Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills. Johnson sat out of Wednesday's practice, which isn't too out of the ordinary for a veteran like him, but he also missed Thursday's session. On Friday, he was a limited participant in practice and head coach Jim Caldwell has suggested there's a chance "Megatron" won't play.
NFL injury roundup: Calvin Johnson, Eric Decker among big-name WRs with concerns
Calvin Johnson and Eric Decker are both questionable for Week 5, joining a long list of offensive players with injury concerns heading into Sunday.
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That said, the Lions have just four receivers currently on the roster and knowing that Johnson was injured since Wednesday, the team probably would have made some kind of roster move to get another receiver active. Caldwell may have just been trying to keep the Bills guessing, but Johnson is expected to suit up.
Here’s more pertinent injury news heading into Sunday’s slate of games:
San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis is listed as questionable with a back injury. At this point, Davis is unlikely to play, despite the tight end saying he has a chance to play on Friday. He missed practice throughout the week, and missed San Francisco's Week 3 game against the Arizona Cardinals. Davis wound up playing in Week 4, but he saw limited reps and doesn't seem likely to play against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. It's always a big deal for the 49ers offense when Davis can't play, given that his backups are Vance McDonald and Derek Carrier.
The Carolina Panthers running back situation is kind of a mess at this point. DeAngelo Williams ran the ball well for the few plays he was actually in on this season, but he's officially out for the game with an injury. Williams has had problems staying healthy for years, and his backup, Jonathan Stewart, is in the same position. Stewart is officially doubtful for Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears, and it would be a big surprise if he were to play. This just leaves Darrin Reaves, Fozzy Whittaker and Chris Ogbonnaya to carry the load against a suspect Bears rush defense.
Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson missed practice on Friday and is officially listed as questionable. This one kind of came out of nowhere, but the receiver is dealing with an ankle injury. He has stated that he is fine and plans on playing, but it's still worrying to see nonetheless. Johnson is one of the best receivers in the NFL, and he is certainly eyeing a potential huge game against a vulnerable Dallas Cowboys defense. Most expect him to play at this point but it's worth keeping an eye on.
These two players are unrelated, but both are among the top safeties in the NFL and both have already been declared out for Sunday's games. Byrd was placed on injured reserve this week thanks to a torn lateral meniscus during practice on Thursday. His loss is huge for the New Orleans Saints, who received high marks this offseason for his acquisition. Berry is still dealing with an ankle injury and will not play against the 49ers.
Odell Beckham
New York Giants rookie wide receiver Odell Beckham has been dealing with a hamstring injury since training camp, much to the frustration of head coach Tom Coughlin. But Beckham seems poised to make his NFL debut, despite his questionable designation heading into Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons. Beckham, a first-round pick, was a limited participant in practice this week. He's stated that he'd be fine getting limited reps, which seems likely in his first NFL game. Still, the Giants expect big things out of him once he gets going.
New York Jets wide receiver Eric Decker is questionable for Sunday's game against the San Diego Chargers. Decker has a hamstring injury that may have been mismanaged to this point. He was forced to leave the Jets' Week 3 game early due to his injury, has missed multiple practices and was pulled from practice on Thursday when the injury flared up. With hamstring injuries, teams generally give the players more than enough time to recover because the risk of re-injury is so high. Decker being questionable means he has, in theory, a 50 percent chance to play, but his chances of finishing the game if he does play have to be pretty suspect as well.
Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams has been excellent this season, but his status for Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions is in doubt. Williams missed all three days of practice this past week, and is officially doubtful for Sunday's game. The doubtful designation is supposed to denote a 25 percent chance of playing, and that seems about right at this point. Williams was injured during the Week 4 loss to the Houston Texans, and the extent of said injury is unknown at this point. It would be surprising if he suited up for this game.
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