The 2025 NFL Week 3 Injury Report contains several key players who could significantly impact each team and the betting market.
Our guy Juan Carlos Blanco analyzes the biggest names that will play a key cog in determining Week 2 outcomes.
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NFL Week 3 Injury Report: Key Players
In this article each week, we’ll highlight some noteworthy players who have opened the practice week with an injury designation of some sort and offer some quick hits on the expected impact of their absences, if those come to fruition.
It’s quite the Week 3 on the injury front, as the quarterback position has particularly been decimated. There are a number of ripple effects to explore with such noteworthy absences, so we’ll jump right in.
Quarterbacks
Joe Burrow, CIN, OUT (toe):
Burrow’s absence shares the biggest injury-related headline of the week alongside that of Jayden Daniels’, although in the case of the former, he’s looking at potentially missing the rest of the season.
Jake Browning, who was solid during a 2023 stretch-run starting tenure in Burrow’s stead during which he completed 70.4% of his passes for 1,936 yards with a 12:7 TD:INT while also recording three rush TDs, will take over under center beginning with Sunday’s tough Week 3 road matchup against the Vikings’ Brian Flores-coordinated defense.
J.J. McCarthy, MIN, OUT (ankle):
McCarthy emerged from an ugly Week 2 performance against the Falcons with a high-ankle sprain that’s reportedly set to keep him out anywhere between two and four weeks. The second-year signal-caller, who’d completed just 58.5% of his passes with a 2:3 TD:INT through his first two games, will cede starting QB duties to Carson Wentz beginning with Sunday’s Week 3 matchup against the Bengals.
Wentz has only had about a month to absorb Kevin O’Connell’s playbook but certainly doesn’t lack for experience. He could have a bit of rust to knock off, however, as he’s put up just 43 pass attempts over the last two seasons while serving as the backup to Matthew Stafford and Patrick Mahomes, respectively.
Jayden Daniels, WAS, OUT (knee):
Daniels was officially ruled out for Sunday’s Week 3 matchup against the Raiders on Friday after failing to practice throughout the week. The knee sprain that will keep the star second-year pro on the sideline occurred during a Week 2 loss to the Packers that Daniels was able to finish, albeit with a limp.
Marcus Mariota will take over under center for Washington against one of his old squads. Mariota is in his second year with the Commanders and therefore well-versed in coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s offense, and he impressively completed 80.5% of his passes for 366 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions while adding a 16-90-1 rushing line in the two games he saw extended action in last season.
Brock Purdy, SF, QUESTIONABLE (toe/shouder):
One quarterback who seems to potentially be trending up for Week 3 is Purdy, who’s been able to practice on a limited basis this week despite the turf toe and shoulder injuries he suffered in the first half of the Week 1 win over the Seahawks.
A Thursday report indicated that Purdy’s shoulder was no longer an issue, and that he and the training staff were discussing equipment modifications that would protect the toe in the event he can suit up for Sunday’s home divisional clash against the Cardinals. If Purdy is ultimately unable to go, Mac Jones, who threw for 279 yards and three touchdowns while manning the offense in a Week 2 win over the Saints, would draw a second straight start.
Other notable QB injuries to monitor: Justin Fields, NYJ, OUT (concussion)
Running Backs
Josh Jacobs, GB, QUESTIONABLE (ankle):
UPDATE: Jacobs doesn’t have an injury designation anymore and will play in Week 3.
The highly durable Jacobs has practiced in limited fashion the first two days of the week due to an ankle issue. However, given the workhorse back’s history of toughing out various minor ailments, it would appear likely he’d be able to suit up Sunday against Cleveland. Nevertheless, if Jacobs were to be sidelined, Green Bay would turn to the duo of Chris Brooks and Emanuel Wilson against a Browns defense that’s allowed a league-low 45.5 rushing yards per contest through two games.
Aaron Jones, MIN, OUT (IR-hamstring):
Jones is on injured reserve with the hamstring issue he suffered in the Week 2 loss to the Falcons on Sunday night. Highly capable backfield mate Jordan Mason, an offseason addition who’d already logged 27 touches through the first two games, will take over No. 1 running back duties beginning with a Week 3 clash against a Bengals defense that allowed 139 total rushing yards to the Jaguars in a Week 2 win.
D’Andre Swift, CHI, QUESTIONABLE (quadriceps):
Swift has put in back-to-back limited practices to open the week ahead of Sunday’s Week 3 home matchup against the Cowboys. The veteran back apparently picked up the injury in the Week 2 blowout loss to the Lions. If Swift, who’s already logged 35 touches through two weeks despite some negative game scripts, can’t play, the Bears would be calling upon rookie seventh-round pick Kyle Monangai and Roschon Johnson to handle the ground attack versus a Dallas defense ranked No. 23 with 121.0 rushing yards per game surrendered through the first two contests.
Other notable RB injuries to monitor: Zach Charbonnet, SEA, QUESTIONABLE (foot); Tyrone Tracy Jr., NYG, QUESTIONABLE (calf); Bhayshul Tuten, JAX, QUESTIONABLE (shoulder)
Wide Receivers
Brian Thomas, JAX, QUESTIONABLE (wrist)
Thomas has reportedly been dealing with the wrist injury that downgraded him to a limited practice Thursday since before Week 2. The second-year wideout has looked out of sync with Trevor Lawrence over the first two weeks after entering the season with high expectations, posting a highly inefficient 5-60-0 line on 19 targets while adding a nine-yard rushing TD. If Thomas were forced to sit out Sunday’s divisional clash against the Texans, the trio of Travis Hunter, Dyami Brown and Parker Washington would serve as Lawrence’s top three wide receiver targets, with running backs Travis Etienne and Bhayshul Tuten (questionable-shoulder) also in line to see some extra pass-catching work.
Jayden Reed, GB, OUT (collarbone/foot)
Reed’s broken collarbone will cause him to miss up to eight weeks, leaving Green Bay without its de facto No. 1 receiver. However, given how much Jordan Love spreads the ball around, the Packers may be well-equipped to handle the third-year pro’s absence. For the moment, it appears Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks, due to their experience in the offense and chemistry with Love, could be major beneficiaries beginning with Sunday’s Week 3 road matchup against the Browns, especially if tight end Tucker Kraft (knee) is also out. However, rookie first-round pick Matthew Golden could certainly capitalize on the opportunity created by Reed’s absence in coming games as he gets more settled in.
Xavier Worthy, KC, QUESTIONABLE (shoulder):
Worthy appears to have a decent chance of suiting up for Sunday night’s game against the Giants after managing to practice in limited fashion all week. The speedy second-year wideout missed Week 2 with the shoulder dislocation he’d suffered in Week 1 on a collision with Travis Kelce. If Worthy does sit out at least one more game, Tyquan Thornton, who’s currently laying claim to a whopping 48.7% of the Chiefs’ air yards and has an average depth of target of 30.1 yards, would be in line to once again inherit a notable portion of Worthy’s downfield role against a Giants defense allowing the fourth-most passing yards per game (277.5) and 12.7 yards per catch to WRs through two games.
Other notable short-term WR injuries to monitor: Jordan Addison, MIN, OUT (suspension); Jauan Jennings, SF, QUESTIONABLE (ankle); Chris Godwin, TB, OUT (ankle); Emeka Egbuka, TB, QUESTIONABLE (hip); Christian Kirk, HOU, QUESTIONABLE (hamstring); Wan’Dale Robinson, NYG, QUESTIONABLE (foot); Josh Reynolds, NYJ, OUT (hamstring)
Tight Ends
Brock Bowers, LV, QUESTIONABLE (knee):
UPDATE: Bowers doesn’t have an injury designation anymore and will play in Week 3.
Bowers was able to play through his knee issue against the Chargers in the Raiders’ Week 2 Monday night loss, and he’s subsequently been a limited participant in Las Vegas’ first two practices of the week. The star second-year tight end therefore appears in line to suit up on the short week against the Commanders, but Michael Mayer would bump up to the No. 1 spot on the depth chart in Bowers was unable to go, while Jakobi Meyers would also be projected for even more targets than usual.
Tyler Warren, IND, QUESTIONABLE (toe):
Warren missed practice Wednesday before getting in a limited session Thursday. The rookie is therefore trending in the right direction for Sunday’s Week 3 matchup against the Titans. However, if he were to sit out, the Colts’ surprisingly prolific offense would be missing one of its key components, as Warren has fashioned an 11-155 line on 16 targets through two games. A Warren absence would likely lead to a bump in targets for Michael Pittman and Josh Downs in particular, while Indy would likely revert to the committee approach at TE that it used for the last few seasons prior to 2025.
Tucker Kraft, GB, QUESTIONABLE (knee):
Kraft suffered his injury scare in Thursday’s practice, and while a worse scenario was originally envisioned, follow-up testing didn’t reveal any long-term concerns. Kraft’s status for Sunday’s Week 3 game against the Browns may come down to how he feels in pregame warmups. If he does sit out versus Cleveland, Luke Musgrave, who’s posted a 3-36 receiving line on just 10 routes run through two games, would step into the No. 1 role at the position and would help make up for the absence of Jayden Reed (collarbone/foot).
Other notable short-term TE injuries to monitor: Dallas Goedert, TE, PHI, QUESTIONABLE (knee); Isaiah Likely, TE, BAL, QUESTIONABLE (foot)
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