The Oregon Ducks are in an interesting spot in the 2026 season right now. While they are out of wiggle room and playing for their College Football Playoff lives every week, with two losses already suffered, there is a decent amount of optimism going forward for Duck fans.
The defense is playing incredibly well, and there are reasons to believe that the offensive arrow is pointing up, especially if starting quarterback Dante Moore can get back onto the field in the near future.
Of course, we don't know if that will be the case, but our intel points toward it being more likely than not that Moore will be back before long.
While the Big Ten Availability report was released on Wednesday and will again come out on Thursday and Friday nights, we've got
some intel on where things stand with each injured player and whether or not they will be able to contribute this weekend.
Here's our early look at who we think could potentially be out or limited in this game on Saturday afternoon.
Out/Not Playing
QB Dante Moore
After another week of practice, Dante Moore is still not ready to return to the field for the Ducks. It's been almost a month since his concussion vs. USC, so there is hope that he can return to play soon for Oregon, but the team continues to play it safe. There should be some real optimism that he can get back into the swing of things a week from now.
WR Evan Stewart
Evan Stewart missed last week's game with an undisclosed injury, and then went on to get arrested on suspicion of a DUII later that night after the Ducks' win over Nebraska. Dan Lanning says that Stewart's situation will be handled internally, so there is no indication whether or not him being ruled out for this week's game is due to injury or discipline, but regardless of the reasoning, we will not see Stewart on Saturday.
DL Matthew Johnson
Matthew Johnson was one of the two surprise additions to the injury report on Wednesday night. He has played well so far this season and has been a big part of the defensive line depth. We will look to learn more about how long he will be sidelined soon, but his absence won't be easy to cover up.
OL Immanuel Iheanacho
True freshman OL Immanuel Iheanacho was another surprise addition to the injury report, and we don't have any intel on what the reason for his status is. Iheanacho has not played a ton this year, but there was hope that he could see more of the field as the season went along, so hopefully, his injury is not considered long-term.
WR Jeremiah McClellan
McClellan has been out for a few weeks now after suffering a broken foot in warmups before the Portland State game, abut for the first time since his injury, we saw him without a walking boon on Saturday night against Nebraska. There's a good chance that he returns to practice soon and get back on the field sometime next month for the Ducks.
S Aaron Flowers
Dan Lanning told media members on Wednesday afternoon that starting safety Aaron Flowers was expected to miss the "foreseeable future" after undergoing surgery on an undisclosed injury. Flowers missed the Week 6 game against UCLA, and will be a major loss for the Ducks going forward.
"He's going to be done for the foreseeable future. (It's) something he tried to tough out. You know, credit to him. Sometimes you can play through that, but you're probably not going to play as well. But it's one of those ones where it made sense to get it repaired for him."
LB Brayden Platt
According to head coach Dan Lanning, Platt is still dealing with an undisclosed injury that held him out of the spring game earlier this year. Oregon's coach does not expect him to return to the field anytime soon.
"He's gonna be limited for a while with the injury he felt in the spring," Lanning said of Platt. "I don't want to put a timeline on it, but he's going to be out for some time until we see where he's at and continue to progress and challenge himself."
DL Tony Cumberland
After being involved in a car accident earlier this year, freshman defensive lineman Tony Cumberland is also expected to be sidelined for the foreseeable future, delaying his college debut.
"It's a work in progress with him," defensive line coach Tony Tuioti said. "I don't think it's going to be anything that we'll be able to see him soon. But he's made so much progress. I think the thing that's most important is that we have him with us, and just having him in the room brings a smile to all our faces."
WR Dillon Gresham
After suffering a neck injury during fall camp a year ago, Gresham was held out for the entire 2025 season and has yet to return to the field. Oregon still has him on the roster, but it doesn't sound like he will be back anytime soon.
"There's not really a clear indication that Dillon's going to be able to help us here in the future," Lanning said of Gresham earlier this fall. "He'll be a part of our team, but you know, from a medical standpoint, I don't know if it's clear that he'd be able to."
LG Trent Ferguson
After starting the game against Oklahoma State, Ferguson was forced to the sideline in the first half with a knee injury that Dan Lanning says is expected to hold him out for the remainder of the season.
"We won't probably get to see (Ferguson) again," Lanning said. "I feel bad for that kid because he's worked really hard."
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: What we're hearing on Oregon injuries ahead of Illinois
