Posted Sunday, September 20, 2026 at 8:14 PM ET
Status update, Oct 7: since this was published, Saquon Barkley is now questionable rather than out (hamstring, trending toward playing); J.K. Dobbins is now cleared to play (hip); Jonathon Brooks is now on injured reserve (core-muscle surgery); David Njoku is now on injured reserve (fibula). See the current injury report →
Two starting quarterbacks were carted off inside the same afternoon. Jayden Daniels hyperextended his left elbow at Dallas and Caleb Williams pulled up with a non-contact hamstring injury against Minnesota, and both teams finished the game with a backup under centre. Neither club has a timeline yet, and both are scheduled for testing on Monday.
Week 2 status at a glance
| Player | Team / Pos | Status | Fantasy move |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jayden Daniels | WAS QB | 🔴 Out — left elbow | Stream a quarterback; add Marcus Mariota in superflex |
| Caleb Williams | CHI QB | 🔴 Out — hamstring | Bench him; line up a Week 3 streamer now |
| David Njoku | LAC TE | 🔴 Out — knee | Stream a tight end; hold Njoku through the scan |
| J.K. Dobbins | DEN RB | 🟡 Questionable — hamstring | Claim Jonah Coleman before waivers run |
| Jonathon Brooks | CAR RB | 🟡 Questionable — groin | Bench in 14-team leagues; add AJ Dillon |
| Jayden Reed | GB WR | 🔴 Out — neck | Start Matthew Golden or Christian Watson |
🟢 Cleared to play · 🟡 Genuinely uncertain · 🔴 Out. If you are not sure how much weight a designation deserves, here are the actual play rates.
Quarterbacks
🔴 Out — Jayden Daniels (Commanders): Daniels got his feet tangled with centre Nick Allegretti near the goal line in the final seconds of the first half, stuck his non-throwing hand into the ground and hyperextended the left elbow. He was carted off with a towel over his head and ruled out, per Pro Football Rumors and USA TODAY Sports. It is the same elbow he dislocated in 2025, and Washington said testing will set the severity. Marcus Mariota finished the game, with seventh-round rookie Athan Kaliakmanis behind him.
Fantasy Action: add Mariota in superflex before waivers run and line up a streaming quarterback for Week 3. Hold Daniels everywhere until the scan lands — there is no timeline yet, and selling into a panic priced on a 2025 dislocation is how you lose a first-round quarterback for nothing.
🔴 Out — Caleb Williams (Bears): Williams pulled up on a fourth-quarter rollout with no defender near him, grabbed at his leg and stayed down before being carted to the locker room. Chicago called it a hamstring injury and ruled him out. Steady rain had left Soldier Field soft. The one encouraging note came from Bears insider Adam Jahns, who saw Williams walking under his own power afterwards with only a slight limp. Tyson Bagent finished the game; the club evaluates Williams on Monday.
Fantasy Action: bench Williams and secure a Week 3 streamer now rather than waiting on Monday’s result. A non-contact hamstring on a quarterback who runs rarely costs fewer than two weeks, and Bagent has no standalone fantasy value outside deep superflex.
Also moving today
🔴 Out — David Njoku (Chargers TE): carted off after a second-quarter run with a knee injury and ruled out. No diagnosis or timeline came out of Los Angeles on Sunday evening. Fantasy Action: stream a tight end for Week 3 and hold Njoku through Monday’s scan; do not burn a claim on a Chargers backup before the club names one.
🟡 Questionable — J.K. Dobbins (Broncos RB): exited the fourth quarter against Jacksonville with a hamstring injury and never returned, hours after Denver made RJ Harvey inactive with a hamstring of his own. Jonah Coleman and Tyler Badie were the only healthy backs left. Fantasy Action: claim Coleman before waivers run. Denver has no third option if both hamstrings linger, and Coleman is a startable flex the moment Dobbins is ruled out.
🟡 Questionable — Jonathon Brooks (Panthers RB): walked to the locker room with a groin injury in Carolina’s rout of Atlanta and is considered day-to-day, per RotoWire. Fantasy Action: bench Brooks in 14-team leagues and add AJ Dillon now rather than after Wednesday’s designation. Chuba Hubbard keeps the lead-back job either way.
🔴 Out — Jayden Reed (Packers WR): the best news of the evening. Reed, immobilised on a backboard and carted off with a neck injury in the first quarter at the Jets, has movement in all extremities, head coach Matt LaFleur said after the game. He stays in a New Jersey hospital overnight for observation, and Green Bay released no diagnosis or timetable. Fantasy Action: start Matthew Golden or Christian Watson and hold Reed. A neck injury with no timeline is not a waiver decision yet.
Two more to watch before Monday night: Dallas Goedert never returned against Tennessee with a right knee injury, though Dr. David Chao believes he escaped a major one, and Saquon Barkley came back from his stinger but is scheduled for an MRI on the shoulder. Puka Nacua remains questionable for the Rams’ Monday night game against the Giants and is a genuine game-time call.
Every tier, every fantasy move and a note on each player named above sits on the full Week 2 injury report, updated four times a day.
Sources
- Pro Football Rumors: Commanders QB Jayden Daniels Carted Off After Reinjuring Left Elbow
- Yahoo Sports: Jayden Daniels injury update as Commanders QB injures elbow in Week 2
- CBS Sports: Caleb Williams injury updates: Bears QB carted off vs. Vikings
- Yahoo Sports: Caleb Williams injury update gives Bears reason for optimism
- NBC Sports: Chargers TE David Njoku carted off with knee injury
- NBC Sports: Broncos draw even, but J.K. Dobbins questionable to return
- WMTV: Packers’ Jayden Reed has movement in extremities after neck injury
- NFL.com: Notable injuries, news from Sunday’s Week 2 games
- RotoWire: NFL injury news wire
- NFL.com: Steelers signing RB Rico Dowdle to two-year deal
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