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We were hoping Joe Burrow's preseason calf injury was in the rearview mirror when he was cleared to play for Week 1, but it cropped back up again late in Week 2's game against the Ravens. 

Burrow limped off the field late in the Bengals loss to the Ravens, and though he told reporters after the game he would have gone back in if the Bengals had another possession, but that doesn't necessarily mean Burrow is in the clear moving forward. 

"I'm not sure how it's going to feel in the next couple of days," Burrow told reporters. "It's pretty sore right now, but (there is) no telling how it's going to feel, so I think we're going to take it day-by-day."

It's obviously a concerning sign that Burrow has already suffered a setback just two weeks into the season after missing pretty much the entirety of training camp with the injury. Even if he's able to play through it, Burrow hasn't looked great early on  – he completed 27 of 41 passes for 222 yards with two touchdowns to Tee Higgins and one interception – and it's fair to be concerned about the outlook of this whole Bengals offense right now.

I'm assuming they'll be fine in the long run, but they might need to give Burrow some time to get fully healthy after this. Maybe that means just a few days off this week before he's back for Week 3 against the Rams, but it also might mean Burrow has to miss a few weeks to heal up. 

That would be less than ideal, obviously, as his backup, Jake Browning, is an undrafted free agent who has attempted one regular season pass in the NFL since leaving college in 2018. Their third-string QB, Will Grier, is on the practice squad and hasn't attempted a pass in an NFL game since 2019, when he had four interceptions in two starts with the Panthers.

There is going to be a downgrade no matter what the Bengals have to do if Burrow misses time, so we'll hope for a best-case scenario here. The problem is, a best-case scenario might still involve Burrow taking some time off now so he'll be okay down the stretch. That wouldn't take Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins out of starting consideration for Fantasy, but it would certainly make it tougher to trust them and the rest of this Bengals offense. 

We'll get updates on Burrow's status over the next few days, but at this point, it certainly wouldn't be surprising if he had to miss some time. Before we move on to the other players who were unable to finish Sunday's games with their injuries, there were a few other injuries players were able to play through, but still bear watching heading into Week 3: 

  • DK Metcalf left with a rib injury early on but was ultimately able to play through it. Jaxon Smith-Njigba also got his leg looked at early on but also ended up coming back and finishing the game.
  • Amon-Ra St. Brown had his calf looked at multiple times late in the game, but was back in at the end. 
  • Brandon Aiyuk left early on with what looked like a shoulder or elbow injury, and he was slow to get up a few times despite playing through it. 
  • Travis Etienne was out of the game for the Jaguars late, but it was just because of cramping. Doesn't seem like anything to be concerned about moving forward. 
  • Calvin Ridley also left Sunday's game late, after he ran into the goal post stanchion. He went down and grabbed at his knee and had to be helped off, but did return for one of the final snaps. The Jaguars also had Zay Jones exit the game with a knee injury early on, but he played through it and nearly had a touchdown on three separate occasions. 

Saquon Barkley left with an ankle injury

Late in the Giants comeback effort Sunday, Barkley got rolled up on and had to be helped to the sidelines. He looked visibly frustrated on the bench, slamming his helmet to the ground, though he did try to have the ankle taped up in case the game went into overtime. When the game ended, he went to the locker room and was carted off for X-rays, the results of which are not yet known as of around 7:30 p.m. Hopefully, Barkley avoided a serious injury, though even a relatively minor ankle sprain would seem likely to cost him at least one game, with the Giants set to face the 49ers on Thursday night in Week 3. Matt Breida would likely get the start and split work with Gary Brightwell, but I don't think we've seen anything from this Giants offense so far to make us think that's a duo worth trusting in Fantasy against a defense like San Francisco's. I'll probably rank them as RB4s at best, and I'd have to be pretty desperate to trust either, even if Barkley sits. 

Anthony Richardson left with a concussion

Richardson looked like he was on his way to a massive game with two early touchdowns, but we saw the downside of his aggressive, run-heavy approach when he fell hard on the second of those touchdowns and exited the game. He was checked out and entered the concussion protocol, meaning he'll have to be cleared before he can return to the field. 

The question here is whether Richardson suffering this injury in his second game might make the Colts a bit more conservative with his usage. Richardson is a big, athletic QB, and his physicality is part of what has him looking like a potentially dominant Fantasy option, but will the Colts ask him to pull back on the running to keep him healthy? I'd bet against it – Richardson isn't going to be the same player if he's not using his legs, but it's an open question moving forward. Richardson has the look of a top-12 QB when he's on the field; let's hope he's back out there in Week 3 against the Ravens. 

David Montgomery left with a thigh injury

Montgomery was having another solid game, rushing for 67 yards on 16 carries with a touchdown, but he suffered the injury after his lone catch for 7 yards. Montgomery got his leg twisted up as he was being tackled, and he was eventually carted to the locker room. That doesn't always mean the injury is as serious as it might seem, but it's still not what you want to see.

The concern here obviously would be either a muscle strain or some kind of knee injury related to the thigh, and it'll be very important to watch this one in the coming days, given how well the Lions have run the ball over the past couple of seasons. Jahmyr Gibbs saw a bit of a bigger role in Week 2, and could be a top-12 RB if Montgomery misses time – though it's also worth noting that Gibbs left Sunday's game late with what looked like an ankle injury. It's not clear if that's anything to be concerned about, but I'll note it here, because Craig Reynolds could be in line for a useful role in Week 3 against the Falcons if both Lions backs are out. 

Davante Adams being checked for a concussion after the game

With Jakobi Meyers out with a concussion of his own, Adams dominated targets for the Raiders, sporting a 33% target share on Jimmy Garoppolo's 24 throws. However, the last of those targets saw Adams take a shot to the head on a play that earned an unnecessary roughness penalty. Adams was placed in the concussion protocol after the game, so he'll have to be cleared before he can play in Week 3 against the Steelers. No wide receiver for the Raiders has had more than one target in either of their first two games except Adams and Meyers, so I'm not sure there's anyone here I'd have any interest in if they are out next week. 

Odell Beckham left with an ankle injury

Beckham got off to a quick start Sunday, catching three balls for 29 yards and drawing a defensive holding on the first two drives. However, that's all he would manage, as an ankle injury forced him out. After the game, coach John Harbaugh told reporters he didn't believe the injury to Beckham was too serious, which is the good news, though even if Beckham does have to miss time, it's not clear who would benefit in this passing game. 

With Mark Andrews back from his injury, Zay Flowers had a decent game, catching four passes for 62 yards, but his 12% target share this week was a disappointment after he was targeted on 10 of Lamar Jackson's 22 passes in Week 1. Rashod Bateman had just three catches for 18 yards, while Nelson Agholor caught five for 63 and a touchdown – but we don't really want to rely on Agholor if Beckham is out in Week 3, do we? He'll be fairly low on my list of waiver-wire priorities. 

Darnell Mooney left with a knee injury

Mooney didn't earn a target before his injury, and his absence did seem to create more opportunities for Chase Claypool, who found the end zone and wax targeted eight times. However, he caught just three of those eight targets for 36 yards, and the Lions offense still looked pretty rough, so I'm not particularly excited about the possibility of adding Claypool. Hopefully Mooney's injury isn't serious, but even he's just a fringe bench option in this offense, with DJ Moore emerging as Justin Fields' best target as expected Sunday.