FanHouse StephenAlexander

Denver Broncos:

Out - Guard Ben Hamilton (concussion) and tackle Ryan Harris (back).

Questionable - Tight end Stephen Alexander (calf), defensive end Tim Crowder (ankle) and cornerback Karl Paymah.

Going into week one, the injury news is relatively positive for Denver. As you can see by the report, they will not be missing any starters today, and that should bode well for the Broncos, both offensively and defensively.

Buffalo Bills:

Out - Defensive end Ryan Denney (foot) and linebacker Keith Ellison (ankle).

The injury to second-year linebacker Keith Ellison could prove to be damaging for Buffalo's young defense. He will be replaced by Coy Wire, a converted safety will very little experience at linebacker. And don't look the other way on the Denney injury either. The back-up defensive end has been very productive for Buffalo in the past, and losing his production will most certainly be felt.

The injury report for this week's game against the Bengals is in - and it's good news all around for the Broncos. Darrent Williams will likely make his return to the lineup just in time to cover T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and it'll be interesting to see how Mike Shanhan handles the situation. Last week, the Broncos successfully contained the Cardinals' outstanding receiving pair of Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald without Williams, who's claim to fame this season was being torched by Reggie Wayne when the Colts came into town. I'm betting we'll see a lot of Domonique Foxworth (maybe playing safety like he did against the Chargers?) on Sunday, especially because Williams is still recovering from his toe injury.

Adam Meadows will also likely be available this weekend after missing a few games with hamstring problems. Just before Meadows was injured, he was promoted ahead of George Foster, who has been one of the weakest links in Denver's offensive line this year. Last week that line produced just 106 rushing yards for a team that normally racks up at least 150, so we could see Meadows starting ahead of Foster again, or possibly in place of Erik Pears, who took over when Matt Lepsis was injured earlier this season. Either way, the Broncos must re-establish the run if they want to win against Cincinatti.

Other notable Broncos on the list: Stephen Alexander is probable coming off of a rib injury, Jason Elam is still recovering (but probable to play) from his "rainbow right" hammy pull, Javon Walker looks to be ready after suffering a first degree shoulder separation last week, and as always, Al "Ironman" Wilson is ready to play despite his season-long thumb injury.

I know this is the last thing you're thinking about what with other football being on right now, but for Broncos fans, I bring good news - every single player on the injury list has been upgraded to probable for tonight's game against the Chargers. This is a very good thing, because it means the return of Ian Gold, a key piece of the speedy linebacking corps, and defensive roleplayers Ebenezer Ekuban and Patrick Chukwurah. Al Wilson, who's played magnificently despite injuries all year long, also looks likely to compete again despite thumb problems.

But the most interesting one is running back Tatum Bell, who last week admitted publicly that his toes were more seriously injured than he wanted to admit to himself, and might not fully recover until the offseason. Now that he's been upgraded to probable for the game however, it will be interesting to see how much Shanahan uses him. Presumably, Mike Bell will be re-activated this week after mysteriously disappearing from the lineup against Oakland after particularly bad play at Pittsburgh. But in the Broncos' last big-time throwdown against the Colts, the latter Bell was the only running back who had any success, so Shanahan's choice might not be made until he sees how well each back performs during the game.

For the record, Stephen Alexander was also upgraded, and the other Broncos already on the list are Cedric Cobbs and Kyle Johnson.