Puka Nacua, Josh Jacobs and Rhamondre Stevenson Headline Week 9's Sunday Injury Fallout: Status Table and the Week 10 Replacement Plan

Puka Nacua walked off the field with a knee injury on the Rams' final offensive snap of a 20-13 win over Washington, and he is scheduled for an MRI on Monday. That is the biggest fantasy injury to come out of Week 9's Sunday slate, but it is far from the only one. Josh Jacobs fractured the ring finger on his right hand in Green Bay's 45-27 win at New England, Rhamondre Stevenson left the same game with a knee injury, Jaylen Waddle was ruled out of Denver's win over Carolina with a concussion, and Patrick Mahomes sprained his elbow before returning to finish off the Jets.

The early news on Nacua is cautiously encouraging. Per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo and ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Rams do not believe he tore his ACL, and he left the field under his own power. The MRI will determine the actual diagnosis, and sports medicine analysts have flagged the possibility that it involves the same knee that cost him five games in 2024. Until the Rams say more, managers should treat him as uncertain for Week 10 at Arizona.

The Week 9 Sunday injury table

This table covers the fantasy-relevant injuries suffered during Sunday's games, with the status as reported Sunday night and Monday morning. Statuses will move once teams release Wednesday practice reports.

Josh Jacobs and the Green Bay backfield

Jacobs got his hand caught on a 2-yard run while fending off a defender, and the Packers' medical staff tried tape and then a cast before deciding neither was comfortable enough for him to return. He finished with four carries for five yards. Head coach Matt LaFleur said afterward the team hopes Jacobs can play through the fracture, which is the key phrase for managers: this reads like a pain-tolerance question, not a multi-week absence, and players with hand fractures often suit up with a club or a protective wrap.

The insurance answer, if Jacobs cannot go against Minnesota, is Kaleb Johnson. He carried 14 times for 68 yards and a touchdown in his first extended action as a Packer, with Pierre Strong as the other available back while MarShawn Lloyd (knee) sat. Chris Brooks has had his practice window opened from injured reserve but has not been activated. Johnson is the add in every league where Jacobs is rostered, and he becomes a borderline RB2 if Jacobs is ruled out, since Green Bay's offense just put up 45 points and Jordan Love leads the league in passing yards.

Rhamondre Stevenson and New England's thin backfield

Stevenson's day was rough before the injury. He had 32 yards on six carries and lost a fumble, then left with a knee problem and did not return. The Patriots were already without TreVeyon Henderson, so the healthy backs heading to Munich for Sunday's game against Detroit are Corey Kiner and Lan Larison. Kiner led the team on the ground Sunday with 55 yards on eight carries and scored his first career touchdown, though much of that came after the game was decided.

New England has its bye in Week 11, and multiple fantasy analysts have pointed out that the schedule gives the team an easy path to rest Stevenson for three weeks if the knee is at all in doubt. That scenario makes Kiner the likely starter against a Lions team that just held Miami to nine points. He is a volume play, not a matchup play, but volume is what managers need with four teams on bye.

Waddle, Mahomes, Lock and the rest

Waddle took a hit to the helmet from Panthers rookie safety Zakee Wheatley while elevating for a deep ball from Bo Nix and was ruled out with a concussion. The timing is fortunate for Denver: the Broncos are on bye in Week 10, which gives him close to two weeks to clear the protocol before Week 11. Courtland Sutton and Pat Bryant absorbed the work Sunday, but neither helps managers this week.

Mahomes was hurt on a strip-sack by Jets rookie David Bailey just before halftime, returned, and finished 23 of 31 for 242 yards and two touchdowns. Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the MRI did not reveal a major injury, and the Chiefs will monitor the elbow for pain and swelling this week. He is a start at Atlanta unless his practice participation tells a different story. Kansas City also lost Xavier Worthy to a hamstring injury, per NFL.com's injury roundup, which would push more volume to Travis Kelce and Kenneth Walker III if Worthy misses time.

In Seattle, Lock started for the injured Sam Darnold (quad) and beat Arizona while dealing with elbow and oblique issues. Head coach Mike Macdonald said Lock's availability for Week 10 is up in the air, and Darnold is considered week to week. If neither can go at Las Vegas, the Seahawks would turn to Jalen Milroe, which would ding Jaxon Smith-Njigba in a week when he is already coming off a quiet seven-catch, 51-yard line.

Herbert hurt the middle finger on his left hand on a fourth-quarter sack and finished the game wearing a large glove. He said afterward he does not expect it to be an issue, and it is his non-throwing hand. Ladd McConkey missed the game after hurting his back in pregame warmups. In Dallas, head coach Brian Schottenheimer said tight end Jake Ferguson would undergo testing on Monday on his knee, per NFL.com, so Ferguson managers should have a fallback ready for a home game against San Francisco.

What to do in your league

Rams: Do not drop Nacua on Monday's uncertainty. If the MRI comes back as a sprain with a short timeline, he is a hold through the rest of the season. Davante Adams is the obvious beneficiary if Nacua sits against Arizona, and he moves into WR1 territory for Week 10.

Packers: Add Kaleb Johnson now. If you roster Jacobs, Johnson is a must-handcuff, and if you do not, he is still the most direct path to a starting running back off the wire this week.

Patriots: Add Corey Kiner in 12-team leagues and deeper. Stevenson's knee, Henderson's continued absence and the Week 11 bye all point toward Kiner handling the bulk of the work in Munich.

Chiefs and Seahawks: Start Mahomes as normal unless he is limited into Friday. Monitor Lock and Darnold through Friday, and treat any Seattle quarterback other than those two as a downgrade for the entire passing game.

What's next

Monday's Nacua MRI is the domino that matters most, and Ferguson's testing lands the same day. Wednesday practice reports will show whether Jacobs is participating with a protected hand, and whether the Patriots list Stevenson as a full non-participant. Because Commanders at Giants opens Week 10 on Thursday night, Washington's injury report comes out a day early, but none of the players in this table are involved in that game.

For the model's view of how these injuries shape Week 10 matchups, check the NFL predictions page at /nfl/predictions and the weekly picks at /blog/nfl-week-10-picks-2026 once they are posted. And with the Bears, Eagles, Buccaneers and Broncos on bye, every one of the replacement backs above carries more weight than usual in Week 10 lineups.