The NFL injury report is always filled with some of the game’s best stars, leaving fans and fantasy football managers scrambling to find out who will play. Heading into Week 2 of the 2022 NFL season, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott headlines things. He’s expected to be sidelined for up to eight weeks after undergoing surgery on his throwing thumb.
Star wide receiver Keenan Allen is not expected to go Thursday night against the Kansas City Chiefs, leaving Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert without his top target.
Bookmark this page for daily injury updates and news on NFL stars from across the league, whether or not they will play in Week 2 and how their injuries mpacts fantasy football
Here is the latest injury news for some of the NFL’s biggest stars and the impact it will have on Week 2 in Sportsnaut’s NFL injury report.
Related: NFL Week 2 power rankings
Rondale Moore, wide receiver, Arizona Cardinals
Moore missed Arizona’s season opener with a hamstring injury. It’s not yet known whether the second-year wide receiver from Purdue will be able to go Week 2 against the Las Vegas Raiders. But he’s a solid option for Kyler Murray should things trend in that direction as the week progresses. Moore caught 54 passes for 435 yards while hauling in 84% of his targets as a rookie last season.
If Moore is unable to go, young wide reciever Greg Dortch could be an option in fantasy leagues. He caught seven passes for 63 yards in Arizona’s blowout Week 1 loss to Kansas City. Moore will test his hamstring on Wednesday. At that point, we’ll have a better understanding of his availability.
Related: Fantasy football rankings for Week 2
Tee Higgins, wide receiver, Cincinnati Bengals
Higgins suffered a concussion in Cincinnati’s season-opening loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Obviously, he’ll have to go through the concussion protocol for us to update the wide receiver’s status on our NFL injury report.
Higgins caught two passes for 27 yards before going down to injury. With him sidelined, Joe Burrow relied on running back Joe Mixon in the passing game behind Ja’Marr Chase. Mixon caught seven passes for 63 yards on nine targets. If Higgins is unable to go Week 2 against the Cowboys, Chase will continue to see a large target share after Burrow threw the ball in his direction 16 times last week. Buccaneers wide receivers caught 13-of-20 targets from Tom Brady against Cincinnati’s Week 2 opponent this past Sunday night.
Michael Gallup, wide receiver, Dallas Cowboys
Gallup was already been ruled out for Week 1 after suffering a torn ACL late last season. He joins the recently-signed James Washington in being sidelined to start the 2022 season.
What does this mean? The expectation is that No. 1 wide receiver CeeDee Lamb will has a large target share moving forward, especially with Gallup unlikely to go Week 2 against Cincinnati. Unfortunatly, Dak Prescott is sidelined for the long haul. This means Lamb’s performance will suffer with Cooper Rush starting in his stead. Lamb caught just 2-of-11 targets against Tampa Bay in Week 1. From a fantasy perspective, we expect running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard to player larger roles in Dallas’ passing game against Cincinnati.
Related: Ranking NFL defenses heading into Week 2
J.K. Dobbins, running back, Baltimore Ravens
Dobbins suffered a torn ACL in the first preseason game last summer and missed the entire 2021 campaign. It’s been a slow recovery for the Baltimore Ravens star. However, there’s a chance he will be able to go Week 2 against the Miami Dolphins after missing the opener. Dobbins is officially questionable.
Either way, we’re expecting Baltimore to ease Dobbins back into the mix once he’s able to go. For now, Kenyan Drake remains the unofficial RB1 for the Ravens. He led the team with 11 rush attempts in a Week 1 win over the New York Giants. With that said, the veteran was able to put up a mere 31 yards. Regardless of how the NFL injury report plays out moving forward, Ravens running backs should be a must avoid in fantasy football leagues.
Keenan Allen, wide receiver, Los Angeles Chargers
Allen suffered a hamstring injury in the opener against the division-rival Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1. Given the short turnaround with Los Angeles set to play Thursday, it’s now unlikely that the veteran receiver will be on the field against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The five-time Pro Bowl performer has been among the most-consistent receivers in the game over the years. With Allen likely sidelined in this one, expect an uptick in targets for running back Austin Ekeler and wide receiver Mike Williams. Kansas City yielded just 14 catches for 129 yards to wide receivers in their Week 1 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
Related: 10 fantasy football players who should rebound in Week 2
Elijah Mitchell, running back, San Francisco 49ers
After missing six games to injury as a rookie last season, Mitchell suffered a sprained MCL in Week 1 and is expected to miss the next two months. This is a massive blow for both Mitchell and the 49ers. Last season saw the former sixth-round pick from Louisiana record 1,100 total yards and six touchdowns.
With Mitchell sidelined for the long haul. former undrafted free agent Jeff Wilson Jr. will assume RB1 duties in San Francisco. He put up 15 combined touchdown on 169 touches in 2019-20 before suffering through an injury-plagued 2021 campaign himself. In Week 1, undrafted rookie Jordan Mason got the call to be active over rookie third-round pick Tyrion Davis-Price. Taking on a Seahawks team that allowed 244 total yards to running backs last week, Wilson becomes an obvious play.
Allen Lazard, wide receiver, Green Bay Packers
Green Bay’s new No. 1 receiver following the departure of Davante Adams, Lazard showed up on the NFL injury report with an undisclosed issue heading into Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings. He missed said game.
The former undrafted free agent from Iowa State caught 40 passes for 513 yards and eight touchdowns a season ago. He’s going to be Aaron Rodgers’ top target in 2022, making the wide receiver an obvious fantasy play.
Unfortunately, we have no idea if Lazard is actually going to suit up Week 2 against the Chicago Bears. There’s been no official update on Lazard’s status on the NFL injury report, but there’s a good chance he’ll miss a second consecutive games. Wide receivers caught 12 passes from Rodgers in Week 1 with rookie Christian Watson struggling big time. Perhaps, running backs A.J. Dillon and Aaron Jones become options against Chicago.
Related: Ranking NFL QBs heading into Week 2
Mac Jones, quarterback, New England Patriots
New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones showed up on the injury list following Sunday’s ugly Week 1 loss to the division-rival Miami Dolphins. Jones was able to finish the game, but it was noted that he was dealing with a back injury of some sort.
One day after the season-opening loss, and we have more information on Jones’ status moving forward. It’s good news for all involved. According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, Jones has been suffering through back spasms. He has a chance to place Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. We will obviously have more updates as the NFL injury report for Week 2 plays out.
Chris Godwin, wide receiver, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Able to go Week 1 after suffering a torn ACL last season, Godwin went down with a strained hamstring in Tampa Bay’s season opener. The expectation is that he’s going to miss some time. NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero notes that he could be a few weeks.
Julio Jones becomes an obvious fantasy play depending on our the NFL injury report plays out moving forward this week. He caught 3-of-5 targets for 69 yards from Tom Brady in the future Hall of Famer’s Buccaneers debut against Dallas. Tampa is set to take on a tough Saints defense this coming Sunday. Buyer beware on that front.
George Kittle, tight end, San Francisco 49ers
Kittle showed up on the injury report Wednesday with a groin issue he suffered in practice earlier this week. He has not practiced since, and he had to sit out Week 1 against the Chicago Bears.
The fact that Kittle was a game-time decision last week bodes well for his ability to suit up against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. Though, he remains very much questionable. With Kittle sidelined in the opener, young quarterback Trey Lance struggled in the passing game. This should change due to better field conditions in Santa Clara against Seattle in Week 2. Either way, Kittle is an obvious play should he be ready to go. If not, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk will see a larger target share against a bad Seahawks defense.
Related: Young fantasy football stars to target in 2022
Najee Harris, running back, Pittsburgh Steelers
Harris suffered a foot injury in Pittsburgh’ season opener against Cincinnati. While there were some indications that it might be serious, the second-year back said he should be more than good to go next week. Head coach Mike Tomlin sounded a bit less optimistic.
“It’s good to be young. He appears to be positioned [to play], but he’s gonna have to practice and prove his readiness,” Tomlin said earlier in the week. Harris, 24, put up nearly 1,700 total yard and 10 touchdowns a season ago for Pittsburgh. If he’s somehow unable to go Week 2 against the New England Patriots, Jaylen Warren would get starting duties. He put up just seven yards on three attempts in Week 1. Wide receiver Chase Claypool actually led the team with 36 rushing yards on six totes.
Dak Prescott, quarterback, Dallas Cowboys
The expectation is that Prescott will miss between four and six weeks after suffering a hand injury in Dallas’ season-opening loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Prescott underwent surgery on his thumb Monday with it being deemed successful.
This injury will obviously have wide-ranging ramifications in Dallas. Cooper Rush will likely start until Prescott is able to return at some point in early November. It’s in this that we should see some statistical struggles from wide receiver CeeDee Lamb after he caught just 2-of-11 targets for 29 yards in Week 1. Though, the ‘Boys will also likely rely a bit more on the running back tandem of Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard.
NFL injury report: Players inactive for Week 2
- Dak Prescott, quarterback, Dallas Cowboys
- Sam Darnold, quarterback, Carolina Panthers
- Zach Wilson, quarterback, New York Jets
- Elijah Mitchell, running back, San Francisco 49ers
- Gus Edward, running back, Baltimore Ravens
- Brian Robinson, running back, Washington Commanders
- Michael Gallup, wide receiver, Dallas Cowboys
- Chris Godwin, wide receiver, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFL injury report: Players likely to play Week 2
- Mac Jones, quarterback, New England Patriots
- Alvin Kamara, running back, New Orleans Saints
- Najee Harris, running back, Pittsburgh Steelers
- George Kittle, tight end, San Francisco 49ers
This article was originally published on Sportsnaut.com and is republished here with permission.
