Fantasy football is a year-round obsession for some of us, but plenty of managers only flip the engine back on in the middle of July. We are a week or two from training camp, before the flood of daily practice reports, tweaks, and setbacks begins. Right now is the calm before that storm; a perfect window to catch up on the injuries already shaping the 2026 season. Here is where every notable name stands as camps open.
Rashee Rice, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
Let’s separate the two storylines here, because only one of them touches your lineup. Rashee Rice has real off-field concerns, headlined by a 30-day jail stint. I am not going to pretend that noise does not exist. On the field, though, the news is clean.
Rice had a cleanup procedure on the knee where he tore his LCL back in 2024. It is fair to wonder how hard he attacked the rehab with everything else going on, but the surgery itself is not expected to slow him at all. He should be a full go when Kansas City Chiefs camp opens.
Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills
File this one under much ado about nothing. Josh Allen broke a bone in his foot in Week 16 last season and, being who he is, played right through it. He had surgery to repair it in January and was a full participant by OTAs. There is no fantasy concern here whatsoever.
Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants
This is the one that worries me. Malik Nabers tore both his ACL and his meniscus in Week 4 last season. That pairing is far more complicated than a clean ACL. His recovery has not been smooth, either. He needed a second procedure in May to clear out scar tissue that was stalling his progress. The party line was that the cleanup would not affect his timeline, but that is not how bodies work. Any time a surgeon goes back into a joint, it is a fresh issue that demands its own recovery.
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The vibes have not been good. New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh has stopped short of ruling Nabers out for Week 1, but the plugged-in beat reporters, Jordan Raanan among them, are pointing toward Nabers missing at least the first month. Do not be surprised if he opens the year on the PUP list.
That fallout lands hardest on Jaxson Dart, who now faces an even leaner situation than the one he inherited last year with Wan’Dale Robinson around. Until Nabers is back, Darius Slayton and Darnell Mooney project as the top wideouts, so expect Dart to lean heavily on free-agent tight end Isaiah Likely.
Cam Skattebo, RB, New York Giants
The news out of the other side of the Giants’ offense is far more encouraging. Cam Skattebo suffered a gruesome ankle fracture in Week 8, but every report on his rehab has been positive, a stark contrast to the Nabers situation down the hall. He is at no real risk of missing Week 1 and should be practicing early in camp.
The one caveat is the nature of the injury itself, which could sap a little of his burst and explosion early in the year. We might see a bit more Tyrone Tracy in September as a result, but I still expect Skattebo to start Week 1.
Quinshon Judkins, RB, Cleveland Browns
Quinshon Judkins is another back coming off a lower-leg injury, having broken his fibula very late in the year in Week 16. The key detail is that there was no structural damage, which made his recovery far more straightforward.
This was a milder version of what Tony Pollard and Isiah Pacheco dealt with, though both of those backs saw the injury quietly drain their explosiveness the next season. That is the fear with any fibula break.
Judkins is doing his best to erase those concerns. He participated at OTAs and looked much better than anyone expected, pushing off the injured leg without hesitation. And that was in the Spring. By the time Cleveland Browns camp opens, and certainly by Week 1, he should have full trust in the leg. I am cautiously optimistic this ends up a non-factor in 2026.
Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It was a lost season for Bucky Irving in 2025. A minor foot injury in Week 4 cleared up in about two weeks, but a shoulder problem he revealed later cost him time all the way until Week 13.
The truth is the shoulder was never fully right at any point last year. Irving had surgery to fix it this offseason. Head coach Todd Bowles floated a bizarre timeline of Irving being ready “in August or September,” which turned out to be nonsense, as Irving practiced at OTAs and should have no trouble being ready for camp well ahead of Week 1.
For the record, Irving is still my No. 1 running back fade in fantasy this year, but that has almost nothing to do with the injury.
Rome Odunze, WR, Chicago Bears
Rome Odunze is not actually injured, but he said something this offseason worth filing away. Odunze admitted he is adjusting to a “new normal” with his foot after playing through a stress fracture last season, which he probably should not have done.
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The bone healed in a way that leaves the foot feeling different to him. By his own account, it should not hinder his play, though it is something he is still getting used to. I would not let it change how I value him in fantasy.
Alec Pierce, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Alec Pierce is a name to monitor closely. He underwent ankle surgery this offseason that was significant enough that he is not a lock to be ready when camp opens. Pierce should be fine for Week 1, but I would keep an eye on whether the ankle nags him once the games count.
The stakes are higher for his role now, because with Michael Pittman Jr. gone, Pierce has no competition for the Indianapolis Colts’ primary X receiver. If the surgery lingers into the season, Josh Downs would be the clear beneficiary of extra volume.
Tucker Kraft, TE, Green Bay Packers
Tucker Kraft tore his ACL in Week 8 last season. By every account, the rehab is going exceptionally well. He is on track to suit up in Week 1 for the Green Bay Packers. There is a decent chance he does not feel fully like his old self until late in the season or even 2027, since that is how ACLs tend to go. Even so, a healthy-enough Kraft at his current price looks like one of the better tight end values on the board.
Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
Here is the big one. Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL in Week 15 last season. History is not kind to late-season ACL tears when it comes to being ready for the start of the following season. Mahomes, of course, is not a normal case. The man is obsessed with football and has attacked this rehab as aggressively as humanly possible. Every report has been positive. The expectation is that he suits up in Week 1. Justin Fields sits behind him as the backup, which matters only if something changes.
Xavier Worthy, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
Xavier Worthy’s season got off to a brutal start in Week 1 last year, when Travis Kelce accidentally rammed into him on a crossing route and left him with a dislocated shoulder and a torn labrum. He only missed two weeks, but Andy Reid later admitted the team had to trim his route tree the rest of the way to protect the shoulder.
Worthy had surgery in January to clean it up and is finally back to 100%. His talent and long-term upside are a fair debate, but his health is not something I would sweat heading into drafts.
Sam LaPorta, TE, Detroit Lions
Sam LaPorta’s 2025 season ended after Week 10 because of a back injury. Back issues always make me nervous, and this was a significant one. The good news is that he had surgery to address it and is fully expected to be ready when Detroit Lions camp opens. I want to see him moving well before I get too comfortable, but the baseline expectation is a normal ramp-up.
Jonathon Brooks, RB, Carolina Panthers
Jonathon Brooks is heading into his third NFL season having barely stepped on the field. He spent his rookie year rehabbing a torn ACL, then retore it just three games into his comeback.
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Brooks missed all of 2025 recovering, but the reports this offseason have been encouraging. If the knee holds and the burst returns, it is well within reason that Brooks overtakes Chuba Hubbard as the Carolina Panthers’ lead back at some point this season.
Bo Nix, QB, Denver Broncos
Bo Nix broke his ankle in the AFC Divisional Round, an injury that forced the Denver Broncos to hand the ball to Jarrett Stidham in the AFC Championship Game. Some recent pictures of the ankle made the rounds and raised a few eyebrows this offseason. Even so, Nix is expected to be a full go for training camp. I am not sounding any alarms yet, though it is worth tracking how the ankle looks once he is moving at full speed.
George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers
George Kittle tore his Achilles in the final game of 2025, which is about the last injury you want to see for a 33-year-old whose game runs on explosiveness. Here is why I am not writing him off. Kittle carries the same maniacal, in-the-best-way obsession that Mahomes does. He has always been a notably fast healer, and the tear happened in a fortuitous spot that has sped up his timeline. He is tracking to play in September, even if that lands a week or two after the opener.
Plan accordingly at the position. Jake Tonges would step into the starting San Francisco 49ers tight end job and profiles as a perfectly viable streamer for as long as Kittle is sidelined.
Chris Rodriguez, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars brought in Chris Rodriguez to be their between-the-tackles power back, but a foot injury has kept him out of OTAs so far. That is not ideal timing, since it puts CRod behind the eight ball in his competition with Bhayshul Tuten for touches.
Rodriguez is still expected to be ready for training camp, so there is time to make up ground. However, this shakes out, the Jaguars’ backfield touch distribution remains one of the more fascinating puzzles in fantasy.
Daniel Jones, QB, Indianapolis Colts
Daniel Jones tore his Achilles in Week 14. His rehab is reportedly coming along well enough that he is expected to be ready for Week 1. I would pump the brakes on assuming he is all the way back, though. Achilles tears routinely take a full calendar year before a player looks like his old self.
The bigger wrinkle is that the tear was to his push-off foot, which is exactly the leg a quarterback drives from to throw deep. That gives me real pause about his ability to stretch the field early in the year, and is a concern for Pierce, whose game relies entirely on downfield passes.
Zach Charbonnet, RB, Seattle Seahawks
Do not let the positive-sounding reports fool you on this one. Zach Charbonnet tore his ACL in January and did not have surgery until February, which pushes his realistic timeline deep into the season. Anyone telling you he has a shot at Week 1 is selling something. It is not happening. The likeliest outcome is Charbonnet returning around November. Until then, the Seattle Seahawks will run a committee of Jadarian Price and George Holani.
