It's the time of year when NFL games happen four days a week. In addition to the usual Thursday, Sunday and Monday games, there are two Saturday games this week. A few players have already been ruled out, but there are still a couple of fantasy noteworthy players who deserve a mention.
For reference, players may be classified on the final injury report of any given week as "questionable," "doubtful" or "out." Besides the obvious designation of a player being ruled out, "questionable" indicates a player is uncertain to play, while "doubtful" means a player is unlikely to play. Since the NFL did away with the "probable" designation two years ago, players who are expected to play on Sunday (or Monday) are simply removed from the injury report by the reporting deadline (Friday evening for Sunday games, Saturday afternoon for Monday night games).
For the purposes of this injury-related game preview, players will be grouped by position. Below their name, team, injured body part (as listed on the official NFL injury report) and official game status designation, the following elements are included: any known relevant details about the injury, the player's involvement in practice that week and any additional notes to provide context around the player's status.
For anyone seeking more specific detail about certain types of injuries, check out our illustrated injury glossary.
Also, please check out my Answering the Bell podcast, where we take a deeper dive into various medical topics with special guests, including experts in their respective fields, as well as athletes who have firsthand experience with various injuries or medical conditions.
And now, on to the Thursday night preview.
Houston Texans at New York Jets, 4:30 p.m. ET
Cleveland Browns at Denver Broncos, 8:20 p.m. ET
Players already ruled out: Keke Coutee, WR, Texans (hamstring); Isaiah Crowell, RB, Jets (toe); Quincy Enunwa, WR, Jets (ankle)
Quarterbacks
Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans, right shoulder (off pregame injury report)
Additional injury details: Added to injury report last week
Practice report: Full Tuesday-Thursday (The Texans conducted a walkthrough Tuesday; the Tuesday practice report is an estimation.)
Notes: Watson is getting healthier by the week, and the practice projections along with his removal from the pregame injury report confirm his status.
Running backs
Elijah McGuire, New York Jets, ankle (off pregame injury report)
Additional injury details: Added to injury report this week
Practice report: DNP Tuesday; limited Wednesday; full Thursday
Notes: McGuire took over the running back duties in Week 14 after Isaiah Crowell exited the game with an injury. The ankle issue that kept him out of Tuesday's practice was a minor one, and he was able to return to full practice by Thursday. McGuire is primed to serve as the top running back for the Jets for the remainder of the season as the team placed Crowell on injured reserve earlier this week.
Wide receivers
DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans, foot (off pregame injury report)
Additional injury details: Injured in Week 2
Practice report: Limited Tuesday-Thursday (The Texans conducted a walkthrough Tuesday; the Tuesday practice report is an estimation.)
Notes: Once again, Hopkins appears on the injury report as a limited participant in practice. Once again, he will take the field as the Texans' top receiver.
Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos, quadricep (off pregame injury report)
Additional injury details: Injured in Week 14
Practice report: DNP Tuesday; limited Wednesday; full Thursday
Notes: Sutton was in and out of last week's game with a quad injury. He finished out the game suggesting the injury wasn't considered serious, but it may have been enough to hamper his productivity. There was optimism about an increased role for Sutton with the loss of Emmanuel Sanders to a season-ending Achilles tear, but Sutton wasn't able to capitalize last week. After a day off to start the week, Sutton was able to increase to a full practice by Thursday and was removed from the pregame injury report heading into Saturday's contest. Perhaps this week he will fare better.
Robby Anderson, New York Jets, ankle (off pregame injury report)
Additional injury details: First appeared on injury report for ankle seven weeks ago
Practice report: Full Tuesday-Thursday
Notes: Anderson has been dealing with his ankle injury for a couple of months but has clearly progressed, as evidenced by his increased practice participation and his removal from the pregame injury report. With Quincy Enunwa already ruled out for this game, Anderson becomes the Jets' top receiver.
Tight ends
David Njoku, Cleveland Browns, knee (off pregame injury report)
Additional injury details: First appeared on injury report seven weeks ago
Practice report: Full Tuesday-Thursday
Notes: Njoku has been listed here for multiple weeks, but this week he actually increased his practice participation to full daily. Removed from the pregame injury report as usual, Njoku is expected to once again take the field. Unfortunately for fantasy players, his productivity has been inconsistent, but with all the injuries at the position around the league, he still makes the top 10 in our consensus rankings.