Carson Wentz

Two of the most popular players in fantasy football are on the injury report ahead of Sunday's Week 3 games.

Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook and Arizona Cardinals wide receiver De'Andre Hopkins are both dealing with injuries that may affect their statuses for Sunday. 

Cook has been dealing with an ankle injury and is questionable for his team's clash with the Seattle Seahawks. 

Hopkins is listed as a game-time decision against the Jacksonville Jaguars because of a rib injury. 

Cook and Hopkins are the highest-profile players on the Week 3 injury report. Below is a list of the rest of the major injuries affecting teams going into Week 3. 

• Russell Gage, WR, ATL: Out (ankle), per team injury report.
• Frank Darby, WR, ATL: Out (calf)
• A.J. Terrell, CB, ATL: Out (concussion)
• DeAndre Hopkins, WR, ARI: Gametime decision (ribs), per team injury report.
• Odell Beckham Jr., WR, CLE: Cleared to play (ACL), per team injury report. 
• Chris Hubbard, OT, CLE: Out (triceps)
• Jedrick Wills, OT, CLE Questionable (ankle)
• Tee Higgins, WR, CIN: Doubtful (shoulder), per team injury report
• Carson Wentz, QB, IND: Practiced Friday (ankles), per The Athletic's Zac Keefer. 
• Darrell Henderson, RB, LAR: Day-to-day (ribs), per team injury report.
• Dalvin Cook, RB, MIN: Questionable (ankle), per team injury report. 
• Anthony Barr, LB, MIN: Out (knee)
• Christian Darrisaw, OT, MIN: Out (groin)
• Harrison Hand, CB, MIN: Out (illness)
• Evan Engram, TE, NYG: Questionable (calf), per team injury report.
• Kenny Golladay, WR, NYG: Questionable (hip)
• Jamison Crowder, WR, NYJ: Gametime decision (Groin), per team injury report. 
• Denzel Mims, WR, NYJ: Gametime decision
• Diontae Johnson, WR, PIT: Out (knee), per team injury report. 
• T.J. Watt, DE, PIT: Questionable (groin)

Dalvin Cook Questionable For Seattle Clash

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Cook is officially listed as questionable. 

Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer noted on Friday that Cook is "doing much better" after he did not practice on Wednesday and Thursday, per ESPN.com's Courtney Cronin.

If Cook plays, he should have a favorable matchup in front of him against a Seattle defense that allowed 325 rushing yards in the first two weeks. 

Seattle let 4.6 yards per attempt and conceded three rushing touchdowns to the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans. 

If Cook is ruled out, the immediate reaction would be to pick up Alexander Mattison, but he might already be rostered in some fantasy football leagues. 

Mattison has four carries and two receptions so far this season, so he should be fresh to handle more of the workload in Week 3. 

Cook is usually one of the first players locked into fantasy lineups each week. If he plays on Sunday, he should remain as one of your starting running backs. 

However, it is never a bad thing to have a contingency plan or two in place just in case the decision comes down on Sunday morning that he is unavailable. 

DeAndre Hopkins Dealing With Rib Injury

You can apply the last sentence above about Cook to Hopkins' Week 3 status as well. 

If Hopkins is playing, you should expect him to be one of the focal points of the Arizona offense. 

A.J. Green believed Hopkins was fine when he talked to reporters on Thursday, per ArizonaSports.com's Tyler Drake: 

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport echoed that sentiment when breaking down Hopkins' injury issues on Friday.

"DeAndre Hopkins always plays," Rapoport said. "I mean, that's one thing his teammates came out clearly and said yesterday. Nobody doubts him ever because he always wills himself on the field seemingly no matter what his deal is. I would also not rule him out just yet. At least Hop has a chance to get out there." 

The difference between Week 3 and any other game is that the Cardinals probably do not need Hopkins to beat the Jaguars.

Kyler Murray developed strong chemistry early on with rookie Rondale Moore. He also has Green and Christian Kirk to work with in the passing game. 

Moore has been a popular waiver-wire target over the last two weeks, so the Sunday play could be to pick up Green or Kirk if Hopkins is unable to play. 

Hopkins could also play on Sunday, but then the Cardinals could shut him down in the second half if they possess a large lead. 

In either circumstance, it would be wise to have an eye on the other Cardinals wideouts in the case Hopkins does not play as big of a role as he typically does. 

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Carson Wentz practiced Friday for the first time since suffering two sprained ankles in Sunday's loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

According to ESPN, Wentz had both ankles heavily taped during what was his first appearance at practice this week.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Wentz's status for the Colts' Week 3 game against the Tennessee Titans will be determined during pregame on Sunday. 

Wentz sprained his left ankle at some point during Sunday's game before spraining his right ankle more severely during the fourth quarter. Wentz left the game and did not return, leaving second-year man Jacob Eason to finish the game at quarterback for the Colts, who fell 27-24.

There was some uncertainty regarding whether Wentz would be healthy enough to start the 2021 season, as he suffered a foot injury during training camp that required surgery.

Wentz recovered in time to start the first two games of the season for the Colts, and he performed relatively well, completing 65.2 percent of his passes for 498 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed for 60 yards on nine carries.

Despite that, the Colts are 0-2 after losses to the Seattle Seahawks and Rams, and there is uncertainty regarding who will be under center when they face the AFC South rival Titans on the road Sunday.

If Wentz is unable to suit up, Eason could step in as the starter. He was a fourth-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft out of Washington and has limited regular-season experience.

Eason didn't play at all last season and saw his first action last week when he went 2-of-5 for 25 yards with no touchdowns and an interception.

The other option for head coach Frank Reich would be to call up Brett Hundley from the practice squad.

Hundley was a 2015 fifth-round pick of the Green Bay Packers, and he has nine career NFL starts to his credit, going 3-6. All of those starts came in 2017 when Aaron Rodgers was out injured.

The former UCLA star has not appeared in a regular-season game in any capacity since 2019, when he attempted 11 passes for the Arizona Cardinals.

Indy's ideal scenario would undoubtedly be for Wentz to play considering what he has accomplished in his career compared to Eason and Hundley.

Most notably, Wentz threw for 3,296 yards, 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017, although a torn ACL cut his season short.

Wentz has not returned to that level of play since tearing his ACL, and he lost his starting job to Jalen Hurts last season, leading Philly to trade Wentz to the Colts.

Still, Wentz likely gives the Colts the best chance to beat the Titans and avoid what would be a disastrous 0-3 start.

The Indianapolis Colts reportedly may use both of their backup quarterbacks, Jacob Eason and Brett Hundley, in Sunday's Week 3 road game against the Tennessee Titans if starter Carson Wentz is ruled out because of dual ankle sprains.

Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reported Thursday the Colts "still hope" Wentz can play in the key AFC South clash, but they had Hundley handle the "majority of starter reps" in Wednesday's practice in preparation for a potential two-QB game plan.

Eason, a fourth-round pick in the 2020 draft, replaced Wentz during the fourth quarter of Sunday's 27-24 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. He completed two of his five throws for 25 yards with no touchdowns and an interception in his first NFL regular-season action.

"I think in that situation, I was probably trying to do too much," Eason told reporters about the interception by L.A. cornerback Jalen Ramsey. "It's a critical situation. We've got to go a certain number of yards and get a field goal to tie it up. Just go through my progressions and find the right guy."

Colts head coach Frank Reich, a longtime backup signal-caller for the Buffalo Bills during his playing career, noted being thrown into a close game in the fourth quarter is "as tough as it gets" and added he remains "confident" Eason, 23, can handle the starting role, if necessary.

"I think Jacob's been doing a really good job, he's been really dialed in," Reich said. "Scott Milanovich, our quarterbacks coach, has spent a lot of time with Jacob, all through training camp and even here in these first couple of weeks, just like he's playing."

Indianapolis may not make a decision about its starter until Sunday, per Pelissero.

Hundley made all nine of his career starts with the Green Bay Packers in 2017 while Aaron Rodgers was sidelined with a fractured collarbone.

The 28-year-old UCLA product connected on 60.8 percent of his attempts for 1,836 yards with nine touchdowns and 12 picks in 11 appearances that year. He did make some key plays with his legs, rushing for 270 yards on 36 carries (7.5 YPC) with two touchdowns on the ground.

Eason is a pure pocket passer, having finished his collegiate career with negative-126 rushing yards across three years with Georgia and Washington, so Hundley's inclusion in the game plan would likely be to utilize his dual-threat ability and force the Titans defense to prepare for two different styles of offense.

The schedule did Indianapolis no favors as it opened the year with back-to-back home games against the Rams and Seattle Seahawks, two NFC contenders, and now it heads out on a three-game road trip at 0-2 to face three potential playoff teams in the Titans, Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Ravens.

So it's no surprise the Colts are going to wait until the last minute to see whether Wentz can play because every early-season loss creates a bigger mountain to climb to get back in the postseason conversation.

If he can't go, it sounds like Reich and Co. will try to mix-and-match their offense based on the situation to keep the Titans off balance.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Carson Wentz left Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Rams after spraining both ankles and was replaced by Jacob Eason.

Colts head coach Frank Reich told reporters about the diagnosis for Wentz, adding it was "too early" to tell if he'd be available on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport first reported on Monday that Wentz had injuries to both ankles. 

Wentz told reporters after the game that he didn'tt believe his ankle is broken.

"Felt it right away, and it did not feel good," Wentz said, per The Athletic's Zak Keefer. "Tried to tape it up and do everything I could to finish the game. It's a bad feeling to not be able to finish the game in that situation. You kinda feel like you let the team down a little bit."

Any injury to Wentz is going to cause concern for multiple reasons. For one, the Colts made him their franchise quarterback when they traded for him this past offseason.  

There is also his injury history, as the North Dakota State product has dealt with a number of physical concerns throughout his career and even missed the Philadelphia Eagles' run to the Super Bowl title during the 2017 campaign because of a torn ACL.

He also missed time in training camp and during the preseason this year because of a foot injury.

When healthy, Wentz has the potential to be one of the better quarterbacks in the league. He was an MVP candidate in 2017 before that injury and threw for 4,039 yards during the 2019 campaign while in Philadelphia.

If Wentz is sidelined for more than just Sunday following the latest setback, look for the Colts to turn to Eason again. The 2020 fourth-round draft pick entered the season having never attempted a pass in an NFL regular-season game and finished the 27-24 loss by going 2-of-5 for 15 yards and an interception.

The Indianapolis Colts will get their first look at Carson Wentz in Sunday's season opener against the Seattle Seahawks. 

Head coach Frank Reich told reporters Wentz will start in Week 1 after undergoing foot surgery last month. 

Wentz underwent surgery to remove a loose bone in his foot that broke free on Aug. 3. The loose bone was likely the result of a fracture he unknowingly suffered in high school.

The Colts announced at the time Wentz had a recovery timeline of five to 12 weeks. 

"Knowing Carson, I'm optimistic," Reich told reporters about his quarterback's prognosis. "Knowing this is the type of injury you don't have to be pain-free to play in. You have to get to an acceptable level of tolerating pain and then you can start playing. That could happen early."

Optimism about Wentz's readiness for Week 1 increased when he returned to seven-on-seven practices on Aug. 23.

The 28-year-old did have a stint on the reserve/COVID-19 list last week after being deemed a high-risk close contact, though he was activated on Sept. 2. 

Reich and the Colts are betting big on Wentz returning to the peak form he showed early in his career to be their long-term solution at quarterback. They sent two draft picks, including a conditional second-round pick in 2022, to the Philadelphia Eagles to acquire him. 

That pick can become a first-rounder if Wentz plays at least 75 percent of the Colts offensive snaps in the regular season, or if he plays 70 percent of their offensive snaps and the Colts make the playoffs.

Wentz is hoping to rebound after a horrible 2020 campaign with the Eagles. The former Pro Bowler threw for 2,620 yards, 16 touchdowns and 15 interceptions with a 57.4 completion percentage in 12 starts before being benched for Jalen Hurts.    

When Carson Wentz underwent foot surgery at the beginning of August, he was expected to miss a chunk of the 2021 season.

It turns out he'll be under center for Week 1.

Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich said Wentz will be a full participant in practice Wednesday and will suit up for Sunday's season opener against the Seattle Seahawks.   

The Colts traded a 2021 third-round pick and a 2022 conditional second-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for Wentz in the offseason. They did so with the hope of settling their quarterback position, which was in a state of flux the last two seasons following the surprise retirement of Andrew Luck in 2019. 

That plan hit a snag when Wentz went down in camp, as he underwent surgery to remove a piece of bone that broke loose in his foot. He also was forced to miss time during the preseason because he was a close contact of someone who tested positive for COVID-19.

His absences left Sam Ehlinger and Jacob Eason to battle for the starting spot. Eason was winning the battle as camp progressed, and he then clinched the job when Ehlinger suffered a knee sprain in the final game of the preseason.

All that was left was a waiting game to determine whether Wentz would be cleared in time for Week 1 or if the 2020 fourth-round pick would get his first NFL start.

"I'm optimistic, but we'll see how it responds," Wentz told reporters after returning to practice Aug. 23. "As long as there's nothing I can do to make it worse, I've played through a lot worse."

Wentz is coming off a miserable 2020 campaign in Philadelphia during which he went from franchise quarterback to pariah in one fell swoop. He threw for 2,620 yards, 16 touchdowns and a league-high 15 interceptions despite being benched for the final four games of the season. 

The Colts are banking on Wentz's previous success with Reich turning his career around.