Justin Jefferson Is Out. Puka Nacua Is Back. The Report Has Teeth.

Friday's paperwork ruled out Justin Jefferson, cleared Puka Nacua, and left San Francisco's Mike Evans strapping his ribs into a padded shirt. The official word has arrived.

Bring out the receipts.

Sunday Morning Update (Oct. 4, 8 a.m. ET)

Since Friday, two UNCONFIRMED tags have disappeared, two offenses have lost major pieces, and Baltimore got a weather complication.

Zay Flowers, WR, Baltimore: The official tag remains Questionable with the hamstring injury, but confidence in his availability has climbed. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Sunday morning that the Ravens were encouraged by Flowers's pregame workout and expect him to play.

Booth: So we have an upgrade?

Color: In confidence, yes. On the injury report, no. Keep the distinction and bring out the receipts.

Weather trackers put the chance of rain around 75% at kickoff for Titans-Ravens, with conditions expected to ease through the afternoon. Flowers can play through a Questionable tag, but a wet field matters when Baltimore's passing game is leaning on a receiver testing a hamstring. Philadelphia carries a more moderate rain chance, around 45%, for Rams-Eagles. Buffalo and Santa Clara are clear.

Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington: Surprise. McLaurin wasn't in Friday's version of this piece because the hamstring problem surfaced on Washington's Friday injury report. He drew a Questionable tag, and Commanders reporter Ben Standig reported Saturday that McLaurin is now likely to miss the London game against Indianapolis.

That leaves Marcus Mariota without Jayden Daniels, who is out with an elbow injury, and likely without McLaurin. Laremy Tunsil is on IR with a triceps injury, while Sam Cosmi is out with a concussion. Washington's receiver room is short, and the line protecting Mariota is shorter.

Caleb Williams, QB, Chicago: The Bears ruled Williams out Friday with a Grade 2 hamstring injury, his second straight missed game. Tyson Bagent took every first-team practice rep and is expected to start against the Jets. That belongs beside the Breece Hall discussion below because Chicago's quarterback change sharpens the likely game script.

RJ Harvey, RB, Denver: Saturday's UNCONFIRMED tag is resolved. Denver's current report lists Harvey with no game designation after the earlier concussion evaluation. He's fully cleared.

Trent Williams, OT, San Francisco: The other UNCONFIRMED tag is resolved, too. Williams practiced in full Friday, carries no game designation, and is expected to play after the Week 3 neck stinger.

Booth: Two mystery tags enter Sunday morning.

Color: Neither survives breakfast. Mark both as hits for the final reports and move on.

Keenan Allen, WR, Indianapolis: Allen is out with a groin injury for today's London game. Ashton Dulin is Questionable with an ankle injury, leaving Indianapolis thinner at receiver against Washington.

Philadelphia Eagles: The final report hit harder than Friday's version showed. DeVonta Smith is out, with the injury now confirmed as a hamstring. Dallas Goedert is out with a knee injury, and Zack Baun remains out with a concussion. Philadelphia also ruled out Marquise Brown with an ankle injury, offensive lineman Fred Johnson with a knee injury, and safety Marcus Epps with a groin injury. The Eagles will face the Rams with less receiver depth, less protection depth, and another missing piece in the secondary.

Friday's version follows below, untouched except where noted. The sources list at the bottom grows to match.

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FEATURED PLAYER: Justin Jefferson

Justin Jefferson is OUT against Miami with a sprained left ankle. An MRI confirmed the injury, which ESPN's Jeremy Fowler called "a minor ankle sprain," and Kevin O'Connell ruled Jefferson out Friday. Minor is a diagnosis. OUT is a fantasy problem.

Jordan Addison becomes Minnesota's top target, with T.J. Hockenson next in line. Jauan Jennings, Tai Felton, and Myles Price should also see more work, though the Vikings are dividing Jefferson's missing volume because there isn't another Jefferson sitting in the equipment room.

Tuesday's call was blunt: "Out. Not Questionable. Out." We flagged some flip risk, but the ankle held the line. HIT.

Surprise, might play

Puka Nacua, WR, LA Rams. Tuesday leaned toward a sit. Nacua answered with a full practice, no injury designation, and ACTIVE status against Philadelphia after missing two games with hip and groin trouble. That isn't a late escape. He kicked the door off its hinges.

Mike Evans, WR, San Francisco. Yes, that Mike Evans, the longtime Buccaneer now catching passes for the 49ers. He's QUESTIONABLE with a rib injury George Kittle described as fractured, and Kyle Shanahan calls him a game-time decision, but he practiced on a limited basis Friday and plans to play in a padded compression shirt. Tuesday called him OUT with high confidence. The ribs were right; the hard designation wasn't.

Ronnie Stanley, OT, Baltimore. Stanley is QUESTIONABLE with a toe injury after two limited practices. He missed the previous week entirely, so the Questionable tag is progress for Derrick Henry and Baltimore's offense. The tackle spot looked like Henry's biggest efficiency threat Tuesday. It eased.

Might not play

Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota. He won't play. The ankle ends the discussion, no matter how mild the MRI language sounded.

Breece Hall, RB, NY Jets. Hall is OUT against Chicago with a quad injury, remains week-to-week, and didn't practice. Tuesday called it a thigh injury, which was imprecise, but the sit call landed. Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis share the replacement work.

Colby Parkinson, TE, LA Rams. Parkinson is QUESTIONABLE with a knee injury. Tuesday called him a true toss-up, and Friday handed us the official version of a shrug.

Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington. Daniels is OUT for the London game against Indianapolis while recovering from a dislocated elbow. He hasn't received full clearance, so Marcus Mariota starts behind a line missing Laremy Tunsil and Sam Cosmi. Tunsil is on injured reserve with a triceps injury; Cosmi is out with a concussion and didn't travel.

Rams-Eagles absences. Philadelphia ruled out DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert, plus linebacker Zack Baun. Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald is OUT with a back injury. None of these were among Tuesday's graded calls, but they change the shape of Sunday's game.

Surprise, might not play

Zay Flowers, WR, Baltimore. Tuesday called him clean, tag-free, ready to go. Friday slapped QUESTIONABLE on him for a hamstring injury. Baltimore built him up to a full Thursday practice, then held him to a limited Friday just for rest, so he may still play, but the promised clean report never arrived. Call it a miss and move on.

The rest (on watch)

Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo. Allen carries no injury designation against New England after his coach downplayed the previous week's knee bump. Tuesday called for a full workload, and nothing on Buffalo's report argues otherwise.

Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore. Henry has no individual designation. Stanley's improvement from a complete absence to Questionable also makes Baltimore's tackle situation less threatening than it looked Tuesday.

Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco. No Broncos-week injury tag turned up for McCaffrey; his most recent absence was a scheduled veteran rest day, not an injury concern. Tuesday's call on him holds. The paired Trent Williams note stays UNCONFIRMED: he was returning to practice after a Week 3 neck stinger, but nothing tied to this specific game turned up in our check, so we're saying so instead of guessing.

RJ Harvey, RB, Denver. Harvey's exact status for this game is UNCONFIRMED. Tuesday correctly caught an earlier concussion evaluation, but Harvey was cleared the same day, and nothing fresh tied to this week's 49ers game turned up. J.K. Dobbins has recently handled early-down work ahead of him, which speaks to usage, not to a current injury.

Washington's returning depth. Marcus Mariota is the confirmed starter; Frankie Luvu and Chig Okonkwo are both back after missing time. Washington gets bodies back even as Daniels, Tunsil, and Cosmi stay out.

Cleveland at Pittsburgh, already played Thursday. Elgton Jenkins was OUT with a concussion, and Luke Wypler started at center in his place. Teven Jenkins was OUT with a back injury. Tylan Wallace was OUT with a knee injury. Tytus Howard played clean, no designation, and Parker Brailsford was healthy depth, not a casualty. Tuesday found two real line injuries and inflated them into a four-man pileup by counting two healthy linemen as hurt.

Rico Dowdle, RB, Pittsburgh. Dowdle's final Thursday designation isn't confirmed in our research. The last public word gave him a "pretty good chance" to play through a toe injury, but a pregame trend isn't a final tag. He stays UNCONFIRMED.

Grading Tuesday's calls

Booth: Fourteen calls. Every one gets a grade.

Color: Even the ones hiding behind coach-speak?

Booth: Especially those. That's where confidence gets mugged.

1. TC-01, Josh Allen. Tuesday: "plays, full workload, high confidence." Allen has no injury designation. HIT. Tally: 1 HIT, 0 MISS, 0 UNCONFIRMED.

1. TC-02, Justin Jefferson. Tuesday: "Out. Not Questionable. Out." Minnesota ruled him OUT with the ankle sprain. HIT. Tally: 2 HIT, 0 MISS, 0 UNCONFIRMED.

1. TC-03, Zay Flowers. Tuesday called for a clean report, no tag. Flowers is QUESTIONABLE with a hamstring injury. MISS. Tally: 2 HIT, 1 MISS, 0 UNCONFIRMED.

1. TC-04, Derrick Henry. Tuesday kept the workload intact and flagged Stanley's tackle spot as the risk. Henry has no tag, and Stanley improved to Questionable. HIT. Tally: 3 HIT, 1 MISS, 0 UNCONFIRMED.

1. TC-05, Mike Evans (San Francisco). Tuesday called him OUT with injured ribs, high confidence. He's QUESTIONABLE, a game-time decision. The concern was right; the hard designation wasn't. MISS. Tally: 3 HIT, 2 MISS, 0 UNCONFIRMED.

1. TC-06, Christian McCaffrey. Tuesday said he'd play, workload intact or bigger. No current-week injury tag turned up, so the player call holds. The Trent Williams piece of this call can't be confirmed for this exact game. HIT. Tally: 4 HIT, 2 MISS, 0 UNCONFIRMED.

1. TC-07, Breece Hall. Tuesday called him OUT and named Braelon Allen as the beneficiary. Hall is out: it's a quad, not the reported thigh, and Isaiah Davis also shares the replacement work. HIT, with a correction. Tally: 5 HIT, 2 MISS, 0 UNCONFIRMED.

1. TC-08, RJ Harvey. Tuesday corrected the injury to a concussion and called it a lower-confidence game-time decision. The evaluation happened, but he was cleared that day, and nothing fresh for this game turned up. UNCONFIRMED. Tally: 5 HIT, 2 MISS, 1 UNCONFIRMED.

1. TC-09, Puka Nacua. Tuesday leaned sit, called it close to a coin flip. Nacua practiced fully, carries no designation, and plays. MISS. Tally: 5 HIT, 3 MISS, 1 UNCONFIRMED.

1. TC-10, Colby Parkinson. Tuesday called him a true toss-up. Parkinson is QUESTIONABLE with a knee injury. HIT. Tally: 6 HIT, 3 MISS, 1 UNCONFIRMED.

1. TC-11, Jayden Daniels. Tuesday called him OUT with the elbow injury. He's out, not fully cleared. HIT. Tally: 7 HIT, 3 MISS, 1 UNCONFIRMED.

1. TC-12, Marcus Mariota. Tuesday said he'd start but flagged Washington's battered line. Mariota is confirmed; Tunsil and Cosmi are both out. HIT. Tally: 8 HIT, 3 MISS, 1 UNCONFIRMED.

1. TC-13, Tylan Wallace. Tuesday leaned sit. Wallace was ruled OUT: direction right, severity understated. The supporting line read was messier than Tuesday made it sound. Both Jenkinses were out, but Howard played clean and Brailsford was never hurt. HIT, with a correction. Tally: 9 HIT, 3 MISS, 1 UNCONFIRMED.

1. TC-14, Rico Dowdle. Tuesday called him OUT, high confidence, with Jaylen Warren as the clean beneficiary. Pregame reporting leaned toward Dowdle playing, but the final Thursday designation isn't in our record. UNCONFIRMED. Tally: 9 HIT, 3 MISS, 2 UNCONFIRMED.

Final tally: 9 HIT, 3 MISS, 2 UNCONFIRMED. That's 9-for-12 on confirmed outcomes, 75 percent. The two we couldn't confirm get no credit and no forced loss. We're not rounding this in our own favor.

Disclaimer

This is not inside information and not betting advice. Every status above comes from public reporting, team injury reports, or NFL designations, with a source and retrieval date listed below. Where our research didn't turn up a named current-week source or a final designation, the player is marked UNCONFIRMED rather than guessed, and is held out of the hit-rate denominator.

Sources

All statuses retrieved 2026-10-01 through 2026-10-03, cross-checked against each other:

• ZeroChalk's Sept. 29 injury-predictions piece supplied calls TC-01 through TC-14.
• Josh Allen's status comes from CBS Sports and Yahoo Sports.
• Jefferson's ankle and Minnesota's replacement roles come from Yahoo Sports and ESPN.
• Flowers, Stanley, and the Henry context come from the Baltimore Ravens official site and Baltimore Beatdown.
• San Francisco's Mike Evans comes from NBC Sports Bay Area and ESPN.
• Breece Hall's quad comes from The Washington Post and ESPN.
• Nacua and Parkinson come from SI.com and ESPN.
• The Rams-Eagles absences come from Yahoo Sports and ESPN.
• Daniels, Mariota, Tunsil, Cosmi, Luvu, and Okonkwo come from CBS Sports, Yahoo Sports, and ESPN.
• The Cleveland-Pittsburgh final report (already played Thursday) comes from NBC Sports, SI.com, and Yahoo Sports.
• Dowdle's pregame reporting comes from NBC Sports Fantasy and FantasyPros.
• McCaffrey drew only general-season reporting for this specific matchup through Friday. Sunday's update below resolved Trent Williams and RJ Harvey off UNCONFIRMED; see the next line for sourcing.
• Sunday's morning update, all retrieved around 8 a.m. ET on 2026-10-04: Zay Flowers's pregame-workout report comes from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Weather figures pull from footballdb.com, covers.com, and sharpfootballanalysis.com. Terry McLaurin's downgrade comes from Commanders beat reporter Ben Standig, via SI.com and Yahoo Sports fantasy injury-impact coverage. Caleb Williams's Friday ruling-out and Tyson Bagent's practice reps come from NBC Sports and Yahoo Sports. RJ Harvey's and Trent Williams's clearances come from the NFL.com official Week 4 injury report and ESPN. Keenan Allen, Ashton Dulin, and the additional Philadelphia outs (Marquise Brown, Fred Johnson, Marcus Epps) come from ESPN's Week 4 fantasy inactives coverage.