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NFL Week 10 injuries: JuJu Smith-Schuster, Amari Cooper, Lamar Jackson ruled questionable

The Chargers and Raiders kicked off Week 10 on Thursday night, and injuries played a major role in the AFC West showdown, what with Oakland losing safety Karl Joseph to an apparently serious foot ailment and L.A. struggling offensively behind a banged-up line.

Plenty of other matchups could be affected by the NFL‘s weekly war of attrition, with big names like Patrick Mahomes, Adam Thielen, Matt Ryan and Alvin Kamara among those who came into this week with practice limitations.

To find out more on those players’ injuries and others like them, here’s a complete rundown of the most newsworthy names on this week’s injury report, which we’ll update leading into Week 10:

Chiefs at Titans (+6)

The big news — perhaps the biggest in all the NFL — is that K.C.’s Patrick Mahomes is set to make his first start since Oct. 17, when the beloved QB dislocated his kneecap against the Denver Broncos. Coach Andy Reid told reporters Friday that “unless something changes,” the 2018 MVP will be under center in Tennessee after missing the Chiefs’ last two games. He’ll, of course, still be behind a banged-up O-line with Fisher out at left tackle once again, but he’s also reportedly been eager to get back on the field for weeks. Tennessee will once again need to rely on rookie wideout A.J. Brown with Walker sidelined and Davis likely to miss his first game of the season. The Titans will also have to make up for Casey’s absence on the interior of their line.

Bills at Browns (-3)

The Bills only had two players on their injury report this week, and both practiced in full on Friday and avoided a final injury tag, leaving the team healthy heading into this matchup. Josh Allen should have at least somewhat of an easier day Sunday without Vernon rushing him off the edge. Browns defensive coordinator Steve Wilks said Thursday, however, that he’s optimistic he’ll have Randall back at safety after two games without him.

Cardinals at Buccaneers (-4.5)

Edmonds’ absence would probably be a bigger deal if Kenyan Drake wasn’t in the house now. The ex-Miami Dolphin didn’t waste any time making an impact in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense alongside Kyler Murray, and he figures to once again pull some touches from David Johnson in Tampa Bay, where the Bucs will be short on linebackers. Arizona’s pass rush could also be shorthanded if Suggs isn’t able to go opposite Chandler Jones.

Giants at Jets (+3) 

Rookie Giants QB Daniel Jones will be missing two key weapons in the passing game against Gregg Williams’ defense, so Golden Tate could be in line for another high-volume performance out wide. For the Jets, Bell underwent an MRI on his injured knee after the team’s embarrassing loss to Miami, but coach Adam Gase said Friday he “looks good” to play against the Giants. Even with his ailment, he figures to once again draw a heavy workload against New York’s “D.” As the Jets’ injury report makes clear, though, Bell is far from the only notable name playing through pain, though Herndon is reportedly set to make his 2019 debut, with Gase even hyping him up as a “unicorn-type player” this week.

Falcons at Saints (-13.5)

The biggest news on the Falcons front is coach Dan Quinn confirming that QB Matt Ryan will be good to go, telling reporters Friday his QB will start in New Orleans. Longtime reserve Matt Schaub threw for 460 yards, albeit in a losing effort, during Ryan’s absence in Week 8, when Atlanta dropped its sixth straight game. Even with Alvin Kamara (ankle, knee) set to return for the Saints, no one should be surprised if he’s limited out of the backfield. New Orleans has successfully leaned on Latavius Murray both as a runner and receiver of late, and Kamara himself told media this week he’s open to splitting duties with his bigger counterpart.

Ravens at Bengals (+10.5)

By the looks of their injury report, the Ravens are pretty banged-up. In reality, Jackson should be just fine for Sunday after practicing in full on Friday, along with Stanley and Yanda. Thomas missed Friday’s practice after getting in a limited session, putting his status up in the air for Sunday. Brown is obviously still recovering, but he caught three of four targets in Week 9. It’s no surprise now that Green won’t make his long-awaited 2019 debut, meaning Auden Tate and others will still be in line for a decent number of targets, but coach Zac Taylor was singing a different tune earlier in the week. Either way, as ESPN reported, it doesn’t appear that Green is anywhere near full health.

Lions at Bears (-2.5)

  • Lions: DL Da’Shawn Hand (ankle), S Tracy Walker (knee), S Miles Killebrew (concussion) OUT; QB Matthew Stafford (hip, back), DT Damon Harrison (groin), DT A’Shawn Robinson (ankle), DT Mike Daniels (foot), P Sam Martin (abdomen), OL Graham Glasgow (back), OG Joe Dahl (ankle), DE Romeo Okwara (groin) QUESTIONABLE
  • Bears: LB Isaiah Irving (quad) OUT; NT Eddie Goldman (thigh) QUESTIONABLE

The Lions are hurting along the defensive trenches, but at least a few of their big veterans should be in play against Chicago. Stafford was a limited participant in practice all week but there is reportedly some doubt that he’ll play and is a true game time decision. The longtime starter has not missed a game since 2010. The Bears, meanwhile, will be pretty healthy for an important divisional showdown, but their questions center on what the healthy players can do — namely, QB Mitchell Trubisky.

Dolphins at Colts (-11)

Jacoby Brissett was downgraded to out on Saturday after initially being ruled questionable. Brian Hoyer will get the start, and he’ll probably be targeting Zach Pascal a lot considering both T.Y. Hilton and Parris Campbell won’t be available. Even so, Miami’s defense is bad enough that anyone on Indy’s offense should be in line for a nice day. That defense has already struggled and will be down two pieces in the secondary and potentially two more on the defensive line.

Panthers at Packers (-5.5)

  • Panthers: OT Greg Little (concussion) OUT; DT Vernon Butler (back), CB James Bradberry (groin) QUESTIONABLE
  • Packers: TE Robert Tonyan (hip) DOUBTFUL; CB Jaire Alexander (groin), S Adrian Amos (hamstring) QUESTIONABLE

Carolina will likely need all the defensive help it can get against Aaron Rodgers and Co., who are coming off a disappointing loss and will be looking to rebound in a big way at home. The Panthers have been opportunistic in the secondary, but without Bradberry, they’d have an even bigger challenge slowing Davante Adams out wide. Adams (toe), by the way, was not given any designation for Sunday’s afternoon matchup after hauling in seven passes in Week 9, indicating he’s as healthy as he’s been in a while. The Packers came into the weekend with more than a dozen players on their injury report, but only Alexander and Amos could significantly affect Sunday’s game with their absence. Amos would seem more likely to go against Carolina considering he practiced Friday, whereas Alexander’s groin issue was a relatively new addition to the report.

Rams at Steelers (+3.5)

  • Rams: WR Brandin Cooks (concussion), LB Bryce Hager (shoulder) OUT; WR JoJo Natson (illness) QUESTIONABLE
  • Steelers: RB James Conner (shoulder), RB Benny Snell Jr. (knee), FB Roosevelt Nix (knee), OG Ramon Foster (concussion) OUT; WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (toe) QUESTIONABLE

Once again, the Rams will be without Cooks, meaning Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods should have no shortage of targets. RB Malcolm Brown (ankle) and LB Clay Matthews (jaw) should be fully healthy for Sunday. For the Steelers, Conner will miss his second straight game with a shoulder injury sustained against the Miami Dolphins in Week 8, when he ran for a season-high 145 yards, so Jaylen Samuels will be in line for a big role out of the backfield, especially with Snell also banged up. This, remember, is Conner’s second injury of 2019 after he began the season battling a knee issue. Rookie Tony Brookes-James could easily be Samuels’ only backup RB against the Rams. Smith-Schuster, meanwhile, was a late addition to the report, but if he’s absent, Diontae Johnson would likely see a boost in targets on the outside.

Vikings at Cowboys (-3)

Even if Waynes suits up, Dallas should be licking its chops at this matchup, as the corner was burned repeatedly by Tyreek Hill in Week 9. Thielen’s absence, meanwhile, will put more pressure on Stefon Diggs to make big plays against the Cowboys secondary, especially after his streak of 140-yard games was snapped with a one-catch dud against Kansas City. Sendejo, it should be noted, just arrived in — well, returned to — Minnesota on Thursday after being claimed off waivers. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was rather confident in telling local radio Friday that he expects both Cooper and LB Leighton Vander Esch to be back on the field Sunday night. The former has battled three different injuries in 2019 but has yet to miss a game, while Vander Esch has missed the last two after leaving Dallas’s rout of the Eagles earlier in the year. He was limited at practice all week but won’t have a designation on the injury report.

Seahawks at 49ers (-6)

  • Seahawks: S Lano Hill (elbow), G Phil Haynes (ankle) QUESTIONABLE
  • 49ers: TE George Kittle (knee, ankle), K Robbie Gould (quad) DOUBTFUL; T Mike McGlinchey (knee), RB Raheem Mostert (knee), T Joe Staley (fibula), CB Ahkello Witherspoon (foot, quad) QUESTIONABLE

The Seahawks listed just two players on their injury report and are pretty healthy heading into this matchup. One newsworthy nugget that came from head coach Pete Carroll is that recently acquired receiver Josh Gordon “did really well” this week and there’s a “good chance” he plays. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan kept the door open for Kittle to suit up on Monday night, but did note that if he was any other player he’d likely already be ruled out. With that in mind, it seems like a long shot that we’ll see Kittle, who did not practice all week, in this one. As for the two tackle sports. both Joe Staley and Mike McGlinchey were both hopeful to play this week and are currently questionable. Running back Matt Breida and fullback Kyle Juszczyk were full participants on Saturday and carry no injury designation heading into this game.  

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