NFL Injury Report For The Week

By ESPN

AFC EAST

Buffalo Bills

Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus returned to practice Wednesday on a limited basis after missing all of last week with an ankle injury. It's too early to tell whether Dareus will be ready to play Sunday against the Falcons. If he does play, he figures to be part of a defensive line rotation that has limited his playing time so far this season. -- Mike Rodak

Miami Dolphins

Starting running back Jay Ajayi missed Wednesday's practice for the second straight week due to a knee injury. He played through it last week and is expected to do the same on Sunday against the Saints. However, Ajayi managing his knee this early in the season could be cause for concern over the course of a 16-game season. -- James Walker

New England Patriots

Linebacker Dont'a Hightower (knee) has missed the past two games and remains limited in practice. As the Patriots look to improve on giving up the most yards of any defense in the NFL through three games, getting Hightower back on the field would be a boost. He's their defensive captain and signal-caller. His status should have more clarity by the end of the week. -- Mike Reiss

New York Jets

Running back Matt Forte suffered a turf toe injury in last week's win and will likely be sidelined Sunday against the Jaguars. He had been splitting reps evenly with Bilal Powell, with rookie Elijah McGuire picking up scraps. If Forte sits, Powell will move into the No. 1 position. The Jets signed veteran Travaris Cadet as insurance. -- Rich Cimini

AFC NORTH

Baltimore Ravens

Tight end Ben Watson, who has been the surprising leading receiver for Baltimore through the first three games, didn't practice Wednesday because of a calf injury. Tight end appears to be a concern for the Ravens heading into their game against Pittsburgh. With Maxx Williams (ankle) also not practicing, the Ravens brought back Ryan Malleck to the practice squad. Right now, starter Nick Boyle and special-teamer Vince Mayle are the only healthy tight ends. -- Jamison Hensley

Cincinnati Bengals

Tight end Tyler Eifert was not seen at practice after missing all of last week, which is not a good sign for his chances to play on Sunday. Bengals wideout John Ross also seems unlikely to go after watching practice in sweats on Wednesday. Ross said he has been dealing with soreness in his knee that dates back to a preseason injury. -- Katherine Terrell

Cleveland Browns

Defensive end Myles Garrett might try to practice this week, but it remains to be seen if he plays Sunday against the Bengals. Coach Hue Jackson said it's possible Garrett could play situationally, but he wouldn't decide until or if he saw Garrett practice. Garrett is recovering from a high ankle sprain that sidelined him the Wednesday before the opener. -- Pat McManamon

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers could be without their two starting safeties, though Sean Davis (low ankle sprain) and Mike Mitchell (hamstring) are both pushing to play. Davis avoided the dreaded "high ankle sprain," which gives him a chance. Mitchell dealt with hamstring issues throughout training camp, so even though he's expected to be healthy enough to play, the Steelers will closely monitor the injury. -- Jeremy Fowler

AFC SOUTH

Houston Texans

Wide receiver Will Fuller, who has been out since he broke his collarbone during training camp, returned to practice last week and could play Sunday against the Titans. Fuller was a full participant in practice on Wednesday and coach Bill O'Brien said it was "trending in the right direction" for him to return. -- Sarah Barshop

Indianapolis Colts

Tight end Jack Doyle was a surprise on the injury report Wednesday. He was a limited participant due to a foot injury. The Colts have depth concerns at tight end because Erik Swoope, their No. 2 player at that position, is currently on injured reserve. Doyle has played in 97.3 percent of the Colts' offensive snaps this season, which ranks fourth on the team. He's also second on the team in receptions (12) and receiving yards (136). -- Mike Wells

Jacksonville Jaguars

Cornerback Jalen Ramsey is still battling an ankle injury that has bothered him since the season began. However, he has shown the past two weeks that he doesn't need to practice in order to play well on Sunday. He likely won't do much this week, either, but should be on the field against the Jets. Defensive tackle Malik Jackson has a groin injury and did not practice Wednesday, but seems to be in the same situation as Ramsey: He might practice little this week, but is expected to play. -- Mike DiRocco

Tennessee Titans

Wide receiver Corey Davis will miss his second consecutive game with a hamstring injury. Eric Decker will start for him again, with Taywan Taylor in the slot. Tight end Delanie Walker (hamstring) missed practice Wednesday, but he and the coaches called it a precaution and expect him to play against the Texans. DeMarco Murray (hamstring) and Derrick Henry (thigh) practiced fully Wednesday and should be good to go. Safety Johnathan Cyprien (hamstring) is out for the third straight week. -- Cameron Wolfe

AFC WEST

Denver Broncos

Cornerback Bradley Roby was held out of practice Wednesday with an ankle injury; he had a walking boot on his foot/ankle following last Sunday's loss to the Bills. Roby didn't practice last Wednesday before practicing on a limited basis Thursday and Friday, then playing against the Bills. The Broncos are hopeful he can follow a similar path this week. Roby is a key part of the Broncos' six defensive back look given they often play that grouping more than their base defense. Roby often plays select snaps in the base defense as well. -- Jeff Legwold

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs will be going with a rookie kicker, Harrison Butker, after placing veteran Cairo Santos on the injured reserve list. Butker has a stronger leg and more range on kicks from 50 yards and beyond, but it's Santos' dependability on kicks within 50 yards that the Chiefs could well miss. Santos is the most accurate field goal kicker in Chiefs history at almost 85 percent. -- Adam Teicher

Los Angeles Chargers

Melvin Gordon missed most of the second half of last week's game with a sore knee, but Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said this week that Gordon is fine and the expectation is he will play against the Eagles on Sunday. Gordon's injury is the same left knee he had microfracture surgery on in 2016. -- Eric D. Williams

Oakland Raiders

Michael Crabtree took a major shot to the chest late in last week's loss at Washington and did not return to the game. Coach Jack Del Rio said he wanted to see "how the week goes" in practice before deciding if the receiver would play in Denver, where he had his chain snatched by cornerback Aqib Talib in last season's finale. Crabtree was limited in practice Wednesday. There was another unforeseen development, though, as first-round draft pick Gareon Conley was listed as not participating in practice because of his shin injury after stretching with the team early in practice. -- Paul Gutierrez

NFC EAST

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys had a walk-through-type practice Wednesday, but linebacker Sean Lee was listed as did not participate because of a hamstring strain. He was slowed over the summer by a hamstring strain and was unable to finish Monday's game against Arizona. Lee remains the Cowboys' heart and soul on defense and his absence would hurt, especially with Rams running back Todd Gurley visiting Sunday. If Lee can't play, then Justin Durant would likely become the starting weakside linebacker and play in the nickel packages. With Anthony Hitchens already out with a knee injury, the Cowboys' linebacker group can't take on many more injuries. -- Todd Archer

New York Giants

The Giants are last in the league in rushing defense entering Week 4. They need their middle linebacker back in the lineup. B.J. Goodson returned to practice Wednesday and is hopeful his injured leg will respond well. He's optimistic for a return Sunday against the Bucs. It would be a major boost to the Giants' defense. -- Jordan Raanan

Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles standout defensive tackle Fletcher Cox is still dealing with an injured calf sustained last week against the Giants, and is in jeopardy of missing Sunday's road game against the Chargers. Beau Allen would likely start alongside Tim Jernigan if Cox can't go. Linebacker Jordan Hicks (ankle) and safety Rodney McLeod (hamstring) appear to be further along in their recovery and have a chance to be active this week. -- Tim McManus

Washington Redskins

The Redskins used to struggle big time whenever tight end Jordan Reed didn't play, but they've won three of their past five games without him in the lineup dating to the start of the 2016 season. That speaks to their talent base, but they also don't want to have him out for too long. After sitting out Sunday's win over Oakland, Reed (ribs/shoulder) said he believed he'd play Monday at Kansas City. Running back Rob Kelley is hopeful as well after also missing last week's game; he wanted to play but the team shut him down. He also has a rib injury. Because the Redskins did not practice Wednesday, the next update on their status will be Thursday. -- John Keim

NFC NORTH

Chicago Bears

Thursday night's injury focus is on Bears running back Jordan Howard, who has played with an injured shoulder since Week 1. Howard had to be helped off the field on two different occasions last Sunday because his shoulder pain was so great. To his credit, Howard finished the game -- and rushed for 138 yards and two touchdowns -- but the Bears are playing on a short week. The team will hold only one true practice on Tuesday before busing up to Green Bay on Wednesday afternoon. -- Jeff Dickerson

Detroit Lions

The biggest injury concern for Detroit is right guard T.J. Lang. He missed practice Wednesday with a fibula injury and has been one of the key protectors of Matthew Stafford. Considering he finished Sunday's loss to Atlanta, the injury is a surprise. Either Zac Kerin or Tim Leitao would start in his place. -- Michael Rothstein

Green Bay Packers

The Packers are in danger of having to start their fourth different offense line combination in as many games, and this looks the most dire. Starting tackles Bryan Bulaga (ankle) and David Bakhtiari (hamstring) both are listed as doubtful for Thursday night's game against the Bears. This could put even more pressure on Aaron Rodgers, who was sacked six times last Sunday against the Bengals. -- Rob Demovsky

Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota gave Sam Bradford Wednesday off from practice to rest as he deals with a left knee injury that has kept him out of the past two games. He hasn't been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Lions, and coach Mike Zimmer says the team is "doing everything [it] can" to get Bradford ready to play. There's two pieces of good news here. First, the injury to Bradford's knee will not require surgery and there's no structural damage present, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter. The second is Case Keenum has shown he can step in and command the offense in Bradford's absence. Despite knowing earlier last week that he would start, Keenum says he's preparing no differently entering Week 4, regardless of when a decision on Bradford comes down. Also missing from practice on Wednesday was defensive end Stephen Weatherly, who was out with an illness after playing 11 snaps on defense and special teams against the Bucs. -- Courtney Cronin

NFC SOUTH

Atlanta Falcons

Right tackle Ryan Schraeder missed last week with a concussion and was supposed to be cleared to return by Wednesday, but he remains in the concussion protocol. His status for the matchup against the Bills remains unclear, which could mean another start for newcomer Ty Sambrailo. The Falcons would be much better off with Schraeder in pass protection against Buffalo edge rusher Shaq Lawson. -- Vaughn McClure

Carolina Panthers

That wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin was even at practice on Wednesday after an awkward tackle on Sunday that twisted his left knee -- which had cost him the 2015 season -- was a positive. He spent practice working with the trainer, and the Panthers are hopeful he can play Sunday at New England. They already are down Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen. If Benjamin can't play, look for a bigger role from Devin Funchess. -- David Newton

New Orleans Saints

The Saints got a welcome sight Wednesday in London when injured cornerback Marshon Lattimore (concussion) and offensive tackles Zach Strief (knee) and Terron Armstead (shoulder) all returned to practice. It's still unclear whether they will all be able to play in Sunday's game against the Dolphins in London, with Armstead being the longest shot after having surgery in June. But it was a good sign that the Saints could be getting three very key players back after the Week 5 bye, if not sooner. Receiver Willie Snead also returned from a three-game suspension Wednesday and might be eased back into the mix a bit. -- Mike Triplett

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bucs had several players return to practice Monday, including Chris Baker (flu) and Jacquies Smith (flu), while Brent Grimes (shoulder) was a full participant. The biggest concern, though, is that Tampa Bay's two stud linebackers and team captains Lavonte David (ankle) and Kwon Alexander (hamstring) were both absent and could very well miss this weekend's game; this could mean that rookie Kendell Beckwith is out making all the calls on defense for an entire game. Up until this point, he has done it for only a portion of games. Also concerning is that safety T.J. Ward now has a hip injury. -- Jenna Laine

NFC WEST

Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals wide receiver John Brown continues to be the biggest question mark for Arizona heading into Week 4 against San Francisco. He missed the past two games with a quad injury and while he was limited Wednesday during Arizona's walk-through, his status is still unknown for Sunday. He has four catches for 32 yards this season, all in the Week 1 loss against the Lions. -- Josh Weinfuss

Los Angeles Rams

Rams starting cornerback Kayvon Webster, who sat out the past two games with a shoulder injury, is expected to return against the Cowboys on Sunday. But the Rams have questions on offense, with Sammy Watkins, Tavon Austin and John Sullivan all on the mend. Watkins and Austin, two important receivers, remained in the concussion protocol on Wednesday and were limited in practice. Sullivan, the starting center, has a hip injury that kept him off the field. If Sullivan can't go, the Rams will turn to Austin Blythe, who has started only one NFL game and filled in for Sullivan late against the 49ers last week. "I've worked with Austin a bunch in the preseason and in training camp, through practices, and he did a great job," Rams quarterback Jared Goff said. "I didn't expect him not to." -- Alden Gonzalez

San Francisco 49ers

The Niners were hit hard by head injuries in last Thursday's game against the Rams, with fullback Kyle Juszczyk, safety Jaquiski Tartt and linebacker Brock Coyle all in the concussion protocol. With a few extra days off, there is additional recovery time for that trio, but they also must pass the necessary tests to return. Having a healthy Tartt is particularly important since coach Kyle Shanahan already ruled out fellow safety Eric Reid returning from a knee injury for this week's game against Arizona. -- Nick Wagoner

Seattle Seahawks

Wide receiver Doug Baldwin gave the Seahawks a scare when he missed most of the fourth quarter last week because of a groin strain. Baldwin didn't practice on Wednesday, but he said the injury isn't serious and that he plans on playing Sunday night against the Colts. C.J. Prosise, Seattle's third-down back, has an ankle injury that coach Pete Carroll described as a concern. "We'll see how it goes," Carroll said. "We'll give him a couple days before we have to declare what's going on with him, but he has a significant ankle [injury]." J.D. McKissic is a candidate to take over on third down if Prosise can't play. That could also open the door for Eddie Lacy to get some work. He has played only seven snaps this season, all of them coming in Week 1. -- Brady Henderson