Week 3 inactives watch

ByTom Carpenter ESPN logo
Sunday, September 27, 2015

Welcome to Week 3 of the 2015 NFL season. We will be posting live updates and analysis here as NFL teams release their Sunday inactive lists. All cited player rankings come from our weekly rankings, which are updated to exclude players from the Thursday night game.

Refresh often for the latest information.

Ruled out before Sunday

RB Tevin Coleman (ribs, out), WR Dez Bryant (foot, out), DE Randy Gregory (ankle, out), QB Drew Brees (right shoulder, out), S Jairus Byrd (knee, out), LB Kiko Alonso (knee, out), TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins (shoulder, out), RB Arian Foster (groin, out), LB Ryan Shazier (shoulder, out), TE Julius Thomas (hand, out), WR Breshad Perriman (knee, out), TE Dwayne Allen (ankle, out), QB Jay Cutler (hamstring, out), WR Alshon Jeffery (hamstring, out), TE Brandon Pettigrew (hamstring, out)

Top players we're watching

Early games, 1 p.m. ET (10 scheduled)

LB Luke Kuechly (concussion, doubtful): inactive

RB Jonathan Stewart (knee, questionable): active

RB Lorenzo Taliaferro (foot, questionable): active

TE Jason Witten (ankle, probable): active

WR Brandin Cooks (ankle, probable): active

WR DeAndre Hopkins (ankle, probable): active

WR Eric Decker (knee, questionable): inactive

RB Chris Ivory (quadriceps, questionable): active

CB Darrelle Revis (groin, questionable): active

RB DeMarco Murray (hamstring, questionable): inactive

TE Ladarius Green (concussion, questionable): inactive

RB Todd Gurley (knee, questionable): active

Late games, 4:05 and 4:25 p.m. ET (3 scheduled)

RB Andre Ellington (knee, doubtful):

TE Jordan Cameron (groin, questionable):

RB Lamar Miller (ankle, questionable):

WR Eddie Royal (back, questionable):

RB Marshawn Lynch (calf, questionable):

Sunday Night Football, 8:30 p.m. ET

No significant uncertainties.

Updates/analysis (most recent first)

Brandin Cooks (12:14 p.m. ET): WR Brandin Cooks (ankle, probable) is active for the New Orleans Saints. Considering how bad the Saints' offense has looked thus far and that they will have career backup Luke McCown slinging the ball instead of Drew Brees against a stout Panthers D, it's difficult to see much upside in using him today.

Chris Ivory (12:09 p.m. ET): RB Chris Ivory (quadriceps, questionable) is active for the New York Jets. However, ESPN injury analyst Stephania Bell noted that Ivory also has a groin injury in the same leg, so "he's not going to be at full strength." That being the case, Bilal Powell should be in the backfield mix and could have fantasy value, especially if he vultures goal-line work from Ivory.

Todd Gurley (12:04 p.m. ET): RB Todd Gurley (knee, questionable) is active for the St. Louis Rams. Making his NFL debut, he is expected to share the backfield workload with Tre Mason, which limits both of their values. Consider them wildcard flex plays or DFS dart throws in a promising matchup versus the Steelers

Ladarius Green (11:57 p.m. ET): TE Ladarius Green (concussion, questionable) is inactive for the San Diego Chargers. His absence will open up more room for WR Stevie Johnson to operate in the slot. Pass-catching running back Danny Woodhead should benefit from Green's absence too.

Jason Witten (11:53 a.m. ET): TE Jason Witten (ankle, probable) is active for the Dallas Cowboys. The iron man will tough it out through two injured ankles a a sore knee. He should see plenty of targets from Brandon Weeden, but the downgrade from Tony Romo at quarterback is notable.

DeMarco Murray (11:27 a.m. ET): ESPN NFL Insider Adam Caplan has confirmed that RB DeMarco Murray (hamstring, questionable) is inactive for Sunday's game. Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles get a big bump and are worth using in most lineups, despite a difficult road tilt with the Jets.

Ladarius Green (11:09 a.m. ET): Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union Tribune reports that San Diego Chargers TE Ladarius Green (concussion, questionable) "made trip to Minnesota. But as teammates loosened up on field, he only watched. Seems doubtful to play today." We will get official word soon, but it looks like you will want another tight end option in your lineups today.

Eddie Lacy and Davante Adams(9:44 a.m.): According to ESPN Packers reporter Rob Domovsky, " It looks like Eddie Lacy and Davante Adams, both with ankle injuries, will be available for Monday night's game against the Chiefs, but how effective will they be? And what's the risk of re-injury? Those are issues the Packers -- and fantasy football owners -- should be concerned about heading into the game." In other words, while that sounds promising for both players, neither is a safe fantasy play at this point.

DeAndre Hopkins (9:30 a.m. ET): John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports that WR DeAndre Hopkins (concussion, probable) will play for the Houston Texans. Go ahead and insert him into your Week 3 lineups. He has a tasty matchup against a beatable Bucs secondary.

Chris Ivory (8:07 a.m. ET): NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that RB Chris Ivory (quadricep, questionable) is optimistic about playing for the New York Jets. Rapoport tweeted that Ivory "is optimistic he'll play today against the #Eagles, barring pregame setback." Still, fantasy owners will want to keep Bilal Powell on standby just in case.

Eric Decker (8:05 a.m. ET): NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that WR Eric Decker (knee, questionable) won't play for the New York Jets. The good news is that Rapoport added that Decker, "Might just miss one week, though."

Marshawn Lynch (8:02 a.m. ET): NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that RB Marshawn Lynch (calf, questionable) is "is playing" for the Seattle Seahawks. He is Beast Mode after all. Go ahead and stick Lynch into your lineups.

Jordan Cameron (8:00 a.m. ET): NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that TE Jordan Cameron (groin, questionable) is expected to play for the Miami Dolphins. It sounded throughout the week like he would play, and that appears to be the case.

DeMarco Murray (8:09 a.m. ET): ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reports that RB DeMarco Murray (hamstring, questionable) plans to play for the Philadelphia Eagles. Shefter reported that, "Eagles RB Demarco Murray has told people he plans to play today, but wants to test hamstring pregame because he still is unsure." Unfortunately, he has a tough matchup against the Jets and has averaged just 0.5 YPC so far this season. However, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport tweeted that, "My understanding is #Eagles RB rotation won't be altered by the hamstring injury for DeMarco Murray. The hope is the production is better."

Darrelle Revis will play (7:51 a.m. ET): ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reports that CB Darrelle Revis (groin, questionable) will play for the New York Jets. This solidifies the Jets as one of the top D/ST options in all formats for Week 3. On the flip side, it's bad news for Sam Bradford and the rest of the Eagles' passing game.

Lamar Miller (7:49 a.m. ET): ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reports that RB Lamar Miller (ankle, questionable) is expected to play for the Miami Dolphins. Unfortunately, the Fins have struggled to establish a rushing attack in 2015 and have a difficult test against the Bills on tap for Week 3.

Todd Gurley (7:45 a.m. ET): ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reports that RB Todd Gurley (knee, questionable) is highly likely to play for the St. Louis Rams. Per Schefter, the rookie running back, who has been recovering from reconstructive knee surgery, is "highly likely to make his NFL debut" Sunday against the Steelers. He will be roll-of-the-dice fantasy option, as he is expected to share touches with Tre Mason.

Jonathan Stewart (7:41 a.m. ET): ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reports that RB Jonathan Stewart (knee, questionable) will play for the Carolina Panthers. Even though Stewart is listed as questionable with a knee injury, his status was never really in doubt. He carries plenty of upside against the weak Saints defense.

Luke Kuechly(7:37 a.m. ET): ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reports that LB Luke Kuechly (concussion, doubtful)will not play for the Carolina Panthers. As expected, Kuechley's concussion will keep him sidelined in Week 3. That's relatively good news for the Saints, but it may not matter much without Drew Brees at quarterback.

Official Sunday inactives should begin coming in at approximately 11:30 a.m. ET for the early set of games, 2:30 p.m. ET for the later set and 7:00 p.m. for the Sunday night contest.