We're already coming up on the quarter pole of the NFL regular season for many teams and will enter the bye week portion of the NFL schedule this week. Some teams and players will get healthier with an upcoming bye week. Teams with later byes will need to manage injuries and practice reps more carefully than ever.
Many teams in the league are managing those practice reps with the help of radio frequency tags and GPS monitors hidden under their player's shoulder pads. The technology is giving medical personnel reams of information -- heart rate, distance traveled in practice, top speed, acceleration and deceleration rates, among many other data points.
Chip Kelly, who has drawn praise for his willingness to embrace sports science, is a strong example of how teams use this data. Should the Eagles' training staff note a player isn't reaching the same top speed as he was earlier in the season or isn't moving to one direction as well as he once was, they're backing that player off in certain practice situations. Kelly's players told reporters they were fresher late last season than at any other point in their careers.
NFL teams are still learning how to best make use of the GPS data, but they're absolutely looking for something more scientific than weight loss and players self-reporting how they're feeling from week to week.
There are two offensive skill players coming into the Thursday night game with injuries.
jordan reed | hamstring | out
Reed still isn't practicing and never had a realistic chance of playing on a short week. However, Reed's inability to get in even a limited practice this week is not a good sign for his Week 5 availability. He'll have 9-10 days to prepare for the Week 5 game against Seattle at home, but the Washington medical staff will want to bring him along slowly. I think he'll need two weeks to work back into condition, which puts Week 6 as his earliest return date.
Fantasy expectation: Reed won't play this week.
desean jackson | shoulder | questionable
Jackson got through Sunday's game without a setback, though you could still see him grimace and grab for the shoulder often. The short week is a bit of a concern, but Jackson can be expected to play with padding and pain management. Until his shoulder fully heals -- which may not be for another 2-4 weeks -- Jackson may miss snaps or series after a painful hit or fall.
Fantasy expectation: Jackson remains a boom-bust WR2 in my estimation. He's not guaranteed to get double digit targets and his catch percentage will be relatively low due to the type of targets he'll get. The New York Giants' secondary can be beaten deep, though, so roll with Jackson if you're willing to risk his downside.
Last week was a lighter week for injuries to major skill position players, but there are still four elite talents whose Week 4 availability isn't yet known. Before I address those players (and others), the news is clearly positive on DeAngelo Williams and Bernard Pierce. Both fully practiced and, if they respond well to Wednesday's practice, should be active this week. Vernon Davis also practiced and is on track to return. So, too, Doug Martin. Alshon Jeffery (not listed), Keenan Allen (full), T.Y. Hilton (limited), Mike Wallace (limited), and Vincent Jackson (full) are also fully expected to go on Sunday.
jamaal charles | ankle
Ordinarily, Charles would be a major source of consternation for fantasy owners forced to guess about his Monday Night availability. We've seen it twice already this year. On one hand, we've seen Alshon Jeffery (and Brandon Marshall) play despite not practicing and being called doubtful on Sunday. On the other, we've seen Eric Decker active and barely play.
I don't expect too much concern with Charles this week. All signs point to him getting in multiple practices this week and playing on Sunday. Ian Rapoport called this injury more of a bruise than a sprain. I'm not certain what that means -- the mechanism and initial reports both were consistent with a high ankle sprain -- but I don't think it matters. Charles is close to 100% by report and either injury can be aggravated even if nearly healed.
I'll have more on Charles' expectation on Sunday morning, but I think we'll be debating the split in touches between Charles and Knile Davis more than the extent of Charles' injury by week's end.
arian foster | hamstring | limited
Hope for clarity on Foster by Sunday, but don't expect it. Here's what we know:
Foster had three consecutive limited practices last week before news broke Sunday morning the Texans were likely to hold him out. Still, Foster was reported to move well during pregame warmups and was allowed to test his hamstring by running 40-yard sprints in the end zone two hours before game time. The Texans deactivated him.
On Monday, Foster acknowledged his hamstring wasn't 100%. He told reporters he wouldn't play until he was 100% and refused to put a timetable on the injury at first. He later called himself day-to-day.
Foster's struggles with muscle strains -- hamstring, groin and calf -- are well known. He doesn't heal quickly and he frequently aggravates the muscle injury, regardless of how much time he rests.
So, it's probably good the Texans are treating Foster with caution. And it's good that Foster was cleared to practice last week and was running sprints on Sunday. But that doesn't mean he's out of the woods, it doesn't mean Wednesday's limited practice is a positive development and there's no way to know today whether Foster will play this week.
That's my long way of saying, "Stay tuned."
roddy white | hamstring | limited
White had only three days to prepare for last week's Thursday night game. He's now had a full ten days of treatment and the Falcons are expecting him to increase his practice workload on Thursday. He'll likely still be listed as limited but any practice participation on Thursday is a strong sign for Week 4. If he's not practicing, it means his hamstring didn't respond well to Wednesday's limited work and would mean Week 4 is a longshot (and possibly Week 5, too).
brandon marshall | ankle | dnp
There's some concern for Marshall after he missed much of the second quarter with a tweak of his right ankle injury. There's not been a clear mechanism of Marshall's injury with either injury. It's impossible to rule out a high ankle sprain, but Marshall has been productive despite his limitations in each of the past two weeks. Keep an eye on this one as the week progresses, but I think Marshall plays.
calvin johnson | ankle | dnp
Johnson had his ankle taped during last week's game and missed a handful of snaps. He told reporters he wasn't worried about the injury today and would continue to get treatment in preparation for Sunday. Johnson has missed practice often over the past two seasons with knee issues and other minor dings but usually returns to practice later in the week and shows no in-game limitations.
eric decker | hamstring | dnp
Decker has now aggravated the same hamstring strain twice, this time eight days after the previous aggravation. I think it's highly unlikely Decker plays this week and there's a chance he'll miss multiple weeks.
maurice jones-drew | hand | limited
Jones-Drew told reporters on Wednesday he wanted to play in Week 3 and there was a clear consensus from those covering the team Jones-Drew will play this week. He was limited on Wednesday and it may be stretch to think he's ready to see 20 touches this week, but he'll likely return to the active roster this week.
Follow on Twitter @JeneBramel for breaking injury news, updates and analysis. Check back Sunday morning for my expectations on all of this week's game-time injury decisions.
