Jay Cutler active, Marshawn Lynch questionable for Week 4

It's been a far-from-smooth start to Andrew Luck's season thus far, and things took a turn for the worse this week when the Indianapolis quarterback was limited in practice due to a right (throwing) shoulder injury. Luck's status -- and any specifics regarding the injury -- has been treated like a state secret by the Colts, but Luck will miss Sunday's game against Jacksonville. Because the Colts have not released any information, it's unclear whether this is a week-to-week situation or something that could cost him several weeks or more. On the positive side, Luck threw the ball on Saturday and doctors found no damage to his shoulder, with reports indicating that an MRI showed a bruise but no structural issues. Either way, injuries of the throwing shoulder are to be taken seriously, and backup Matt Hasselbeck will take the reins at QB until Luck is ready.

Also suffering from an injury to his throwing shoulder is Drew Brees, who missed his team's loss at Carolina in Week 3 due to what he described to ESPN's Ed Werder as inflammation of the rotator cuff muscles in the team's loss to Tampa Bay two weeks ago. After an initial period of rest, Brees has turned to strengthening exercises the past week to get his shoulder back in playing shape, and he will play Sunday night as the Saints host Dallas on Sunday Night Football. If Brees suffers a setback, Luke McCown would get the nod at QB for a second consecutive game.

It appears to be a true game-time decision Monday night for Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch, who injured his hamstring early in last week's shellacking of Chicago and has not practiced in full this week. Head coach Pete Carroll has already said that it will come down to the wire as to whether or not Lynch takes the field for Monday Night Football, and it can't be said enough that hamstring injuries are notoriously slow to heal and even more notorious for being prone to re-injury if tested before an athlete has fully recovered. That means rookie Thomas Rawls, who starred last week in Lynch's absence, may be in line for a heavy load against Detroit.

Also in the hamstring department, Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler missed the Bears' Week 3 loss to Seattle with a strain suffered while trying to make a tackle on a pick-six the previous game. After participating on a limited basis in practice this week, he is officially active and is expected to start against Oakland.

Compared to a running back like Lynch, who relies on hamstrings for speed and acceleration, quarterbacks primarily use these muscles to help power their throws. Because quarterbacks typically do not use their hamstrings in the same way as position players that rely on speed, it stands to reason there may be a lower chance of aggravation. That said, backup Jimmy Clausen, who struggled last week against the Seahawks, will be need to be ready to go if Cutler is limited.

The Texans will be joined by Arian Foster for the first time this season. The star running back missed the first three weeks following surgery in early August to repair a torn groin muscle. Although the initial prognosis was for a 2-3 month recovery period, Foster has progressed nicely in his rehab and he has participated fully in practice this week. Even as Foster takes the field today, it stands to reason he may be eased back into action, splitting carries with Alfred Blue until he is back to game shape.

Playing Sunday in Washington, the Eagles will get DeMarco Murray going this week after two largely ineffective efforts and missing last week's game. He will first have to see how his injured hamstring holds up in pregame warmups. Murray was a full participant in practice this week and, as of Sunday morning, will be ready to play when Philadelphia attempts to get back to .500 this week. But as previously noted, hamstring strains are notoriously easy to re-injure, meaning Ryan Mathews -- who starred in relief last week -- will need to be ready for an increased workload in case.

The Cardinals were hopeful that RB Andre Ellington, who injured his right knee in Week 1 against New Orleans, would be able to take the field for the first time since Sept. 13 this week against the Rams. But Ellington is out again. He has been recovering from a low-grade sprain of the PCL, which typically takes a month or less for a full recovery. Head coach Bruce Arians had not committed to whether Ellington, who is listed as questionable on Arizona's injury report, would take the field, although even if he had been active, Chris Johnson was likely to get the start.

The Jets will have Eric Decker back in the lineup this week. Like Ellington, he is recovering from a PCL sprain of his left knee that kept him out of last week's loss to the Eagles. As opposed to the dreaded ACL sprain, low-grade PCL sprains are much quicker to recover.