (1)

On the report but practicing fully — typically maintenance or the tail of something that has resolved. Start them, but note the injury is on file.

Marcus Mariota — WAS (QB2 behind Jayden Daniels, verified ACT on nfl.com roster and Ourlads 09/09/2026)

• Wednesday practice: Full
• Official status: (b) OFFICIAL PRACTICE-REPORT ENTRY WITHOUT FINAL GAME STATUS. Filed Wednesday, Sept 9 as ‘knee – Full Participation’. No game-status tag until Friday, Sept 11.
• Injury: Sprained MCL, right knee
• When it happened: August 2026 (training camp / preseason)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Grade 1 MCL sprain in a quarterback: 1-3 weeks. Grade 2: 3-6 weeks. Grade 3: 8-12 weeks, occasionally surgical. Unlike ACL injuries, isolated MCL sprains are managed non-operatively and heal reliably. A Full practice roughly 3-4 weeks out confirms Grade 1 and full resolution.
• Expected back to full health: Effectively full health now – unrestricted Full participation as of Wednesday, Sept 9, 2026
• Week 1: AVAILABLE as the backup for Sunday, Sept 13 (4:25 PM ET vs. Philadelphia). Not yet official; a Full Wednesday makes any Friday designation unlikely.
• Weeks 1-4: Weeks 1-4: available as QB2 in all four, barring recurrence. Has no standalone fantasy value while Jayden Daniels is healthy.
• Who benefits if he sits: Athan Kaliakmanis (QB, ACT) would become QB2; Sam Hartman (QB) is on the practice squad
• Change since the weekend: UPGRADED

Fantasy takeaway: Not rosterable while Daniels is healthy, but his return to Full practice restores Washington’s insurance behind the most fantasy-critical QB in the division.

No official designation yet (unconfirmed) (1)

Either the team’s reporting week is shifted (the Monday-night clubs file a day later) or the situation is beat-reported without an official entry. Real, but unconfirmed — verify before you rely on it.

Patrick Mahomes — KC (QB1 — verified ACT on nfl.com; QB1 on Ourlads (Sept 7) and si.com’s post-cuts Chiefs chart (Sept 3))

• Wednesday practice: not yet reported — Kansas City has not filed a practice report for this week and is not required to until Thursday Sept 10
• Official status: (c) STILL UNOFFICIAL — NO OFFICIAL FILING EXISTS TODAY. This is the single most important clarification in this update: because Kansas City plays Monday night, its first official injury report is not due until THURSDAY Sept 10, with the final game-status designation due Saturday Sept 12 at 4:00 PM ET. Everything on Mahomes today is head-coach commentary, not a filing. Andy Reid, Sept 8: ‘As far as our roster goes, there’s a very good chance that Patrick will go ahead and start unless something were to come up here in the next couple days. Most likely he’ll be the guy that’s out there.’ He was cleared for full training-camp practice in late July and has practiced without restriction since, but sat out all three preseason games.
• Injury: Left knee — torn ACL and LCL (multi-ligament injury), surgically repaired. Not a simple isolated ACL.
• When it happened: December 2025, during the 2025 season; surgery followed shortly after, ending his season
• Typical recovery for this injury: Isolated ACL reconstruction: 9–12 months to return to play. A combined ACL+LCL multi-ligament repair typically runs 9–12 months to return and 12–18 months to pre-injury explosiveness, because the lateral-side repair restricts early rehab loading.
• Expected back to full health: He is roughly 9 months post-op at Week 1 — the earliest edge of the normal window. Expect functional availability now but pre-injury mobility and off-platform improvisation to lag into October–November 2026.
• Week 1: Expected to START vs Denver, Monday Sept 14, 8:15 PM ET. To be clear: ‘expected to start’ is Reid’s word, not a filed designation. The first hard data point arrives Thursday Sept 10 (practice participation) and the binding one Saturday Sept 12 (game status).
• Weeks 1-4: Should start all four games barring a setback. Anticipate a deliberately reduced designed-run and scramble profile early — the rushing floor that props up his fantasy weeks is the piece most likely to be missing in Weeks 1–2, with the pocket passing intact and the mobility trending back by Weeks 3–4.
• Who benefits if he sits: Justin Fields (verified QB2 on nfl.com and Ourlads), then Garrett Nussmeier (QB3)
• Change since the weekend: UPGRADED

Fantasy takeaway: Start Mahomes as a low-end QB1 but check Kansas City’s Thursday practice report before locking him — and discount his rushing production until the multi-ligament knee proves it can handle scrambles.

Cleared since the weekend — off the report entirely (2)

The good news. These players carried an injury question into the weekend and are no longer listed by their teams at all.

Mitchell Trubisky — TEN (QB2 behind Cam Ward (verified on the Titans’ official 9/7/26 depth chart))

• Wednesday practice: Full (not listed on the Titans’ Wednesday Sept 9 report)
• Official status: Resolved — off the injury report
• Injury: Biceps — cleared
• When it happened: August 2026
• Typical recovery for this injury: Biceps strains/tendinitis in a throwing arm: 2-4 weeks. A full distal biceps tear is a different class entirely at 4-6 months, and clearly was not the case here.
• Expected back to full health: Now — no designation entering Week 1.
• Week 1: Available as the backup, no designation, Sunday Sept 13 vs. the Jets.
• Weeks 1-4: Healthy for Weeks 1-4 in a clipboard role. Only becomes fantasy-relevant if Cam Ward is injured.
• Who benefits if he sits: Practice-squad QB Hendon Hooker would be the emergency arm — not applicable, Trubisky is healthy.
• Change since the weekend: RESOLVED — now off the report. Was an unofficial ‘Questionable’ (biceps) on Sept 6.

Fantasy takeaway: No standalone value, but his return to health restores the Titans’ QB insurance, which matters only if you are speculating on a Cam Ward absence.

Haynes King — CAR (QB3, rookie, third on the depth chart behind Bryce Young and Kenny Pickett.)

• Wednesday practice: Full – not listed on the report.
• Official status: Resolved – off the injury report. He does not appear on Carolina’s Week 1 Wednesday report.
• Injury: Hamstring (resolved).
• When it happened: Camp injury in August 2026; cleared before Week 1.
• Typical recovery for this injury: 1-2 weeks for a mild hamstring strain, 3-6 for a moderate one.
• Expected back to full health: Now.
• Week 1: Healthy, no designation, but almost certainly a gameday inactive as QB3. Sunday, Sept 13 vs. Chicago.
• Weeks 1-4: Third-string with no path to snaps behind Young and Pickett through Week 4.
• Who benefits if he sits: Kenny Pickett is the QB2 ahead of him.
• Change since the weekend: RESOLVED – now off the report.

Fantasy takeaway: No fantasy relevance in any format – he is a healthy third-stringer.

Waiver wire: who gains if these names sit

• N/A – he is the one out. Tua Tagovailoa starts, Cooper Rush is the active backup. — if Michael Penix Jr. (ATL) can’t go.
• Davis Mills is the QB2 behind C.J. Stroud; Mark Gronowski is the practice-squad emergency arm. — if Graham Mertz (HOU) can’t go.
• Deshaun Watson is QB1, Shedeur Sanders QB2, Taylen Green QB3 – Gabriel is fourth in line even when healthy. — if Dillon Gabriel (CLE) can’t go.
• Not applicable – Lamar Jackson is QB1, Tyler Huntley QB2, Joe Fagnano QB3. — if Skylar Thompson (BAL) can’t go.
• Case Keenum (No. 11) moves up to QB2 behind Caleb Williams. — if Tyson Bagent (CHI) can’t go.

Bottom line at quarterback

4 of the 9 quarterbacks here are unavailable, 1 did not practice Wednesday, and 0 were limited. 2 cleared since the weekend. The Friday reports settle the middle two groups — that is where Week 1 lineups get decided.

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Rosters and depth charts for all 32 teams were verified against official league roster pages before this report was compiled, and every player listed was confirmed to be on the roster shown. Designations come from official club and league injury reports filed Wednesday, September 9, 2026. Recovery timelines describe how long a class of injury typically sidelines an NFL player and are not a prediction for any individual.