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Week 2 Injury Roundup: What Actually Changed
What actually changed since Monday's injury report — including Atlanta's QB mess, A.J. Brown's real timeline, and a return that isn't injury-related at all.
By Tyler Brandt, News Desk · September 17, 2026
Monday's Week 1 injury report was the first read. Here's what held up, what got worse, and what got better as the week played out.
Correction from Monday
Monday's injury post linked Chris Lindstrom's concussion to thinner protection in front of Tua Tagovailoa. That's wrong — Tagovailoa never played in Week 1. He was ruled out before kickoff with an oblique injury, and Cooper Rush started at quarterback for Atlanta from the opening snap. The Lindstrom injury affected Rush's protection, not Tagovailoa's.
Atlanta's quarterback mess isn't close to resolved
Tagovailoa still hadn't practiced as of Wednesday. Michael Penix Jr. is a full participant but still working back from last year's ACL tear, and the team isn't rushing him. That means Rush starts again in Week 2 — the same Cooper Rush now dealing with his own back injury, though he was a full practice participant this week. That's why he jumped to QB7 on our Week 2 board (11th overall, 20.9 half-PPR vs Carolina): real volume, a real matchup, and real uncertainty everywhere else on Atlanta's QB depth chart.
A.J. Brown's absence is longer than a single week
A.J. Brown is on IR with a high ankle sprain suffered before Week 1 even kicked off. Reports put his return at 4 to 6 weeks, not a one-game absence. If you own Brown, this is a hold-and-wait situation, not a week-to-week check-in.
Brock Bowers: the timeline is still murky
Brock Bowers had a meniscus trim before Week 1 and missed the opener. His coach called him day-to-day, and one report has him back as soon as this week; another expects Week 4. Until there's a clear practice pattern, Michael Mayer is the Raiders' TE1 in the meantime — which our board already reflects, ranking him 62nd on the Week 2 slate (13.2 half-PPR) off Bowers' absence.
Two names trending back healthier than our Tuesday snapshot showed
Alvin Kamara sat out Week 1 entirely, but he practiced in full Wednesday and is expected to play Sunday against Baltimore. TreVeyon Henderson was also a full practice participant and looks like a real flex option again. Both were marked Out on our Tuesday projections pull — check their updated availability before setting a Sunday lineup.
Josh Jacobs: not an injury story
Josh Jacobs is on the Commissioner's Exempt List while the NFL investigates an incident, with suspension possible. That's a legal and conduct matter, not a physical one — but the fantasy impact is the same either way. Green Bay's backfield opens up for MarShawn Lloyd until this resolves. We covered the exemption when it landed; the Jacobs Commissioner's Exempt List note still holds.
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FAQ
- How often do injury designations change during the week?
- Constantly. A player marked Out on a Tuesday snapshot can look completely different by Friday, based on practice participation. Always check the most recent report before locking a lineup.
- What's the difference between IR and a Questionable tag?
- Questionable means a player might play this week. Injured Reserve means they're out for a minimum stretch of games — usually four at least in the NFL's current rules — regardless of how they're trending.
- Where can I check the latest injury-adjusted projections before my lineup locks?
- The live start/sit tool updates as new designations come in through the week.