Week 7 NFL Injury Updates: Key Fantasy Football Players to Monitor, Including Barkley
Several injuries could affect fantasy football lineups and NFL defenses as teams prepare for Week 8 and beyond.
With Week 7 of the NFL regular season now in the books, let's look at some notable injury news from around the league.
We have several players to get into, so let's get right to it.
Fantasy football injury news can be found all season on FantasySP. Use the start/sit tool to help with your fantasy lineup decisions all season!
Running Back Injuries
A few running backs got injured this week, so let's start with players at that position.
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Philadelphia's Saquon Barkley returned from a two-game absence on Monday, but left with a new injury. He had a hamstring injury, then was tagged with a back injury on Monday.
Coach Nick Sirianni said Barkley was on a pitch count, but Barkley's status needs to be monitored again moving forward. Dameon Pierce could be right back in his lead role if Barkley is unable to play moving forward.
San Francisco's Christian McCaffrey has a mild hamstring strain after Week 7. The team is optimistic he can play after the team has a bye in Week 8.
Kaelon Black is an RB to keep tabs on if CMC misses any games.
Minnesota's Aaron Jones Sr. has a knee injury and is day-to-day right now.
He had been leading the Vikings' backfield with Jordan Mason out, but Mason returned and led the way in Week 7. Mason could be the workhorse if Jones is out there, and is likely to lead the way now with Jones banged up.
New York Giants' Cam Skattebo has a hamstring injury he's working through. Fellow RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. has a hamstring injury as well.
Both RBs dealing with injuries is a concern for the Giants, so we'll see how each back progresses from here. New York has a bye in Week 8 as well, so we won't need to worry about the backfield until Week 9.
Wide Receiver Injuries
Houston's Jaylin Noel and Seattle's Rashid Shaheed left their Sunday games with injuries.
Noel has a turf toe injury. If he were to miss time or be limited, the Texans would lean more on Nico Collins, Xavier Hutchinson, Kayshon Boutte, Tank Dell and Marvin Harrison Jr. Tight end Dalton Schultz could also get some more looks.
Shaheed suffered a knee injury. If he misses time, the Seahawks will lean even more on Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Cooper Kupp and Tory Horton could also become more involved, as could tight end AJ Barner.
Defensive Injuries
On the defensive side of the ball, there were a bunch of injuries that could alter things moving forward, so let's go over those.
Green Bay's Zaire Franklin didn't play in Week 7 due to a hairline fracture in his leg. He could miss additional time, especially with the Packers playing on Thursday in Week 8, so the defense could be a bit more vulnerable without the leading linebacker.
Miami cornerback JuJu Brents left with a stinger. If he misses any additional time, the Dolphins' secondary is more vulnerable than usual, as Brents has played most of the team's defensive snaps in 2026.
New Orleans safety Justin Reid left with a concussion. If he misses time, the team's secondary will take a huge hit. Reid had been on the field for every defensive snap up until the injury, and had been a force in the secondary.
New York Jets nose tackle T'Vondre Sweat left Sunday's game with a knee injury. He's played a bunch this season, so missing him could weaken the interior of the Jets' defense.
Other Injuries
Carolina offensive tackle Taylor Moton suffered a fractured fibula in Sunday's game and is expected to be out a while. He will be out at least four weeks after landing on the injured reserve list.
He got in just two games (the past two weeks) after a delay to the start of his season. Moton had played every offensive snap until the injury, so now the Panthers will have to adjust to life without him again.
Green Bay center Sean Rhyan suffered a high ankle sprain and will miss a couple of weeks most likely. Fellow lineman Jacob Monk was placed on injured reserve with a quad injury, so the Packers' o-line is really hurting.
Aaron Banks and Travis Glover are two other linemen who are on the injury report, so the o-line could be a huge issue for the Packers in their Thursday game against Carolina in Week 8.
Seattle's Charles Cross suffered a high ankle sprain and is expected to miss a week or two, but maybe more.
He had played every offensive snap until his injury, so him being out is a big blow to the Seattle o-line and offense overall.
