NFL Week 3 Inactives: Latest Injury Updates and Fantasy Replacements

NFL Week 3 inactives will settle several important fantasy football decisions Sunday, with DJ Moore, Brock Bowers and Zay Flowers among the players to monitor before kickoff. Puka Nacua’s doubtful designation creates a different problem: managers waiting for Sunday Night Football need a backup plan before the afternoon games begin.

Morning update: Sunday, September 27, 2026, before the 11:30 a.m. ET early-game inactive releases. The statuses below reflect injury designations and morning reporting. An expectation that a player will play is not official confirmation that he is active. This tracker focuses on fantasy-relevant names rather than every team’s full inactive list.

NFL Week 3 Inactives and Injury Tracker

The Bills’ designations come from Buffalo’s official injury report. Sunday reporting summarized by Lindy’s Sports has Moore, Warren, Pittman and Bowers expected to play. Cameron Wolfe’s Coleman update, via RotoWire, also points toward availability. Each still requires a final game-day check.

What Time Are NFL Inactives Announced Today?

Teams release their game-day inactive lists approximately 90 minutes before kickoff. For fantasy managers, those announcements provide the final availability check before each window.

1 p.m. ET games: Look for inactives around 11:30 a.m. ET.
4:05 p.m. ET games: Look around 2:35 p.m. ET.
4:25 p.m. ET games: Look around 2:55 p.m. ET.
8:20 p.m. ET Sunday Night Football: Look around 6:50 p.m. ET.

A player can be active and still have a reduced workload. Practice participation, pregame reports and the team’s available alternatives remain relevant even after the inactive list arrives.

DJ Moore and Keon Coleman: Buffalo’s Early Decisions

Moore’s shoulder and Coleman’s ankle put both Bills receivers on the questionable list. Buffalo described them as game-time decisions after limited practices Friday. The encouraging Sunday reports improve their outlook, but neither should be marked officially active based on those reports alone.

If one is unavailable, Khalil Shakir becomes a receiver to consider for a larger share of Buffalo’s passing opportunities. That is a conditional fantasy adjustment, not a guarantee of a particular target total. If both play, avoid assuming an injury-driven workload increase for another receiver.

Brock Bowers: Keep a Late Tight End Option

Bowers remains questionable with a knee injury after missing the first two games. NFL.com detailed his designation ahead of Sunday’s expected return against New Orleans.

Managers planning to start Bowers should keep Michael Mayer available where possible until the Raiders make their final decision. Mayer is a contingency if Bowers sits; he should not be treated as having the same opportunity if Bowers returns. Also remember that a return to action does not establish a full workload.

Zay Flowers: The Risk Is Waiting Without a Replacement

Flowers is questionable with a hamstring injury after returning to limited practice Friday, according to the Ravens’ official report. Baltimore also ruled out left tackle Ronnie Stanley with a toe injury.

Rashod Bateman is a possible replacement to evaluate if Flowers cannot play. The practical issue is timing: if your preferred alternative plays at 1 p.m. ET, you must choose before Baltimore’s afternoon list arrives. A healthy early option can be preferable to waiting without a usable fallback.

Who Is Already Ruled Out?

Houston’s injury report lists Nico Collins out with a hamstring injury. Remove him from starting lineups rather than waiting for an inactive announcement to repeat the decision.

Washington confirmed Marcus Mariota will start while Jayden Daniels is sidelined by his elbow injury. Mariota is an option to evaluate in deeper or superflex leagues; replacing Daniels does not automatically give him Daniels’ fantasy ceiling.

Pittsburgh ruled out Rico Dowdle with a toe injury. Warren’s expected availability makes his final status particularly important. An available Warren would have an opportunity for additional work, though the exact backfield split remains uncertain.

Puka Nacua and the Sunday Night Fantasy Decision

The Rams list Nacua as doubtful with a hip injury that Sean McVay described as groin soreness. Jordan Whittington has no game designation, making him a potential late fallback to evaluate if available in your league. Denver has ruled out Jonah Coleman, while Dobbins and Harvey have no game designation.

Do not pass on a dependable afternoon starter simply because Nacua has not yet been officially ruled out. If you choose to wait, keep a confirmed alternative from Sunday night or Monday night available and check your league’s roster-lock rules.

Final Fantasy Lineup Check

Remove players already ruled out, confirm questionable players at their inactive-list release, and preserve a late option for every unresolved afternoon or night-game decision. Where roster rules allow, place your latest-starting eligible player in the flex spot to retain more replacement choices.

For tournament lineup construction, see our NFL Week 3 DraftKings main-slate picks. Recheck all nine roster spots against official availability before entering a lineup.

Want to write, edit, host, or produce with FPC? Join the staff →