Welcome to the fantasy football injury report. Injuries are all too common in professional football. Sometimes, they are long-lasting, requiring NFL teams to place players on injured reserve. In this column, we will provide weekly updates on every relevant fantasy football player on the Injured Reserve list.
To stay up to date on the latest injury news, check out PFN’s injury tracker.
Which Players Are on Injured Reserve in Week 4?
Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
Christian McCaffrey has been on IR since Week 2. He’s been dealing with a calf strain and Achilles tendinitis, but the latter has caused long-term issues. McCaffrey even traveled to Germany this past week to see a specialist. Upon his return, head coach Kyle Shanahan said “we’d like to start hitting his rehab here harder on Monday (October 30).”
#49ers RB Christian McCaffrey has returned from getting treatment on his Achilles tendonitis in Germany.
Kyle Shanahan today said that with McCaffrey "we’d like to start hitting his rehab here harder on Monday."
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner)
McCaffrey is out for at least two more weeks, but reports say he’s expected to be out longer than that. Fantasy managers should brace for being without the best player in fantasy for at least half the season, if not more. Jordan Mason remains a weekly RB1 for as long as CMC is out.
Jonathon Brooks, RB, Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers’ rookie running back, Jonathon Brooks, is coming off a November ACL tear. He has been working hard to get back on the field. He will play this season, but the earliest that can happen is Week 5.
Chuba Hubbard remains the Panthers’ top back and is coming off the best game of his career. Andy Dalton’s taking over revitalized the offense, and his presence bodes well for what Brooks will be able to do when he returns. However, Hubbard’s continued quality performance may delay the Brooks takeover.
Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns
Nick Chubb continues to make good progress recovering from tearing multiple knee ligaments in Week 2 of last year. To the surprise of no one, the Cleveland Browns placed him on the Physically Unable to Perform list (PUP) forcing him to miss at least the first month of the season (likely more).
Jerome Ford served as the Browns’ lead back last season and opened 2024 in that same role, playing 75% of the offensive snaps. His snap share fell to 44% in Week 2, but it bounced back to 79% in Week 3. He remains the top fantasy option on the Browns.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Clyde Edwards-Helaire is not dealing with any sort of physical ailment. He’s experiencing PTSD and has been courageous in how open he’s been about his struggles. As a result, the Chiefs have placed him on the reserve/non-football illness as he works through the issue.
From a fantasy perspective, Edwards-Helaire had seemingly already lost the RB2 job before this. It remains to be seen how Andy Reid feels about the performances of Carson Steele and Samaje Perine — and perhaps even Kareem Hunt. There’s a slim chance CEH could end up being fantasy-relevant until Pacheco returns.
Keaton Mitchell, RB, Baltimore Ravens
It’s been a rough start to Keaton Mitchell’s career. Mitchell missed the first five weeks of his rookie season due to injury; then, after playing in two games, he got hurt again.
Mitchell appeared in the Baltimore Ravens’ next six games and thoroughly impressed before tearing his ACL. He is currently on the PUP list and can’t play until at least Week 5, but he is almost certainly going to be out longer than that. Justice Hill should continue operating as the change-of-pace back behind Derrick Henry until Mitchell can return.
Kendre Miller, RB, New Orleans Saints
I know this column is supposed to focus on players who are potentially fantasy-relevant, but let’s make an exception for a sophomore RB playing behind two 29-year-olds with rapidly declining efficiency.
The oft-injured Kendre Miller is dealing with a hamstring strain and will open the season on short-term IR, guaranteeing he doesn’t return until at least Week 5. If you want to throw Miller in your IR spot, that’s perfectly fine. However, don’t hesitate to drop him the moment you need it for someone else who gets hurt during the season.
Tyler Higbee, TE, Los Angeles Rams
Tyler Higbee remains on the PUP list as he works his way back from a torn ACL and MCL. Given that the injury was sustained so late last season, it’s unclear when he will be able to return.
MORE: FREE Fantasy Football Start/Sit Optimizer
In the interim, Colby Parkinson is the clear TE1 for this team. He played 88% of the snaps in Week 1 and didn’t look much different than Higbee.
The Los Angeles Rams’ TE1 has always been on the fantasy radar during the Sean McVay era. If Parkinson continues to perform well, there’s no guarantee Higbee returns as a starter.
T.J. Hockenson, TE, Minnesota Vikings
The status quo remains for Minnesota Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson, who tore his ACL and MCL last season. Given the nature of his position, it’s easier for Hockenson to return than a guy like Chubb. However, Hockenson’s injury occurred in Week 17. An injury that late in the season makes it highly unlikely that he’ll be anywhere close to fully recovered anytime soon.
Hockenson opened training camp on the PUP list and remains there to start the year. He will miss Minnesota’s first four games. He will probably return at some point, but fantasy managers absolutely should not burn a roster spot on Hockenson, and he is only worth stashing in the IR spot.
Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams
Evidently, we all should have been more concerned about Puka Nacua’s knee injury. Despite practicing in full leading up to the Rams’ Week 1 contest, Nacua was clearly not over the injury.
A rather innocuous sliding catch resulted in him aggravating the same knee. He missed a few plays before attempting to return but was quickly pulled from the game and ruled out. A few days after going on IR, Adam Schefter reported that Nacua is unlikely to return when first eligible and likely to miss five to seven weeks, depending on how quickly his PCL heals.
With Cooper Kupp spraining his ankle in Week 2, the Rams are getting very thin at wide receiver. Based on Week 3, no Rams WR can be trusted in fantasy lineups. Hopefully, by Week 7 or 8, Nacua and Kupp are both back on the field.
Isiah Pacheco, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Isiah Pacheco suffered a fibula fracture and ankle ligament damage on an awkward tackle in Week 2. Pacheco is expected to miss six to eight weeks. However, his return at all this season is not guaranteed.
Isiah Pacheco update –
Broadcast just reported that Pacheco had ligament damage on top of the Fibula fracture, requiring a plate and 7 screws. View this as a Tightrope procedure.
KC timeline still aiming for 6-8 weeks, but risk of efficiency dip similar to Tony Pollard 2023. https://t.co/IahURlnejR
— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept)
Even if Pacheco returns, he is unlikely to be the same player fantasy managers drafted in the second or early third round.
Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are opting to play it safe with their franchise quarterback. Despite the unpredictable week-to-week nature of concussions, the team placed Tua Tagovailoa on IR last week.
While it’s possible his concussion systems will completely dissipate in a week or two, he is now out for the next four weeks at minimum, and it could be even longer. Tagovailoa is set to consult with independent neurologists this week. We should get an update on when he might return, but the range of potential outcomes is massive.
Last week, I said, “Skylar Thompson will start in Week 3, but it would not be a surprise if Tyler Huntley wound up taking over in Week 4 or Week 5.” I now amend that to say it would be a major surprise if Thompson ever started another NFL game.
I expect Huntley to be the Dolphins’ starter until Tagovailoa returns. He provides a sizable upgrade from Thompson but still remains a far cry from Tagovailoa. It won’t be as bad as it was in Week 3, but every Dolphins skill player is still significantly downgraded until Tagovailoa returns.
Adam Thielen, WR, Carolina Panthers
The latest addition to the IR is Adam Thielen. After hauling in an impressive touchdown grab from Andy Dalton, Thielen immediately grabbed at the back of his right leg.
What a throw by @andydalton14! What a catch by @athielen19!
📺: #CARvsLV on CBS/Paramount
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/9kJOeUA22e— NFL (@NFL)
Although Thielen was able to walk off the field with only a marginal limp, his hamstring strain is significant enough that the team placed him on IR on Tuesday.
With Thielen out at least a month, Diontae Johnson is suddenly looking like a high-WR2. Xavier Legette and Jonathan Mingo will see increased snaps, but neither is a fantasy starter.