Julio Jones, Sammy Watkins lead the NFL injury report for Week 5

Throughout the season, SB Nation Medical Expert Dr. Ali Mohamadi will provide his insights on the most notable injuries in the fantasy landscape and how they might affect your roster decisions on game day. A number of key performers, including Marshawn Lynch, Karlos Williams, and Jordan Reed have already been ruled out this week.

Here are some key injuries and their impact for Week 5.

Julio Jones has been on a superhuman tear over his first four games, but the Atlanta receiver made his way to the injury report this week with toe and hamstring injuries and is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against Washington. However, Jones will play, matching up against a depleted Washington secondary that will be without Chris Culliver and DeAngelo Hall.

As always, hamstring injuries in particular are not to be taken lightly; they are prone to aggravation if tested before an athlete is 100 percent. Same with Washington receiver DeSean Jackson, who has been out since Week 1 with a hamstring strain of his own; those injuries can be very slow to recover.

Sammy Watkins is out for Sunday’s contest at Tennessee. He’s dealing with a calf injury that kept him out of last week’s loss to the Giants and had limited him in practice this week. Watkins and team officials seem confident that this will not be a lengthy absence, but similar to the hamstring, the calf muscles are easy to strain, easy to aggravate when strained, and can turn into a long-term problem if rushed back into action.

The Cardinals are hopeful that running back Andre Ellington, who injured his right knee in Week 1 against New Orleans, will take the field against Detroit. Ellington has been recovering from a low-grade sprain of the PCL, which typically takes a month or less for a full recovery, placing this one at the upper end of that range. Ellington will likely back up Chris Johnson as he gets back to speed.

Jacksonville tight end Julius Thomas is going to make his season debut following hand surgery in early September to repair a damaged tendon sustained in the first week of preseason. Thomas initially was diagnosed with a fractured bone in the right hand, but further testing revealed a tear in the tendon that connects the third finger to the hand (metacarpal) bone. The Jaguars initially were eyeing a Week 4 return but are taking a cautious approach.

Steelers receiver Martavis Bryant returns from his four-game suspension this week, but he might not see the field. He suffered a knee injury in practice this week. That’s put his status for Monday night’s game in San Diego in doubt.