Fantasy football managers know the drill: injuries can derail even the most carefully crafted rosters. With several key players already sidelined on injured reserve or suspended, understanding who’s out and for how long becomes crucial for navigating the early weeks of the 2024-25 season. Here’s your complete guide to the fantasy-relevant players currently unavailable and what it means for your lineup decisions.
James Conner, RB, Arizona Cardinals
James Conner injured his ankle in Sunday’s game severely enough that it will require season-ending surgery, unfortunately. Trey Benson will step up and be the lead back for Arizona going forward, with Emari Demercado also seeing some touches here and there.
Najee Harris, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers’ running back Najee Harris suffered a torn Achilles in Sunday’s win over the Broncos. He will, of course, miss the remainder of the season, and Omarion Hampton’s stock value just increased exponentially if he’s somehow still available in your league.
If you play in deeper leagues, the Chargers’ new RB2, Kimani Vidal, may be worth a waiver claim also.
George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers
George Kittle strained his hamstring in the first half of the San Francisco 49ers’ Week 1 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. Players who exit with hamstring issues are typically listed as questionable to return. Kittle was ruled out immediately, which was an ominous sign.
Sure enough, news quickly emerged that Kittle would be out for multiple weeks. On Tuesday, Sept. 9, the 49ers elected to place their star tight end on IR.
Historically, Kittle has been a pretty quick healer. He may miss a minimum of four games. But for at least the next three contests, fantasy managers will need to go without Kittle.
Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
Once again, the Cincinnati Bengals fans are shaking their heads as their star quarterback, Joe Burrow, suffers another long-term injury. He will miss a minimum of three months after Cincy finally got off to a good start, winning both of its first two games.
If your league has an IR spot and you have a decent backup quarterback, it might make sense to hold out hope that Burrow will be able to return in time for the fantasy playoffs in mid-December.
Tank Dell, WR, Houston Texans (PUP)
Tank Dell was officially placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list, meaning he will also miss the Texans’ first four contests of the 2024-25 campaign. There’s significant doubt he returns at all this season, which would be understandable given the fact that he tore his ACL, damaged his MCL, LCL, and meniscus, and dislocated his kneecap.Â
Houston brought Christian Kirk, Justin Watson, and Braxton Berrios to address his absence and Stefon Diggs’s departure. The team also drafted Iowa State receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel in the second and third rounds of the draft.
Nico Collins will remain quarterback CJ Stroud’s favorite target, but he and Dalton Schultz were the only two pass-catchers for Houston to record three receptions in the Texans’ loss to Tampa Bay.
Tyjae Spears, RB, Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans officially moved Tyjae Spears to the IR before the start of the season, meaning he will be eligible to return for their Week 5 game against the Arizona Cardinals as soon as possible.
Tony Pollard will see most snaps at running back, while Julius Chestnut and Kalel Mullings will be backups in Spears’ absence. This injury solidifies Pollard’s role as the clear lead back for fantasy purposes.
Brandon Aiyuk, WR, San Francisco 49ers (PUP)
Brandon Aiyuk suffered a torn ACL and MCL in Week 7 last season against the Kansas City Chiefs and starts the 2024-25 season on the PUP list.
He won’t be eligible to play until at least Week 5, but the San Francisco 49ers think a Week 6 return for their matchup against Tampa Bay may be more likely.
Aaron Jones Sr., RB, Minnesota Vikings
Mostly healthy throughout his entire career, Aaron Jones Sr. started showing signs of breaking down last season. He didn’t miss a game, but he was listed on the injury report due to some nagging issues.
Now 30 years old, his body may be beginning to betray him. Jones strained his hamstring in the Vikings’ week 2 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. The injury was significant enough to land him on the IR last Tuesday, 9/16.
The Minnesota Vikings are perilously thin at running back behind new starter Jordan Mason. With Ty Chandler on IR, 2023 UDFA Zavier Scott was the only other active running back on the roster. As a result, the team signed Cam Akers, who fantasy managers should expect to serve as the RB2. In an unexpected twist of fate, Akers is actually worth a speculative add in deeper leagues as the presumptive handcuff to Mason.
Good news for those who drafted Mason as the handcuff for Jones: he went off this week with 116 yards on 16 carries and found the end zone twice.
Austin Ekeler, RB, Washington Commanders (IR)
Austin Ekeler, unfortunately, went down in Washington’s Week 2 game with a torn Achilles and will now miss the remainder of the 2025 season. The Washington Commanders’ rookie and popular sleeper pick, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, will now step up to see the majority of carries. If you’re looking for a stash in deeper leagues, Jeremy McNichols may get some reps.
Jalen Coker, WR, Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers placed Jalen Coker on IR due to a quad injury suffered during practice last Thursday in August. They re-signed Hunter Renfrow, who was with the team through training camp and the preseason, and will fill in for Coker while he is sidelined.
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Despite the Panthers putting up 30 points on their division rivals, the Atlanta Falcons, only one player caught three or more passes. There just isn’t anyone reliable on the team in terms of pass-catchers currently.
Jayden Reed, WR, Green Bay Packers
Jayden Reed went down with a fractured collarbone in the Packers’ Week 2 win over Washington. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Reed is expected to miss 6-8 weeks.
Tucker Kraft stepped up big time in that Week 2 game, with six catches for 124 yards and a touchdown. Rookie Matthew Golden finally started to find his footing this week with four catches for 52 yards, as well, in an otherwise underwhelming (to say the least) loss to the Cleveland Browns.
Christian Watson, WR, Green Bay Packers (PUP)
Christian Watson was officially placed on the list of physically unable to perform, meaning the earliest he can return is in the Green Bay Packers’ Week 6 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Packers have their bye week during Week 5.
MarShawn Lloyd, RB, Green Bay Packers
The Packers also placed MarShawn Lloyd on the IR, where he spent nearly all of his young career. Josh Jacobs will be the workhorse here, and his stock value increases while Lloyd is sidelined. No one is getting consistent carries besides Josh Jacobs while Marshawn has been out.
Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Chris Godwin has a strong chance of making his season debut this Sunday against the Eagles, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Mike Evans and rookie Emeka Egbuka have carried the load while Jalen McMillan was also out to start the year. Getting Godwin back this week would be huge, as it looks like Evans may now be questionable after sustaining a hamstring injury in Tampa Bay’s week 3 game against the New York Jets.
Jalen McMillan, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Speaking of McMillan, he started the 2024-25 season on the IR, meaning he won’t be playing until at least Week 5 either. However, reports from the Bucs camp suggested that the sophomore wide receiver would be sidelined for at least half the season, if not longer. Keep an eye on veteran Sterling Shepard to fill in while McMillan is out.
Joe Mixon, RB, Houston Texans (NFI)
Joe Mixon is out for at least the first four games of the 2024-25 season. On Aug. 26, he was placed on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list. The details surrounding how the injury occurred still have not been shared publicly, and there is some doubt as to whether he will suit up this season.
The injury was confirmed to be related to his ankle, and when asked about a potential return timeline, Houston Texans GM Nick Caserio was noncommittal. “We’ll see, we’ll take it one day at a time,” Caserio said, according to ESPN.
Nick Chubb was again the go-to back for Houston in their Week 3 loss to Jacksonville, but he didn’t reach 10 carries in an ugly game where the Texans only managed 10 points. If you have a better option at RB, you may want to consider only playing Chubb in matchup-friendly games.
Suspended Players: Rashee Rice, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
Rashee Rice was dealt a six-game suspension for personal misconduct, making him eligible to return for the Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 7 contest against the divisional rival Las Vegas Raiders.
In his absence, sophomore wideout Xavier Worthy was set to be the WR1, while Hollywood Brown and Juju Smith-Schuster were expected to see more targets to start the 2024-25 campaign. However, Worthy then went down in the first quarter of the Kansas City Chiefs’ opener against the Los Angeles Chargers with a dislocated shoulder, and Brown stepped up big time to the tune of 10 catches for 99 yards.
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The Chiefs finally won a game in 2025, but it wasn’t exactly an offensive masterpiece. Tyquan Thornton was their leading pass-catcher, hauling in 5 receptions for 71 yards on 9 targets and a touchdown.
Demarcus Robinson, WR, San Francisco 49ers
Demarcus Robinson is set to return this week from his three-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.Â
Ricky Pearsall had been stepping up big time in the absence of Robinson, as well as Brandon Aiyuk, and now Kittle. If you had picked up Kendrick Bourne, you may want to downgrade him a bit with Robinson’s return.
Jordan Addison, WR, Minnesota Vikings
Jordan Addison will make his season debut for the Minnesota Vikings after missing the first three games due to his suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. TJ Hockenson’s production may dip a bit (go figure right after he finally has a solid 5 catch, 49-yard, 1 TD game), and of course, Justin Jefferson will still be the home run hitter.
