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

Odell Beckham | Quad contusion | Week-to-Week | Questionable Week 15

Beckham was added to the injury report last Friday with a quadriceps injury but not listed on the team's game status report. Pat Shurmur told reporters Beckham was expected to play after practice. It's not clear what occurred overnight on Friday but Beckham was ruled out on Saturday and did not travel with the Giants to Washington. After Sunday's game, Shurmur said Beckham's injury was "a thing that's been lingering" and wouldn't offer an opinion on whether the injury would limit Beckham this week or cause him to miss another game.

Beckham has not been listed on the injury report for any reason over the past six weeks and it's unclear why his status abruptly changed overnight. I'll update with any additional details from Monday's press conference.

Monday Update: Shurmur told reporters Beckham "felt a lot better" on Monday and will continue to be evaluated through the week.

Austin Ekeler | Stinger / Concussion | Week-to-Week | Doubtful Week 15

Ekeler left very late in the fourth quarter after a helmet-to-helmet hit during an onside kick recovery. Anthony Lynn told reporters after the game that Ekeler was dizzy. That sounds suspicious for a concussion. However, the Chargers allowed Ekeler to speak with the media after the game -- he told them he was fine -- and Adam Schefter reported late Sunday night that Ekeler is dealing with a recurrent and aggravated stinger that will require further testing.

If Ekeler has a concussion, it will be very difficult for him to gain clearance for contact before the team travels to Kansas City on Thursday night. Recurrent stingers rarely heal quickly and the concern for additional evaluation and testing also suggests the possibility of a multiple week recovery. Consider Ekeler doubtful for Thursday night unless we hear a very positive report on Monday.

Monday Update: The Chargers provided more clarity on Ekeler on Monday. He was evaluated for a concussion and cleared, which explains him discussing his condition with the media after the game. He's considered day-to-day with a stinger.

Monday Update: Ekeler told reporters Monday night he has a "bruised nerve" in his neck that's worse than what he's already previously played through this year. He says he "can't let [his] pride get in the way of it." That's clear player-speak saying he's not healthy enough to play. The Chargers may call him day-to-day but he's unlikely to play Thursday.

Monday Update: The Chargers listed Ekeler with neck and concussion injuries on their Monday injury report. The Chargers haven't ruled him out yet but Ekeler will not play this week.

Isaiah Crowell | Right foot injury | Awaiting Information | Questionable Week 15

Crowell managed only a limited Friday practice while battling a toe injury last week. The Jets announced his in-game injury as a foot injury yesterday and video replays are worrisome for a midfoot sprain. Crowell did not return to the game and the Jets have yet to address his status. Even mild midfoot sprains can require multiple weeks of rehab. Hopefully, a Monday MRI is more reassuring than the video. I'll update as additional details are reported.

Others of note:

***Tyreek Hill left yesterday's game with a wrist injury and returned to play. A heel injury later in the game sent him to the locker room. He returned to play effectively with a limp and Andy Reid did not show much concern after the game.

Monday Update: Hill told Peter King his foot injury was "bad" last night. According to Adam Schefter this afternoon, "further examination" of Hill's foot showed "nothing serious." Schefter's source says Hill is day-to-day. The Chiefs play Thursday night and -- as with Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler and Spencer Ware -- the quick turnaround will likely lead to limited practices and a possible game-time decision.

***Spencer Ware "tweaked" his hamstring according to Andy Reid. The short turnaround to the Thursday night game may limit Ware's practice participation more than usual.

***LeSean McCoy strained his hamstring and did not return. McCoy has routinely played through soft tissue strains in his career despite limited practice time. Expect minimal practice and a questionable tag at best this week.

***Jordan Reed had his right foot crushed downward from behind. Adam Schefter reported Reed suffered a foot sprain and the video suggests a midfoot injury. Reed had surgeries on both big toes this offseason. This injury may not be related but has the appearance of a multiple-week absence.

Monday Update: Ian Rapoport tweeted Reed will have a precautionary MRI today. It's not believed his injury is "major" but even a short absence could end his season.

Offensive line and defensive notes:

***Tennessee tackle Jack Conklin suffered a knee injury on Thursday night and is unlikely to return during the regular season.

***Ezekiel Ansah suffered another shoulder dislocation yesterday and will likely require surgery to repair his labrum. Expect the Lions to move him to injured reserve soon.

Follow-up Appointments

Melvin Gordon | Right MCL sprain | Week-to-Week | Questionable Week 15

Reports on Gordon have trended positively over the past 7-10 days. Last week, Adam Schefter reported Gordon's return wouldn't "be long now." Ian Rapoport has reported Gordon's injury was not "as serious as originally thought." These reports indicate Gordon's MCL sprain is believed to be more of a 2-3 week injury than a 3-6 week injury. And there's no doubt the Chargers would love to have Gordon available against the Chiefs this Thursday night.

Despite the optimism, it must be noted that Gordon isn't close the full strength yet. He has not practiced in two weeks and there's been no indication he was close to participating in individual drills last week. Gordon continues to recondition and multiple Sunday morning tweets showed him stutter-stepping with some lateral cutting at three-quarter speed with a brace on his right knee.

The importance of this week's game, concern for a late-game concussion to Austin Ekeler, and the possible willingness of the team to clear Gordon to play at less than full strength aside, Gordon must be comfortable playing at football speed on his knee. He's clearly not there yet. The Chargers will practice Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday this week. The Wednesday workout will be light -- at best -- with the team traveling to Kansas City. If Gordon is not cleared for individual drills on Monday after Sunday's light workout, consider him doubtful.

I'll update through the day on Monday with any guidance from the team or media reports.

James Conner | Right high ankle sprain | Week-to-Week | Questionable Week 15

While there's absolutely no substitute for hearing an athlete describe his injury, examine the injured area, and see the imaging studies, a good view of the injury on video provides strong clues about the nature of an injury. That proved to be the case with Conner last week. Video replays of Conner's injury were consistent with a high ankle sprain. Mike Tomlin repeatedly said Conner had suffered only a minor bruise through Monday's press conference. Unfortunately, the Steelers later acknowledged Conner sprained ligaments and ruled him out on Tuesday last week.

In short, Conner has a high ankle sprain. As noted last week, the extent of swelling and stiffness during the first 24-48 hours after injury define the recovery timetable of the sprain. The Steelers were worried enough about Conner's injury to rule him out on Tuesday. That strongly suggests a multiple week sprain.

As of Sunday morning, reports on Conner's Week 15 availability were mixed. Ian Rapoport believes the Steelers will be "extremely cautious" and "would not be surprised if he misses" this week's game. Adam Schefter reported the Steelers think Conner has a "reasonable" chance to play this week.

Don't expect the Steelers to rule Conner out so early this week. They'll keep the Patriots in the dark on Conner's status. However, the Pittsburgh practice report is an easy read. If Conner doesn't manage a limited practice by Thursday, consider him doubtful unless there are very strongly positive Friday notes. The AFC North divisional race tightened considerably with the Steelers loss and Ravens win yesterday. But given the early Week 14 rule out, Conner is likely starting the week to the doubtful side of questionable.

Doug Baldwin | Hip / Groin injuries | Week-to-Week | Questionable Week 15

Baldwin was added to the Week 14 injury report with a hip injury Pete Carroll said was related but not the same as the groin injury Baldwin played through in Week 12. Presumably, Baldwin will be inactive on Monday night after a week in which Adam Schefter tweeted Baldwin "barely made it through."

The Carroll comments are concerning. Hip and groin injuries that are similar raise suspicion for a core muscle injury, a.k.a. sports hernia. These injuries rarely heal without surgery. Though players frequently put off surgery for weeks -- and sometimes most of a season -- they may struggle with change of direction and leverage. If Baldwin is dealing with a core muscle injury, he may continue to try to play through the injury while the Seahawks remain in post-season contention.

If Baldwin has a more straightforward groin or hip strain, he may return without limitation soon.

Others of note:

***Kerryon Johnson has not returned to practice since his Week 11 knee sprain. There are still no details on his knee sprain but the three week absence obviously puts his injury closer to the 4-6 week range than originally reported. If Johnson is not practicing on Wednesday, the rest of his season is in doubt.

***Sammy Watkins has yet to return to practice since aggravating a midseason foot injury. It's possible the Chiefs chose to rest Watkins last week with the short Thursday turnaround in mind but it's hard to feel optimistic with the multiple weeks of missed practice.

***Positive thoughts for Alex Smith. Reportedly dealing with an infection severe enough to necessitate multiple additional surgeries and removal of tissue, Smith's career is in jeopardy.

Offensive line and defensive notes:

***Dallas guard Zack Martin aggravated his MCL sprain yet again this week. The Cowboys expressed concern after the game but Martin continues to try to play through the injury.

***New Orleans tackle Terron Armstead was close to returning last week but spent another week on the inactive list.

INJURED PLAYERS ON ACTIVE ROSTER