NOTE: This column is a living document. I'll be updating as needed after team press conferences, imaging reports, Monday Night Football injuries, etc. Major changes to the content will be noted in red. I'll also be retweeting any key pieces of news and my own reaction and analysis, so make sure you're following @JeneBramel and checking my timeline on Twitter throughout the week.
FOLLOW-UP APPOINTMENTS
Compared to the past two weeks, yesterday was a relatively quiet day for new injuries. Brandon Gibson (torn patellar tendon), Ryan Broyles (torn Achilles), Sebastian Vollmer (broken leg) suffered season-ending injuries, but the list of major skill position contributors who left the field is short.
So, I'm moving the follow-up appointments to the top of the list today and pushing the new injuries later in the column. At the top of the follow-up list is Jimmy Graham, who successfully argued his way onto the active roster yesterday and was very productive in his few snaps.
JIMMY GRAHAM | FOOT | RETURNED TO PLAY
If you sat Graham in your fantasy league after reading my Sunday Expectations column yesterday, my apologies. (I sat him, too.) I think the process behind the recommendation was reasonable. Graham played just 18 snaps and was targeted just three times, with the majority coming in the red zone as expected. Many of his routes were decoy routes. And he clearly benefited on his two touchdown catches from clear mismatches against linebackers and poor tackling. But the opportunities were there for him and he was healthy enough to take advantage.
There are still questions to be answered about Graham's injury, however. Jay Glazer reported yesterday that Graham has a partial tear of his plantar fascia. Graham more or less confirmed the diagnosis in the locker room after the game. I thought Graham moved laterally better than I expected and didn't seem hesitant to get up on the toes of his injured foot and drive forward or laterally during a play. Whether that's a sign that his tear isn't as limiting as it could be or evidence that he had an injection of anesthetic before the game is still unknown.
Graham's foot won't heal soon. The plantar fascia is a tough, ligamentous structure and those tissues need rest and multiple weeks to heal. Whatever difficulty Graham had yesterday could bother him for the rest of the season. Immobilization during the week and various treatments (cortisone and/or platelet-rich plasma injections, both controversial) could speed the process, but Graham is at risk of aggravating the injury with any step he takes.
This is a situation where a progression of the injury to a full tear isn't necessarily a worse outcome, however. A full rupture of the ligament would be painful and could cause Graham to miss time, but would also put an end to the cycle of tearing and healing and the pain that's associated with it that many athletes with plantar fascia injuries go through and, arguably, allow Graham to return to play without pain sooner.
I was asked yesterday why Graham wouldn't then just elect to have the ligament surgically released now to accelerate the process. I'm sure that option was raised by the specialists he visited over the bye week. Graham is clearly able to manage the injury and play now, however. Surgery could mean additional time off for healing. Also, lengthening the tendon (which is the ultimate outcome of the surgery) isn't without risk. There is a potential of nerve damage or changes to the arch that could lead to other chronic conditions elsewhere in the foot.
That's a long way of saying that Graham isn't necessarily ready to take the next step and increase his snap count or resume his usual level of play. I don't expect him to practice much in the coming days. His snap count and ability to change direction on gameday may still be an issue next week.
c.j. spiller | high ankle sprain | week-to-week
Doug Marrone told reporters today that Spiller's ankle injury is a high ankle sprain. The mechanism of injury wasn't clear on television replays, but the report fits with Spiller's difficutly changing directions and inability to play effectively with anti-inflammatories and taping. The extra rest will speed Spiller's healing, but he's not guaranteed to play this week. Now that Spiller has rested and likely seen the difference in healing with a week off, it may be easier to rest him an additional week and further reduce the risk that Spiller is limited later in the season.
percy harvin | hip labrum surgery | day-to-day
I'll be surprised if Harvin isn't activated this week. Pete Carroll hinted that more than a week of limited practice and positional drills were necessary to get Harvin back to football shape and limit his risk of a re-conditioning injury in his first padded practices since surgery. Projecting snap counts and usage is more difficult. Harvin's level of practice participation will be useful -- full practice likely means 40-50+ snaps and a significant role in the game plan.
Demarco Murray | mcl sprain | week-to-week
It's difficult to know what to believe about Murray. Some reports suggest the injury is worse than originally reported, some report a setback or stiffness late last week, others believe Murray was very close to playing yesterday. In these situations, it's best to build expectations off the clearest diagnosis reported (grade 2 MCL sprain) and most recent practice reports (limited, but consecutive). We're now nearing a reasonable timeframe for healing of a grade 2 MCL sprain (3-4 weeks). And we'll have more practice report data shortly. If Murray is not practicing on Wednesday, there will be increased concern about the setback / swelling reports. If he's able to do positional drills, he will have a good chance to return to limited duty (or better) this week.
arian foster | hamstring | week-to-week
ben tate | rib injuries | week-to-week
Foster says he'll return to practice and hopes to make enough progress to play this week. Always optimistic, we'll see if Foster's expectation becomes reality. It's possible he'll be able to return effectively through a low grade hamstring injury in two weeks, but don't bet the ranch until Foster returns to practice. I'm less optimistic on Tate. He's less likely to play than Foster. The Texans are clearly hedging. They've added two running backs this week to take practice reps and prepare to play.
doug martin | torn labrum (shoulder) | week-to-week
Last Wednesday's Insider column detailed Martin's injury and rehab hurdles, including an exchange with an orthopedic surgeon who regularly evaluates and treats arm and shoulder injuries. Martin's current goal is to return by Week 10, but it doesn't appear he's been cleared to practice this week. My orthopedic sources conservatively estimated a 4-6 week timetable for Martin. Three weeks (Week 10) is still possible if Martin doesn't lose much conditioning. If he's cleared for limited practice this week, consider it a positive sign. Otherwise, it's hard to see Martin get a meaningful workload until Week 11 at the earliest.
INJURY ROUNDS
michael vick | hamstring | likely 4+ Weeks
Vick's aggravated hamstring strain isn't a week to week injury. After hearing a pop, Vick dejectedly walked to the bench and didn't re-enter the game. There were many signs in the ten days leading up to yesterday's game that Vick was walking a fine line with his strain. It's not certain that Vick's "pop" means he suffered a high grade rupture of the muscle, but you can generally double the previous length of rehab for a serious aggravation like this. That means it's unlikely Vick returns until after the Eagles' Week 12 bye week and there's a chance the MRI could reveal an injury that would push his return into the 6-8 week range.
julius thomas | ankle sprain | week-to-week
Television angles on Thomas' ankle injury aren't conclusive, but he tweeted that his MRI did not show evidence of a high ankle sprain. That's good news as Thomas goes into the bye week. If that diagnosis is accurate, there's a strong chance Thomas will be available in Week 10.
robert griffin iii | knee | day-to-day
Griffin was reportedly cleared to return to yesterday's game so there may not be much to this injury. However, there was some stress to the inside of Griffin's left leg evident on television replay and it's possible Griffin has a low grade MCL sprain. Those are sometimes associated with more swelling and stiffness in the 24-48 hours after the injury. Keep an eye on Griffin's mid-week practice participation. That will better define Griffin's ability to play effectively this week.
stevie johnson | hip flexor | week-to-week
Johnson has regularly played through low grade groin and hamstring strains. The team wasn't worried enough about the hip flexor strain to schedule an MRI. That's a positive early sign for his availability this week, but it's too early to know with certainty.
I'll be updating this feature throughout the day. Footballguys Insiders will get a full update with additional fantasy perspectives on Wednesday, with analysis of the week's game-time decisions early Sunday morning. Follow me on Twitter @JeneBramel for breaking injury news and analysis throughout the week.