Bottom Line Up Front at Quarterback

Friday’s final designations turned quarterback from the quietest position on the board into one with a genuine crisis: Atlanta lost both of its quarterbacks in the same week and will start its third-stringer. Everything else at the position resolved in the expected direction.

Of the 13 quarterbacks on this board, 6 are out or doubtful, 1 carries a Questionable tag that decides itself on gameday, and 4 were listed at some point this week but finished it with no designation at all. 1 got hurt in a game that has already been played.

Below is every fantasy-relevant quarterback across all 32 teams carrying an injury or an absence, with the final designation, what the injury actually is, how long that class of injury normally takes to heal, where each player sits on his team’s depth chart, and who stands to gain if he can’t go.

Who is on this report?

Sam Darnold (SEA), Tua Tagovailoa (ATL), Michael Penix Jr. (ATL), Graham Mertz (HOU), Skylar Thompson (BAL), Matthew Caldwell (LAR), Dillon Gabriel (CLE), Tyson Bagent (CHI), Patrick Mahomes (KC), Daniel Jones (IND), Mitchell Trubisky (TEN), Marcus Mariota (WAS), Haynes King (CAR)

What changed since Wednesday

Wednesday’s reports were practice participation only. Friday’s are the real thing — the final Out, Doubtful and Questionable tags that govern Sunday. Across the 13 quarterbacks here: 3 are new to the report, 1 improved, 2 got worse, and 2 cleared entirely. The pattern worth internalizing: a midweek Limited usually resolved upward, and the players who never practiced are the ones who ended up with a tag.

Waiver wire: who gains if these names sit

• If Sam Darnold (SEA) can’t go — Drew Lock (ACT), who went 16-of-22 for 187 yards and a TD with no picks in relief and led the fourth-quarter comeback; Jalen Milroe (ACT) is QB3
• If Tua Tagovailoa (ATL) can’t go — Cooper Rush starts (rookie Jack Strand is the game-day backup; Michael Penix Jr. is also ruled Out)
• If Michael Penix Jr. (ATL) can’t go — Cooper Rush is the Week 1 starter; Jack Strand is QB2
• If Graham Mertz (HOU) can’t go — Already absorbed. DAVIS MILLS (#10) is the QB2 behind C.J. Stroud; MARK GRONOWSKI holds the QB3 job on the practice squad. Houston also signed veteran QB Brett Rypien in response to the Mertz injury.
• If Skylar Thompson (BAL) can’t go — Joe Fagnano is the QB3 in his place; Tyler Huntley is the QB2 behind Lamar Jackson. Fagnano is the practical emergency arm.
• If Matthew Caldwell (LAR) can’t go — Stetson Bennett (ACT) is QB2 and Ty Simpson (ACT) is QB3 behind Matthew Stafford
• If Dillon Gabriel (CLE) can’t go — Taylen Green is the QB3 in his place; Shedeur Sanders is the QB2 behind Deshaun Watson.
• If Tyson Bagent (CHI) can’t go — Case Keenum (ACT #11) becomes the QB2 behind Caleb Williams.

How to read this report

These are final designations, not midweek practice notes, so they mean what they say. A few timing wrinkles still apply:

• Four teams have already played. Seattle beat New England on Wednesday and San Francisco beat the Rams in Melbourne on Thursday. For those four clubs the Week 1 question is settled — what matters is who got hurt in the game and what it means for Week 2.
• Denver and Kansas City play Monday night, so their reporting week runs a day later and their final tags file Saturday. Anything listed for them here is Friday participation with the final designation still pending.
• A player listed with no designation is good news. Several names below appear on an official report with a blank game-status column — that is a club formally declining to tag them, which is stronger than never having been listed.

Reserve-list designations — IR, PUP, Commissioner’s Exempt List — are roster transactions and are settled regardless of the day.

Hurt in a game already played (1)

These injuries happened in Wednesday’s or Thursday’s games. Week 1 is already behind these players — the question is Week 2 and beyond.

Sam Darnold — SEA (QB1 when healthy; Drew Lock is now the Week 2 starter)

• Status: (c) POST-GAME injury from an already-played game – Darnold was sacked at the end of Seattle’s opening possession on Wednesday, Sept 9 and the club announced in-game he would not return. He has NOT been placed on IR: head coach Mike Macdonald’s public position is ‘no consideration of IR at this point.’
• Practice this week: n/a – game already played. He has not practiced since the injury.
• Injury: Hip – a muscle/soft-tissue strain, not a structural injury. Macdonald after the MRI: ‘The hip is intact, and it’s good. It’s more of a muscle thing.’ A hip fracture was specifically ruled out.
• When it happened: 2026-09-09 (first series of the Week 1 win over New England)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Hip flexor / hip muscle strains typically cost an NFL quarterback 1-4 weeks: roughly 1-2 weeks for a Grade 1, 3-6 weeks for a Grade 2. Re-injury risk is high if a QB returns before the push-off leg is symptom-free.
• Expected back to full health: Late September 2026 – Week 3 (Sept 27-28) is the realistic target, with Week 4 the conservative case. Rapoport’s reporting frames it as ‘just a few weeks.’
• Next game: Week 2, Sunday Sept 20 AT THE ARIZONA CARDINALS: expected OUT. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported he is expected to miss at least the Cardinals game, and Drew Lock will start.
• Next four weeks: Week 2 out; Week 3 a genuine coin flip and the likeliest return; Weeks 4-5 he should be back and starting. Seattle’s schedule helps – the gap after Week 2 gives him extra recovery runway.
• Who benefits if he sits: Drew Lock (ACT), who went 16-of-22 for 187 yards and a TD with no picks in relief and led the fourth-quarter comeback; Jalen Milroe (ACT) is QB3
• Change since Wednesday: NEW

Fantasy takeaway: Bench or stash Darnold for at least one week and do not cut him – the injury is muscular rather than structural, so a Week 3 return is live, but Drew Lock is the streaming option and the Seattle pass catchers hold most of their value.

Ruled out or unavailable (6)

Officially ruled out, or on a reserve list. Plan around these.

Tua Tagovailoa — ATL (Season QB1 – officially named the Week 1 starter on Sept 7, 2026; verified on nfl.com roster as ACT (#1))

• Status: OUT – this is (a) a FINAL Friday game-status designation on the official Week 1 report, not an unofficial report
• Practice this week: DNP
• Injury: Oblique strain, sustained during Thursday’s practice (he was observed touching his back and briefly sitting down during individual drills)
• When it happened: 2026-09-10 (Thursday practice)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Oblique strains for an NFL quarterback typically cost 2-4 weeks; a mild grade-1 strain can resolve in 1-2 weeks, while a moderate-to-severe strain routinely runs 4-6 weeks because throwing loads the injured muscle directly
• Expected back to full health: Late September to early October 2026 (realistically Week 3-5), with a genuine chance he is back sooner if this is a low-grade strain
• Next game: OUT at Pittsburgh Steelers (Sunday, Sept 13, 1:00 PM ET)
• Next four weeks: Week 1 is a certainty to miss. Oblique strains are notoriously re-aggravation-prone for throwers, and Atlanta has a competent veteran bridge in Cooper Rush, so there is no pressure to rush him. Expect a week-to-week designation; a Week 2 return is possible but optimistic, Weeks 3-4 is the more realistic window. Treat any ‘Limited’ practice report as the first real signal.
• Who benefits if he sits: Cooper Rush starts (rookie Jack Strand is the game-day backup; Michael Penix Jr. is also ruled Out)
• Change since Wednesday: NEW – he was not on the Sept 9 report at all. He was added to the Thursday Sept 10 report as a LIMITED participant with an oblique injury, then converted to a final OUT on Friday. This is the single biggest change in the division.

Fantasy takeaway: Drop him from every starting lineup and stash on IR if your league allows – and note the downstream damage: Drake London, Kyle Pitts and Jahan Dotson all lose value with a third-string-caliber operation under center.

Michael Penix Jr. — ATL (QB3 on the Week 1 operational chart (on the 53-man roster, verified ACT #9 on nfl.com) – had been the announced Week 1 inactive)

• Status: OUT – this is (a) a FINAL Friday game-status designation. Important distinction: on Sept 9 his absence was only an unofficial coach’s announcement that he would be inactive; it is now a formal Out on the league injury report.
• Practice this week: Full
• Injury: Knee
• When it happened: Not precisely reported; the knee has carried him through the 2026 preseason and he has appeared on the practice report continuously since at least Sept 9, 2026
• Typical recovery for this injury: Varies widely by structure involved. A knee issue that still permits FULL practice participation is generally a 0-2 week functional matter; the Out designation here reads as a club roster/management decision layered on top of the medical status rather than a pure availability call
• Expected back to full health: Functionally healthy now – he was a full participant Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. His Week 1 absence is not a conditioning or medical limitation.
• Next game: OUT at Pittsburgh Steelers (Sunday, Sept 13, 1:00 PM ET)
• Next four weeks: The most interesting situation in the division. With Tua out for an uncertain stretch, Penix is a fully practicing quarterback sitting behind Cooper Rush. If Rush struggles or Tua’s absence extends, Penix is the obvious next man and could seize the job outright within the next four weeks. Monitor Atlanta’s Week 2 practice report and game-status column closely.
• Who benefits if he sits: Cooper Rush is the Week 1 starter; Jack Strand is QB2
• Change since Wednesday: DOWNGRADED – on Sept 9 he was a Full participant with a BLANK Game Status and only an unofficial ‘he will be inactive’ statement from HC Kevin Stefanski. That has now hardened into an official OUT on the final Friday report. Confirmed: yes, the inactive plan held.

Fantasy takeaway: Do not cut him in a superflex or 2QB league – a full participant carrying an Out designation with the starter injured is a classic buy-low who can be the starter within two weeks.

Graham Mertz — HOU (Not on the active depth chart – out for the season. He had been competing for the QB3 role behind C.J. Stroud and Davis Mills.)

• Status: RESERVE/INJURED – SEASON-ENDING. This is (b) an OFFICIAL RESERVE-LIST DESIGNATION, carried on nfl.com as status code RES. Confirmed out for the entire 2026 season.
• Practice this week: not reported – not applicable; on season-ending Reserve/Injured.
• Injury: Torn ACL
• When it happened: August 14, 2026 – sustained in his Texans preseason debut.
• Typical recovery for this injury: ACL reconstruction requires 9-12 months to return to play, with 12-18 months to full pre-injury function. Quarterbacks often tolerate the timeline marginally better than skill positions requiring repeated explosive cutting, but an August 2026 tear rules out the entire 2026 season regardless.
• Expected back to full health: Mid-2027. Realistic availability for 2027 offseason work and training camp.
• Next game: Sunday, Sept 13, 2026 vs the Buffalo Bills – OUT. On season-ending Reserve/Injured.
• Next four weeks: OUT for all four games and for the balance of the 2026 season.
• Who benefits if he sits: Already absorbed. DAVIS MILLS (#10) is the QB2 behind C.J. Stroud; MARK GRONOWSKI holds the QB3 job on the practice squad. Houston also signed veteran QB Brett Rypien in response to the Mertz injury.
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged – still on season-ending Reserve/Injured. No movement since the Sept 9 snapshot.

Fantasy takeaway: No fantasy relevance in any format – a third-string quarterback on season-ending IR.

Skylar Thompson — BAL (QB4 — not on the active depth chart; Baltimore’s active QB order is Lamar Jackson, Tyler Huntley, Joe Fagnano)

• Status: Reserve/Injured — category (b), an official reserve-list designation, shown as status code RES on the nfl.com Ravens roster. Placed on IR without a return designation, so he is out for the season absent an injury settlement or later activation; reporting at the time of the move described it as likely season-ending.
• Practice this week: not reported — ineligible to practice while on Reserve/Injured
• Injury: Undisclosed. The Ravens did not announce the nature of the injury, which was sustained during early-August training camp. Do not assume a body part — none was reported.
• When it happened: On or about Aug 10-12, 2026 (camp); placed on Reserve/Injured Wednesday, Aug 12, 2026
• Typical recovery for this injury: Cannot be stated for an undisclosed injury. What is known is the roster consequence: a player placed on Reserve/Injured from the preseason roster without a return designation is out for the entire 2026 season.
• Expected back to full health: Unknown — no public timeline. Practically, the 2027 offseason.
• Next game: OUT (season) — not eligible for at Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Sept 13, 2026, or any 2026 game on his current designation.
• Next four weeks: Out for all four. He is not eligible to be activated on a non-designated-to-return IR placement.
• Who benefits if he sits: Joe Fagnano is the QB3 in his place; Tyler Huntley is the QB2 behind Lamar Jackson. Fagnano is the practical emergency arm.
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged — same Reserve/Injured status as the Sept 9 snapshot.

Fantasy takeaway: No fantasy action required — he is a fourth quarterback on IR and only matters as the reason Baltimore’s emergency QB depth behind Lamar Jackson is thinner than it looks.

Matthew Caldwell — LAR (Off the active roster – QB4 on the reserve list)

• Status: (b) OFFICIAL reserve-list designation – RES (Reserve/Injured) per the official nfl.com Rams roster
• Practice this week: n/a – on the reserve list
• Injury: Undisclosed injury carried from training camp
• When it happened: 2026-08-26 approximately (placed on reserve at roster cutdown)
• Typical recovery for this injury: n/a – his availability is governed by his reserve-list status, not a recovery timeline
• Expected back to full health: Unknown; not disclosed by the club
• Next game: Week 2, Monday Sept 21 vs. the New York Giants: OUT – on the reserve list
• Next four weeks: OUT – he is behind Stafford, Bennett and Simpson even if activated
• Who benefits if he sits: Stetson Bennett (ACT) is QB2 and Ty Simpson (ACT) is QB3 behind Matthew Stafford
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged

Fantasy takeaway: Zero fantasy relevance – listed only because he occupies a reserve-list spot at a fantasy-relevant position.

Dillon Gabriel — CLE (Not on the active depth chart; Cleveland’s active QB order is Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders, Taylen Green. Rookie Taylen Green took the No. 3 job that Gabriel’s IR placement vacated.)

• Status: Reserve/Injured, designated to return — category (b), an official reserve-list designation (status code RSR on the nfl.com Browns roster). Mandatory four-game absence; activation-eligible from Week 5.
• Practice this week: not reported — ineligible to practice until his activation window opens
• Injury: Back
• When it happened: August 2026; placed on Reserve/Injured with a return designation on Aug 30, 2026 at the 53-man cutdown
• Typical recovery for this injury: Back injuries in NFL quarterbacks vary widely by cause: a muscular strain or spasm is 1-3 weeks, a disc-related issue or stress reaction is 6-12 weeks, and a surgical disc case is 3-6 months. The Browns’ willingness to attach a return designation rather than a season-ending placement points to the shorter, non-surgical end.
• Expected back to full health: Earliest activation Week 5 (early October 2026) if medically cleared; the four-game minimum governs regardless of how quickly the back settles.
• Next game: OUT — ineligible for vs Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Sept 13, 2026.
• Next four weeks: Out for all four by rule. The Browns effectively used IR-with-return to keep a fourth quarterback, so his re-emergence in Week 5 depends as much on Deshaun Watson’s and Shedeur Sanders’s performance as on the back.
• Who benefits if he sits: Taylen Green is the QB3 in his place; Shedeur Sanders is the QB2 behind Deshaun Watson.
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged — same Reserve/Injured (designated to return) status, still Week 5 eligible.

Fantasy takeaway: No redraft relevance — he cannot be activated before Week 5 and would still be behind two quarterbacks when he is.

Questionable — game-time calls (1)

The genuine coin flips. Watch the inactives list, which posts about 90 minutes before kickoff, and have a replacement ready.

Tyson Bagent — CHI (QB2 / primary backup behind Caleb Williams (verified: nfl.com roster ACT #17; Ourlads lists him second))

• Status: QUESTIONABLE – this is (a) a FINAL FRIDAY GAME-STATUS DESIGNATION, officially published on the Sept 11 2026 final injury report by both nfl.com/injuries/league/2026/reg1 and chicagobears.com.
• Practice this week: DNP (Friday Sept 11). Did not practice on any of the three days – Wed DNP, Thu DNP, Fri DNP.
• Injury: Back
• When it happened: Early September 2026 – first appeared on Chicago’s Wednesday Sept 9 report as a DNP. The club has not disclosed a specific injury date or mechanism.
• Typical recovery for this injury: Non-specific back strain / lumbar strain: most NFL cases resolve in 1-3 weeks; a disc-related or nerve-involved back issue runs 4-8 weeks or longer. With no club detail provided, the 1-3 week band is the reasonable default, though three straight DNPs argue for the upper half of it.
• Expected back to full health: Late September 2026 (roughly Weeks 2-4). A full practice week without setbacks is the marker to watch; three consecutive DNPs mean he has not yet begun that.
• Next game: Sunday Sept 13 at the Carolina Panthers (1:00 PM ET) – QUESTIONABLE, but trending toward INACTIVE. A quarterback who did not practice at all in Week 1 prep is very unlikely to dress as the backup. HC Ben Johnson said the Bears feel confident with veteran Case Keenum backing up Caleb Williams if Bagent is unavailable.
• Next four weeks: Irrelevant for fantasy unless Caleb Williams is injured. Bagent should reclaim the QB2 job within a few weeks once the back clears; Case Keenum holds the emergency role in the meantime.
• Who benefits if he sits: Case Keenum (ACT #11) becomes the QB2 behind Caleb Williams.
• Change since Wednesday: DOWNGRADED – Wednesday’s DNP carried a BLANK game-status column (no designation). It has now CONVERTED TO A FINAL QUESTIONABLE after he failed to practice on Thursday or Friday either. Three straight DNPs is a meaningfully worse signal than the single Wednesday DNP captured in the Sept 9 snapshot.

Fantasy takeaway: No standard-league fantasy action – this only matters as a tail-risk note that Chicago’s emergency quarterback behind Caleb Williams is now 38-year-old Case Keenum rather than Bagent.

Final tag still pending (1)

Denver and Kansas City file a day later than everyone else. Real situations, final tag still to come.

Patrick Mahomes — KC (QB1 (verified vs nfl.com roster — status ACT); Justin Fields is QB2)

• Status: NO FINAL TAG YET — this is (c) FRIDAY PRACTICE PARTICIPATION WITH THE FINAL GAME STATUS STILL PENDING. Because Kansas City plays Monday night, its final report is due today (Saturday, Sept. 12) and has not been posted as of this check: the Game Status column on nfl.com/injuries/league/2026/reg1 is blank for every Chiefs player. What IS now official — and is the change from Sept. 9 — is that Kansas City has FILED. Mahomes appears on the club’s official Thursday (Sept. 10) and Friday (Sept. 11) practice reports listed with a KNEE injury and FULL participation on both days.
• Practice this week: Full
• Injury: Left knee — torn ACL and LCL suffered during the 2025 season; surgically repaired, followed by a roughly nine-month rehabilitation. He has not missed a practice since being cleared for football activities in July 2026.
• When it happened: 2025 season (season-ending); surgery followed, with the nine-month rehab timeline running into 2026 training camp
• Typical recovery for this injury: Combined ACL + LCL reconstruction typically sidelines an NFL player 9-12 months before a return to game action, with a further 6-12 months before pre-injury explosiveness and cutting confidence fully return. Mahomes is at roughly the nine-month mark and has cleared every rehab checkpoint on schedule.
• Expected back to full health: Already cleared and practicing in full. Treat him as functionally healthy for Week 1, with the caveat that first-season-back mobility for a dual-threat quarterback often lags the medical clearance by a month or more.
• Next game: Expected to start Monday, Sept. 14 vs. the Kansas City Chiefs’ opponent Denver (MNF). Three consecutive Full practices and Andy Reid’s ‘He’s geared up and ready to go’ point to no designation or at worst a procedural Questionable when the Saturday report lands.
• Next four weeks: Every indication is a full four-game slate. The risk to monitor is not availability but designed-run volume: expect Kansas City to protect the knee by cutting his scramble and QB-keeper rate early in the season, which trims his rushing floor relative to his pre-injury norms.
• Who benefits if he sits: Justin Fields (QB2, ACT). Garrett Nussmeier is QB3.
• Change since Wednesday: UPGRADED — on Sept. 9 Kansas City had not filed at all and his status rested entirely on an Andy Reid quote. There is now an official club filing showing FULL participation Thursday and Friday. The final game-status tag remains pending until today’s Saturday report posts.

Fantasy takeaway: Start Mahomes with confidence in Week 1 — full participation all week beats an offseason quote — but discount his rushing projection until the knee proves itself over a few games.

Cleared — listed this week but carrying no designation (4)

The good news. Every player here carried an injury at some point this week and finished it without a designation.

Daniel Jones — IND (QB1 – the confirmed Week 1 starting quarterback, listed first on the colts.com Week 1 chart ahead of Anthony Richardson Sr. and Riley Leonard)

• Status: NO DESIGNATION – fully cleared. This is (c) UNOFFICIAL for injury-report purposes: Jones carries no Friday game-status tag and no reserve-list designation. He is tracked here only because he is making his first game appearance since a torn Achilles, which is a live fantasy risk story rather than a listed injury.
• Practice this week: Full – not listed on any Week 1 practice report; he participated fully throughout the week.
• Injury: Torn Achilles tendon (fully recovered; off the injury report)
• When it happened: December 2025
• Typical recovery for this injury: Achilles tendon ruptures are among the most severe non-catastrophic NFL injuries, typically requiring 9-12 months to return to play and frequently a full 12-18 months to regain pre-injury explosiveness. Historically players have shown a measurable performance dip in their first season back. Jones is returning at roughly the 9-month mark – the aggressive end of the normal window, though quarterbacks fare better on this timeline than positions requiring repeated explosive push-off.
• Expected back to full health: Cleared and medically full health as of Week 1. True pre-injury athleticism – specifically scrambling volume and off-platform throwing – may not fully return until late in the 2026 season, consistent with the usual first-year-back pattern.
• Next game: Sunday, Sept 13, 2026 vs the Baltimore Ravens – WILL PLAY and will START. No designation; this is his first game action since December 2025.
• Next four weeks: Expected to start all four. The watch item is not availability but mobility: if the rushing dimension of his game is diminished, his fantasy floor drops materially since designed and scramble runs have historically been a meaningful share of his fantasy scoring. Anthony Richardson Sr. sitting directly behind him as QB2 means any struggle or setback has a fast, live path to a change.
• Who benefits if he sits: ANTHONY RICHARDSON SR. (QB2, ACT, #5), formally named the backup quarterback in early September 2026, with RILEY LEONARD (QB3, #15) third.
• Change since Wednesday: NEW – added to this report. He was not on the Sept 9 injury list because he carries no official designation, but his Week 1 return from a December 2025 torn Achilles is a genuine tracked injury story with direct fantasy consequences and belongs on the report.

Fantasy takeaway: A matchup-dependent QB2 at best in Week 1 – he is cleared and starting, but a debut against Baltimore at nine months post-Achilles with an unproven rushing floor and Anthony Richardson on the bench is too much uncertainty to trust as a starter.

Mitchell Trubisky — TEN (QB2 behind Cam Ward)

• Status: Resolved – off the injury report
• Practice this week: Full – not listed on the Titans’ Week 1 injury report at any point, Wednesday through Friday.
• Injury: None active – prior issue fully resolved.
• When it happened: n/a – no active injury.
• Typical recovery for this injury: n/a – no active injury.
• Expected back to full health: Currently at full health.
• Next game: Sunday, Sept 13, 2026 vs the New York Jets – available as the backup quarterback, fully healthy, no designation.
• Next four weeks: Expected to be available all four games as QB2 with no path to starting barring an injury to Cam Ward.
• Who benefits if he sits: HENDON HOOKER (practice squad, #16) would be the elevation candidate.
• Change since Wednesday: RESOLVED – now off the report, and this holds through the final Friday report. He never appeared on any Week 1 injury report.

Fantasy takeaway: No fantasy relevance – a healthy backup quarterback with no route to snaps while Cam Ward is upright.

Marcus Mariota — WAS (QB2 — backup to Jayden Daniels)

• Status: NO DESIGNATION — he appears on the Commanders’ final Friday Sept 11 report with a BLANK Game Status column. Stating explicitly per instruction: blank Game Status means NO designation, which is GOOD NEWS. This is (a) a final Friday game-status filing with an empty status field.
• Practice this week: Full — Wednesday Full, Thursday Full, Friday Full
• Injury: Knee
• When it happened: On the report from the first Week 1 practice, Wednesday Sept 9, 2026
• Typical recovery for this injury: Minor knee sprain/contusion with full practice participation: roughly 0–2 weeks and generally no missed time. A Grade 1 MCL sprain would be 1–3 weeks; three Full practices argue against even that.
• Expected back to full health: Already functionally healthy. Expect him off the report by Week 2.
• Next game: Sunday Sept 13 at the PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (4:25 PM ET, FOX) — AVAILABLE as the backup. No designation.
• Next four weeks: Available all four as QB2. Only fantasy-relevant if Jayden Daniels misses time.
• Who benefits if he sits: Athan Kaliakmanis (#16) would become the emergency QB2 behind Jayden Daniels; Sam Hartman (#15) is on the practice squad.
• Change since Wednesday: Unchanged. Sept 9 practice-report entry with no game status; still Full participation and a blank Game Status on the final Friday report.

Fantasy takeaway: No fantasy action — relevant only as insurance, and the news is that Washington’s QB2 is healthy behind Jayden Daniels.

Haynes King — CAR (QB3 (rookie) behind Bryce Young and Kenny Pickett – verified ACT (#16) on nfl.com)

• Status: Resolved – off the injury report. He does not appear on Carolina’s final Friday Week 1 report.
• Practice this week: Full – not listed on the report at all
• Injury: Previously tracked minor camp issue, now resolved
• When it happened: August 2026 (training camp)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Not applicable – the issue has fully resolved
• Expected back to full health: Already fully healthy – cleared and off the report entirely
• Next game: Healthy but a likely game-day inactive as QB3 vs Chicago Bears (Sunday, Sept 13, 1:00 PM ET)
• Next four weeks: Healthy third-string rookie. He would need injuries to both Bryce Young and Kenny Pickett to see meaningful snaps in the next four weeks.
• Who benefits if he sits: Kenny Pickett is the QB2 and the actual next man up behind Bryce Young
• Change since Wednesday: RESOLVED – now off the report, confirming the Sept 9 read.

Fantasy takeaway: No fantasy relevance in any format – healthy, but third on the depth chart.

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 the final official club and league injury reports filed Friday, September 11, 2026. Recovery timelines describe how long a class of injury typically sidelines an NFL player and are not a prediction for any individual.

NFL Week 1 Fantasy Football Injury Report Friday QB first appeared on Game On Media.