Cowboys at Colts: Pickens, Ferguson Questionable for Sunday

The Dallas Cowboys go to Indianapolis on Sunday with their two most important pass catchers on the injury report. Wide receiver George Pickens is questionable with a hamstring injury and tight end Jake Ferguson is questionable with a low ankle sprain. Both were limited in practice on Friday. Kickoff at Lucas Oil Stadium is 1 p.m. Eastern.

Head coach Brian Schottenheimer said Friday that he is "hopeful" Pickens will play, according to the Cowboys' official site reporting carried in the DraftKings Network injury report. Pickens was limited all week. He played through limited practices in Week 8, which gives Dallas a recent precedent for suiting him up on the same workload.

Ferguson's case is tighter. He left the Week 8 overtime loss to Arizona early, did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday, and returned in a limited session on Friday. If he sits, Brevyn Spann-Ford takes the main tight end snaps. Spann-Ford played 88 percent of the offensive snaps after Ferguson's exit last week. James Mitchell is the other tight end on the depth chart.

The full Dallas list

Two Cowboys are out: return man KaVontae Turpin with a rib injury and Malachi Lawrence with an ankle injury. Neither practiced all week. Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. are also questionable, and both were limited on Friday. Rookie defensive back Caleb Downs and safety P.J. Locke III are off the report after clearing concussion protocol, and both will play.

Indianapolis has its own absences. Linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither and cornerback Justin Walley are out after missing practice all week. Safety A.J. Haulcy appeared on the report on Friday with an ankle issue and is questionable. The Colts' main weapons are healthy: the Cowboys' own preview picked out running back Jonathan Taylor, receiver Keenan Allen and receiver Josh Downs as the players Dallas has to stop.

Darnold out, Lock in at Seattle

The biggest quarterback news of the week sits in Seattle. Sam Darnold is out for the Cardinals game with quadriceps and rib injuries. Head coach Mike Macdonald announced the decision on Wednesday. Darnold cracked a rib on the second play of the Week 8 Monday night loss to Chicago and hurt his quadriceps late in the same game. Macdonald called him week-to-week. Darnold is not expected to go on injured reserve. Drew Lock starts in his place.

Seattle's problems do not stop at quarterback. Left tackle Charles Cross and guard Quenton Nelson are out, and Nelson needs a minor knee procedure to clean out cartilage. He is week-to-week and will avoid injured reserve for now. Linebacker Uchenna Nwosu, defensive tackle Brandon Pili, receiver Rashid Shaheed and defensive end Leonard Williams are also out. Arizona arrives missing players of its own, and Kyler Murray is sidelined with a hamstring injury, with Carson Wentz starting for the Cardinals against Buffalo in a separate game on the slate.

What else to watch Sunday

The slate opens early with the league's international game in Madrid, Falcons against Bengals at the Santiago Bernabeu, before the main wave of kickoffs. Green Bay at New England is the late afternoon draw, with the Packers visiting the Patriots at 4:25 p.m. Eastern. Tampa Bay at Chicago closes the day on Sunday Night Football from Soldier Field.

Final answers on every questionable player arrive about 90 minutes before kickoff, when teams post their inactive lists: around 11:30 a.m. Eastern for the early games and 2:30 p.m. for the late window, ESPN noted. For Dallas, that list decides the game plan. With Pickens and Ferguson, the Cowboys can attack Indianapolis down the field. Without either, the offense gets shorter and the Colts can load up against the run.

What happens next

Sunday's results feed straight into the standings at the season's halfway point. Dallas needs a road win to stop a slide. Seattle needs Lock to protect the ball behind a patched line. The Orbit Post will publish results roundups Sunday night as the finals land, and update this preview in place if the inactive lists change the picture before kickoff.