Photo: Imagn Images

NOTE: During the regular season, this column is a living document through Tuesday morning. I'll be updating as needed after team press conferences, imaging reports, Monday Night Football injuries, etc. Major changes to the content will be noted in red.

Scroll to the bottom of this article for a quick look table of the week's most pressing injury situations and a review of players on injured reserve / PUP / NFI.

Footballguys will have close and detailed coverage of all injuries this season. Here's a look at my expected schedule. I will do my best to stick to this. Work and family responsibilities may sometimes cause brief delays.

Monday Injury Rounds: Posted Sunday night, updated through Tuesday AM. Detailed analysis of the week's injuries with table for quick review. Offensive injuries will be live Sunday night. Critical defensive and offensive line injuries will be added throughout the day on Monday. I'll be updating with news and analysis through Tuesday.

Midweek Injury Expectations: Posted Wednesday night. Analysis of the practice participation report with a table including my projection of each injured player's likely game status. Will include discussion of any major breaking injury news.

Sunday Gameday Expectations: Posted by Saturday afternoon, updated through Sunday morning inactives. Will include individual player blurbs with detailed thoughts on the week's injury news and my speculation on player availability and limitations. Will include table highlighting each day's practice participation, official game status, and my availability expectation.

I'll be contributing to our waiver wire podcast (Tuesday release) and our live Sunday morning pregame show (10 ET Sunday on YouTube). I will also be retweeting key pieces of news and my own reaction and analysis, so make sure you're following me @JeneBramel and checking my timeline on Twitter throughout the week.

INJURY ROUNDS

lEONARD FOURNETTE | RIGHT HAMSTRING STRAIN | wEEK-TO-wEEK | dOUBTFUL wEEK 5

Fournette was forced from the game in the first half with hamstring tightness. There's a glimmer of hope that the Jaguars again chose to be cautious after Fournette reported "tightness" following eleven touches in the first two series. But the injury is far more likely to be an aggravation of his previous hamstring strain.

The Jaguars have routinely been careful about Fournette's rehab and recovery time, allowing multiple weeks of practice and conditioning before returning him to play. And aggravated soft-tissue injuries are usually as bad or worse than the initial injury. Fournette rehabbed for one week and slowly increased his practice participation over two additional weeks after his Week 1 injury. Prepare for Fournette to again need multiple weeks to rehab this aggravation. If the team decides to rehab longer than three weeks this time, the Jaguars' schedule may come into play. Jacksonville plays in London in Week 8 and has a bye the following week.

I don't expect Fournette to practice this week. If he does, it's an excellent sign. If not, his practice participation leading into Week 6 will be critical.

rob gronkowski | ankle injury | day-to-day | questionable week 5

Gronkowski was added to the Week 3 injury report on Thursday, fully practiced Friday, then played every snap. This week, Gronkowski was one of eleven Patriots limited all week in practice. He looked uncomfortable at times and eventually left the game in the third quarter without any obvious aggravation. There were no clues as to which ankle is injured or what type of injury Gronkowski is dealing with. New England may simply have chosen to be cautious with a four touchdown early third quarter lead and a short turnaround to Thursday's game. Expect more limited practice for Gronkowski this week. Hopefully, we won't be sweating a game-time decision.

T.Y. Hilton | left hamstring strain | week-to-week | Doubtful week 5

While only speculation, it's always concerning when a player immediately reaches for a strained muscle. And hamstring strains are particularly tricky for offensive skill position players who need to explode and stretch to full sprinting speed. The Colts play on Thursday night this week, leaving Hilton very little chance to recover in time to play. Hopefully, Hilton's imaging studies aren't as concerning as his reaction and he can rehab in time to play in Week 6.

Others of note:

***Will Fuller aggravated his hamstring strain. Bill O'Brien told reporters Fuller could have returned but would not have been able to run the route tree needed. That's coach-speak. Fuller played 82% and 100% of his team's offensive snaps in Week 2 and 3. Yesterday's injury is suspicious after he missed multiple weeks this preseason. I'll update on Monday when more details are known.

***Tyler Eifert suffered a gruesome ankle fracture, will have surgery, and will not return this season. Looking more healthy than he has in two years and pushing for a new contract, it's a crushing blow for the oft-injured tight end.

***Will Dissly's season is over with a patellar tendon tear. Pete Carroll told reporters Ed Dickson will be ready to return when eligible in Week 7.

***O.J. Howard left with a knee injury. The Buccaneers do not believe his injury is serious but Howard will reportedly have an MRI on Monday. Monday Update: Ian Rapoport is reporting Howard's MRI showed a mid-grade MCL sprain and he may need multiple weeks to recover. Tampa Bay is on bye this week.

Offensive line and defensive notes:

***The Niners offensive line continues to suffer injury. Tackle Joe Staley left with a likely MCLsprain and could miss time. Tackle Mike McGlinchey played through a knee injury. Guard Joshua Garnett continues to recover from a dislocated toe.

***Darius Leonard was able to return to yesterday's game one play after injuring his left ankle. Replays suggest a mild high ankle sprain. It's common for players to return during the game with these injuries but experience more stiffness and swelling overnight. Leonard left the locker room in a walking boot and will have a short time to rehab before the Colts travel to New England on Thursday night.

***Chargers' tackle Russell Okung (groin) joined tackle Joe Barksdale, who has missed multiple weeks with a knee sprain, on the sideline this week.

***Earl Thomas fractured his left tibia and will be out for the season.

Follow-up Appointments

Joe mixon | arthroscopic right knee surgery | day-to-Day | Probable Week 5

The Bengals elected to continue to rehab Mixon this week rather than rush him to return. Mixon has been pushing the medical staff to do more since his procedure and was seen sprinting toward, jumping on, and tackling teammates after big plays in Sunday's win over Atlanta. Cincinnati hasn't confirmed Mixon's return yet and he'll have to return to practice successfully but all indications are he'll return in Week 5.

devonta freeman | knee contusion | day-to-day | probable week 5

Freeman convinced the team to allow him to do individual drills last Thursday and put in another limited practice on Friday. Dan Quinn told reporters Freeman was able to "really participate in practice, put his foot in the ground and explode," calling Freeman's performance a "big jump." Expect Freeman to trend toward full practices this week and play in Week 5.

Chris carson | hip injury | day-to-day | questionable Week 5

There was some optimism on Carson's status late last week but Pete Carroll said Carson ultimately couldn't "get right" in time to play Sunday. Details on the injury remain unknown but last week's three limited practices and game-time decision suggest Carson is somewhere between probable and questionable this week. I'll update after Carroll talks to the media on Monday.

greg olsen | refracture right fifth metatarsal | week-to-week | doubtful week 5

Olsen continues to rehab an injury that will eventually require revision surgery and an 8-12 week recovery period. There were rumors leading into the Panthers' Week 4 bye that Olsen may have been targeting a post-bye week return. He's reportedly moving well without a boot but has yet to do any football-specific activity and would seem to be at least another week or two from returning. I'll update with more after Ron Rivera's comments on Monday. It remains a tough ask for Olsen to finish the season without additional setbacks.

Others of note:

***Doug Pederson must have misunderstood his medical staff before last Monday's press conference. He told reporters Darren Sproles would return last week but Sproles didn't practice. The running back is likely to need a full week of reconditioning before he is back on the active roster. A Week 5 return is doubtful. Corey Clement suffered a quad injury in Thursday's practice and was inactive despite the limited Friday practice. I'll update after Pederson's press conference Monday.

***Marlon Mack was limited in practice last week and seemed to be trending toward a return. By Friday, however, it was clear the Colts planned to rehab Mack more slowly. Notably, the Week 3 injury report listed foot and hamstring injuries. Last week's report listed only the hamstring strain. That means it's been an aggravation of the original hamstring injury rather than a new condition limiting Mack. There's a chance Mack returns in Week 5 -- but he'll likely need a full practice before he does.

***It's possible Rex Burkhead has a structural neck condition -- cervical spinal stenosis, higher-grade ligament sprain, etc. -- that required his move to injured reserve. But it won't be surprising to hear he suffered a second concussion within a month and the Patriots chose to allow him extended recovery time. Bill Belichick didn't sound confident about a late season return last week but didn't provide additional details.

***Larry Fitzgerald is reportedly "nowhere near 100% recovered" but continues to play through a Week 2 hamstring strain. Expect more limited practice participation. It's also notable the Cardinals play on Thursday night in Week 7. If he doesn't improve soon, the short week may push the team toward resting him in Week 6 or risk a difficult recovery in time for Week 7.

Offensive line and defensive notes:

***The Colts are hoping to get Anthony Castonzo (aggravated hamstring strain) back this week. Carolina looks likely to get guard Trai Turner (concussion) back.

INJURED PLAYERS ON ACTIVE ROSTER