Week 2 Friday Injury Report: Najee In, Godwin Out, Bucs-Saints Heavy on Questionables

This article is part of our Injury Analysis series.

Week 1 was brutal for high-profile injuries, making up for lost time after an unusually uneventful preseason. Some might say the two are related, with lighter summer workload decreasing the rate of camp/preseason injuries but perhaps increasing the odds that players run into problems early in the regular season.

That's probably a good trade-off — fewer ACL tears, more hamstring strains — but it does leave us with a lot to sort through this weekend. The Bucs-Saints game, in particular, has a ton of fantasy-relevant players listed as questionable, including a bunch who truly are.

Good to Go

• RB Najee Harris (foot)
• QB Mac Jones (back)
• RB Kenneth Walker (knee)

Ruled Out/Doubtful

• WR Chris Godwin (hamstring)
• WR Michael Gallup (ACL)
• WR Van Jefferson (knee)

Ben Skowronek gets another week as the No. 3 receiver. This might also help a bit for TE Tyler Higbee, whose 11 targets last week were his most since Dec. 2019 (the month where he oddly exploded for 522 yards). 

• WR Alec Pierce (concussion)

Parris Campbell was getting more snaps last week even before Pierce left the game. Ashton Dulin now steps in as the No. 3 receiver (assuming Michael Pittman plays).

• WRs Rondale Moore (hamstring) + Andy Isabella (back)

Marquise Brown, A.J. Green and Greg Dortch are locked in as Arizona's top three receivers, and the lack of depth could encourage more multi-TE formations with Maxx Williams or Stephen Anderson joining Zach Ertz (second-round pick Trey McBride was a healthy scratch last week).  

• RB Damien Williams (ribs)

Avery Williams subbed in behind Cordarrelle Patterson after Damien's injury last week, but Avery should now lose some/all of that backup work to rookie fifth-round Tyler Allgeier, who figured to be active after a healthy scratch last week. (Williams is new to playing RB, and mostly is the team's punt returner.)

This helps Patterson's outlook, as it isn't clear the Falcons really trust either (Avery) Williams or Allgeier. C-Patt's snap share last week (65 percent) was his second largest in 17 games with Atlanta, while the 22 carries and 120 rushing yards were career highs.

• Wan'Dale Robinson (knee)

Kadarius Toney, meanwhile, appears truly questionable, though he didn't play much last week anyway. Kenny Golladay, Sterling Shepard and Richie James likely will be the top three this week, though Toney, David Sills and Darius Slayton might also have roles. Shepard is the safest bet for targets.

• KJ Hamler (knee/hip/maintenance)

• TE C.J. Uzomah (D - hamstring)

Uzomah was a clear second fiddle to Tyler Conklin, playing only 27 percent of snaps in the Week 1 loss to Baltimore. Still, this is only good news for Conklin, who didn't play well last week but did score a garbage-time TD. It could also inspire the Jets to go three-wide even more often, and perhaps mix in some four-wide looks as well (they do have the personnel for it, assuming Braxton Berrios plays).

• RB Brandon Bolden (hamstring)

Ameer Abdullah figures to take over the passing-down role.

• WR Cedrick Wilson (toe)

Key Defensive Players + Offensive Linemen

• LB Shaquille Leonard (back)
• S Trevon Moehrig (hip) + LB Denzel Perryman (ankle)
• EDGE Azeez Ojulari (D - calf) + EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux (D - knee)
• C Frank Ragnow (groin)

Listed as Questionable - Should Play

• RB Leonard Fournette (hamstring)
• WR Braxton Berrios (heel)
• QB Jameis Winston (back) + RB Mark Ingram (ankle)

Truly Questionable

• RB Alvin Kamara (ribs)

Ingram should be startable in nearly any format if he plays and Kamara doesn't, while Tony Jones is worth a look for deep leagues. A matchup with Tampa doesn't help, but a look at Ingram's Kamara-free workloads last season suggest there's enough volume to get by even if it's with a 3.5 YPC.

• WR Michael Pittman (quad)

Pittman made it through Week 1 without any problems but then felt something during Wednesday's practice and was held out Thursday and Friday. He's listed as questionable, while Alec Pierce (concussion) has already been ruled out. Parris Campbell SZN?

• TE George Kittle (groin)

• WR Tee Higgins (concussion)

Of everyone in this section, Higgins has the best chance to play and handle his usual role. But he still needs to be treated as a game-time call until we see a report that he's completed the concussion protocol. If he's out, it'll be Mike Thomas getting most of the snaps alongside Ja'Marr Chase and Tyler Boyd in three-wide sets, presumably.

• WRs Mike Evans (calf), Julio Jones (knee), Russell Gage (hamstring)

My best guess is all three play, but I wouldn't be shocked if any of the three sat out. Jones did the last in practice this week, managing only a limited session Friday, but that could be as much about his age and history as the current knee issue. One thing we can all be grateful for is a 1 p.m. ET kickoff, as the injury reports for this Bucs-Saints game are ridiculous (gamesmanship may be a factor). Scotty Miller would seem to be next up for WR reps, or perhaps Breshad Perriman (also listed as questionable) gets involved. 

• RB J.K. Dobbins (ACL)

I expect Dobbins to play, but I'm not quite ready to assume it.

• WR Allen Lazard (ankle)

Last week, the Packers had four WRs (Randall Cobb, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Sammy Watkins) land between 57-67 percent snap share and 3-5 targets. Lazard managed limited practices this week, but the Packers do tend to be cautious with injuries. 

• Dontrell Hilliard (hamstring)

Hilliard scored twice last week despite playing only 12 snaps (18 percent). The Titans don't have a clear alternative for obvious passing situations, with Derrick Henry seemingly better equipped for the role than rookies Hassan Haskins and Julius Chestnut (both listed at 228 pounds). It's not a role the Titans want to involve many snaps, but it might this week with a road trip to Buffalo. Maybe they'd turn to Trenton Cannon, who has primarily played special teams while bouncing around the league for years. Or maybe it just means even more snaps/touches for Henry, even in negative game script.

• WR Kadarius Toney (hamstring)
• TE Brevin Jordan (ankle)
• WR Shi Smith (groin)
   

Key Defensive Players + O-Linemen

• DE J.J. Watt (calf) + S Jalen Thompson (toe)
• LB Josey Jewell (calf) + EDGE Randy Gregory (shoulder)
• DT DeForest Buckner + CB Kenny Moore (hip)
• CB Marlon Humphrey (groin) + Marcus Peters (knee)

The Ravens lost CB Kyle Fuller to an ACL tear last week and now have their top two corner listed as questionable, including Peters who missed last week after the ACL tear last year. It sure is a good thing the Ravens aren't playing a team with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle this week!

• LT David Bakhtiari (knee) + RT Elgton Jenkins (knee) + LG Jon Runyan (concussion)