Another week of the 2022 NFL preseason is in the books and with one more game to go for each team, we’re closely approaching the season’s start as we are officially two weeks away from the first game of the year. There have been some new injuries that have popped up this week but a lot that we’re going to continue to monitor up to the start of the year. Let’s dive into this week's NFL injury report.

 

 


 

NFL Quarterback Injury Report

Joe Burrow, CIN - Appendix

The happiest of reports is that Joe Burrow participated in a joint practice with the Rams and everything looks to be on track for a monster season.

It looks like things are going well.

 

Jameis Winston, NO - Foot

After spraining his foot earlier this training camp, Jameis Winston was able to log his first full week of practice this week. He hopes to play in the team's final preseason game, but that decision will come from the coaching staff, not Winston.

 

Zach Wilson, NYJ - Knee

Jets head coach Robert Salah was quoted as saying “If Zach is ready to play, he's going to be the Week 1 starter. If he's not, Joe will. That's no secret” to ESPN’s Rich Cimini. Even if Zach Wilson does miss Week 1, it seems as if he won’t miss much time beyond that, so as we get closer and closer to opening weekend, we’ll know how well Wilson is progressing.

 

NFL Running Back Injury Report

Elijah Mitchell, SF - Hamstring

We haven’t seen Elijah Mitchell on the field since August 12th, but that doesn’t mean we’re not going to see him for Week 1 of the NFL season. Quite the opposite, actually, is being said about him. 

It looks like we’ll see Mitchell ready for the year, which is a sigh of relief for all owners drafting him between the fifth and sixth rounds of their fantasy drafts.


Miles Sanders, PHI - Hamstring

We haven’t seen Miles Sanders in a couple of weeks and as of Wednesday’s practice, he still wasn’t on the field. That being said, things don’t look serious and he’s expected to be ready for Week 1. Will he keep his job as the teams RB1 all year remains to be seen.


James Robinson, JAX - Achilles

We’re getting very, very close to the return of James Robinson and he could very well be ready by the time the beginning of the season rolls around. Robinson himself said “I’m so close” but there is no doubt that the Jaguars are slowing playing his return from his torn Achilles. Travis Etienne will likely dominate the work until Robinson is in fact up to speed.


Gus Edwards, BAL - Knee

It’s now official that Gus Edwards has been placed on the Reserve/PUP list, which means he will miss at least the season's first four games. The Ravens expected this move, but when he’s back he figures to be a solid second option to J.K. Dobbins, much like he’s been his entire Ravens career.


J.D. McKissic, WAS - Groin

The groin injury that kept J.D. McKissic out of practice last week and the Commanders' last preseason game is seemingly gone as McKissic has been seen practicing this week.

He should be good to go for Week 1 as we’re just two weeks away from the start of the year.

 

Isaiah Spiller, LAC - Ankle

This past Saturday, Isaiah Spiller suffered an ankle injury that’s going to keep him out for a little while. By a “little while” we mean “week-to-week” is what the Chargers are saying. That puts his Week 1 status in question and if he’s unavailable, Joshua Kelly and Larry Rountree will be Austin Ekeler’s primary backups.

 

 


 

NFL Wide Receiver Injury Report

CeeDee Lamb, DAL - Foot

Since suffering the cut heard worldwide on his foot due to “clown stuff” Lamb has returned to practice and is back to full go. Full steam ahead on the CeeDee Lamb hype train now that his clown activities are behind him.


Chris Godwin, TB - Knee

Chris Godwin has avoided the PUP list and although he’s not practicing on Thursday, things seem good in his camp. He hasn’t endured contact yet, which definitely puts his Week 1 status at risk. The progress is encouraging but it doesn’t seem like he’ll be at 100% speed until a few weeks into the regular season.


Tee Higgins, CIN - Shoulder

The clip below was a week ago, but that’s the progress Tee Higgins has shown from his off-season shoulder surgery until now.

Higgins has progressed extremely well and has been taking part in the team's 11-on-11 drills. He’s going to be just fine with Week 1 right around the corner.


JuJu-Smith Schuster, KC - Knee

After hurting his knee after the first preseason game, JuJu Smith-Schuster’s knee doesn’t seem to be an issue to many. Head coach Andy Reid went on record and said everything seems fine and he should be ready to go for Week 1. If Smith-Schuster recaptures his old form in Pittsburgh, he could claim the WR1 reigns in Kansas City right out of the gates.



Jaylen Waddle, MIA - Undisclosed (For his own good?)

Head coach Mike McDaniel basically said Jaylen Waddle was held out of practice for his own good, so he wouldn’t overdo it with some of his former college teammates in town. So what about the past couple of weeks? 

McDaniel also said he expects to see Waddle on the field soon, so now is the time we exhale.


Michael Thomas, NO - Hamstring

We haven’t seen Michael Thomas at practice all week suggesting he will not be suiting up for the Saints' final preseason game this coming Friday. It’s definitely concerning to see another injury pop up for Thomas as they’ve piled up over the past few seasons. We should get a better sense of where he is at before the Saints take the field for their final tune-up before the season begins.


Drake London, ATL - Knee

We still haven’t seen first-round draft pick Drake London at practice this week but it seems like his return is near. Things surrounding the concern about his knee injury became a bit clearer when the Falcons cut both Auden Tate and Geronimo Allison this week.


Kadarius Toney, NYG - Leg

On Wednesday, Kadarius Toney was seemingly bothered by some type of leg injury and was seen trying to practice through it. In the early portion of practice, Toney was seen participating in seven-on-seven drills.

The Jets rookie corner, Sauce Gardner, couldn’t tell there was anything wrong with his leg.

 

Michael Gallup, DAL - Knee

It’s official; Michael Gallup will avoid the Reserve/PUP list, meaning he’ll be able to return within the first four weeks of the season. He’s already been ruled out for Week 1, but nothing beyond that is off the table. With Amari Cooper in Cleveland, Gallup is going to be a huge part of the Cowboys' offense this year.


Sterling Shepard, NYG - Achilles

The Giants offense could use a jolt like getting Sterling Shepard back and he came out of his first day of practice feeling good. He didn’t participate in Thursday’s joint drills with the Jets, but he very well could be ready for Week 1 of this season.

 

Van Jefferson, LAR - Knee

There has not been much on Van Jefferson since his small knee operation, but he has been seen traveling with the team as his Week 1 status seems to very well be in question. Here’s the last we’ve heard about him.


Robbie Anderson, CAR - Quadriceps

We saw Robbie Anderson return to practice on Thursday, so Baker Mayfield’s third option through the air will be ready to rock by the time Week 1 rolls around.

 

Russell Gage, TB - Leg

The counter is now up to two weeks without Russell Gage on the practice field. We’re unsure of how serious an injury it is and whether or not it’s going to impact his status when the regular season rolls around. With Gage still not practicing on Thursday, it’s all but certain he won’t suit up for Tampa Bay’s preseason finale this Saturday.


NFL Tight End Injury Report

Darren Waller, LV - Hamstring

So to this point, we’ve seen Darren Waller basically participate in practice for one day. The Raiders are being non-committal to him being ready to go for Week 1, so when do we start panicking a little? The hand is definitely inching closer and closer to the panic button.

 

Zach Ertz, ARI - Calf

Nobody is sounding any alarms in Arizona about Zach Ertz’s calf issue just yet. He continues to rehab it and is likely going to sit out the Cardinals' final preseason game taking place this Saturday. There are still two weeks until the season begins.

 

Irv Smith Jr., MIN - Thumb

It’s been just three weeks since Irv Smith Jr. had surgery on his thumb and he’s already back at practice, which plays right into what Head coach Kevin O’Connell’s been saying all along; Smith will be ready to go in Week 1.


Logan Thomas, WAS - Knee

We’re all applauding too, Logan Thomas. It’s great to see Thomas back on the field and in meaningful drills. When Thomas is 100% up to speed, he has a chance to be the Commanders’ second pass-catching option this season.


Robert Tonyan, GB - Knee

Last week we saw Robert Tonyan return to practice, but he still hasn’t been cleared for team drills, which is a minor step back to a Week 1 return. We’ll obviously need to see him participate in those drills after Green Bay’s final preseason game to get a better sense on when he’ll take the field in the regular season.

 

 

 


Fantasy Alarm is the home of all things Fantasy Sports. Bringing you the best Fantasy Football content all year long. Be sure to also check out the best fantasy promo codes on offer today!

 

Related Articles: