Tua Tagovailoa Lands on Falcons Injury Report With Oblique Issue
Tagovailoa was limited Thursday after tweaking an oblique, and Cooper Rush took every first-team rep. Friday's report decides Sunday's starter.
Limited with an oblique; Friday's report tells you whether to trust him.
- Tua added to report with oblique, limited Thursday
- Cooper Rush took all first-team work at practice
- Tua: 2660 yds, 20 TD, 15 INT over 14 games (2025)
- Penix (knee) full but ruled inactive this week
- Rush has 0 TD, 4 INT in 4 games (2025)
Tua Tagovailoa is now a name to watch on the Falcons injury report. Atlanta listed him as limited Thursday with an oblique injury after he got hurt during the open portion of practice, and backup Cooper Rush told reporters he handled all of the first-team reps in the session. That's not the kind of detail you shrug off when your fantasy Sunday depends on knowing who's under center.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski said earlier this week the plan was still for Tagovailoa to start against the Steelers, with Rush backing him up. But the reps split tells its own story, and Friday's report will confirm whether Tua is good to go or whether Rush draws the start against his old Cowboys boss Mike McCarthy in McCarthy's Pittsburgh debut.
Where This Leaves the Depth Chart
Don't count on Michael Penix bailing anyone out. He remained a full participant coming off a knee issue, but Stefanski already ruled him inactive this weekend, and Jack Strand sits behind everyone on the 53-man roster. So the QB1 job realistically comes down to Tagovailoa's oblique or Rush's arm — no third option worth rostering.
The rest of the report is a laundry list. Corner Billy Bowman (Achilles), receiver Zachariah Branch (hamstring), linebacker Kendal Daniels (Achilles), and defensive linemen Brandon Dorlus (groin) and Da'Shawn Hand (knee) were all limited. Right tackle Jawaan Taylor (knee) and edge Za'Darius Smith (shoulder) didn't practice at all, while lineman Kyle Hinton (knee) was full.
The Fantasy Fallout
For managers, this matters mostly in superflex and two-QB leagues. Tagovailoa is our #104 overall and QB26, and he wasn't setting anyone's lineup on fire anyway — 161 PPR points across 14 games last season (2025), with 20 touchdowns against a rough 15 interceptions, and his last five games came in two fantasy points below his season average. An oblique tweak on top of that is a hard sell as a confident start.
Rush is the emergency name here, but temper it: unranked, and just 2 PPR points over four appearances last season (2025) with zero touchdowns and four picks. If you're desperate, monitor Friday's designation. If Tua practices full and clears, you can slot him as a low-end streamer. If he's questionable or worse, pivot to a matchup you actually trust and leave the Falcons passing game on your bench.
