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UNDERSTANDING THE NFL'S INJURY REPORT

The injury report released by the NFL is actually two reports. The first is the Practice Participation report, which lists which injured players were able to practice and how much. It also includes players who rested or missed practice for non-injury related reasons. The second is the Game Status Report, which gives the probability a player will play, i.e. Questionable, Doubtful, Out. The Practice Participation Report is released every day of the week (Monday through Saturday). The Game Status Report is released with the Friday participation report (Wednesday for Thursday games, Saturday for Monday games).

In this feature, I'll include the Game Status Listing, my expectation of their likelihood to play, and the player's practice participation throughout the week.

Key:

PLAYER | INJURY | GAME STATUS LISTING | FOOTBALLGUYS EXPECTATION

Practice Participation Listing by Day

* = playing on Monday night

I'll also include a table at the bottom of the article for easy reference.

Here's the latest on every relevant injured player on the practice participation and game status report this week:

QUARTERBACK

Aaron Rodgers | Knee | Not Listed | expected to Play

Practice Participation: Wed - DNP | Thurs - Full | Fri - Full

Rodgers returned to full practices this week and is no longer listed on the game status report. After last week, that's not surprising. Rodgers showed his usual comfort in the pocket, climbing away from pressure, pivoting out of the pocket, and throwing from a variety of platforms off the front leg. On two scrambles, Rodgers showed no fear and slid on his injured knee with no regard for his brace or further injury. Injuries to three of his receivers will force changes to his usual progression this week but Rodgers' knee looks to be near full strength again.

Marcus Mariota | Elbow | Not Listed | Expected to Play

Practice Participation: Wed - Full | Thurs - Full | Fri - Full

While still wearing a glove to assist with his throwing grip, Mariota's play last week was improved from Week 3. Continued improvement through this week can be expected and Mariota should be at least as effective this week. Reassuringly, the Titans were not afraid to let Mariota stretch the field with downfield passes last week. Whether that was a sign Mariota's grip strength had sufficiently returned or part of a game plan to keep the Philadelphia secondary honest is hard to know. But the effort was a great sign. Having both starting offensive tackles healthy and playing for the first time all season in Week 4 was also notable. This week, Mariota gets a Buffalo secondary that may be without both starting safeties.

Others of note: Russell Wilson (hamstring) practiced, is not listed on the game status report and will play without limitation. Return to play expectations on all inactive and injured players will be updated in Monday's column.

RUNNING BACK

Joe Mixon | Knee | Not Listed | Expected to Play

Practice Participation: Wed - Limited | Thurs - Limited | Fri - Full

Mixon missed two games after having a procedure to address a torn meniscus / loose particles in his knee. Mixon was cleared to rehab quickly and was pushing to do more on the side last week before increasing his practice participation this week. There were some concerns early this week that Mixon may not be ready after he told reporters he hadn't been fully cleared. However, Marvin Lewis was -- in his own way -- surprisingly promising about Mixon's availability early in the week. And Mixon's full Friday practice resulted in the Bengals taking him off the game status report. He will play.

What's less clear is what Mixon's workload can and will be. On Friday, Lewis told reporters Mixon would not be "conditioning-wise, where we was before" and said the team would "just evaluate it as we go through." Beat writers suggested Mark Walton would see "significant snaps" while Mixon might not be "fully unleashed."

In past years, the Bengals have worked their committee backs in every third series but generally rely on one back. The trend has been similar this year. In Week 1, Mixon had 22 touches to Bernard's 2. In Week 2, Mixon had 22 touches to Bernard's 10, In Week 3, Bernard had 17 touches to Walton's 0. Last week, Bernard had 19 touches to Walton's 7. Expect Mixon to see a clear majority of the team's touches on Sunday. I think it's reasonable to expect 15+ touches and it won't be surprising to see him approach his pre-injury workload if his conditioning proves to be a non-issue.

Dalvin Cook | Hamstring | Questionable | likely inactive

Practice Participation: Wed - DNP | Thurs - DNP | Fri - Limited

Mike Zimmer followed through on his mid-week comments, listing Cook questionable. After only a single limited practice ten days after a Week 3 Thursday night game in which Cook said he wasn't fully healthy and didn't play in the second half, Cook should be considered more doubtful than probable. If Cook does make the trip to Philadelphia and prove himself ready for the gameday active roster during pregame warmups, do not expect anything close to a full workload.

More likely, the Vikings will choose not to risk aggravation and keep Cook inactive this week.

Sunday Update: Adam Schefter is reporting Cook is not expected to play today.

Devonta Freeman | Knee | Not Listed | Expected to Play

Practice Participation: Wed - Limited | Thurs - Full | Fri - Full

Freeman told reporters he believed his pre-injury explosiveness had returned early this week. After multiple limited practices last week and a return to full practice this week, there are no significant conditioning concerns. Though his late 2017 MCL/PCL ligament sprains may have made this season's bone bruise more likely, there are no indications Freeman aggravated last year's injury. The bone bruise is not currently limiting him and there is minimal risk of an in-game aggravation. Freeman should be able to return to his pre-injury workload immediately.

*Adrian Peterson | Ankle | Not Listed | Expected to Play

Practice Participation: Thurs - Limited | Fri - Limited | Sat - Full

Washington has not released its final practice and game status report yet. Peterson has been rehabbing an ankle sprain through the bye week but was practicing and reportedly moving well by midweek. I'll update with any Saturday surprises but Peterson should be ready to see his usual workload on Monday night.

Saturday Update: Peterson fully practiced Saturday, is not listed on the game status report, and will play.

Matt Breida | shoulder | questionable | Expected to Play

Practice Participation: Wed - Limited | Thurs - Limited | Fri - Limited

Breida is back on the injury report again this week. It's not related to his Week 3 knee hyperextension, however. Breida is listed with a shoulder ailment, which could be an aggravation of his pre-season shoulder sprain. There were no indications of a serious injury in Week 4 with Breida seeing a season-high 63% of the Niners' offensive snaps. I'll update with any surprising weekend reports but there were no published concerns about Breida from local writers during the week. Expect Breida to be available for his usual workload on Sunday.

Lamar Miller | Chest | Questionable | LIkely inactive

Practice Participation: Wed - Limited | Thurs - Limited | Fri - Limited

There are no specific reports on the nature or severity of Miller's injury. While he has played effectively in the past through limited practices and questionable designations, there's concern for Miller this week. Beat writer Aaron Wilson is one of the more plugged in local writers in the league. Wilson called Miller "noncommittal" during a Friday interview session. Head coach Bill O'Brien called Miller a Sunday night game-time decision. The tone of Friday's comments does not inspire optimism. Miller may be active but he's at risk of losing a larger share of the workload than usual to Alfred Blue.

Sunday Update: Miller "did little in practice this week," reports Adam Schefter, and the Texans are pessimistic about his chances of playing tonight.

Corey Clement | Quadricep | questionable | likely inactive

Practice Participation: Wed - DNP | Thurs - DNP | Fri - DNP

The Eagles listed Clement questionable but he's yet to practice after suffering a mid-week quad strain last week. He's likely to be inactive.

Others of note: Alvin Kamara (knee), Ezekiel Elliott (knee), Chris Carson (hip), Marshawn Lynch (shoulder/abdomen), T.J. Yeldon (ankle), Alex Collins (knee), and Tevin Coleman (shin) have fully practiced, are not listed on the game status report, and are expected to play. Leonard Fournette (hamstring), Giovani Bernard (knee), and Darren Sproles (hamstring) are listed doubtful and unlikely to play or have been declared out. I'll update return to play expectations on all inactive and injured players in Monday's column.

WIDE RECEIVER

Davante adams | calf | questionable | Active

Practice Participation: Wed - Limited | Thurs - DNP | Fri - Limited

Geronimo Allison | Concussion | Questionable | inactive

Practice Participation: Wed - DNP | Thurs - DNP | Fri - DNP

McCarthy told reporters there was hope for Allison in his Friday comments. But Allison was never cleared for individual drills, much less contact, during this week's practices. It's very unlikely he'll be cleared to progress through multiple stages of the return to play protocol after a Friday practice and then be sent to the independent neurologist for formal clearance on Saturday. Expect to see Allison declared out before game time.

It's not clear when Adams' strained his calf muscle but it most likely occurred during an early week practice session. Adams played every snap last week and has missed only a handful of snaps all season, prompting McCarthy to tell reporters he was planning to limit Adams if possible in future weeks. Those comments came Monday -- before Adams was listed on the injury report as limited on Wednesday. While it's possible McCarthy knew about Adams' condition on Monday -- the 76 of 76 snap effort the day before suggests otherwise.

Adams' Thursday DNP was a red flag but he was able to return to a limited Friday session. Ian Rapoport called the return to practice "a good sign." That puts Adams squarely into "game-time decision" territory and makes an accurate projection of his availability difficult. It's possible Adams' calf strain is minor and his workload will not be significantly limited. It's also possible Adams may be active in a decoy role only given Randall Cobb and Allison are both likely to be inactive.

I'll have more on Adams throughout the weekend as more information is reported.

Sunday Update: Adams was able to practice on Sunday and is expected to play. There were no overnight updates on his condition or whether his playing time will be limited. McCarthy's Monday comments and the midweek soft tissue injury suggest the Packers will want to decrease Adams' snaps. If Adams feels good early, however, the absence of Cobb and Allison -- who did not practice at all this week and obviously has not yet completed the return to play protocol -- may prevent the Packers from resting Adams as much as they'd prefer.

Marvin Jones | Ankle | Questionable | active

Practice Participation: Wed - Not Listed | Thurs - Not Listed | Fri - Limited

Jones was a late addition to this week's injury report with an ankle issue. The same pattern happened in Week 3 and, after some cryptic "will be monitored throughout the day" tweets from Ian Rapoport, Jones played 91% of Detroit's offensive snaps. Jones was 93% of last week's snaps, too. Detroit has frequently added veterans to their Friday injury report, raising suspicion that they may be resting veterans late in the week rather than earlier in the week as most teams do. In addition to Jones' Week 3 late listing, Detroit added Golden Tate (hip) and Jarrad Davis (knee) in Week 4. Both Tate and Davis saw no decline in their usual snap counts last week.

I'll watch for news overnight but I expect Jones to play.

Sunday Update: Ian Rapoport tweeted Jones is expected to play today.

Will Fuller | hamstring | questionable | Likely to Play

Practice Participation: Wed - Limited | Thurs - Limited | Fri - Limited

Keke Coutee | hamstring | questionable | game-time decision

Practice Participation: Wed - Limited | Thurs - Limited | Fri - Limited

There is more optimism about Fuller's availability than I expected. Two weeks after returning from a prolonged absence after a preseason hamstring strain, Fuller left a close game against Indianapolis after the team decided he'd be unable to run a full route tree. That usually suggests a meaningful aggravation and missed games. But Fuller was back at practice on Wednesday and finished the week without any obvious setbacks. The same beat writers hedging on Lamar Miller's status above "expect" Fuller to play. Fuller himself has told reporters he was ready to return throughout the week. It's tough to know how healthy Fuller may be but he looks likely to play. Hopefully, he avoids another aggravation this week.

Coutee has been listed on the injury report as limited with a hamstring strain every week this season. Last week was his first on the active roster -- after Bruce Ellington landed on injured reserve with a hamstring strain of his own -- and Coutee was healthy enough to play 80 very effective snaps (93%). There has been no published concern or suggestion of an aggravation. Coutee should be healthy and ready to go.

Sunday Update: Fuller will be tested during pregame warmups but is expected to play. The overnight news on Coutee is not reassuring. Adam Schefter expects Coutee to play if he looks capable in pregame warmups. Ian Rapoport tweeted Coutee is a "legit game-time decision.

Larry Fitzgerald | hamstring | questionable | Expected to Play

Practice Participation: Wed - DNP | Thurs - Limited | Fri - Limited

Fitzgerald isn't healthy but will continue to play through his hamstring injury. He continues to be at risk of an in-game aggravation.

Marquise Goodwin | hamstring / quadricep | questionable | inactive

Practice Participation: Wed - DNP | Thurs - Limited | Fri - Limited

Goodwin continues to recover from a quadricep contusion that kept him out of Week 2. Last week, Goodwin was in and out of the game with a hamstring strain. While able to manage consecutive limited practices by week's end, Kyle Shanahan said Goodwin was "without a doubt" a game-time decision, calling him 50-50 to play. I don't consider that optimistic. If Goodwin is active, his snap count and route tree may be limited. I'll update with any reports through the weekend.

Sunday Update: Adam Schefter tweeted Goodwin will not play today.

Sammy Watkins | Hamstring | questionable | active

Practice Participation: Wed - Limited | Thurs - Limited | Fri - Limited

Watkins was back practicing quickly after a Monday night hamstring strain. Andy Reid only mentioned Eric Berry's ongoing heel injury as an injury to monitor through the weekend. That suggests Watkins' full week of practice was sufficient to have him ready to play this weekend. Watch for pregame reports to be certain.

Sunday Update: Watkins is expected to play barring any pregame setbacks according to Ian Rapoport.

Others of note: DeAndre Hopkins (thumb/ankle/hamstring), Julio Jones (hand/ankle), Doug Baldwin (knee), Jarvis Landry (knee), Alshon Jeffery (chest), Corey Davis (illness), Amari Cooper (foot), Sterling Shepard (back), Quincy Enunwa (hip), Antonio Callaway (knee), and Cole Beasley (ankle) have practiced, are not listed on the game status report, and are expected to play without limitation. Randall Cobb (hamstring), John Ross (groin), Ted Ginn Jr (knee), and Dante Pettis (knee) have been declared out. I'll update return to play expectations on all inactive and injured players in Monday's column.

TIGHT END

Charles Clay | Ankle | questionable | expected to play

Practice Participation: Wed - Limited | Thurs - DNP | Fri - Full

Clay returned to a full practice and is expected to play despite his questionable listing. Clay did not practice much last week and still played a season-high 74% of his team's snaps.

Hayden Hurst | Foot | Questionable | active

Practice Participation: Wed - Limited | Thurs - Limited | Fri - Limited

Last week, John Harbaugh said Hurst's availability was up to the team's medical staff and that he'd like to see his tight end in a full practice. Hurst reportedly has a chance to play a limited role this week but he has yet to participate in a full practice and it's still unclear whether he's been fully cleared to return.

Sunday Update: Both Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport report Hurst is expected to play today.

Others of note: Jimmy Graham (knee), Austin Seferian-Jenkins (core muscle), and Jermaine Gresham (Achilles) have practiced, are not listed on the game status report, and are expected to play without limitation. Evan Engram (knee) and Greg Olsen (foot) have been declared out. I'll update return to play expectations on all inactive and injured players in Monday's column.

PRACTICE PARTICIPATION, GAME STATUS REPORT, AND PLAYING EXPECTATIONS

*Note: Monday night players with asterisk practice Thursday/Friday/Saturday.