The 2025 NFL Week 6 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 dealing with NFL Week 6 injuries.
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NFL Week 6 Injury Report: Key Players
Week 6 remains very busy on the injury front in terms of big names, with quarterback and wide receiver especially affected this week.
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.
NOTE: This article is posted on Fridays. Make sure to check on the updated injury statuses before locking in your NFL Week 6 plays. Good luck!
Quarterbacks
Lamar Jackson, Ravens, DOUBTFUL (hamstring)
While the Ravens have yet to officially rule him out as of this writing, Jackson missed a third straight practice Friday, and a second consecutive absence Sunday against the Rams seems all but guaranteed.
That tees up veteran Cooper Rush for another turn under center for Baltimore after he completed 14 of 20 passes for 179 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions in the lopsided loss to the Texans in Week 5.
Rush took only one sack against Houston but finished with an abysmal 58.1 QB rating.
Although another week’s worth of first-team reps in practice and having one game under his belt should theoretically help, the matchup against a Rams defense that has a rest advantage and is averaging an impressive three sacks per contest over the first five games figures to be another challenging one.
Zay Flowers’ questionable status due to a shoulder injury is certainly another development to monitor with respect to Rush’s chances of improvement in his second start.
Kyler Murray, Cardinals, QUESTIONABLE (foot)
Murray suffered his current foot injury during the Week 5 loss to the Titans, and although he finished that game, he missed the first two practices ahead of Sunday’s road showdown against the Colts.
He did return to practice on Friday, but head coach Jonathan Gannon indicated Murray’s availability against Indianapolis is going to be based on how much progress the QB has made heading into game day. Veteran Jacoby Brissett would be the next man up under center for Arizona should Murray ultimately sit out.
Brissett would be making a start against one of his many former teams if he were called on against the Colts and has plenty of experience to fall back on, including a pair of extended stints as the No. 1 signal-caller for Indy in both 2017 and 2019.
Naturally, a significant element of Arizona’s offense would be eliminated with a Murray absence and likely lead to more crowded fronts for current lead back Michael Carter, especially considering Brissett averaged a meager 5.1 yards per attempt during his eight games with the Patriots last season.
Brock Purdy, 49ers, QUESTIONABLE (toe) / Mac Jones, 49ers, QUESTIONABLE (knee/oblique)
The perpetually walking wounded of the NFL, the 49ers, have both their quarterbacks sporting questionable tags again heading into a Week 6 road matchup against the Buccaneers.
Purdy missed practice both Wednesday and Thursday, although he was seen doing conditioning work in the latter session. Although head coach Kyle Shanahan said earlier in the week an IR stint wasn’t on the table at this point for Purdy, a Week 6 absence increasingly seems to be.
Jones has been able to log limited participation in the first two practices of the week, and considering San Francisco played on Thursday night in Week 5, the No. 2 signal-caller appears to have had enough time to rest his lingering PCL injury and seems to be prepping for another start.
Jones has been highly effective in his first three starts of the season, completing 66.7 percent of his passes for 905 yards with a 6:1 TD:INT.
He also could be in line to have at least one of Jauan Jennings (ankle/rib) or Ricky Pearsall (knee) back against Tampa Bay after playing without both versus the Rams in Week 5.
Running Back
Bucky Irving, Buccaneers, OUT (foot/shoulder)
Irving once again sat out each practice this week and has been ruled out for Sunday’s Week 6 clash against the 49ers. In his second career absence, the Bucs will once again roll with a backfield primarily consisting of one-time starter Rachaad White as the lead option, with Sean Tucker rotating in for a few complementary snaps when needed.
In Week 5 against the Seahawks, White was inefficient while gaining just 41 yards on 14 carries, but he added a pair of rushing touchdowns, as well as a 4-30-0 receiving line. The veteran back played on 80% of the snaps to Tucker’s 22%, so there’s a clear pecking order at play. The 49ers present as perhaps a slightly above-average matchup positionally, allowing 4.3 RB yards per carry and a robust 27-133-2 receiving line to the position as well.
Chuba Hubbard, Panthers, OUT (calf)
Hubbard will sit out a second straight game Sunday against the Cowboys after missing practice all week, setting Rico Dowdle up for an enticing opportunity to follow up a memorable 206-yard, one-touchdown tally against the Dolphins. The fact it’s his former Dallas teammates he’ll be going up against only makes the scenario all the more intriguing.
Dowdle is fresh off compiling 1,079 rushing yards and two touchdowns across 16 regular-season games for the Cowboys in 2024, and in his first opportunity to serve as the lead back in Carolina in Week 5, he logged a 67% snap share.
That was well ahead of the respective 20% and 17% figures recorded by rookie Trevor Etienne and journeyman DeeJay Dallas, and given the results Dowdle produced, perhaps an even bigger workload can be expected Sunday.
The Cowboys check in surrendering 4.4 RB yards per carry and ranking 22nd in second-level yards per carry allowed (1.30), numbers that would seem to bode well for another productive Dowdle outing.
Alvin Kamara, Saints, QUESTIONABLE (ankle)
Kamara logged a trio of limited showings in practice this week leading up to Sunday’s matchup against the Patriots, leaving him with a questionable tag. The talented veteran suffered the injury during a Week 5 win over the Giants, and his availability versus New England could come down to how he feels in pregame warmups.
Kendre Miller, who’s already enjoyed an ascending profile in the offense early this season, would be in line to take on No. 1 duties if Kamara were to sit out. Miller is averaging a career-best 4.3 yards per carry thus far in a strict complementary role, but the matchup against a Patriots defense allowing the third-fewest RB yards per carry (3.2) is an unenviable one.
Other notable RB injuries to monitor: Chris Rodriguez, Commanders, QUESTIONABLE (calf); Miles Sanders, Cowboys, QUESTIONABLE (ankle); Bhayshul Tuten, Jaguars, QUESTIONABLE (shoulder); Antonio Gibson, Patriots, OUT (knee)
Wide Receivers
Mike Evans, Buccaneers, OUT (hamstring) / Chris Godwin, Buccaneers, OUT (lower leg)
Evans will remain sidelined for a third consecutive game due to his Week 3 hamstring injury. For the first time in that span, Godwin will also be unavailable to make up for his teammate’s absence after missing practice this week with a lower-leg injury.
The unavailability of the veteran duo will push star rookie Emeka Egbuka into an even bigger role, while the likes of Sterling Shepard, Ryan Miller, rookie Tez Johnson, running back Rachaad White, and tight end Cade Otton will also see more opportunity versus San Francisco.
Egbuka is coming off a career-best 163-yard performance against the Seahawks in Week 5, and he’s already posted a 25-445-3 line on an average of 7.6 targets per contest.
He should be in line for double-digit looks against San Francisco, while Shepard, who’s averaging just under five targets per contest in his own right in a complementary capacity, will be poised to potentially climb into the 7-to-8-target range himself.
CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys, QUESTIONABLE (ankle)
Lamb’s questionable designation could well transition to out by the end of the day Friday, as he missed practice each day again this week and appears firmly headed for a third straight absence due to a Week 3 ankle injury.
George Pickens, who beat Sauce Gardner for a touchdown on one of his two Week 5 catches against the Jets, will continue as the No. 1 receiver in such a scenario as Dallas travels to Carolina.
However, an interesting situation could play out for the No. 2 role, even if Jalen Tolbert is on the field in that capacity for the first snap of the game.
Tolbert was blanked against the Jets despite Gardner spending most of his time on Pickens, and it was instead temporary No. 3 receiver Ryan Flournoy who stepped up with a 6-114-0 line on nine targets while playing 57% of the snaps.
Flournoy was even trusted with a pair of rushing attempts as well, and with KaVontae Turpin (foot) also seemingly trending toward another absence, the former could once again play a key role.
Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals, QUESTIONABLE (illness):
Chase is only dealing with an illness, but he missed Friday’s practice, and head coach Zac Taylor confirmed the elite wide receiver will head into Sunday’s game against the Packers with a questionable tag.
Chase’s last absence came in Week 16 of the 2023 season against the Steelers, and if he were to sit out, Tee Higgins would vault into the No. 1 role for Cincinnati.
Chase is averaging a robust 9.0 targets per game while navigating the Bengals’ unsteady QB situation, which takes another turn Sunday with new arrival Joe Flacco being immediately thrust into the starting role.
Higgins has had a relatively quiet season (13-158-2 on 27 targets) so far, but he would be in line for a major boost in volume versus a talented Green Bay defense if Chase were to sit, especially considering Andrei Iosivas and Mitchell Tinsley would serve as his primary competition for looks among the wide receivers.
Other notable short-term WR injuries to monitor: Terry McLaurin, Commanders, QUESTIONABLE (quadriceps); Darnell Mooney, Falcons, QUESTIONABLE (hamstring); Quentin Johnston, Chargers, QUESTIONABLE (hamstring); Calvin Austin, Steelers, OUT (shoulder); Zay Flowers, Ravens, QUESTIONABLE (shoulder); Jauan Jennings, 49ers, QUESTIONABLE (ankle/rib); Ricky Pearsall, 49ers, QUESTIONABLE (knee); KaVontae Turpin, Cowboys, QUESTIONABLE (foot); Noah Brown, Commanders, QUESTIONABLE (groin); Dyami Brown, Jaguars, QUESTIONABLE (shoulder)
Tight End
Brock Bowers, Raiders, QUESTIONABLE (knee)
Bowers sustained a knee injury in Week 1 that has plagued him since, and after leading to the first absence of his career in Week 5, it’s also threatening his availability against the Titans for Sunday’s Week 6 home clash.
Bowers sat out practice all week, and he’ll likely be officially ruled out for the contest at some point Friday afternoon. In Week 5 against the Colts, No. 2 tight end Michael Mayer was unavailable in his own right due to a concussion, but the latter has now cleared protocol and doesn’t carry an injury tag for Sunday’s game.
Mayer, therefore, lines up to reclaim a starting role he held at times back in his 2023 campaign, when he posted a 27-304-2 line over 14 games after being selected in the second round that spring.
The positional matchup against Tennessee’s defense is a good one, considering the Titans have yielded a 25-196-1 tally on 33 targets to tight ends over the first five games.
Dalton Kincaid, Bills, QUESTIONABLE (oblique):
Kincaid has kicked off Week 6 prep for the Bills’ Monday night matchup against the Falcons with back-to-back limited practices due to an oblique injury. The talented third-year pro is coming off his best game of the season in a Week 5 loss to the Patriots, one where he posted six receptions for 108 yards on six targets while playing 54% of the snaps.
If Kincaid were to be sidelined ultimately, Dawson Knox would slide into the No. 1 role. In a complementary capacity behind Kincaid this season, Knox has posted just six receptions for 54 yards on 10 targets, but he proved amply capable of handling the top role at his position for multiple seasons before Kincaid’s arrival.
Other notable short-term TE injuries to monitor: Colston Loveland, Bears, QUESTIONABLE (hip); Ja’Tavion Sanders, Panthers, QUESTIONABLE (ankle); Tyler Higbee, Rams, QUESTIONABLE (hip)
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