NFL Week 1 Friday Injury Report: Bengals WRs in Flux, Vikings WRs Good to Go

Below you'll find four different categories, with our lists including key offensive linemen and defensive players whose presences/absences might impact fantasy decisions. The bottom section — truly questionable — is sorted by kickoff times and can be used as a checklist/cheatsheet for Sunday morning and afternoon when inactives come out. First, let's see who's definitely in and who's definitely out...

Good to Go 💯

• RB Jaylen Warren (hamstring)
• RB Roschon Johnson (toe)
• WR Curtis Samuel (toe)
• WRs Jordan Addison (ankle) & Jalen Nailor (ankle)
• TE Brock Bowers (foot)
• TE Kyle Pitts (hamstring)
• TE Noah Fant (foot)

Ruled Out/Doubtful 🚑 

• WR Tee Higgins (D - hamstring)
• WR Josh Downs (ankle)
• WR DJ Chark (hip)
• WR Roman Wilson (ankle)
• TE Pharaoh Brown (foot)
• TEs Ian Thomas (calf) & Tommy Tremble (hamstring)

There was already some chance rookie fourth-round pick Ja'Tavion Sanders would immediately become Carolina's top pass-catching TE, and now he'll also be the starter Week 1. It does seem Thomas and/or Tremble could return as soon as Week 2, but for now the Panthers' tight ends are Sanders, Jordan Matthews (yes, that one) and an undrafted rookie named Messiah Swinson who caught 28 passes in his college career.

In addition to Sanders, there are a bunch of WRs that could see added playing time as a result of teammate injuries. Bengals wideouts Andrei Iosivas and Trenton Irwin are chief among them, with others including Chargers WR Quentin Johnston, Colts WR Alec Pierce and Steelers WR Van Jefferson (probably not guys you want in a fantasy lineup). I'd rather take a shot on one of the Bengals than Johnston/Pierce/Jefferson, if only as pure volume plays.

Key Defensive Players + Offensive Linemen

• DT Khalen Saunders (calf)
• G Sidy Sow (ankle)
• G Isaac Seumalo (pectoral)
• OLB Uchenna Nwosu (knee)
• DE Malcolm Koonce (knee)
• LT Jedrick Wills (knee)
• DL Logan Hall (foot)
• DT Jer'Zhan Newton (D - foot)
• S Ifeatu Melifonwu (D - ankle)

Listed as Questionable - Should Play 👍

• WR Keenan Allen (heel)
• WR Tyler Lockett (thigh) 
• WR Trey Palmer (concussion)

Truly Questionable / Game-Time Decisions 🤔

Early Games

• QB Russell Wilson (hamstring)
• RB Antonio Gibson (hip)
• WR Ja'Marr Chase (contract)
• WR DeAndre Hopkins (knee)
• WR A.T. Perry (hand)
• K Matt Gay (sports hernia)

Wilson's calf can be a convenient scapegoat for a Pittsburgh offense that's doomed to fail anyway. LG Isaac Seumalo (pectoral) is ruled out, and 2023 first-round pick Broderick Jones was a disaster at right tackle during the preseason after struggling as a rookie. The Steelers don't lack for early picks or well-paid veterans up front, but they seem unsure of the right mix/alignment, and it probably doesn't help to be blocking for someone like Justin Fields who has a totally unique playing style. Wilson was added to the injury report Thursday as a limited participant and remained limited Friday, having aggravated the calf that bothered him in late July and early August. Reports from Friday afternoon suggest Fields is likely to start Sunday.

Ja'Marr Chase, on the other hand, seems more likely to play than not, especially after Tee Higgins (doubtful - hamstring) suffered a mid-week injury. My take: Chase is a smart guy who wants to use all possible leverage, but that doesn't mean he'll actually miss out on a game check (and risk losing to the Patriots) even if he's doing the "I play when I wanna" thing publicly. Either way, it looks like Andrei Iosivas and Trenton Irwin will get a lot of playing time Sunday, and the Bengals might also use multi-TE sets more often than they usually do (which has never been much under Zac Taylor).

If DeAndre Hopkins Hopkins can't play for the Titans, they'll likely deploy Treylon Burks as a one-for-one replacement at X receiver in terms of snaps (but not targets). I think that means a Hopkins absence would be good news for Calvin Ridley, but it could also mean he sees more of CB Jaylon Johnson even if the Titans are using pre-snap motion, bunch/tight formations, etc. to put Ridley in favorable situations where he can't be bullied by press coverage or double-teamed. I'm guessing Hopkins will play, but it sounds like he could start off in a limited role splitting snaps with Burks.

Late-Afternoon Games

Tyler Lockett (thigh) is the only fantasy-relevant player listed as questionable for the late-afternoon slate, and he seems all but assured of playing after a full practice Friday. Both Lockett and coach Mike Macdonald have said the wide receiver is expected to play.

Primetime Games

• RB Christian McCaffrey (calf) - MNF
• RB Isaac Guerendo (groin) - MNF
• WR Jauan Jennings (ankle) - MNF

McCaffrey seems well on his way to playing, but it's certainly possible the Niners scale back his workload from the usual 85-plus percent range and give Jordan Mason a decent number of touches Monday night. Guerendo seems much less likely to play, and Jennings is tough to get a read on as of Friday evening.

Key Defensive Players + O-Linemen

• OT Vederian Lowe (oblique)
• CB Jalen Ramsey (hamstring)
• CB Asante Samuel (shoulder)
• RT Jack Conklin (knee)
• DT DJ Reader (Q - quad)
• RT Rob Havenstein (ankle)
• S Talanoa Hufanga (ACL)

I don't normally bother listing backup linemen, but Lowe might (have been) a Week 1 starter for the Patriots, if only because of their other O-line injuries. The other big OL question mark is Conklin, who suffered an ACL tear Week 1 last season. The Browns have ruled out LT Jedrick Wills, also coming back from knee surgery, so they may have to play without both starting tackles (as was the case during the second half of last season). 

Elsewhere, the Chargers and Dolphins are unsure if their top cornerbacks will play, which potentially boosts prospects for the Jaguars' and Raiders' wide receivers (and QBs).