Welcome to week nine of the NFL! It’s hard to believe we’re more than halfway through the season, yet here we are. While this week’s injury report is lighter than usual, there’s still plenty to go through. Make sure to set your fantasy lineups and place bets accordingly. As always, check back HERE for future injury reports.
NFL Injury Report Week 9
Cowboys @ Falcons
Cowboys
Micah Parsons: An ankle injury will continue to sideline the Cowboys’ best defensive player. Their pass rush has been average without him and going against an elite offensive line won’t help. Expect Kirk Cousins to be well-protected.
Trevon Diggs: CB1, Trevon Diggs tore his calf against the Niners and is unlikely to play against Atlanta. He’s had a horrible year for his status, with his total coverage grade being 56.9. With DaRon Bland still on IR, Andrew Booth Jr. will have to step in. With this, expect a very good game from Darnell Mooney.
Falcons
No notable injuries.
Broncos @ Ravens
Broncos
P.J. Locke: Locke, Denver’s starting strong safety will miss a second consecutive week with a thumb injury. He’s been a good tackler, though he’s been bad in coverage the last four weeks. Backup Devonte Key is a similar tackler, but worse in coverage. With this, look for Denver’s defense to have slightly worse midfield coverage.
Ravens
No notable injuries.
Saints @ Panthers
Saints
Bub Means: An ankle injury will continue to keep Means out. There was some hope he’d be able to step up with Shaheed out, but that has yet to fully materialize. With Means missing this week, look for a larger target share for Chris Olave, Juwan Howard and Alvin Kamara.
Marshon Lattimore/Kool-Aid McKinistry: New Orleans will be without both top boundary corners this week as they deal with respective injuries. It’s unclear who will start opposite of Rico Payton, but it likely won’t be anyone that good. For the first time maybe ever, Carolina’s starting outside receivers Xavier Legette and David Moore should have the advantage.
Panthers
Ikem Ekwonu: Carolina’s best offensive lineman and best offensive player will miss this week due to an ankle injury. This leaves a hole at the left tackle spot, which will be filled in by Yosh Nijman, who has not looked good in relief duty. With this, expect Bryce Young to feel plenty of pressure from Carl Granderson and Chase Young.
Dolphins @ Bills
Dolphins
Jevon Holland: Knee and hand injuries have the Dolphins starting free safety listed as doubtful this week. Although he doesn’t grade well in PFF, he still flies around the field and is one of the better parts of Miami’s secondary. When Marcus Maye has had to step in, it’s clear he’s a level below Holland in coverage especially. With this, look for the last line of Miami’s defense to be vulnerable this week.
Kader Kohou: Miami will also be without their slot cornerback as he recovers from a neck injury. While he did play extremely well in week seven, he’s been below average besides that. Jalen Ramsey should continue to shift into the slot, which should give Khalil Shakir/Curtis Samuel more difficult matchups.
Bills
No notable injuries.
Commanders @ Giants
Commanders
No notable injuries.
Giants
No notable injuries.
Raiders @ Bengals
Raiders
Andre James/Dylan Parham: Las Vegas will be missing their center and right guard as they deal with their respective injuries. While both have played well, backups Jackson-Powers Johnson and Jordan Meredith have played at a similar level. With the Bengals’ rush defense being average, look for Vegas to still run a semi-effective offense through Alexander Mattison.
Bengals
Tee Higgins: Higgins will likely miss another week due to a quad injury and is listed officially as doubtful for this week. He’s played well at times when healthy, but that’s been rare this year. The Bengals’ offense should be able to keep rolling without him. Expect a larger target share for Ja’Marr Chase, Andrei Ioisivas and Mike Gesicki.
Orlando Brown Jr.: Knee and fibula injuries have the Bengals’ left tackle listed as doubtful for this week. He’s been great at pass blocking this year but has been just as bad in run blocking. Cody Ford has looked awful in backup duty and will become a turnstile if Maxx Crosby lines up against him.
Patriots @ Titans
Patriots
No notable injuries.
Titans
Will Levis: A shoulder injury has Levis listed as questionable. If he can return to action this week, look for the offense to take a step or two back. Even against a bad Patriots defense, Levis will make this offense look worse than it is. If Mason Rudolph plays, look for Tennessee to have a much better chance of winning.
L’Jarius Sneed: Sneed will miss another week with a quad injury. He’s had a much tougher go this year, with a total coverage grade of 36.8. With Jarvis Brownlee Jr. now in the CB1 spot, look for Kayshon Boutte to have a good game.
Chargers @ Browns
Chargers
Kristian Fulton: Fulton, Los Angeles’ top boundary corner will sit out another week with a hamstring injury. He’s had an average year, as has No. 2 corner backup Hart. The Chargers defense will be vulnerable with Dicaprio Bootle starting. Look for Cedrick Tillman to have another quality game going against Bootle.
Browns
Jordan Hicks/Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah: Cleveland will miss two of their starting linebackers as they deal with respective injuries. Hicks’ backup Mohamoud Diabate didn’t play badly in relief last week but is a step down from the veteran. Owusu Koramoah’s backup, Winston Reid has barely played this year. With both backups in, look for Cleveland’s run defense to take a step back this week.
Bears @ Cardinals
Bears
Braxton Jones: A knee injury will ensure Chicago’s starting left tackle doesn’t play. Right guard Matt Pryor will likely have to step in at left tackle, making the terrible Nate Davis start at right guard. Even against a poor Arizona pass rush, Chicago’s offensive line likely won’t keep Caleb Williams protected well this week.
Jaquan Brisker: Concussion protocol will continue to keep Brisker out. While he can deliver big hits, he’s been poor in coverage and inconsistent in his tackling. Elijah Hicks has tackled well but struggles in coverage. With this, look for Marvin Harrison Jr. to find his way behind Chicago’s secondary 2-3 times.
Cardinals
No notable injuries.
Jaguars @ Eagles
Jaguars
Ezra Cleveland: Jacksonville will be without their starting left guard as he recovers from an ankle injury. He’s been extremely consistent in pass protection, however he’s been average at best in run blocking. Cooper Hodges played very badly in backup relief and will have a tough matchup this week. Expect Jacksonville to be inefficient when running the ball up the middle.
Brian Thomas Jr.: Although suffering a 2-4 week chest injury, Thomas Jr. has yet to be ruled out and is listed as questionable. If he can play, look for him to have another quality game going against rookie Quinyon Mitchell. If he can’t play, look for Parker Washington, Evan Engram and Gave Davis to have a larger target share.
Christian Kirk: Kirk, Jacksonville’s top slot receiver will miss the remainder of the season with a broken collarbone. While he hasn’t been super productive, he is important to their offense. Look for Parker Washington to fully take that roll over, with him producing at a similar level.
Eagles
Dallas Goedert: A hamstring ailment will again keep Philadelphia’s top tight end sidelined this week. While he is a useful piece of the offense, they’ve proven to be productive without him. Against a below-average Jaguars’ secondary, look for both A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith to have quality games.
Darius Slay Jr.: The Eagles will be without their CB1 this week due to a groin injury. This likely won’t be an issue if Brian Thomas Jr. doesn’t play. If he does, look for the Jaguars to stretch the Eagles’ defense vertically.
Rams @ Seahawks
Rams
No notable injuries.
Seahawks
D.K. Metcalf: Seattle will miss their top receiver for a second straight week as he recovers from a knee injury. The offense looked completely different in the worst way without him last week. They should continue to be mediocre without him. Look for Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Tyler Lockett and Jake Bobo to get more targets than usual this week.
Noah Fant: Seattle will be without another key weapon as Fant is sidelined with a groin injury. He’s been a good safety blanket for Geno Smith. With backup AJ Barner only having ten catches on the year, look for the aforementioned players above to see more targets.
Lions @ Packers
Lions
Jameson Williams: Williams will serve the second game of his PED suspension this week. With Williams sidelined, look for the Lions to run the ball even more, with a slight increase of targets for Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta and Kalif Raymond.
Josh Paschal: Detroit will be without one of their starting defensive ends due to an illness. He’s been extremely unproductive with a pass rush grade of 53.4. Even with Isaiah Thomas being slightly better, expect the Packers’ offensive line to keep Jordan Love relatively well-protected.
Malcolm Rodriguez: An ankle injury will keep one of Detroit’s starting linebackers out. He’s played slightly above average, although he’s been inconsistent at times. With Jalen Reeves-Maybin playing, look for Detroit’s run defense to be slightly worse this week.
Packers
Josh Myers: Green Bay will miss their starting center this week as he recovers from a wrist injury. He’s been poor in run blocking, though he’s had a few quality games in pass protection. This will force Elgton Jenkins to step in at center, which won’t be an issue. With Sean Rhyan in at left guard, Green Bay should be slightly worse at running the ball to the left side.
Main Image: Eamon Horwedel-Imagn Images
