Week 2 NFL injuries that matter for fantasy

Staying on top of injuries throughout the week, and especially on Sunday mornings, is one of the easiest ways to maintain an edge in fantasy football. Outside of, you know, just making sure you don’t have inactive players in your starting lineup, it’s important to understand how one injury can greatly impact the fantasy potential of other skill position players within a game.

Lucky for you, this weekly series is here to help. Rather than just frantically refreshing each team’s injury report, I’ll do the heavy lifting each Saturday night and update injuries and provide analysis once inactives are released and early game-time decisions finalized on Sunday mornings.

Early Inactives

John Brown, WR, Arizona Cardinals (quad) – Out
David Johnson, RB, Arizona Cardinals (wrist) – Out
Danny Woodhead, RB, Baltimore Ravens (hamstring) – Out
Kevin White, WR, Chicago Bears (shoulder) – Out
Devontae Booker, RB, Denver Broncos (wrist) – Out
Allen Robinson, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars (knee) – Out
Danny Amendola, WR, New England Patriots (concussion) – Out
Donnel Pumphrey, RB, Philadelphia Eagles (hamstring) – Out

Questionable

Michael Campanaro, WR, Baltimore Ravens (knee) – Likely to play
Jordan Howard, RB, Chicago Bears (shoulder) – Likely to play
Markus Wheaton, WR, Chicago Bears (finger) – Likely to play
Terrance Williams, WR, Dallas Cowboys (ankle) – Likely to play
Dontrelle Inman, WR, Los Angeles Chargers (groin) – Likely to play
Jarvis Landry, WR, Miami Dolphins (knee) – Likely to play
Sam Bradford, QB, Minnesota Vikings (knee) – Game Time Decision
Odell Beckham Jr., WR, New York Giants (ankle) – Game Time Decision
Vance McDonald, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers (back) – Game Time Decision
Josh Doctson, WR, Washington Redskins (hamstring) – Likely to play

Notable Non-Skill Position Injuries

Deone Bucannon, LB, Arizona Cardinals (ankle) – Doubtful
D.J. Humphries, T, Arizona Cardinals (knee) – Out
Mike Iupati, G, Arizona Cardinals (triceps) – Out
Prince Amukamara, CB, Chicago Bears (ankle) – Likely to play
Jerrell Freeman, LB, Chicago Bears (pectoral) – Out
Kyle Long, G, Chicago Bears (ankle) – Likely to play
Myles Garrett, DE, Cleveland Browns (ankle) – Out
Orlando Scandrick, CB, Dallas Cowboys (hand) – Out
Ronald Leary, G, Denver Broncos (concussion) – Likely to play
Darian Stewart, S, Denver Broncos (groin) – Likely to play
Ahmad Brooks, LB, Green Bay Packers (concussion) – Doubtful
Bryan Bulaga, T, Green Bay Packers (ankle) – Game Time Decision
Darius Butler, S, Indianapolis Colts (hamstring) – Out
Vontae Davis, CB, Indianapolis Colts (groin) – Out
Denzelle Good, T, Indianapolis Colts – Out
Ryan Kelly, C, Indianapolis Colts (foot) – Out
Jalen Ramsey, CB, Jacksonville Jaguars (ankle) – Likely to play
Eric Berry, S, Kansas City Chiefs (achilles) – Out
Jason Verrett, CB, Los Angeles Chargers (knee) – Out
Rey Maualuga, LB, Miami Dolphins (hamstring) – Out
Anthony Barr, LB, Minnesota Vikings (hamstring) – Likely to play
Xavier Rhodes, CB, Minnesota Vikings (hip) – Likely to play
Dont'a Hightower, LB, New England Patriots (knee) – Out
Zach Strief, T, New Orleans Saints (knee) – Out
Rontez Miles, S, New York Jets (eye) – Out
Stephon Tuitt, DE, Pittsburgh Steelers (biceps) – Likely to play
J.J. Wilcox, S, Pittsburgh Steelers (concussion) – Likely to play
Reuben Foster, LB, San Francisco 49ers (ankle) – Out
Jimmie Ward, CB, San Francisco 49ers (ankle) – Likely to play
Deshawn Shead, CB, Seattle Seahawks (knee) – Out
Richard Sherman, CB, Seattle Seahawks (hamstring) – Likely to play
Kwon Alexander, LB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (illness) – Likely to play
Johnathan Cyprien, S, Tennessee Titans (hamstring) – Out

Updates/Analysis

Sam Bradford, QB, Minnesota Vikings (1:00 PM) – Inactive – Bradford is out for Week 2, and back-up Case Keenum will start in his absence. All of Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, and Kyle Rudolph were bumped down in my rankings. Dalvin Cook’s ranking remained unchanged. His scoring potential decreases, but should be held afloat by an increase in volume as the team tries to “hide” Keenum behind the running game. The Pittsburgh Steelers defense is now a priority add for streamers. Over his last five starts, Keenum has thrown five touchdown passes, eight interceptions, while taking 15 sacks and fumbling four times.

Jermaine Gresham, TE, Arizona Cardinals (1:00 PM) – Inactive – Gresham is inactive for Sunday’s game. The Cardinals passing game is in a dream matchup up against the Indianapolis Colts, but is without David Johnson, John Brown, and now the starting tight end. Larry Fitzgerald and J.J. Nelson should be force-fed the ball early and often. Carson Palmer, meanwhile, gets another slight bump down in my rankings.

Vance McDonald, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers (1:00 PM) – Inactive – McDonald is out with a back injury. This means less competition for snaps and more good news for Jesse James, who had a monster 22-point game last week.

T.J. Yeldon, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars (1:00 PM) – Inactive – Leonard Fournette had a monster Week 1, seeing 26 carries and three targets for 124 all-purpose yards and a score. Without their primary pass-catching running back, Fournette has increased bell-cow/workhorse potential, and gets a bump in my rankings.

Markus Wheaton, WR, Chicago Bears (1:00 PM) – Inactive – Wheaton will miss his second straight game dealing with a finger injury. This doesn’t really move the needle for me.

Jordan Howard, RB, Chicago Bears (1:00 PM) – Active – Howard is active for Sunday’s 1 p.m. game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Howard was dealing with a shoulder injury throughout the week, but still feels like a safe bet for 14-18 touches.

Jarvis Landry, WR, Miami Dolphins (4:05 PM) – Active – Landry, who is dealing with a knee injury, is expected to play today “without limitation.” He draws a fine matchup against the Chargers, who have strong perimeter cornerbacks, but are weaker inside.

Josh Doctson, WR, Washington Redskins (4:25 PM) – Active – While it’s doubtful you’re starting him in any league, and it’s unclear how much playing time he’ll get after seeing just 20 snaps last week, Doctson will be active for Sunday’s game against the Rams. He was dealing with hamstring tightness earlier in the week.

Odell Beckham Jr., WR, New York Giants (Monday, 8:30 PM) – Probable – Everything is trending toward Beckham playing on Monday night. While his level of effectiveness is an unknown, coming back three weeks early, and in a tough matchup against shutdown cornerback Darius Slay, you’re still probably starting him this week.