Fantasy Football Injuries: Which Players Should You Target, and Who Could Kill Your Season?

Nothing can wreck a fantasy season like injuries.

But injuries also present opportunity. You can gain an edge over your competition by having a better understanding of injuries, how long they’ll keep players out, and how they’ll impact performance upon return.

That’s why we have Tyler Smola -- a doctor of physical therapy with more than a decade of sports -edicine experience -- to break down what these injuries really mean for fantasy managers.

Tyler separates rumor from reality, explains timelines, and gives you the performance outlook you need to make sharper draft decisions.

Fantasy Football Injuries: QBs

Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs

• Injury: left ACL, LCL tear (Dec. 14)
• Surgery: ACL and LCL reconstruction (Dec. 15)

Outlook: Mahomes will be almost exactly 9 months removed from surgery by Week 1. Nine months is generally considered the earliest safe return-to-play timeline after ACL reconstruction, with significantly higher re-tear rates for athletes who return before that point.

Mahomes will be ready for the opener, but with a notable decline in rushing production for the vast majority of the season. We may see him start running more late in the season and in the playoffs. 

The relatively low physical demands of the QB position are what make a Week 1 return realistic. If Mahomes were a RB, he'd likely miss the start of the season or face a more limited workload.

Daniel Jones, Colts

• Injury: Achilles rupture (Dec. 4)
• Surgery: right Achilles repair (Dec. 9)

Outlook: Jones has had a perfect recovery from his Achilles repair and has not missed a single day of training camp. This demonstrates an outstanding surgery, healing ability, and rehab process.

Jones has been a full participant in training camp. Similar to the Mahomes situation, the relatively low physical demands of the QB position should allow him to return for Week 1.

Expect a significant reduction in rushing production during the first half of the season, with his mobility likely improving week to week as the season progresses.

Michael Penix Jr., Falcons

• Injury: left ACL tear (Nov. 16)
• Surgery: ACL reconstruction (Nov. 25)

Outlook: This is Penix’s third ACL tear. He previously tore his right ACL twice in college. He’s had five of his last eight seasons ended by injury.

All signs point to Penix being physically cleared, but he recently stated, “A lot of it is mental. Physically, I got a good ACL. The doctors did what they needed to do. I can go out there and do anything. But mentally, you hesitate, and it’s like, do I trust it?”

This is just honesty, and something a huge percentage of athletes deal with. It’s not easy to come back from one ACL reconstruction. How about three?

Expect Penix to be ready to go for Week 1, with a significant drop in mobility. Whether he starts is up to the Falcons coaching staff.

Fantasy Football Injuries: RBs

Ashton Jeanty, Raiders

• Injury: ankle sprain (Aug. 23)
• Surgery: none

Outlook: It’s always tough with preseason injuries, as details can be sparse.

What we do know is that Jeanty suffered an ankle sprain. Whether it’s a low- or high-ankle sprain has not been confirmed. I’d expect, as of now, that it’s a high-ankle sprain based on how conservative the Raiders have been with his outlook.

The first good news came on Tuesday, Sept. 1, as Jeanty was seen working on the side of practice with rehab staff. This gives us our first hope that Jeanty will likely be ready within the first two weeks of the season.

If Jeanty does play Week 1, don’t be surprised if his snap count is limited.

Jeremiyah Love, Cardinals

• Injury: high-ankle sprain (Aug. 13)
• Surgery: none

Outlook: The latest series of reports are putting Love at a 50/50 to play Week 1. This makes perfect sense given the typical recovery timeline for a high-ankle sprain.

We should expect Love back within the first three weeks of the season, but he will likely be limited upon return.

High-ankle sprains can have a prolonged effect on production, and there’s a real chance Love is hindered by this injury over the first 4-6 weeks of the season.

No long-term concern.

Breece Hall, Jets

• Injury: groin strain (Aug. 17)
• Surgery: none

Outlook: All reports indicate Hall has progressed well with his rehab and is expected to be ready for Week 1.

He will have a moderate to high risk of re-injury over the first few weeks back. If he can avoid any setbacks during those first few weeks, we can expect him to avoid any season-long issues.

TreVeyon Henderson, Patriots

• Injury: ankle sprain (Aug. 24)
• Surgery: none

Outlook: Reports indicate Henderson avoided a major injury. Does that mean he avoided a high-ankle sprain? We don’t know for sure, but the signs are currently pointing to him being ready for Week 1.

This would likely mean a low-ankle sprain with minimal impact on performance after the first week or two of the season.

Quinshon Judkins, Browns

• Injury: dislocated right ankle, fibula fracture (Dec. 21)
• Surgery: fibula ORIF, ankle ligament reconstruction or repair (Dec. 23)

Outlook: Judkins is ready for Week 1, but don’t expect him to be quite at 100% right away. This is a significant injury, and the cutting and acceleration demands of the RB position place considerable stress on the ankle.

In August, HC Todd Monken said that a “nagging injury” held Judkins out of a few practices, but he has since been a full participant. We never found out what the injury was, but it’s possible the surgically repaired ankle flared up. This is not something to be overly concerned about, and Judkins should build back to full strength over the first few weeks of the season.

No long-term concerns.

Cam Skattebo, Giants

• Injury: right fibula fracture, ruptured deltoid ligament, dislocated ankle (Oct. 26)
• Surgery: fibula ORIF, Deltoid (ankle) ligament repair/reconstruction (Oct. 26)

Outlook: In general, all reports on Skattebo’s recovery have been positive.

Expect Skattebo to be a full go to start the season, as he had two additional months to recover compared to Judkins.

Whether or not he will remain healthy for the length of the season remains to be seen.  

Zach Charbonnet, Seahawks

• Injury: left ACL tear (Jan. 17)
• Surgery: ACL reconstruction (Feb. 20)

Outlook: As we have predicted throughout this offseason, Charbonnet will not be ready for Week 1. Remember, nine months is the general guideline for a safe return to sport following ACLR.

Charbonnet was placed on the PUP list and will miss at least the first four games of the season. Expect him back on the field in October or November, barring any setbacks.

He will NOT be a full go right away and will likely be built back up over the course of several weeks. It’s more likely that he will be a full go for the fantasy football playoff season.

Remember: Once an athlete tears an ACL, their risk of tearing the same or opposite ACL in the future increases significantly (see Jonathon Brooks below).

Jonathon Brooks, Panthers

• Injury: right ACL tear (second in 13 months)
• Surgery: ACL reconstructions (Nov. 11, 2023 and Dec. 8, 2024)

Outlook: Brooks tore the same ACL twice in a 13-month span. Nightmare.

Revision ACL surgeries require a new graft, are generally more complex, and typically come with a slower recovery.

On the bright side, Brooks has had 21 months to recover and was fully cleared in April. He's been a full participant in training camp, and reports on his recovery have been positive.

We can be confident that Brooks is fully recovered and should be close to 100% by Week 1. However, his long-term injury risk will remain elevated given his history.

Kyle Monangai, Bears

• Injury: knee hyperextension (Aug. 16)
• Surgery: none

Outlook: These injuries often look severe visually but avoid any ligamentous damage. That was the case for Monangai, as his MRI was clean.

That doesn’t mean he dodged a significant injury; it just means he avoided a season-ending injury.

Monangai likely suffered a bone bruise to the femur or tibial aspect of his knee joint. This is typically associated with significant pain and swelling. As those improve, he will get back into football-specific movements.

Reports are starting to lean toward him not playing Week 1, but expect him back within the first month of the season.

Najee Harris, Giants

• Injury: torn left Achilles (Sept. 21)
• Surgery: Achilles repair

Outlook: The early-season timing of Harris' tear allowed him to be ready for Week 1 this season.

Expect somewhat limited snaps early in the season and a 20% hit to efficiency. Achilles repairs severely impact power and burst for the first year.

The impact should be minimal to nonexistent for 2027 and beyond.

Fantasy Football Injuries: WRs

Malik Nabers, Giants

• Injury: ACL tear with meniscus damage (Sept. 28)
• Surgery: ACL reconstruction and meniscus repair (Oct. 28), second surgery in spring 2026

Outlook: When Nabers tore his ACL in the first month of last season, it was almost certain that he would be ready for Week 1 of 2026, barring a significant setback, such as a secondary surgery. Unfortunately, that small possibility became reality.

Nabers underwent a second procedure to remove a cyclops lesion, a relatively uncommon complication following ACL reconstruction. Cyclops lesions can cause joint stiffness and typically require surgical removal. Many athletes experience a quick improvement in symptoms afterward, but it is still another surgery and does create a setback in the rehabilitation process.

Nabers has been running routes in camp, but there has not been any concrete evidence to suggest he will be ready for Week 1. It remains unlikely that Nabers will be a full go in the opener, and he should be expected to be on a snap count at minimum. 

Puka Nacua, Rams

• Injury: hip flexor strain (Aug. 11)
• Surgery: no

Outlook: The good news is Nacua is on track to play Week 1 after straining the sprinting muscle of the hip flexor. The bad news is that these soft-tissue injuries carry a risk of re-injury during the first few weeks back at full speed.

We should not be overly concerned as of now, but keep the moderate risk in mind.

Ja'Marr Chase, Bengals

• Injury: knee hyperextension (Aug. 25)
• Surgery: no

Outlook: Similar to the Kyle Monangai situation, Chase avoided any significant damage that could have cost him his season. Even more positive for Chase, it seems he has a less severe hyperextension.

Chase has a good shot to play Week 1, but the Bengals really won’t know until he ramps up to high-intensity and high-load movements. That will happen over the next seven days. Continue to monitor reports out of Cincinnati for how Chase is progressing.

Emeka Egbuka, Buccaneers

• Injury: toe sprain (Aug. 12)
• Surgery: no

Outlook: We have to assume Egbuka is dealing with turf toe.

Turf toe is a more severe injury than it sounds and can cost players months. We saw Joe Burrow suffer the most severe version of this injury last year, which required surgery.

It does not seem like Egbuka is dealing with anywhere near as significant of a sprain as Burrow did, but there is a real chance he misses games.

There’s also a chance that he will require a steel plate in his cleat when he returns, which could hinder his quickness.

Luther Burden, Bears

• Injury: groin strain (Aug. 8)
• Surgery: no

Outlook: Burden suffered a groin strain at training camp and was quickly ruled out for the entire preseason. This is standard protocol for a preseason soft-tissue injury and does not necessarily tell us what grade strain this is.

Remember, muscle strains are graded from 1 to 3:

• Grade 1 involves stretched muscle fibers.
• Grade 2 is a partial tear.
• Grade 3 is a complete tear.

Burden's injury was likely a Grade 1. He's progressed well and is currently on track to be ready for Week 1.

This doesn’t mean he will be a full go in Week 1. He will continue to be at moderate-to-high risk of re-injury over the first two weeks, and we should expect his downfield ability and cutting to be affected.

Mike Evans, 49ers

• Injury: groin (adductor) strain
• Surgery: no

Outlook: Reports indicate this is a low-grade strain, and Evans will likely be back on the field within the first two weeks of the season.

But this is an early-season red flag for a 33-year-old WR with a long history of soft-tissue injuries. There’s reason to be concerned about a secondary injury when he returns.

Evans also dealt with a recurring quad issue earlier this summer.

Jordyn Tyson, Saints

• Injury: hamstring strain (Aug. 13)
• Surgery: no

Outlook: Not good.

Tyson first injured his hamstring during his senior year at Arizona State. The Saints did not downplay the severity, and he will miss a minimum of the season's first month.

This means Tyson is minimally dealing with a Grade 2 (partial-tear) injury. The Saints either know this is a severe strain or are being overly conservative with their young WR, who already has a history of hamstring issues.

Either way, he will continue to be at high risk of re-injury upon return.

Alec Pierce, Colts

• Injury: ankle
• Surgery: left-ankle debridement (March 2026)

Outlook: Pierce has dealt with ongoing ankle issues dating back to 2024. He appears to have continued struggling with the ankle during his offseason ramp-up, ultimately leading to a left ankle debridement procedure in March 2026.

During a debridement, damaged tissue is removed rather than repaired. That typically results in a much shorter recovery timeline than procedures such as an Achilles repair. However, it is still surgery, and part of the recovery depends on how the body responds postoperatively, as well as how quickly range of motion and strength return.

Pierce has progressed slowly but now has a chance to play Week 1. Expect him to be eased back into action with a limited snap count over his first few games.

Ricky Pearsall, 49ers

• Injury: PCL tear
• Surgery: scheduled

Outlook: It's easy to look at this situation in hindsight and say they should have opted for surgery when the injury first occurred. But the vast majority of isolated PCL tears heal without surgery.

Maybe the team should have tested him more aggressively during the offseason, but they also needed to give the PCL adequate time to heal. Not every case follows the expected course, and that appears to be what happened here.

Pearsall will undergo season-ending surgery, but it should have minimal impact on next season.

Tank Dell, Texans

• Injury: knee dislocation, ACL, MCL, LCL tears (Dec. 21, 2024)
• Surgery: Jan. 15, 2025 and March 5, 2025

Outlook: Dell suffered a knee dislocation in late December 2024 and underwent two surgeries to repair and reconstruct three ligaments and meniscus damage.

When two surgeries are needed, there's elevated long-term concern. That concern now mounts.

Dell had 19 months to get game-ready for Week 1, but he was placed on IR and will miss at least the first four games. This raises concerns about his outlook for this season and long term.

We expect to see him on the field this year, but he will likely not be near 100%.

Tyreek Hill, free agent

• Injury: knee dislocation, ACL, and other ligament tears (Sept. 29)
• Surgery: ACL-plus (Sept. 30) 

Outlook: Hill is 31 years old and will be attempting to return from one of the most severe knee injuries an athlete can suffer. Unsurprisingly, Hill recently admitted his left leg still “lacks power”.  Multi-ligament rehab is complex and slow, typically taking 12+ months. 

It’s possible we see Tyreek signed late in the year, but even then expect a significant drop to production.

Fantasy Football Injuries: TEs

Brock Bowers, Raiders

• Injury: PCL sprain, knee joint bone bruise (Sept. 7)
• Surgery: none

Outlook: Bowers has seemingly avoided any major setbacks, unlike fellow PCL-injured player Ricky Pearsall.

Bowers’ path is more typical of PCL injuries, as they often do not cause any prolonged issues.

Is there still some risk? Yes. But there is currently no reason to expect Bowers to be less than 100% this year.

George Kittle, 49ers

• Injury: right Achilles tear (Jan. 11)
• Surgery: Achilles repair (Jan. 14)

Outlook: The good news is that Kittle’s tear and repair were more proximal on the Achilles, where the tendon has a better blood supply and, therefore, a greater potential for healing.

However, the injury occurred late in the season, leaving him with only about nine months of rehab before Week 1. A 10–12 month timeline would be more ideal.

Rehab has gone perfectly, and ESPN's Adam Schefter reported there’s a “legitimate chance” Kittle will take the field Week 1.

I’m still not betting on Kittle playing a huge role in the opener, but I wouldn’t be shocked if he did take some snaps.

Regardless of when he returns, expect a decline in production due to likely lingering deficits in calf explosiveness, especially during the first six weeks back.

Tucker Kraft, Packers

• Injury: right ACL tear, LCL and meniscus partial tears (Nov. 2)
• Surgery: ACL reconstruction 

Outlook: Kraft is expected to be ready for Week 1, barring any setbacks.

That's not surprising, as he'll be 10 months removed from surgery – a generally safe return-to-play timeline following ACL reconstruction.

We still expect approximately a 20% decline in production this season, which is typical during the first year after ACL reconstruction.

Sam LaPorta, Lions

• Injury: Herniated disc in lumbar spine + new hip injury
• Surgery: November for lumbar spine, none for hip

Outlook: LaPorta dealt with back issues for most of the first two months of last season before ultimately being shut down and undergoing surgery to repair a herniated disc.

He has had ample time to recover for Week 1 and was practicing without limitations. Don't expect any decline in production as a result of this injury, though there will always be some concern about the long-term health of his lumbar spine.

If he can make it through the 2026 season without any setbacks, that concern should diminish significantly heading into 2027 and beyond.

A new hip injury popped up for LaPorta in late August, but the Lions have downplayed the injury. We don’t have specifics, except that he was “hit” on the hip. This would lead us to believe it’s a hip pointer injury.

These injuries can linger, but if LaPorta continues to progress in practice, we shouldn’t expect any issues lasting longer than the first two weeks. He has a shot to be ready for Week 1.

Kenyon Sadiq, Jets

• Injury: Hernia
• Surgery: Hernia repair (May 2026)

Outlook: Sadiq appears to have been dealing with abdominal or groin pain during OTAs before ultimately shutting things down and opting for hernia repair surgery during the final week of OTAs.

He had a minor setback but is now working his way back to full speed. Expect limited snaps if he does play Week 1.

What Do These Injuries Mean For Your Fantasy Team?

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