Hotspots on this week's NFL injury report include the Eagles (rest), Packers (rest) and Chargers (rest), plus Detroit's offensive line, the Saints' wide receivers and the Cowboys' backfield. There's plenty more, with a huge number of players being held out for the final game of the regular season.
Make sure to keep up with NFL breaking news throughout the weekend, especially Sunday morning when inactive lists are released at 11:30 a.m. ET for the early games.
Below you'll find four different categories, with our lists including key offensive linemen and defensive players whose absences might impact fantasy decisions. The bottom section, for potential game-day decisions, is sorted by kickoff times. It can be used as a checklist/cheatsheet for Sunday when inactives come out and we need to adjust lineups.
Good to Go 💯
Players that missed their team's previous game are listed in bold.
Cleared to Play this Week
QB Lamar Jackson (back)
QB Josh Allen (foot)
QB J.J. McCarthy (hand)
RB Jordan Mason (ankle)
RB Christian McCaffrey (back)
RB Bhayshul Tuten (finger)
RB Josh Jacobs (knee/ankle) - could still be held out, however
RB Chase Brown (illness)
RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt (illness)
RB Chris Rodriguez (illness)
RB Kareem Hunt (illness)
WR Luther Burden (quad)
WR Jack Bech (back)
WR Rashid Shaheed (concussion)
WR Kayshon Boutte (concussion)
WR Jayden Reed (illness)
WR Calvin Austin (hamstring)
WR Treylon Burks (illness)
WR Olamide Zaccheaus (illness)
WR Xavier Smith (chest)
WR Pat Bryant (head)
WR Ryan Flournoy (knee)
TE Jake Ferguson (calf)
TE Hunter Henry (knee)
EDGE T.J. Watt (lung)
Ruled Out/Doubtful 🚑
New absences listed in bold (guys that played in the previous game). Players in italics have high risk of being rested, though nothing had been announced as of Friday afternoon.
Out/Doubtful/IR
QB Justin Herbert (rest)
QBs Jordan Love (rest) & Malik Willis (shoulder/leg)
QB Geno Smith (ankle)
QB Marcus Mariota (shoulder)
QB Jalen Hurts (rest)
QB Philip Rivers (glue factory)
RB Josh Jacobs (rest) - cleared from injury report, but could rest anyway
RB Omarion Hampton (ankle/rest)
RB Saquon Barkley (rest)
RB De'Von Achane (shoulder)
RBs Javonte Williams (shoulder) & Malik Davis (eye)
RB Aaron Jones (hip)
RB Isaiah Davis (concussion)
RB Alvin Kamara (knee)
WRs A.J. Brown & DeVonta Smith (rest)
WRs Chris Olave (lung) & Mason Tipton (IR - groin)
WR Marvin Harrison (heel)
WR Wan'Dale Robinson (ribs)
WR DK Metcalf (suspension)
WR Xavier Worthy (D - illness)
WRs Dontayvion Wicks (concussion) & Savion Williams (foot)
WR Van Jefferson (arm)
TE Gunnar Helm (toe)
TE Dallas Goedert (knee)
TE Darren Waller (IR - groin)
TEs Harold Fannin (groin) & David Njoku (knee)
TE Mason Taylor (neck)
TE T.J. Hockenson (shoulder)
TE Theo Johnson (illness)
Potential Workload Beneficiaries (From Injuries Above)
QB Trey Lance
QB Clayton Tune
QBs Kenny Pickett & Aidan O'Connell
QB Josh Johnson
QB Tanner McKee
QB Riley Leonard
RBs Chris Brooks & Emanuel Wilson
RBs Kimani Vidal & Jaret Patterson
RBs Tank Bigsby & Will Shipley
RBs Jaylen Wright & Ollie Gordon
RBs Jordan Mason & Ty Chandler
RBs Jaydon Blue & Phil Mafah (Q/IR - shoulder)
RB Audric Estime
WRs Darius Cooper, Jahan Dotson & Britain Covey
WRs Kevin Austin & Dante Pettis
WRs Xavier Weaver & Jalen Brooks
WRs Darius Slayton & Isaiah Hodgins
WRs Marquez Valdes-Scantling & Adam Thielen
WR Matthew Golden & Bo Melton
WRs JuJu Smith-Schuster, Jalen Royals & Hollywood Brown
WR James Proche & TE Chig Okonkwo
TEs Kylen Granson, Grant Calcaterra & Cameron Latu
TEs Blake Whiteheart & Brenden Bates
TE Jeremy Ruckert
TE Josh Oliver
TE Greg Dulcich
TE Daniel Bellinger
The New Orleans Saints' receiving corps entering Week 18:
Active:
Kevin Austin Jr.
Dante Pettis
Ronnie Bell
Samori TourePractice Squad:
Elijah CooksHere's #Saints HC Kellen Moore on the group's opportunity to step up in Week 18: pic.twitter.com/Xbxj4fxlQL
— NOF (@nofnetwork) January 2, 2026
Key Defensive Players + Offensive Linemen
LT Charles Cross (hamstring), S Coby Bryant (D - knee)
CB Jamel Dean (shoulder)
LB Claudin Cherelus (calf)
S Jordan Poyer (hamstring), LB Terrel Bernard (calf)
LB Carson Schwesinger (quad)
LB Alex Anzalone (head), S Thomas Harper (head), DT Alim McNeill (abs), RT Penei Sewell (leg)
CB Kamari Lassiter (ankle)
CB Sauce Gardner (calf)
G Kevin Dotson (ankle)
S Minkah Fitzpatrick (calf)
S Jevon Holland (knee)
DT Jalen Carter (hip), LB Nakobe Dean (leg), T Lane Johnson (foot), etc.
LT Laremy Tunsil (oblique)
Listed as Questionable - Should Play 👍
RB Kyren Williams (ankle)
WR Darnell Mooney (knee)
WR Drake London (knee)
TE Kyle Pitts (knee)
TE Tyler Higbee (IR - ankle)
Drake London, Darnell Mooney and Kyle Pitts are all questionable this week, but coach Raheem Morris expects them to play. #Falcons
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) January 2, 2026
#Rams updates:
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 2, 2026
-- RB Kyren Williams will be listed as questionable, but coach Sean McVay indicated he'd likely play.
-- TE Tyler Higbee is expected to be activated off IR in advance of Sunday.
Truly Questionable / Game-Time Decisions 🤔
Players with key fantasy repercussions listed in bold.
Saturday
TE George Kittle (ankle)
WR Ricky Pearsall (knee/ankle)
San Francisco is the team to watch here, with LT Trent Williams (hamstring) also listed as questionable. Williams seems least likely to play between he, Kittle and Pearsall.
George Kittle on if he expects to play Saturday: "Absolutely." #49ers
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) January 1, 2026
Early Games
RB Phil Mafah (IR - shoulder)
WR Jalin Hyatt (illness)
Cowboys enter the game with Jaydon Blue and (potentially) Phil Mafah as their only running backs, which are the only running backs they have under contract heading into the offseason as well.
They have some control with Malik Davis, but he is a restricted free agent. https://t.co/VlvFBZykvE
— Bobby Belt (@BobbyBeltTX) January 2, 2026
Late-Afternoon Games
RB Blake Corum (ankle)
RBs Kimani Vidal (neck) & Hassan Haskins (concussion)
RB Isiah Pacheco (rest)
RB Breece Hall (knee)
WR Davante Adams (hamstring)
WR Rome Odunze (foot)
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (knee)
WR Jaylen Waddle (ribs)
TE Dalton Kincaid (knee)
#Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown "is trending the right way" to play against Chicago on Sunday.
— Nolan Bianchi (@nolanbianchi) January 2, 2026
Sunday Night (Ravens-Steelers)
WR Rashod Bateman (illness)
Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey and WR Rashod Bateman are both dealing with illness.
Bateman has been out all week, and Humphrey didn't practice Friday.
John Harbaugh believes both will be cleared by Sunday's game in Pittsburgh.
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) January 2, 2026














