NFL Week 1 Friday Injury Report: Hamstring Injuries Hobble Waller and WRs

Consider this your weekly home for summary and analysis of the final injury reports released every Friday afternoon during the NFL season. 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 Kenneth Walker (groin) + WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba (wrist)
• WR Terry McLaurin (toe) 
• WR Odell Beckham (ankle)
• LB Shaquille Leonard (concussion)
• CB Denzel Ward (concussion)
• DE Cameron Heyward (stomach)

Ruled Out/Doubtful 🚑 

• WR Cooper Kupp (hamstring)
• WR Christian Watson (hamstring)
• WR DJ Chark (hamstring)
• WR Tre'Quan Smith (groin)
• WR John Metchie (hamstring)

Watson and Chark's running mates are listed as questionable, potentially creating huge Week 1 opportunities for unproven young WRs in Carolina and Green Bay. Kupp's teammates are healthy; they just aren't any good.

Key Defensive Players + Offensive Linemen

• CB Jeff Okudah (foot)
• S Donovan Wilson (calf)
• CB Jack Jones (hamstring)
• OT Terron Armstead (back/ankle/knee)
• S Jimmie Ward (hip)
• DE Chandler Jones (personal)

Listed as Questionable - Should Play 👍

• TE Mark Andrews (quad) - 1:00 ET
• TE George Kittle (groin) - 1:00 ET
• RB Rhamondre Stevenson (illness) - 4:25 ET
• RB Breece Hall (knee) - MNF
• OTs Mekhi Becton (knee/illness) + Duane Brown (shoulder) - MNF

Kittle said he plans to play, and the Ravens have downplayed Andrews' quad injury all along. Both situations are still worth keeping one eye on, as is Stevenson's stomach bug.

Truly Questionable 🤔

Early Games

• RB Kendre Miller (hamstring)
• RB Zack Moss (arm) 
• RB Dare Ogunbowale (hamstring) 
• RB/WR Cordarrelle Patterson (thigh) 
• WR Adam Thielen (ankle) 
• WR Marquise Brown (hamstring) + TE Zach Ertz (knee)

Miller didn't practice at all this week and thus seems closer to doubtful. Ogunbowale and Patterson don't really matter from fantasy, apart from their absences perhaps slightly helping projections for teammates.

The interesting ones here are Moss, Brown/Ertz and Thielen. With DJ Chark (hamstring) ruled out and Thielen potentially absent or not at his best, there's a nice opportunity here for young Panthers WRs Jonathan Mingo and Terrace Marshall. 

If Moss is inactive for Indy, it makes Deon Jackson startable as an RB2 or FLEX. If Moss plays, he's the favorite to start but wouldn't necessarily see more than 10-12 touches. Expect QB Anthony Richardson to do a good chunk of the team's rushing.

Then there's the woeful Cardinals, potentially looking at James Conner, Rondale Moore and Trey McBride as their top weapons Week 1 for... probably, Joshua Dobbs. They haven't actually named a starter yet, but various reports suggest it's Dobbs. This feels like a spot for Greg Dortch to get like 55 yards on 10 targets #TorchEm.

Late-Afternoon Games

• WR DeVante Parker (knee)
• WR Jerry Jeudy (hamstring)
• WR Romeo Doubs (hamstring)

Jeudy's absence would have a huge impact on projections for Courtland Sutton and Marvin Mims, in particular, and the combination of Doubs' absence with Christian Watson's (already ruled out) could thrust Jayden Reed into a huge role for his NFL debut.

A Parker absence would free up a top-three WR role for one of New England's two rookie sixth-round picks, Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte. The latter had more college/prospect hype but the former had more camp hype this summer. I think Douglas could take over a top-three role soon enough, perhaps from Kendrick Bourne, even if Parker's knee injury ends up not really being a thing.

Primetime Games

• TE Darren Waller (hamstring) - SNF

Waller was added to the injury report Friday after a hamstring injury cropped up in practice and limited his participation. While it doesn't sound too serious, it's nonetheless worrisome given the way hamstring troubles ruined Waller's final season with the Raiders. An absence Sunday night could return Daniel Bellinger to the near-every-down role he handled at times as a rookie last year. 

Key Defensive Players + O-Linemen

• OLB Marcus Davenport (ankle) - 1:00 ET
• RG Cody Mauch (back) + DL Calijah Kancey (calf) - 1:00 ET
• DEs Chase Young (neck) + James Smith-Williams (oblique) - 1:00 ET
• S Juan Thornhill (calf) - 1:00 ET
• CB Devon Witherspoon (hamstring) - 4:25 ET
• OLB Rashan Gary (knee) - 4:25 ET
• OT Tyron Smith (ankle) + G Tyler Smith (hamstring) - SNF

The Cowboys' offensive line is the most interesting thing here, especially against a Giants team that's greatest strength is a massive defensive line led by Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams and now adding 340-pounder A'Shawn Robinson. None of that is ideal for the start of the Tony Pollard era, though his talent and projected role keep him locked in as an obvious fantasy starter and at least on the RB1/2 borderline to start the season. Either of the Smiths missing Sunday night's game would also be bad news for Dak Prescott and his receivers, of course.