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Welcome back to the Saturday Injury Report and welcome to the second week of the playoffs!
Every week I’ll be looking at injuries across the league for the upcoming slate of games.
Saturday Games
Bengals @ Titans
Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol and will play. Hendrickson is the team’s leading pass rusher with 14 sacks on the year and he will be looking to improve upon that number today. It’s possible that the team could also get interior run-stuffer DT Josh Tupou back. Tupou practiced in full on Thursday, so I expect he suits up.
The reason I’m highlighting the Bengals’ run-stopping players is that they’ll need all hands on deck to slow down Derrick Henry. The Titans activated Henry from injured reserve and he is expected to play in the divisional game later today. Over his six playoff appearances, Henry has averaged an eye-popping 111 yards and three touchdowns. The Bengals will need all the help they can get to stop this freight train.
Niners @ Packers
Despite an early week scare, the Niners appear to be fully healthy for this game. LB Fred Warner and DE Joey Bosa practiced in full on Thursday and neither player has an injury designation. Neither do RB Elijah Mitchell or QB Jimmy Garoppolo. Garoppolo “threw the ball great” in practice all week and should be good to go. It’s possible that head coach Kyle Shanahan dials up a run-heavy game plan to minimize the possibility of turnovers.
The Packers might be without DB Jaire Alexander and OT David Bakhtiari today. Alexander was limited in practice all week, but I suspect he plays. Bakhtiari on the other hand was downgraded to a DNP on Thursday after practicing on Wednesday. Bakhtiari has been on an every-other-day schedule and it’s possible the team is monitoring his reps. I suspect Bakhtiari will play with no limitations. The team also activated WR Randall Cobb and he’s expected to play against the Niners. Note that the team might be without the services of Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who missed two consecutive practices and is listed as doubtful for this matchup. Valdes-Scantling’s absence should open up a handful of targets for Cobb and WR Allen Lazard.
Sunday Games
Rams @ Buccaneers
The Rams will be without the services of Andrew Whitworth this weekend. The OL did not practice all week and has been ruled out for Sunday’s game. Although the team did activate Darrell Henderson from injured reserve, he’s already been ruled out for this game. It’s possible Henderson makes an appearance if the team continues their playoff push.
The Buccaneers’ offense will be missing the services of WR Breshad Perriman and RB Ronald Jones this week. RB Leonard Fournette is expected to play this week after missing last week’s matchup and I’d expect he plays a big role on Sunday. Fournette had emerged as a crucial part of the team’s offense following their Week 9 bye. He averaged 13 carries and 7.5 targets across that span and should be locked in as the team’s every-down workhorse. WR Cyril Grayson logged a limited practice session and should play on Sunday. I should note that OT Tristan Wirfs practiced on a limited basis on Friday and it’s possible that he suits up on Sunday.
Bills @ Chiefs
The Bills are fully healthy as they head into Saturday.
The Chiefs’ running game is not fully healthy. RB Darrell Williams did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday but logged a limited session on Friday. He’s listed as “Questionable” for the game and I expect that he will share work with RB Jerick McKinnon and RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Edwards-Helaire practiced in full all week and should be good to go after missing last week’s matchup against the Steelers.
