Bottom Line Up Front at Wide Receiver

Wide receiver took the single biggest hit of Week 1, and it happened in the opener before most lineups were even set. Beyond that, Friday was mostly good news — a long list of receivers who were limited midweek cleared without a designation.

Of the 48 wide receivers on this board, 21 are out or doubtful, 3 carry a Questionable tag that decides itself on gameday, and 20 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 wide receiver 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?

De’Zhaun Stribling (SF), A.J. Brown (NE), Tim Patrick (NYJ), Tory Horton (SEA), Beaux Collins (ATL), Chris Brazzell II (CAR), Savion Williams (GB), Jayden Higgins (HOU), Tank Dell (HOU), Dont’e Thornton Jr. (LV), Jordyn Tyson (NO), Mason Tipton (NO), Calvin Austin III (NYG), Gunner Olszewski (NYG), Johnny Wilson (PHI), Cole Burgess (PIT), Tyrell Shavers (BUF), Jeremiah Webb (NE), Jake Bobo (SEA), Christian Kirk (SF), Ricky Pearsall (SF), Jalen McMillan (TB), Rome Odunze (CHI), Malik Nabers (NYG), Devontez Walker (BAL), Rashee Rice (KC), Xavier Worthy (KC), Marvin Mims Jr. (DEN), Zay Flowers (BAL), Xavier Legette (CAR), Luther Burden III (CHI), Ja’Marr Chase (CIN), Puka Nacua (LAR), Mike Evans (SF), Emeka Egbuka (TB), Carnell Tate (TEN), Tee Higgins (CIN), Jakobi Meyers (JAX), Travis Hunter (JAX), Zachariah Branch (ATL), Keon Coleman (BUF), Khalil Shakir (BUF), Jaylin Noel (HOU), Alec Pierce (IND), Josh Downs (IND), Brenen Thompson (LAC), Jacob Cowing (SF), Wan’Dale Robinson (TEN)

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 48 wide receivers here: 6 are new to the report, 6 improved, 6 got worse, and 8 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 De’Zhaun Stribling (SF) can’t go — Jordan Watkins and Jacob Cowing (both ACT) absorb the snaps; KhaDarel Hodge, Wesley Grimes and Will Pauling are practice-squad elevation options
• If A.J. Brown (NE) can’t go — Kyle Williams is the LWR2 and slides directly into Brown’s spot; Romeo Doubs and DeMario Douglas absorb the bulk of the vacated target share, with Mack Hollins and TE Hunter Henry picking up the rest.
• If Tim Patrick (NYJ) can’t go — Arian Smith moves up in the outside rotation and Omar Cooper Jr. absorbs additional snaps; Adonai Mitchell remains the LWR starter and is the real beneficiary of the vacated depth snaps.
• If Tory Horton (SEA) can’t go — Montorie Foster Jr. (ACT) is the next receiver up, with Velus Jones Jr. (ACT, promoted from the practice squad 9/9) also available
• If Beaux Collins (ATL) can’t go — Chris Blair (WR5 / LWR backup) holds the depth role in his absence
• If Chris Brazzell II (CAR) can’t go — Brycen Tremayne (WR6 / LWR backup) holds the depth role in his absence
• If Savion Williams (GB) can’t go — Skyy Moore (ACT #23) and J. Michael Sturdivant (ACT #87) hold the rotational WR snaps behind Christian Watson, Matthew Golden and Jayden Reed.
• If Jayden Higgins (HOU) can’t go — Already absorbed into the Week 1 chart. XAVIER HUTCHINSON (#19) and JAYLIN NOEL (#13) are the principal beneficiaries of his lost snaps; Houston also signed veteran receiver help in response to the injury, with KAYSHON BOUTTE (#14) acquired from New England.
• If Tank Dell (HOU) can’t go — His absence is already baked into the Week 1 chart. XAVIER HUTCHINSON (#19) and JAYLIN NOEL (#13) hold the snaps he would otherwise contest, with KAYSHON BOUTTE (#14) fourth and JARED WAYNE (#17) fifth.
• If Dont’e Thornton Jr. (LV) can’t go — His snaps are already absorbed by the active group: Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor, Jack Bech, Malik Benson and Dareke Young.
• If Jordyn Tyson (NO) can’t go — Bryce Lance (WR4 / LWR backup) holds the depth role in his absence
• If Mason Tipton (NO) can’t go — Bryce Lance (WR4 / LWR backup) holds the depth role in his absence
• If Calvin Austin III (NYG) can’t go — Darnell Mooney (#17) holds the slot role; Malachi Fields (#88) and Odell Beckham Jr. (#13) fill out the rotation.
• If Gunner Olszewski (NYG) can’t go — Devin Singletary (#26) handles kick-return duties; the WR depth snaps go to Odell Beckham Jr. (#13).
• If Johnny Wilson (PHI) can’t go — His depth snaps go to Darius Cooper (#80) and Elijah Moore (#19); Britain Covey (#85) and Danny Gray (#82) are practice-squad options.
• If Cole Burgess (PIT) can’t go — Kaden Wetjen is the sixth active receiver; Germie Bernard and Ben Skowronek are the WR4-WR5 depth ahead of him. Burgess was never in the Week 1 rotation.
• If Jake Bobo (SEA) can’t go — Montorie Foster Jr. and Velus Jones Jr. (both ACT) fill the depth-receiver snaps; Julian Hicks was signed to the practice squad as the direct replacement
• If Christian Kirk (SF) can’t go — Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel and DeMarcus Robinson are the top three; Jordan Watkins and Jacob Cowing fill out the rotation
• If Ricky Pearsall (SF) can’t go — Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel and DeMarcus Robinson occupy the top three receiver roles
• If Jalen McMillan (TB) can’t go — Ted Hurst III (WR6 / LWR backup, rookie) is the named beneficiary and would make his NFL regular-season debut; Tez Johnson also moves up
• If Rome Odunze (CHI) can’t go — Luther Burden III would step up as the primary outside/target-share beneficiary, with Kalif Raymond (SWR) and Jahdae Walker absorbing the remaining snaps; TE Colston Loveland would also see a target bump.
• If Malik Nabers (NYG) can’t go — Malachi Fields (#88) would slide up as the perimeter starter and Odell Beckham Jr. (#13) would move into the four-wide/outside rotation; Darnell Mooney (#17) would become the primary target. Note the room is thin — Calvin Austin III and Gunner Olszewski are both on Reserve/Injured and Darius Slayton was released Sept 7.
• If Devontez Walker (BAL) can’t go — Ja’Kobi Lane (RWR2 per the verified Ourlads alignment). LaJohntay Wester and Elijah Sarratt would also see increased three-wide snaps.

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.

De’Zhaun Stribling — SF (Rookie depth receiver behind Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel and DeMarcus Robinson)

• Status: (c) POST-GAME injury from an already-played game – he entered the medical tent in the first quarter, briefly returned, then exited again in the second quarter unable to put weight on the ankle and was CARTED off. Ruled out for the remainder. He remains ACT on the official roster with no IR placement announced as of Sept 12.
• Practice this week: n/a – game already played. He has not practiced since.
• Injury: Left ankle, non-contact while cutting on a route. The critical good news: the Achilles was checked and is INTACT. Shanahan: ‘They checked his Achilles, said that was intact, but they’re not exactly sure of the magnitude of the ankle injury.’ Further imaging was pending.
• When it happened: 2026-09-10 (first and second quarters vs. the Rams in Melbourne)
• Typical recovery for this injury: With the Achilles ruled out, the realistic range is a lateral or high ankle sprain: 1-3 weeks for a low-grade lateral sprain, 4-8 weeks for a syndesmotic/high sprain, longer if a fracture is found
• Expected back to full health: Late September to late October 2026 depending on the imaging – too wide to narrow until the club releases a diagnosis
• Next game: Week 2, Sunday Sept 20 vs. the MIAMI DOLPHINS (home): expected OUT or highly doubtful. He was carted off four days before the report date and has not practiced.
• Next four weeks: Out Week 2, questionable Weeks 3-4 at best. Even healthy he was the WR5/6 in a room featuring Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel.
• Who benefits if he sits: Jordan Watkins and Jacob Cowing (both ACT) absorb the snaps; KhaDarel Hodge, Wesley Grimes and Will Pauling are practice-squad elevation options
• Change since Wednesday: DOWNGRADED – he was ‘Resolved, off the report’ on Sept 9 and is now carted off with an undiagnosed ankle injury

Fantasy takeaway: Not rosterable in redraft – a carted-off rookie WR5 on a team that just got its top three receivers going is a drop in every format.

Ruled out or unavailable (20)

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

A.J. Brown — NE (WR1 (LWR) — New England’s alpha target and Drake Maye’s primary read)

• Status: RESERVE/INJURED — (b) an official reserve-list designation, placed Friday Sept 11, 2026. It stems from (c) a post-game injury suffered in New England’s already-played Week 1 loss at Seattle on Sept 9. Minimum four-game absence.
• Practice this week: not reported — he was injured in the Sept 9 game and placed on IR before Week 2 practices began. He cannot practice with the team.
• Injury: Right high ankle sprain (syndesmotic), MRI-confirmed. Seahawks CB Nehemiah Pritchett’s knee landed on the ankle and drove it into the ground as Brown reached for a low pass in the third quarter; Brown did not return and was ruled out entering the fourth quarter.
• When it happened: September 9, 2026 (third quarter, at Seattle)
• Typical recovery for this injury: High ankle (syndesmotic) sprains are the slowest of the common ankle injuries: Grade 1 roughly 2-4 weeks, Grade 2 roughly 6-8 weeks, Grade 3 or any tightrope/screw fixation 8-12+ weeks. NFL wide receivers who avoid surgery typically return in 4-6 weeks and are often visibly limited in cutting and contested-catch situations for another 1-2 weeks after that. The club’s own ‘minimum four weeks’ framing is the optimistic end.
• Expected back to full health: Mid-to-late October 2026 for a return to the field (Weeks 6-8), with full explosiveness realistically closer to late October / early November.
• Next game: WEEK 2, Sunday Sept 20 vs Pittsburgh Steelers (1:00 PM ET, Gillette Stadium) — OUT, ineligible. He is on Reserve/Injured and cannot be activated until after Week 5 at the earliest.
• Next four weeks: OUT for Week 2 vs Pittsburgh, Week 3 at Jacksonville, Week 4 at Buffalo and Week 5 vs Las Vegas. His first eligible game is Week 6.
• Who benefits if he sits: Kyle Williams is the LWR2 and slides directly into Brown’s spot; Romeo Doubs and DeMario Douglas absorb the bulk of the vacated target share, with Mack Hollins and TE Hunter Henry picking up the rest.
• Change since Wednesday: NEW — and the single biggest change in the division. He was completely off the Sept 9 report, got hurt that night in Seattle, and was on Reserve/Injured by Friday Sept 11.

Fantasy takeaway: IR him immediately and stash — then grab Kyle Williams off waivers as the cheapest route to the vacated outside-receiver targets, with Romeo Doubs the safer volume bet.

Tim Patrick — NYJ (WR4 / LWR2 behind Adonai Mitchell — veteran possession and red-zone body)

• Status: OUT — (a) a FINAL Friday game-status designation, filed by the Jets on the Sept 11, 2026 official report for the Sept 13 game vs Tennessee.
• Practice this week: DNP (Friday Sept 11). Full week: DNP Wed → DNP Thu → DNP Fri — he missed all three days.
• Injury: Groin strain
• When it happened: Early September 2026 (on the report as a DNP from Wednesday Sept 9 onward)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Groin/adductor strains: Grade 1 roughly 1-2 weeks, Grade 2 roughly 3-6 weeks, Grade 3 or an avulsion 8-12 weeks. Three straight DNPs culminating in an Out points to at least a Grade 1-2; a one-to-three week absence is the realistic base case, and groins are notorious for recurring if rushed.
• Expected back to full health: Late September 2026 (approximately Weeks 2-4). Watch for a Limited practice next Wednesday as the first real progress marker.
• Next game: Week 1, Sunday Sept 13 vs Tennessee Titans — OUT. Definitively ruled out; no decision to track on Sunday morning.
• Next four weeks: Out Week 1 and questionable at best for Week 2. Expect a return somewhere in the Weeks 2-4 window, and even then into a WR4 role with modest target volume behind Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell and Isaiah Williams.
• Who benefits if he sits: Arian Smith moves up in the outside rotation and Omar Cooper Jr. absorbs additional snaps; Adonai Mitchell remains the LWR starter and is the real beneficiary of the vacated depth snaps.
• Change since Wednesday: DOWNGRADED — the Sept 9 Wednesday DNP converted to a final OUT after he failed to practice on either Thursday or Friday. This is the clearest Wednesday-to-Friday downgrade in the division.

Fantasy takeaway: Bench or drop him in all but the deepest leagues — he is ruled out, and Adonai Mitchell is the Jets receiver whose role actually grows.

Tory Horton — SEA (WR4 behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp and Rashid Shaheed)

• Status: (c) Effectively resolved as a Week 1 question and now an ongoing injury story – he carried a final QUESTIONABLE designation on the official Week 1 report and was then listed among Seattle’s INACTIVES for the Wednesday opener. He is on the ACTIVE roster (ACT), not any reserve list.
• Practice this week: n/a for Week 1 – game already played. He was a limited participant in the run-up and then inactive.
• Injury: Hamstring (per the official nfl.com league Week 1 injury report and the club’s inactives release)
• When it happened: Early September 2026 – the hamstring surfaced on Seattle’s Week 1 practice reports; a separate 2025 shin fracture is a distinct, resolved issue
• Typical recovery for this injury: Hamstring strains typically sideline an NFL receiver 1-3 weeks for Grade 1 and 3-6 weeks for Grade 2; recurrence rates are high when a speed receiver returns early
• Expected back to full health: Late September 2026 – Week 2 is possible if the hamstring is mild, Weeks 3-4 more likely for full-speed route running
• Next game: Week 2, Sunday Sept 20 at the Arizona Cardinals: QUESTIONABLE / uncertain. He needs to string together full practices first; the club has given no return date.
• Next four weeks: A limited Week 2 at best; Weeks 3-4 he should be back but is behind three established receivers and a QB change that compresses the target tree
• Who benefits if he sits: Montorie Foster Jr. (ACT) is the next receiver up, with Velus Jones Jr. (ACT, promoted from the practice squad 9/9) also available
• Change since Wednesday: DOWNGRADED – on Sept 9 he was Questionable with a chance to play; he was then inactive and has now missed a game with no return date

Fantasy takeaway: Leave him on waivers in redraft – he is a WR4 on his own team with a hamstring and a backup quarterback throwing.

Beaux Collins — ATL (Depth WR – not on the active depth chart while on reserve)

• Status: (b) OFFICIAL RESERVE-LIST DESIGNATION – nfl.com’s official roster lists him RSR (Reserve/Injured – Designated to Return, #88). Not a weekly game-status designation.
• Practice this week: not reported – players on Reserve/Injured are not listed on the weekly practice report
• Injury: Undisclosed injury that led to the Reserve/Injured placement with a designation to return
• When it happened: Late August 2026 (at or near final roster cutdowns)
• Typical recovery for this injury: The Reserve/Injured-Designated to Return mechanism itself enforces a minimum four-game absence regardless of the underlying injury; practical return windows for this class of placement run 4-8 weeks
• Expected back to full health: Around Week 5 (early-to-mid October 2026) at the earliest, per the four-game minimum
• Next game: OUT at Pittsburgh Steelers – ineligible to play, on Reserve/Injured
• Next four weeks: Ineligible for all four of Atlanta’s first four games by rule. He can begin practicing during the return window but cannot be activated until Week 5 at the soonest.
• Who benefits if he sits: Chris Blair (WR5 / LWR backup) holds the depth role in his absence
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged – still RSR on the official roster with no return activity reported.

Fantasy takeaway: Not rosterable in any redraft format – revisit only if he is activated in October and the depth chart has thinned.

Chris Brazzell II — CAR (Depth WR – not on the active depth chart while on reserve)

• Status: (b) OFFICIAL RESERVE-LIST DESIGNATION – nfl.com’s official roster lists him RES (Reserve/Injured, no return designation, #19). Not a weekly game-status designation.
• Practice this week: not reported – players on Reserve/Injured are not listed on the weekly practice report
• Injury: Undisclosed injury sustained in the 2026 preseason
• When it happened: August 2026 (preseason)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Not applicable as a weekly question – a straight Reserve/Injured placement without a return designation ends the player’s season in almost all cases
• Expected back to full health: Not applicable for 2026 – season-ending placement
• Next game: OUT vs Chicago Bears – ineligible, on season-ending Reserve/Injured
• Next four weeks: Out for the season. He cannot be activated from a straight RES placement.
• Who benefits if he sits: Brycen Tremayne (WR6 / LWR backup) holds the depth role in his absence
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged – still RES on the official roster.

Fantasy takeaway: Cut him everywhere – this is a season-ending designation.

Savion Williams — GB (Was a rotational WR; currently NOT on the active depth chart (verified: nfl.com roster status RSR = Reserve/Injured designated to return; Ourlads lists him on IR).)

• Status: RESERVE/INJURED – DESIGNATED TO RETURN – this is (b) an OFFICIAL RESERVE-LIST DESIGNATION, verified as status code RSR on nfl.com/teams/green-bay-packers/roster/ as of Sept 12 2026.
• Practice this week: not reported – players on Reserve/Injured do not practice with the team and do not appear on the weekly injury report. He is correctly absent from the Sept 11 final report.
• Injury: High ankle sprain (initially reported as undisclosed on Aug 30; subsequent reporting specified a high-ankle sprain)
• When it happened: Late August 2026 – placed on injured reserve with a designation to return on Aug 30, 2026.
• Typical recovery for this injury: High ankle sprain (syndesmotic): typically 4-8 weeks of missed time; mild cases 3-4 weeks, severe or surgically tightrope-repaired cases 8-12 weeks. Green Bay’s use of the designated-to-return slot signals an in-season comeback is expected.
• Expected back to full health: Mid-October 2026. He is ineligible to return before Week 5, and reporting pegs his earliest possible game as Sunday Oct 11 vs the Bears. That lines up cleanly with the 4-8 week high-ankle band from an Aug 30 placement.
• Next game: Sunday Sept 13 at the Minnesota Vikings (4:25 PM ET) – OUT. Ineligible to play; on Reserve/Injured.
• Next four weeks: OUT for all four of Weeks 1-4 by rule. Earliest return is Week 5 (Oct 11 vs Chicago). Even on return he projects as a rotational piece behind Watson, Golden and Reed.
• Who benefits if he sits: Skyy Moore (ACT #23) and J. Michael Sturdivant (ACT #87) hold the rotational WR snaps behind Christian Watson, Matthew Golden and Jayden Reed.
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged – still on Reserve/Injured with the designated-to-return tag, exactly as captured in the Sept 9 baseline. No transaction since.

Fantasy takeaway: Not rosterable in redraft – he cannot play until Week 5 and returns to a crowded receiver room behind three established options.

Jayden Higgins — HOU (Not on the active depth chart – out for the season. He had been expected to compete for a significant role in the Texans’ receiver rotation behind Nico Collins.)

• 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 2026 (training camp / preseason).
• Typical recovery for this injury: ACL reconstruction in NFL players requires 9-12 months to return to play and commonly 12-18 months to regain pre-injury cutting ability and confidence. Wide receivers in particular often show a measurable production dip in their first season back. An August tear means a realistic return window of roughly May through August 2027 – i.e., the entirety of 2026 is gone.
• Expected back to full health: Mid-to-late 2027. He should be available for 2027 training camp but may not be fully himself until partway through that season.
• 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 remainder of the 2026 season. There is no return path this year.
• Who benefits if he sits: Already absorbed into the Week 1 chart. XAVIER HUTCHINSON (#19) and JAYLIN NOEL (#13) are the principal beneficiaries of his lost snaps; Houston also signed veteran receiver help in response to the injury, with KAYSHON BOUTTE (#14) acquired from New England.
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged – still on season-ending Reserve/Injured. No movement since the Sept 9 snapshot.

Fantasy takeaway: Drop him in all redraft formats immediately – he is done for 2026 with a torn ACL and occupies a roster spot for no possible return.

Tank Dell — HOU (Not on the active depth chart – ineligible to play. When healthy and activated he projects into the Texans’ three-receiver rotation alongside Nico Collins, Xavier Hutchinson and Jaylin Noel.)

• Status: RESERVE/INJURED – DESIGNATED TO RETURN. This is (b) an OFFICIAL RESERVE-LIST DESIGNATION, carried on nfl.com as status code RSR. He must miss a minimum of four games and is eligible to return in Week 5.
• Practice this week: not reported – not applicable; players on Reserve/Injured do not appear on the weekly practice report until their 21-day practice window opens.
• Injury: Knee – a severe multi-ligament knee injury; he missed the entire 2025 season recovering from it.
• When it happened: Original injury: during the 2025 season. IR-designated-for-return placement: August 30, 2026.
• Typical recovery for this injury: Severe multi-ligament knee injuries are the longest-tail recovery in football: 12-18 months to return to play and frequently 18-24 months to regain pre-injury speed, with a meaningful share of players never recovering their prior explosiveness. Dell is roughly two years out, and the fact that Houston chose to start him on IR anyway – despite an already long recovery – tells you the club is prioritizing his top-end speed over calendar availability.
• Expected back to full health: October 2026 at the earliest for game availability. Beat reporting indicates he is still working to recover his pre-injury speed, which is exactly the last thing to return in this injury class. Genuine full health is realistically a mid-to-late 2026 proposition, if it arrives this season at all.
• Next game: Sunday, Sept 13, 2026 vs the Buffalo Bills – OUT. He is on Reserve/Injured and ineligible; he cannot be activated before Week 5.
• Next four weeks: OUT for all of Weeks 1 through 4 – this is a certainty, not a projection, because the reserve-list rules mandate it. Week 5 is the earliest possible return and is not guaranteed; the speed question could push it later.
• Who benefits if he sits: His absence is already baked into the Week 1 chart. XAVIER HUTCHINSON (#19) and JAYLIN NOEL (#13) hold the snaps he would otherwise contest, with KAYSHON BOUTTE (#14) fourth and JARED WAYNE (#17) fifth.
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged – still on Reserve/Injured with the designated-to-return tag, still eligible to return in Week 5. No movement since the Sept 9 snapshot.

Fantasy takeaway: Stash him on IR in leagues with an IR slot and do nothing else – he cannot help you until Week 5 at the absolute earliest, and lingering speed concerns make even that optimistic.

Dont’e Thornton Jr. — LV (Not on the active depth chart — RESERVE/INJURED. Confirmed on nfl.com/teams/las-vegas-raiders/roster/ with official status RES.)

• Status: RESERVE/INJURED (IR) — this is (b) an OFFICIAL RESERVE-LIST DESIGNATION carried on the club’s official roster, not a weekly game-status tag. He is ineligible to play and does not appear on the weekly injury report.
• Practice this week: not reported
• Injury: Undisclosed by the club; the IR placement itself is the official record
• When it happened: Placed on Reserve/Injured prior to Sept. 9, 2026
• Typical recovery for this injury: An in-season IR placement made at final cutdowns or in the opening week requires a minimum of four missed games before a player is eligible to return, if designated to return at all. Players placed on IR before Week 1 without a return designation are out for the season.
• Expected back to full health: Not applicable for the near term — minimum four games out, with a season-ending outcome possible depending on the return designation.
• Next game: OUT — ineligible. Will not play Sunday, Sept. 13 vs. the Miami Dolphins.
• Next four weeks: Out for all four games at minimum. Reserve/Injured rules make him ineligible to return before Week 5 at the earliest.
• Who benefits if he sits: His snaps are already absorbed by the active group: Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor, Jack Bech, Malik Benson and Dareke Young.
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged — still on Reserve/Injured, confirmed against the live nfl.com roster.

Fantasy takeaway: Drop or leave on waivers in all redraft formats — he cannot return for at least four weeks and may be out for the year.

Jordyn Tyson — NO (Depth WR – not on the active depth chart while on reserve)

• Status: (b) OFFICIAL RESERVE-LIST DESIGNATION – nfl.com’s official roster lists him RSR (Reserve/Injured – Designated to Return). Not a weekly game-status designation.
• Practice this week: not reported – players on Reserve/Injured are not listed on the weekly practice report
• Injury: Undisclosed injury that led to the Reserve/Injured placement with a designation to return
• When it happened: Late August 2026 (at or near final roster cutdowns)
• Typical recovery for this injury: The Reserve/Injured-Designated to Return mechanism enforces a minimum four-game absence regardless of the underlying injury; practical return windows run 4-8 weeks
• Expected back to full health: Around Week 5 (early-to-mid October 2026) at the earliest, per the four-game minimum
• Next game: OUT at Detroit Lions – ineligible to play, on Reserve/Injured
• Next four weeks: Ineligible for all four of New Orleans’ first four games by rule. He may open a practice window during that stretch but cannot be activated before Week 5.
• Who benefits if he sits: Bryce Lance (WR4 / LWR backup) holds the depth role in his absence
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged – still RSR on the official roster with no return activity reported.

Fantasy takeaway: A deep-league stash only in leagues with IR slots – he cannot help you until October at the earliest.

Mason Tipton — NO (Depth WR – not on the active depth chart while on reserve)

• Status: (b) OFFICIAL RESERVE-LIST DESIGNATION – nfl.com’s official roster lists him PUP (Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform, #15). Not a weekly game-status designation.
• Practice this week: not reported – players on Reserve/PUP are not listed on the weekly practice report
• Injury: Undisclosed injury carried over from the offseason that prevented him from passing a physical at the start of camp
• When it happened: July 2026 (failed to pass his physical at the start of training camp)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Reserve/PUP enforces a minimum four-game absence by rule; the placement itself signals an injury the club expects to take at least 6-10 weeks from the start of camp
• Expected back to full health: Week 5 at the very earliest (early-to-mid October 2026), and realistically later given the PUP placement
• Next game: OUT at Detroit Lions – ineligible to play, on Reserve/PUP
• Next four weeks: Ineligible for all four of New Orleans’ first four games by rule. He misses at least the first four games and can only begin practicing once his return window opens.
• Who benefits if he sits: Bryce Lance (WR4 / LWR backup) holds the depth role in his absence
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged – still PUP on the official roster.

Fantasy takeaway: Not rosterable in redraft – the PUP designation rules him out of the first quarter of the season.

Calvin Austin III — NYG (Would be a slot option; currently not on the active depth chart)

• Status: Reserve/Injured — this is (b) an OFFICIAL RESERVE-LIST DESIGNATION, a club transaction rather than a weekly game-status tag. Listed RES on the official nfl.com roster. No return designation reported; treat as season-ending.
• Practice this week: DNP — on Reserve/Injured, so no practice participation is filed
• Injury: Knee
• When it happened: Preseason 2026 (exact date not independently verified this pass)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Depends on structure. A significant knee ligament injury severe enough for a season-ending IR placement is typically 6–12 months (ACL reconstruction 9–12 months; isolated MCL or meniscus 4–12 weeks, which would normally earn a return designation instead).
• Expected back to full health: Realistically the 2027 offseason. Assume unavailable for 2026.
• Next game: Sunday Sept 13 vs. the DALLAS COWBOYS (8:20 PM ET, SNF) — OUT. Ineligible on Reserve/Injured.
• Next four weeks: OUT for all four and almost certainly for the season.
• Who benefits if he sits: Darnell Mooney (#17) holds the slot role; Malachi Fields (#88) and Odell Beckham Jr. (#13) fill out the rotation.
• Change since Wednesday: Unchanged — same Reserve/Injured status as on Sept 9.

Fantasy takeaway: Drop in all redraft formats — he is on season-ending IR, and his absence is a meaningful part of why the Giants’ WR room is now only four deep.

Gunner Olszewski — NYG (Returner/depth WR; not on the active depth chart)

• Status: Reserve/Injured — this is (b) an OFFICIAL RESERVE-LIST DESIGNATION, a club transaction rather than a weekly game-status tag. Listed RES on the official nfl.com roster. No return designation reported; treat as season-ending.
• Practice this week: DNP — on Reserve/Injured, so no practice participation is filed
• Injury: Achilles
• When it happened: Preseason 2026 (exact date not independently verified this pass)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Achilles tendon rupture: 9–12 months to return to play, with explosiveness often not fully restored until 12–18 months. Season-ending in essentially all cases.
• Expected back to full health: Mid-to-late 2027. Unavailable for 2026.
• Next game: Sunday Sept 13 vs. the DALLAS COWBOYS (8:20 PM ET, SNF) — OUT. Ineligible on Reserve/Injured.
• Next four weeks: OUT for all four and for the season.
• Who benefits if he sits: Devin Singletary (#26) handles kick-return duties; the WR depth snaps go to Odell Beckham Jr. (#13).
• Change since Wednesday: Unchanged — same Reserve/Injured status as on Sept 9.

Fantasy takeaway: Irrelevant in all fantasy formats — a special-teams player on season-ending IR, listed only to close out a Sept 9 entry.

Johnny Wilson — PHI (Depth/blocking WR; not on the active Week 1 wide receiver depth chart)

• Status: Reserve/Injured — this is (b) an OFFICIAL RESERVE-LIST DESIGNATION, a club transaction rather than a weekly game-status tag. Listed RES on the official nfl.com roster. No return designation reported, so treat as out for the season absent a club announcement.
• Practice this week: DNP — on Reserve/Injured, so no practice participation is filed
• Injury: Undisclosed by the club as of this pass
• When it happened: Preseason 2026 (exact date not independently verified this pass)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Not assessable without a disclosed injury. Absent a designated-to-return tag, an IR placement at final cuts generally ends the player’s season.
• Expected back to full health: Unknown. Assume unavailable for 2026 unless the Eagles announce a return designation.
• Next game: Sunday Sept 13 vs. the WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (4:25 PM ET, FOX) — OUT. Ineligible on Reserve/Injured.
• Next four weeks: OUT for all four and likely for the season.
• Who benefits if he sits: His depth snaps go to Darius Cooper (#80) and Elijah Moore (#19); Britain Covey (#85) and Danny Gray (#82) are practice-squad options.
• Change since Wednesday: Unchanged — same Reserve/Injured status as on Sept 9.

Fantasy takeaway: Drop or ignore in all formats — he is on IR with no return designation and was a blocking-role WR even when healthy.

Cole Burgess — PIT (Not on the active depth chart — undrafted rookie depth receiver who never reached the six-man Ourlads WR alignment (Metcalf, Pittman, Wilson, Skowronek, Bernard, Wetjen))

• Status: Reserve/Injured — category (b), an official reserve-list designation (status code RES on the nfl.com Steelers roster). He was waived/injured, cleared waivers, and reverted to the Steelers’ IR, which means he is out for the 2026 season unless Pittsburgh reaches an injury settlement and releases him.
• Practice this week: not reported — ineligible to practice while on Reserve/Injured
• Injury: Lower body, unspecified. He was carted off the field after catching a pass in a 7-on-7 drill at training camp; the Steelers never disclosed the specific diagnosis.
• When it happened: Aug 3, 2026 (training camp practice). Waived/injured Aug 4, cleared waivers Aug 5, reverted to Reserve/Injured Aug 6, 2026.
• Typical recovery for this injury: Cannot be stated for an undisclosed diagnosis. The observable facts — carted off, waived/injured immediately, and reverted to IR rather than settled quickly — are the pattern of a multi-month lower-body injury (the ACL/Achilles/major-knee class, 6-12 months) rather than a short-term strain.
• Expected back to full health: Unknown — no public timeline; realistically the 2027 offseason.
• Next game: OUT (season) — ineligible for vs Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Sept 13, 2026.
• Next four weeks: Out for all four and almost certainly the full season on his current designation.
• Who benefits if he sits: Kaden Wetjen is the sixth active receiver; Germie Bernard and Ben Skowronek are the WR4-WR5 depth ahead of him. Burgess was never in the Week 1 rotation.
• Change since Wednesday: NEW to this report — but as a correction, not a transaction. He has been on Reserve/Injured since Aug 6, 2026; the Sept 9 baseline simply omitted him. No status change occurred between Sept 9 and Sept 12.

Fantasy takeaway: Zero fantasy relevance — listed here only to make Pittsburgh’s reserve-list picture complete.

Tyrell Shavers — BUF (Depth/special-teams WR — outside the top five when healthy)

• Status: RESERVE/PUP — (b) an official reserve-list designation (status code PUP on the nfl.com roster), not a weekly game status.
• Practice this week: not reported — ineligible to practice with the team while on Reserve/PUP.
• Injury: Undisclosed injury carried over from training camp (club has not specified a body part)
• When it happened: Training camp, August 2026 (exact date not disclosed)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Reserve/PUP is a roster mechanism rather than a diagnosis. Under the current rules a Reserve/PUP player must miss at least the first four games; the underlying camp injuries that land players there are typically soft-tissue or lower-extremity issues in the 4-10 week range.
• Expected back to full health: Eligible to begin practicing no earlier than Week 5 (early-to-mid October 2026); realistic game return mid-to-late October if the recovery is clean.
• Next game: Week 1, Sunday Sept 13 at Houston Texans — INELIGIBLE. He cannot be activated and does not count against the 53.
• Next four weeks: Out for all four. He cannot return until the Week 5 window opens at the earliest.
• Who benefits if he sits: Not applicable as a starter replacement — the WR5/WR6 reps go to Skyler Bell, with Trent Sherfield and Greg Dortch available as practice-squad elevations.
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged — still PUP on the official roster.

Fantasy takeaway: Not rosterable in any format — drop or ignore until he is actually activated in October.

Jeremiah Webb — NE (Depth WR — outside the active rotation)

• Status: RESERVE/INJURED — (b) an official reserve-list designation (status code RES on the nfl.com roster).
• Practice this week: not reported — ineligible to practice while on Reserve/Injured.
• Injury: Undisclosed (club has not specified)
• When it happened: August 2026 (exact date not disclosed)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Roster status rather than a diagnosis; four-game minimum absence if designated for return.
• Expected back to full health: Unknown — no published club timeline.
• Next game: WEEK 2, Sunday Sept 20 vs Pittsburgh Steelers — INELIGIBLE (Reserve/Injured).
• Next four weeks: Out for Weeks 2-5. Relevant only as context for how thin New England’s receiver room is behind Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III with A.J. Brown on IR.
• Who benefits if he sits: Not applicable — Kyle Dixon and Cameron Dorner (both DEV) are the practice-squad elevation options.
• Change since Wednesday: NEW — he was not in the Sept 9 baseline at all; the current nfl.com roster shows him on Reserve/Injured.

Fantasy takeaway: No fantasy value — noted only because it deepens New England’s receiver shortage.

Jake Bobo — SEA (Off the active roster – depth receiver on the season-ending reserve list)

• Status: (b) OFFICIAL reserve-list designation – RES (Reserve/Injured), season-ending. Confirmed on the official nfl.com Seahawks roster and by the club’s own release.
• Practice this week: n/a – season-ending reserve list
• Injury: Knee, suffered on a leaping catch attempt during a joint practice with Tennessee; Macdonald called it ‘a long-term injury’
• When it happened: 2026-08-21 (injury), placed on IR 2026-08-22
• Typical recovery for this injury: Serious knee injuries requiring a season-ending IR placement typically cost 6-12 months; moot for 2026 because the IR designation ends his season by rule
• Expected back to full health: 2027 offseason
• Next game: Week 2, Sunday Sept 20 at the Arizona Cardinals: OUT – season-ending IR
• Next four weeks: OUT for all four and the remainder of 2026
• Who benefits if he sits: Montorie Foster Jr. and Velus Jones Jr. (both ACT) fill the depth-receiver snaps; Julian Hicks was signed to the practice squad as the direct replacement
• Change since Wednesday: NEW to this report (pre-existing August IR placement that was absent from the Sept 9 baseline list)

Fantasy takeaway: Not rosterable – his season ended in August, and this entry exists only because he still occupies a reserve-list spot on the verified roster.

Christian Kirk — SF (Off the active roster – on the reserve list with a designation to return)

• Status: (b) OFFICIAL reserve-list designation – RSR (Reserve/Injured, designated to return) per the official nfl.com 49ers roster. Placed on IR at the 53-man cutdown, so he must miss the first four games.
• Practice this week: n/a – on the reserve list and ineligible to practice until his 21-day window opens
• Injury: Undisclosed injury carried from training camp
• When it happened: 2026-08-26 (placed on IR at the initial 53-man roster deadline)
• Typical recovery for this injury: A season-opening IR stint is a fixed 4-game minimum by rule; designated-to-return players typically activate between Weeks 5 and 8
• Expected back to full health: Week 5 at the earliest, realistically Weeks 5-7 after a practice ramp
• Next game: Week 2, Sunday Sept 20 vs. the Miami Dolphins: OUT – ineligible by rule
• Next four weeks: OUT for all four games by rule. Stribling’s ankle injury raises the odds San Francisco moves quickly to open his practice window at the first opportunity.
• Who benefits if he sits: Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel and DeMarcus Robinson are the top three; Jordan Watkins and Jacob Cowing fill out the rotation
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged

Fantasy takeaway: Deep-league stash only – he is first eligible in Week 5, and San Francisco’s receiver injuries make his eventual activation more likely than it looked a week ago.

Ricky Pearsall — SF (Off the active roster – on the season-ending reserve list)

• Status: (b) OFFICIAL reserve-list designation – RES (Reserve/Injured), season-ending with NO designation to return, per the official nfl.com 49ers roster
• Practice this week: n/a – season-ending reserve list
• Injury: Undisclosed injury carried from training camp
• When it happened: 2026-08-26 (placed on season-ending IR at roster cutdown)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Moot – a season-ending IR placement without a return designation rules him out for 2026 by rule regardless of how the injury heals
• Expected back to full health: 2027 offseason
• Next game: Week 2, Sunday Sept 20 vs. the Miami Dolphins: OUT – season-ending reserve
• Next four weeks: OUT for all four and the remainder of the 2026 season
• Who benefits if he sits: Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel and DeMarcus Robinson occupy the top three receiver roles
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged

Fantasy takeaway: Drop him – his 2026 season is over by rule, and he cannot be activated.

Doubtful (1)

Doubtful means the club expects him not to play. Treat it as out unless you see a pregame report saying otherwise.

Jalen McMillan — TB (LWR starter – one of Tampa Bay’s three projected starting receivers; verified ACT (#11) on nfl.com)

• Status: DOUBTFUL – this is (a) a FINAL Friday game-status designation on the official Week 1 report. Doubtful conventionally means roughly a 25% chance to play; treat him as very likely out.
• Practice this week: Limited
• Injury: Knee
• When it happened: August 2026 (training camp / preseason)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Knee sprains of the type that still permit limited practice typically cost 1-3 weeks; a moderate MCL involvement runs 3-6 weeks. HC Todd Bowles explicitly framed this as a process-of-return matter rather than a new injury.
• Expected back to full health: Late September 2026 (roughly Weeks 2-3), with Bowles’ comments suggesting he is close
• Next game: DOUBTFUL at Cincinnati Bengals (Sunday, Sept 13, 1:00 PM ET) – very likely inactive
• Next four weeks: Likely misses Week 1 but is close. Bowles was clear there was no setback or re-injury: ‘This isn’t due to any setbacks or re-injury, it is simply where they are in the process of getting back to being fully healthy.’ A Week 2 return is realistic, with a full role by Weeks 3-4 – though he re-enters a receiver room where Egbuka and Godwin will have absorbed his share.
• Who benefits if he sits: Ted Hurst III (WR6 / LWR backup, rookie) is the named beneficiary and would make his NFL regular-season debut; Tez Johnson also moves up
• Change since Wednesday: DOWNGRADED – his Wednesday Limited (which carried no game status) converted into a formal DOUBTFUL. He was Limited all three days and never progressed.

Fantasy takeaway: Bench him for Week 1 and find a replacement – but do not drop him, because Bowles’ no-setback framing points to a Week 2 or Week 3 return.

Questionable — game-time calls (3)

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

Rome Odunze — CHI (WR1 / starting LWR (verified: nfl.com roster ACT #15; Ourlads lists him first at LWR ahead of Jahdae Walker))

• 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. Not unofficial, not a reserve-list designation.
• Practice this week: Limited (Friday Sept 11). Limited all three days – Wed Limited, Thu Limited, Fri Limited.
• Injury: Calf strain (right/left not disclosed by the club)
• When it happened: Early September 2026 – the Bears’ official Sept 11 report states he sustained it ‘the previous week’, i.e. the week of Sept 1-6, during the practice ramp-up into Week 1. Club has not disclosed an exact date.
• Typical recovery for this injury: Calf strain: Grade 1 (mild) typically 1-2 weeks of missed or limited work; Grade 2 (moderate) typically 3-6 weeks; Grade 3 (severe/tear) 8-12+ weeks. Odunze’s ability to practice in a limited capacity on all three days strongly indicates a Grade 1 presentation at the low end of that range.
• Expected back to full health: Late September 2026. Practicing in a limited capacity every day of Week 1 prep with a Questionable-but-expects-to-play tag points to full clearance within roughly 1-3 weeks, likely by the Week 2-3 window. Calf strains are notorious for re-aggravation, so ‘full health’ may trail ‘available’ by a week or two.
• Next game: Sunday Sept 13 at the Carolina Panthers (1:00 PM ET) – QUESTIONABLE, but trending strongly toward PLAYING. Odunze told reporters Friday he ‘plans on playing’ and said he feels ‘ready’. HC Ben Johnson was more measured: ‘He’s looked good from my perspective, but we’ve also got a long season coming up on us, and we want to do what’s right for him.’ Expect him active with a possible snap-count cap.
• Next four weeks: Should be the Bears’ clear WR1 across Weeks 1-4 once the calf settles. Main risk is a soft-tissue re-aggravation in Week 1 that costs him a game or forces a rotational snap share early. Barring that, target volume should climb week over week as Caleb Williams’ primary outside threat.
• Who benefits if he sits: Luther Burden III would step up as the primary outside/target-share beneficiary, with Kalif Raymond (SWR) and Jahdae Walker absorbing the remaining snaps; TE Colston Loveland would also see a target bump.
• Change since Wednesday: DOWNGRADED (technically) – Wednesday’s LIMITED practice entry carried a BLANK game-status column (no designation). It has now CONVERTED TO A FINAL QUESTIONABLE. Important nuance: his practice level never worsened (Limited Wed / Limited Thu / Limited Fri) and on Friday he publicly said he plans to play, so the underlying outlook is stable-to-positive. What changed is the addition of a formal game-status tag, not a deterioration in the injury.

Fantasy takeaway: Start him if he is active, but handcuff the decision – hold Luther Burden III or Colston Loveland in your flex slot and wait for the roughly 90-minutes-before-kickoff inactives list, because a limited-all-week calf carries real snap-cap and re-injury risk.

Malik Nabers — NYG (WR1 / X receiver — clear alpha target, verified atop the Giants’ Week 1 wideout order)

• Status: QUESTIONABLE — this is (a) a FINAL Friday game-status designation, filed on the Giants’ official Week 1 report dated Friday Sept 11, 2026. Confirmed on nfl.com/injuries/league/2026/reg1, giants.com and Sept 11 beat reporting.
• Practice this week: Full — Wednesday Full, Thursday Full, Friday Full (beat reporting notes Friday’s reps were at deliberately limited intensity, but he was logged as a FULL participant all three days)
• Injury: Left knee — recovery/maintenance from a torn ACL suffered in 2025
• When it happened: September 2025 (Week 4 of the 2025 season vs. the Los Angeles Chargers)
• Typical recovery for this injury: ACL reconstruction: 9–12 months to cleared return for an NFL skill player; 12–18 months to pre-injury explosiveness. Nabers is roughly 11-12 months post-injury — inside the normal cleared-to-play window but at the early end of the full-burst window.
• Expected back to full health: Cleared and expected to play Week 1. Full pre-injury explosiveness more realistically arrives over Weeks 4–8 as the knee absorbs game workload; some in-season maintenance (veteran rest days, snap caps) is likely through September.
• Next game: Sunday Sept 13 vs. the DALLAS COWBOYS (8:20 PM ET, SNF) — EXPECTED TO PLAY. Questionable is the tag, but three straight Full practices plus John Harbaugh’s ‘if he’s ready to go and he feels like he’s ready to go, then he’ll play’ point strongly to active. Nabers himself has said the final call is his.
• Next four weeks: Should play all four, with the caveat that a first-year-post-ACL receiver is a candidate for a managed snap count early and for a rest day on a short week. No structural concern reported — this is a load-management Questionable, not an availability Questionable.
• Who benefits if he sits: Malachi Fields (#88) would slide up as the perimeter starter and Odell Beckham Jr. (#13) would move into the four-wide/outside rotation; Darnell Mooney (#17) would become the primary target. Note the room is thin — Calvin Austin III and Gunner Olszewski are both on Reserve/Injured and Darius Slayton was released Sept 7.
• Change since Wednesday: DOWNGRADED (on paper only). On Sept 9 he was an official practice-report entry with NO game status; the final Friday report converted that into a formal QUESTIONABLE. Practice participation did not slip — he was Full Wed, Thu AND Fri — so the tag reflects caution around an ACL return, not a setback. Treat the underlying situation as unchanged-to-slightly-positive.

Fantasy takeaway: Start him — three Full practices off an ACL is about as clean as a Questionable gets, but hold a bench flex ready in case of a late Sunday scratch on a 8:20 ET kickoff.

Devontez Walker — BAL (RWR1 (third receiver overall behind Flowers and Bateman) — verified on Ourlads with Ja’Kobi Lane behind him; ACT on the nfl.com Ravens roster)

• Status: QUESTIONABLE — category (a), a final Friday game-status designation, printed on both nfl.com/injuries/league/2026/reg1 and the club’s Friday, Sept 11 report.
• Practice this week: Limited (Friday, Sept 11). Limited Wednesday, Limited Thursday, Limited Friday — he never advanced past Limited on any day of the week.
• Injury: Groin (adductor strain)
• When it happened: On or before Sept 9, 2026; first listed as Limited on the Wednesday, Sept 9 practice report.
• Typical recovery for this injury: Groin/adductor strains: Grade 1 (mild) 1-2 weeks; Grade 2 (moderate) 3-6 weeks; Grade 3 or an adductor tear requiring repair 10-16 weeks. Three straight Limited days without progression points to the low-to-mid Grade 1-2 band.
• Expected back to full health: Late September 2026 — roughly Weeks 2-3 if this is Grade 1; into early-to-mid October if it proves Grade 2. A groin that has not improved past Limited in three days often lingers.
• Next game: QUESTIONABLE at Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Sept 13, 2026, 1:00 PM ET. A true coin flip — the flat Limited/Limited/Limited line is the least encouraging pattern a Questionable player can carry, and the decision will come with the 90-minute inactives at roughly 11:30 AM ET Sunday.
• Next four weeks: Volatile. Even if he suits up Sunday he is likely snap-capped, and a groin that is still Limited on Friday frequently costs a game somewhere in the next three weeks. Expect a reduced role Weeks 1-2 with a return to a normal RWR workload by Weeks 3-4 if it settles. He is a WR3/WR4 on this depth chart regardless, so the injury caps an already modest ceiling.
• Who benefits if he sits: Ja’Kobi Lane (RWR2 per the verified Ourlads alignment). LaJohntay Wester and Elijah Sarratt would also see increased three-wide snaps.
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged in substance, now formalized — the Wednesday Limited converted into a final QUESTIONABLE game-status designation rather than clearing. His participation level never moved off Limited all week.

Fantasy takeaway: Do not start him in any format this week — three straight Limited practices behind a Questionable tag is the worst version of a coin flip, and even an active Walker is the Ravens’ No. 3 receiver on a snap count.

Final tag still pending (3)

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

Rashee Rice — KC (WR1 (verified vs nfl.com roster — status ACT))

• Status: NO FINAL TAG YET — (c) FRIDAY PRACTICE PARTICIPATION, FINAL GAME STATUS PENDING. Kansas City’s final report is due today (Sat, Sept. 12) and the Game Status column is still blank league-wide for this game. Rice is on the club’s official Thursday and Friday practice reports with a KNEE injury and FULL participation both days.
• Practice this week: Full
• Injury: Knee
• When it happened: Not disclosed by the club; first appears on Kansas City’s initial Week 1 filing dated Sept. 10, 2026
• Typical recovery for this injury: A knee issue that permits full practice participation on consecutive days is a minor sprain or maintenance listing — the class of knee entry that costs an NFL player 0-1 games, and frequently none at all.
• Expected back to full health: Effectively healthy now. Full participation on back-to-back days is the strongest available signal short of removal from the report.
• Next game: Expected to play Monday, Sept. 14 vs. Denver (MNF). Anticipate either no designation or a procedural Questionable on the Saturday report.
• Next four weeks: Full four-game outlook as the Chiefs’ primary receiver. The knee is a monitor-only item; no snap restriction has been reported.
• Who benefits if he sits: Xavier Worthy absorbs the alpha role, with Tyquan Thornton and Jalen Royals moving up the rotation.
• Change since Wednesday: UPGRADED — was listed Sept. 9 as ‘not yet reported’ with no filing in existence. Kansas City has now filed and he is a Full participant.

Fantasy takeaway: Start Rice as a WR1 — two straight Full practices make this a paperwork entry, not a usage concern.

Xavier Worthy — KC (WR2 (verified vs nfl.com roster — status ACT))

• Status: NO FINAL TAG YET — (c) FRIDAY PRACTICE PARTICIPATION, FINAL GAME STATUS PENDING (Saturday report not yet posted). Listed on Kansas City’s official Thursday and Friday practice reports with a SHOULDER injury and FULL participation both days.
• Practice this week: Full
• Injury: Shoulder
• When it happened: Not disclosed; first appears on Kansas City’s initial Week 1 filing dated Sept. 10, 2026
• Typical recovery for this injury: A shoulder listing that allows full practice is a minor AC-joint or contusion-class issue, typically 0-2 weeks and often no missed time. The longer branch — a significant AC sprain or labral injury — would have produced limited or no participation, which is not the case here.
• Expected back to full health: Effectively healthy now; full participation on consecutive days.
• Next game: Expected to play Monday, Sept. 14 vs. Denver (MNF). Likely no designation or a procedural Questionable.
• Next four weeks: Full slate expected. Shoulder issues can linger for receivers who take contested-catch volume, so it is worth re-checking each Wednesday report, but nothing in the Week 1 filing suggests a restriction.
• Who benefits if he sits: Tyquan Thornton is the next man up outside, with Jalen Royals gaining rotational snaps.
• Change since Wednesday: NEW — Worthy was not on the Sept. 9 baseline at all. He appears for the first time on Kansas City’s initial official filing, as a Full participant.

Fantasy takeaway: Start Worthy as normal — a Full-participation shoulder tag is noise, not signal.

Marvin Mims Jr. — DEN (WR3 (verified vs nfl.com roster — status ACT))

• Status: NO FINAL TAG YET — (c) FRIDAY PRACTICE PARTICIPATION, FINAL GAME STATUS PENDING. Denver plays Monday night, so its final statuses are due today (Sat, Sept. 12) and have not posted — the Game Status column is blank for every Broncos player on nfl.com. He is the ONLY Bronco on the report, listed with a FOOT injury, Full participant Thursday and ESTIMATED Full participant Friday (Denver held a walkthrough rather than a full practice Friday, so Friday’s level is an estimation).
• Practice this week: Full
• Injury: Foot
• When it happened: Not disclosed; first appears on Denver’s initial Week 1 filing dated Sept. 10, 2026
• Typical recovery for this injury: A foot issue that permits full participation is a minor sprain, bruise or maintenance listing — 0-1 weeks missed, usually none. The serious branches of foot injury (Lisfranc, Jones fracture) run 8-12 weeks and 6-10 weeks respectively, and neither is consistent with full practice participation.
• Expected back to full health: Effectively healthy now.
• Next game: Expected to play Monday, Sept. 14 vs. Kansas City (MNF). Denver reported its entire 53-man active roster as healthy including Mims, so anticipate no designation.
• Next four weeks: Full four-game outlook in his established role as the third receiver and return man behind Courtland Sutton and Jaylen Waddle. The foot is a monitor-only item.
• Who benefits if he sits: Pat Bryant would move up to the No. 3 receiver role, with Troy Franklin also in the rotation.
• Change since Wednesday: UPGRADED — was ‘not yet reported, no filing exists’ on Sept. 9. Denver has now filed officially and he is a Full participant. Final tag still pending today’s Saturday report.

Fantasy takeaway: No action needed — Mims is a healthy WR3/flex dart throw whose foot listing carries no practice restriction.

Cleared — listed this week but carrying no designation (20)

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

Zay Flowers — BAL (Slot WR1 and Baltimore’s No. 1 target — verified on Ourlads (slot, ahead of LaJohntay Wester) and ACT on the nfl.com Ravens roster)

• Status: NO DESIGNATION — and this is category (a), a final Friday game-status outcome, not a guess. Flowers is printed on the official Friday, Sept 11 injury report with ‘Hamstring’ in the injury column and ‘Full Participation’ in the practice column, and the Game Status column is blank. Under NFL reporting rules a club that leaves the final game-status cell blank has declared the player NOT designated. He is free to play; there is no Questionable tag on him.
• Practice this week: Full (Friday, Sept 11). Progression across the week: Limited Wednesday Sept 9 → Full Thursday Sept 10 → Full Friday Sept 11.
• Injury: Hamstring — mild strain/tightness, no reported structural involvement
• When it happened: On or before Sept 9, 2026; first appeared on the Wednesday, Sept 9 practice report as a Limited participant. No specific in-game or in-practice incident was reported, consistent with early-week soft-tissue management.
• Typical recovery for this injury: Hamstring strains: Grade 1 (mild) 1-3 weeks; Grade 2 (moderate) 3-6 weeks; Grade 3 (severe/avulsion) 8-12+ weeks. A hamstring that goes Limited-to-Full inside 48 hours and holds Full for a second day sits at the mildest possible end of that range — effectively a days-long issue, not a weeks-long one.
• Expected back to full health: Already effectively full health as of Sept 10-11, 2026, when he practiced fully on back-to-back days with no restriction and no game-status tag.
• Next game: Expected to play, undesignated — at Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Sept 13, 2026, 1:00 PM ET. No Out/Doubtful/Questionable. The only residual caveat is a Saturday or pregame setback, which is not currently reported.
• Next four weeks: Full every-down workload projected for Weeks 1-4 (at IND, then the Ravens’ Weeks 2-4 slate). The one real risk is the standard soft-tissue re-aggravation pattern — hamstrings that flare in Week 1 prep re-flare at a meaningfully higher rate over the next month — so his Wednesday practice line each week is worth re-checking. Barring that, he is the target-share leader in a Lamar Jackson offense with no competing alpha receiver.
• Who benefits if he sits: LaJohntay Wester (slot WR2 per the verified Ourlads alignment); Rashod Bateman would also absorb target share as the LWR1 and the next-most-established receiver. Not applicable this week — Flowers is not designated.
• Change since Wednesday: UPGRADED — the Wednesday Limited did NOT convert into a final Out or Questionable. It converted upward into Full participation Thursday and Friday and a blank game-status cell. This is the single biggest Wednesday-to-Friday move in the AFC North.

Fantasy takeaway: Start him without hesitation: the division’s one genuine Week 1 lineup risk resolved cleanly with two straight full practices and zero final designation, so no contingency plan is needed.

Xavier Legette — CAR (WR2 / RWR starter – verified ACT (#17) 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: Expected to play vs Chicago Bears (Sunday, Sept 13, 1:00 PM ET) – fully healthy, no designation
• Next four weeks: Fully available. His outlook is a target-share question rather than a health one – he is the clear WR2 behind Tetairoa McMillan with Jalen Coker working the slot.
• Who benefits if he sits: John Metchie III (WR4 / RWR backup) is the direct replacement at the position
• Change since Wednesday: RESOLVED – now off the report, confirming the Sept 9 read. He is absent from Carolina’s club-published final report.

Fantasy takeaway: Healthy and locked into a starting role – a boom-or-bust WR3/flex whose value now rests entirely on Bryce Young’s efficiency.

Luther Burden III — CHI (WR2 / starting RWR (verified: nfl.com roster ACT #10; Ourlads lists him as the RWR starter))

• Status: Resolved – off the injury report. Confirmed ABSENT from Chicago’s FINAL Friday Sept 11 injury report on both nfl.com/injuries/league/2026/reg1 and chicagobears.com. No designation of any kind.
• Practice this week: Full – not listed on any day of the Week 1 injury report.
• Injury: None active
• When it happened: N/A
• Typical recovery for this injury: N/A – no active injury
• Expected back to full health: Already at full health as of Sept 11-12, 2026
• Next game: Sunday Sept 13 at the Carolina Panthers (1:00 PM ET) – ACTIVE, no designation, expected to start.
• Next four weeks: Healthy and in line for a significant Weeks 1-4 role, with immediate target-share upside if Rome Odunze’s calf limits or sidelines him.
• Who benefits if he sits: Kalif Raymond (ACT #14) and Jahdae Walker (ACT #9) would split the vacated snaps.
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged – was already verified off Chicago’s Wednesday Sept 9 report in the baseline, and remains off the FINAL Friday report.

Fantasy takeaway: The single best contingency play in the division this week – he is fully healthy and is the direct beneficiary if Odunze is inactive or snap-capped, so hold him in your flex until Sunday’s inactives post.

Ja’Marr Chase — CIN (LWR1 / overall WR1 — verified on Ourlads (Ke’Shawn Williams behind him) and ACT on the nfl.com Bengals roster)

• Status: NO DESIGNATION — category (a), a final Friday game-status outcome. The Bengals’ own Week 1 report lists him as ‘NIR – Rest / Knee’, DNP Friday, with the Game Status column blank. A blank final cell means no designation and free to play. Head coach Zac Taylor said Friday, Sept 11 that Chase is good to go for the opener.
• Practice this week: DNP (Friday, Sept 11) — but the club coded it NIR-Rest, a scheduled veteran rest day, not a setback. Progression: Full Wednesday Sept 9 → Full Thursday Sept 10 → DNP (rest) Friday Sept 11.
• Injury: Knee — minor, sustained in an Aug 25, 2026 practice; no structural damage reported, and it has been managed alongside standard veteran rest days
• When it happened: Aug 25, 2026 (practice)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Minor knee sprain/contusion without ligament or meniscus involvement: 0-2 weeks. Chase never missed regular-season time and was a full participant on two of three days, which is consistent with the low end — the issue is functionally already behind him.
• Expected back to full health: Already at full health — no snap or route restrictions reported for Week 1.
• Next game: Expected to play, undesignated — vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Sept 13, 2026, 1:00 PM ET. Taylor confirmed ‘good to go’ on Sept 11.
• Next four weeks: Full elite workload Weeks 1-4. Expect the knee to keep generating occasional NIR-Rest Friday DNPs through the month; treat those as roster management, not injury news. No workload risk projected.
• Who benefits if he sits: Ke’Shawn Williams (LWR2 per the verified Ourlads alignment). Not applicable — Chase is undesignated.
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged — he was a Full participant on Sept 9 and carries no designation on the final report. The Friday DNP looks like a downgrade at a glance but is explicitly NIR-Rest, and the club’s blank status cell plus Taylor’s Friday comment confirm no change in availability.

Fantasy takeaway: Lock him in as a top-of-the-board WR1 and ignore the Friday DNP — it is a coded rest day on a report where the game-status column was left deliberately blank.

Puka Nacua — LAR (WR1 – the Rams’ primary target, ahead of Davante Adams)

• Status: Resolved – off the injury report. He carried NO designation on the Rams’ official final Week 1 report, PLAYED the full game in Melbourne, and finished it healthy. The psoas issue is behind him.
• Practice this week: n/a – game already played
• Injury: None active. The psoas (deep core/hip) soreness that cost him practice time dates to an August joint practice with Dallas and fully resolved before the opener.
• When it happened: 2026-08-18 approximately (August joint practice) – resolved
• Typical recovery for this injury: Psoas strains typically cost 1-3 weeks; his resolved in the day-to-day range as McVay projected
• Expected back to full health: Already healthy – confirmed by a full, productive game
• Next game: Week 2, Monday Sept 21 vs. the NEW YORK GIANTS (home, MNF): expected to PLAY, no designation anticipated
• Next four weeks: Healthy and the unquestioned target leader for all four. He led ALL Week 1 players with 74 receiving yards and came inches short of a touchdown, so the usage is exactly where it should be.
• Who benefits if he sits: Davante Adams (ACT) is the WR1 alternative, with Tutu Atwell (ACT) and Jordan Whittington (ACT) behind him
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged – remains off the report, now confirmed healthy through a full game

Fantasy takeaway: Start him without hesitation – he is fully healthy, led the entire league in Week 1 receiving yards, and the Monday-night Giants matchup is a plus.

Mike Evans — SF (WR1 for San Francisco – verified on the official nfl.com 49ers roster (ACT, #5))

• Status: Resolved – off the injury report. Not listed on San Francisco’s official Week 1 injury report, no designation, played the full game.
• Practice this week: n/a – game already played (full participant beforehand)
• Injury: None active – he was carried as a Sept 9 report entry for monitoring only
• When it happened: n/a
• Typical recovery for this injury: n/a – no injury
• Expected back to full health: Currently healthy
• Next game: Week 2, Sunday Sept 20 vs. the MIAMI DOLPHINS (home): expected to PLAY, no designation
• Next four weeks: Healthy and the clear red-zone target – his debut produced 6 catches for 49 yards and a fade touchdown, and Shanahan explicitly praised the red-zone fit
• Who benefits if he sits: Deebo Samuel Sr. and DeMarcus Robinson would absorb the targets
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged – remains off the report, now with a healthy game played

Fantasy takeaway: Start him with confidence – fully healthy, and the Week 1 red-zone usage is exactly the role that sustains WR2 scoring.

Emeka Egbuka — TB (RWR starter – one of Tampa Bay’s three starting receivers alongside Chris Godwin Jr. (slot) and Jalen McMillan (LWR); verified ACT (#2) on nfl.com)

• Status: NO DESIGNATION – he appears on the final Week 1 injury report with a BLANK Game Status column. Stating this plainly: a blank Game Status means he carries no designation and is fully expected to play.
• Practice this week: Full
• Injury: Toe
• When it happened: August 2026 (training camp / preseason)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Toe injuries span a wide range – a minor sprain resolves in 1-2 weeks, while true turf toe routinely costs 4-8 weeks. Three consecutive full practices place him unambiguously at the mild end with the issue essentially behind him.
• Expected back to full health: Already fully healthy – Full participation Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
• Next game: Expected to play at Cincinnati Bengals (Sunday, Sept 13, 1:00 PM ET) – no designation
• Next four weeks: Fully healthy with a clear path to volume. With Jalen McMillan Doubtful for Week 1, Egbuka is positioned as the primary perimeter target alongside Chris Godwin Jr. and should command a heavy target share out of the gate. Toe injuries can linger, so watch for any re-entry onto the report, but the trajectory here is entirely positive.
• Who benefits if he sits: Tez Johnson (WR4 / RWR backup) is the direct replacement at the position
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged – he was Full on Wednesday with no designation and stayed Full through Thursday and Friday, finishing with a blank Game Status. The Sept 9 read held perfectly; no conversion to Out or Questionable.

Fantasy takeaway: Start him with full confidence – a healthy starter with no designation who gains target share from McMillan’s absence is a clear WR2 play in Week 1.

Carnell Tate — TEN (Starting outside wide receiver. Source note: the club’s unofficial Week 1 chart lists him as the nominal WR1 with Calvin Ridley WR2, while Ourlads lists Ridley at left and Tate at right – the same three receivers start either way, and the ordinal label is not settled.)

• 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 – WILL PLAY, fully healthy, no designation.
• Next four weeks: Expected to play all four games. No injury risk flagged. The variable is target share in a young offense built around second-year QB Cam Ward.
• Who benefits if he sits: ELIC AYOMANOR (ACT, #5) is the backup outside receiver.
• 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: A healthy, startable WR3/flex with real upside – some sources list him as Tennessee’s nominal WR1, which makes his Week 1 target count worth watching closely.

Tee Higgins — CIN (RWR1 / overall WR2 — verified on Ourlads (Colbie Young behind him) and ACT on the nfl.com Bengals roster)

• Status: NO DESIGNATION — category (a), a final Friday game-status outcome. He appears on the Bengals’ official Week 1 report with ‘Foot’ listed and Full participation all three days, and the Game Status column is blank. Not designated; free to play.
• Practice this week: Full (Friday, Sept 11). Full Wednesday, Full Thursday, Full Friday — a clean three-for-three week.
• Injury: Foot — heel contusion sustained at the end of the preseason
• When it happened: Late August 2026 (end of preseason)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Heel/foot contusion with no fracture or plantar fascia involvement: 1-2 weeks, occasionally 3 if it is a deep bone bruise. Higgins is already past that window and practicing fully.
• Expected back to full health: Already at full health — three consecutive full practices with no restriction.
• Next game: Expected to play, undesignated — vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Sept 13, 2026, 1:00 PM ET.
• Next four weeks: Full workload Weeks 1-4 as the clear WR2 opposite Chase in a Joe Burrow offense. The only reason he remains worth tracking is that heel contusions can recur on a heavy snap count; his practice line should be clean by Week 2 and he should fall off the report entirely.
• Who benefits if he sits: Colbie Young (RWR2 per the verified Ourlads alignment). Not applicable — Higgins is undesignated.
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged — Full participant Sept 9, Full participant Sept 11, no designation at any point. The foot never became a game-status issue.

Fantasy takeaway: Start him as a confident WR2 — full participation on all three days with no designation is as clean as an injury-report entry gets.

Jakobi Meyers — JAX (Starting wide receiver – the middle/slot spot on the club’s Week 1 chart, WR2 in the offense behind Brian Thomas Jr. and the primary possession target)

• Status: NO DESIGNATION – CLEARED. This is (a) a final Friday game-status outcome: he appeared on the official Sept 11 report as a practice participant but was assigned NO game-status tag (not Out, Doubtful or Questionable), which under NFL reporting rules means the club expects him to play without restriction.
• Practice this week: Limited (Friday Sept 11). Full week: Limited Wednesday, Limited Thursday, Limited Friday – limited all three days but never held out.
• Injury: Thumb. Note: the Sept 9 baseline recorded this as ‘wrist/hand’ – that was imprecise. Both the club report and beat coverage specify the THUMB.
• When it happened: August 19, 2026 (sustained in training camp).
• Typical recovery for this injury: Thumb injuries in NFL receivers span a wide range by severity: a sprain or contusion runs 1-3 weeks, a UCL sprain 3-6 weeks, and a fracture or a surgically repaired ligament 6-10 weeks and frequently involves playing through it in a splint or cast. Meyers’ profile – practicing every day on a limited basis for over three weeks and cleared to play – is consistent with the milder end, a sprain or bone bruise managed rather than repaired.
• Expected back to full health: Late September 2026. He is available now; the residual concern is grip and catch security rather than availability, and that generally normalizes 4-6 weeks from onset.
• Next game: Sunday, Sept 13, 2026 vs the Cleveland Browns – WILL PLAY. No designation, confirmed available by both the official report and Jaguars beat reporting; Meyers himself said he would play.
• Next four weeks: Expected to play all four games in a full-time role. The realistic downside is not missed time but a drop or two and slightly depressed catch rate while the thumb finishes healing – a hand injury on a receiver whose game is built on contested possession catches is worth a small mental discount through roughly Week 3, after which it should be a non-issue.
• Who benefits if he sits: PARKER WASHINGTON (starting right WR, ACT, #11) would absorb the bulk of the possession/slot work, with TRAVIS HUNTER (WR/CB, listed WR2 behind Brian Thomas Jr.) taking a larger offensive snap share. C.J. WILLIAMS (#18) is the direct backup at Meyers’ listed spot.
• Change since Wednesday: UPGRADED. On Sept 9 he was an official practice-report entry, Limited, with no final game status. He stayed Limited Thursday and Friday and that Limited converted to NO FINAL DESIGNATION AT ALL – the best available outcome short of coming off the report entirely. He is cleared to play.

Fantasy takeaway: Start him as your WR2/WR3 with confidence – he is fully cleared with no designation – but accept a modest drop-risk discount in Week 1 given a thumb he has been managing since mid-August.

Travis Hunter — JAX (Two-way player – listed as WR2 directly behind Brian Thomas Jr. on the club’s Week 1 chart AND as a starting cornerback. His offensive snap share is genuinely uncertain because his defensive workload competes with it.)

• Status: NO DESIGNATION – fully cleared. This is (c) UNOFFICIAL for injury-report purposes: he carries no Friday game-status tag and no reserve-list designation, and does not appear on the Week 1 injury report at all. Tracked here solely because he is returning from the knee injury that ended his rookie season.
• Practice this week: not reported – he does not appear on the Week 1 injury report, indicating full participation.
• Injury: Knee (fully recovered; surgically repaired and off the injury report)
• When it happened: 2025 season – the injury cost him the final 10 games of his rookie year.
• Typical recovery for this injury: Significant knee injuries requiring surgery in NFL skill players generally require 9-12 months to return to play, with cutting confidence and top-end burst often trailing availability by another 3-6 months. Hunter is roughly a full year out and completed a normal offseason and training camp, which places him at the point where most players are functionally recovered.
• Expected back to full health: Already at full health for Week 1. Jaguars reporting describes him as having returned ‘stronger, faster’ after the knee injury, and he was cleared to play both ways throughout camp.
• Next game: Sunday, Sept 13, 2026 vs the Cleveland Browns – WILL PLAY, no designation, cleared on both sides of the ball.
• Next four weeks: Expected to play all four games. The risk here is usage, not health: Jacksonville has signaled he is taking more work at cornerback than at receiver, which caps his offensive volume regardless of how healthy he is. A two-way workload also carries an elevated cumulative-fatigue and soft-tissue risk worth monitoring across a four-week stretch.
• Who benefits if he sits: JOSH CAMERON (ACT, #19) and C.J. WILLIAMS (ACT, #18) are the reserve receivers; PARKER WASHINGTON (starting right WR) would absorb the majority of the vacated offensive snaps.
• Change since Wednesday: NEW – added to this report. Not on the Sept 9 injury list (he carries no designation), but his return from the knee injury that ended his 2025 rookie season is a tracked story with real fantasy implications and warrants inclusion.

Fantasy takeaway: Bench him in Week 1 and watch his actual offensive snap count before trusting him – the knee is a non-issue but his receiver usage is being squeezed by a starting cornerback job.

Zachariah Branch — ATL (WR4 / slot backup behind Olamide Zaccheaus – verified ACT (#17) on nfl.com)

• Status: NO DESIGNATION – he appears on the final Week 1 injury report with a BLANK Game Status column. Stating this plainly: a blank Game Status means he carries no designation and is expected to play.
• Practice this week: Full
• Injury: Hamstring
• When it happened: On or before 2026-09-09 (present on the first official Week 1 report)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Hamstring strains generally cost 1-3 weeks for a grade-1 and 3-6 weeks for a grade-2; a player who reaches full participation within the same week is almost always at the mildest end
• Expected back to full health: Effectively now – he reached full participation Friday, Sept 11, 2026
• Next game: Expected to play at Pittsburgh Steelers (Sunday, Sept 13, 1:00 PM ET) – no designation
• Next four weeks: Available, but his ceiling is capped by role rather than health: he is the fourth receiver behind Drake London, Jahan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus, and Atlanta’s passing game just lost its top two quarterbacks. Expect return-game work and situational snaps over the next four weeks.
• Who benefits if he sits: Chris Blair (WR5); Olamide Zaccheaus is the primary slot and absorbs those snaps
• Change since Wednesday: UPGRADED – Limited Wednesday and Limited Thursday converted to FULL Friday participation with no game-status designation. His Wednesday Limited did NOT convert to an Out or Questionable.

Fantasy takeaway: Healthy but not startable – leave him on waivers in redraft until the Atlanta QB situation stabilizes and his snap share grows.

Keon Coleman — BUF (Starting outside receiver (LWR))

• Status: Resolved — off the injury report. No entry on Buffalo’s FINAL Sept 11 report.
• Practice this week: not reported — absent from the injury report, i.e. full participation with no injury designation.
• Injury: None currently
• When it happened: Not applicable
• Typical recovery for this injury: Not applicable — no active injury.
• Expected back to full health: Already fully healthy as of Sept 11, 2026.
• Next game: Week 1, Sunday Sept 13 at Houston Texans — fully available, no designation.
• Next four weeks: No injury restriction expected across Weeks 1-4; his fantasy risk is target-share volatility, not health.
• Who benefits if he sits: Josh Palmer is the LWR2 and would step in.
• Change since Wednesday: RESOLVED — now off the report; he never appeared on Buffalo’s official Wednesday report either.

Fantasy takeaway: Health is a non-issue — evaluate him purely on target volume behind DJ Moore and Khalil Shakir.

Khalil Shakir — BUF (Starting slot receiver (SWR), Buffalo’s primary target from the slot)

• Status: Resolved — off the injury report. He carries no designation of any kind on Buffalo’s FINAL Sept 11 report.
• Practice this week: not reported — he is not listed on the Friday Sept 11 injury report at all, which means full participation with no injury entry.
• Injury: None currently. The Sept 9 entry stemmed from a training-camp issue that he had already practiced through in pads on Wednesday.
• When it happened: August 2026 (resolved)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Not applicable — no active injury. For reference, the minor camp soft-tissue issues that produce this kind of Wednesday-only entry generally resolve in 1-2 weeks.
• Expected back to full health: Already fully healthy as of Sept 11, 2026.
• Next game: Week 1, Sunday Sept 13 at Houston Texans — fully available, no designation, expected to play a full starter’s snap share.
• Next four weeks: No restriction expected across Weeks 1-4.
• Who benefits if he sits: Skyler Bell would take the slot snaps if something changed.
• Change since Wednesday: RESOLVED — now off the report. He was already trending clear on Sept 9 (Full participation) and never received a Friday designation.

Fantasy takeaway: Start him with full confidence — he cleared the report entirely and faces no snap limit.

Jaylin Noel — HOU (Starting slot wide receiver on the Texans’ regular-season chart – notably AHEAD of Kayshon Boutte, correcting the Sept 9 baseline ordering)

• Status: Resolved – off the injury report
• Practice this week: Full – not listed on any Texans Week 1 practice report, 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 Buffalo Bills – WILL PLAY, fully healthy, no designation.
• Next four weeks: Expected to play all four games. No injury risk flagged. His fantasy question is opportunity, not health: he is the No. 3 receiver in a room where Nico Collins commands target share.
• Who benefits if he sits: KAYSHON BOUTTE (#14) would slide up, with JARED WAYNE (#17) next.
• Change since Wednesday: RESOLVED – now off the report. Confirmed absent from all three Texans Week 1 practice reports and from the final Friday report.

Fantasy takeaway: Healthy and a starter, but leave him on your bench as a WR4/5 dart throw until he proves he can command targets past Nico Collins.

Alec Pierce — IND (Starting wide receiver – Left WR on the colts.com Week 1 chart; the offense’s vertical/deep threat, listed first among Indianapolis receivers)

• Status: NO DESIGNATION – CLEARED. This is (a) a final Friday game-status outcome: he appeared on the official Sept 11 report but received NO game-status tag. HC Shane Steichen confirmed the Colts ‘did not rule out any players’ for Week 1 and said Pierce was ‘looking fresh, he’s looking good.’
• Practice this week: FULL (Friday Sept 11). Full week: Limited Wednesday, Limited Thursday, FULL Friday – a clean upward progression capped by a full practice.
• Injury: Heel – the injury as designated on the official NFL report. It stems from offseason surgery on the ankle/heel that kept him on the Reserve/PUP list through late August 2026.
• When it happened: Offseason 2026 (surgery in the spring/early summer); he remained on PUP into late August 2026 before being activated.
• Typical recovery for this injury: Post-surgical heel and ankle procedures in NFL skill players typically require 4-6 months to return to football activity and 6-9 months to unrestricted performance. Achilles-adjacent and calcaneal work sits at the longer end. Pierce’s timeline – surgery in the offseason, PUP through late August, limited-limited-full in the opening game week – tracks the normal course almost exactly.
• Expected back to full health: Already functionally healthy for availability purposes. Expect full unrestricted conditioning and a normal snap count by late September to early October 2026; the open question is stamina and explosive-route volume, not whether he can play.
• Next game: Sunday, Sept 13, 2026 vs the Baltimore Ravens – WILL PLAY, no designation. The one caveat worth respecting: Steichen declined to commit to a workload, saying only ‘we’ll see how the game goes,’ which signals a possible snap-count ceiling in his first game back.
• Next four weeks: Should play all four. Weeks 1-2 carry real snap-count risk as Indianapolis eases him back from a PUP stint; by Weeks 3-4 expect a full complement of snaps. A player coming off heel/ankle surgery is a candidate for a maintenance rest day on a short week, so monitor practice reports rather than assuming a clean run.
• Who benefits if he sits: LAQUON TREADWELL (ACT, #13) is the direct backup at Pierce’s Left WR spot on the verified colts.com chart. A larger share of the vertical work would also flow to KEENAN ALLEN (starting Right WR) and ASHTON DULIN (#16).
• Change since Wednesday: UPGRADED – and the biggest Wednesday-to-Friday improvement on the Colts’ report. On Sept 9 he was Limited with no final status. He progressed Limited to Limited to FULL and that Wednesday Limited converted to NO FINAL DESIGNATION. He is cleared to play.

Fantasy takeaway: Startable as a boom-or-bust WR3/flex – he is cleared and practicing fully – but temper Week 1 expectations because Steichen conspicuously refused to guarantee a full workload in his first game off PUP.

Josh Downs — IND (Starting slot wide receiver on the colts.com Week 1 chart, alongside Alec Pierce and Keenan Allen)

• Status: Resolved – off the injury report
• Practice this week: Full – not listed on the Colts’ Week 1 practice report at any point, Wednesday through Friday.
• Injury: None active – the late-August 2026 calf issue has fully resolved.
• When it happened: Prior issue: late August 2026 (calf). No active injury as of Week 1.
• Typical recovery for this injury: n/a – no active injury. For reference, calf strains typically sideline an NFL player 1-4 weeks for Grade 1-2, and they are a notable re-aggravation risk class – but he has been a full participant since the start of September.
• Expected back to full health: Currently at full health.
• Next game: Sunday, Sept 13, 2026 vs the Baltimore Ravens – WILL PLAY, fully healthy, no designation.
• Next four weeks: Expected to play all four games as the starting slot receiver. He is arguably the cleanest health profile among Indianapolis’ three starting receivers, since Alec Pierce is working back from surgery.
• Who benefits if he sits: DEION BURKS (ACT, #80) is the direct backup at the slot on the verified colts.com chart.
• Change since Wednesday: RESOLVED – now off the report, and this holds through the final Friday report. He never appeared on any Week 1 practice report.

Fantasy takeaway: Start him as a PPR-friendly WR3 – he is completely off the injury report and, with Alec Pierce on a possible snap limit, he may be the Colts receiver with the safest Week 1 volume.

Brenen Thompson — LAC (Backup WR — listed as the No. 2 right-side receiver behind Tre’ Harris (Ourlads depth chart updated 09/10/2026; nfl.com roster status ACT))

• Status: Resolved — off the injury report. Thompson received NO final game-status designation on the Chargers’ final Week 1 report filed Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. Limited Wednesday, Limited Thursday, FULL Friday, cleared without a tag.
• Practice this week: Full
• Injury: Hip — now resolved
• When it happened: Early September 2026 (first appears on the Chargers’ initial Week 1 report, Sept. 9, 2026)
• Typical recovery for this injury: A hip flexor strain or hip contusion of the kind that still allows limited practice generally costs an NFL player 0-2 weeks. Reaching full participation by Friday without missing a session places this at the low end.
• Expected back to full health: Healthy as of Friday, Sept. 11, 2026.
• Next game: ACTIVE, no designation, for Sunday, Sept. 13 vs. the Arizona Cardinals.
• Next four weeks: Available, but buried behind Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston and Tre’ Harris. Expect special-teams and rotational snaps rather than a meaningful target share over the next month.
• Who benefits if he sits: Derius Davis and KeAndre Lambert-Smith cover the rotational receiver snaps.
• Change since Wednesday: RESOLVED — off the injury report. The Sept. 9 Wednesday Limited converted to Full on Friday with no final designation.

Fantasy takeaway: No fantasy action — Thompson is healthy but is a fourth-or-lower option in a crowded Chargers receiver room; leave him on waivers.

Jacob Cowing — SF (Depth receiver; his role grows with Stribling hurt)

• Status: Resolved – off the injury report. Not listed on San Francisco’s official Week 1 injury report and carried no designation.
• Practice this week: n/a – game already played (full participant beforehand)
• Injury: None active
• When it happened: n/a
• Typical recovery for this injury: n/a – no injury
• Expected back to full health: Currently healthy
• Next game: Week 2, Sunday Sept 20 vs. the Miami Dolphins: expected to PLAY, no designation
• Next four weeks: Healthy, with a modest bump in snaps available now that Stribling is hurt and Kirk and Pearsall are on reserve
• Who benefits if he sits: Jordan Watkins (ACT); KhaDarel Hodge, Wesley Grimes and Will Pauling are practice-squad options
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged – remains off the report

Fantasy takeaway: Speculative deep-league add only – the injuries ahead of him create opportunity, but Evans and Samuel dominate the target share.

Wan’Dale Robinson — TEN (Starting slot wide receiver alongside Calvin Ridley and Carnell Tate)

• 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 – WILL PLAY, fully healthy, no designation. HC Robert Saleh confirmed Friday that ‘everyone else will be available’ beyond LB Cedric Gray.
• Next four weeks: Expected to play all four games in the slot. No injury risk flagged.
• Who benefits if he sits: CHIMERE DIKE (ACT, #17) is the backup slot receiver.
• 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: Start him as a PPR WR3 – he is completely healthy and off the report, with a defined slot role in an offense whose target distribution is still unsettled.

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 WR first appeared on Game On Media.