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 2025 season.
Here’s your complete guide to the fantasy-relevant players currently unavailable and what it means for your lineup decisions.
Kendre Miller, RB, New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints RB Kendre Miller suffered a torn ACL in Sunday’s loss to the Chicago Bears, meaning he will miss the remainder of the 2925 season. Alvin Kamara’s stock will increase again, and so will Saints’ backup Devin Neal, a third-round pick in the 2023 draft.
Brenton Strange, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars rookie tight end Brenton Strange was placed on injured reserve and is expected to miss at least five weeks due to his quad and hip injury, which includes a ligament tear.
Neither of the Jags’ next two TEs on the depth chart proved to be fantasy relevant in Week 6, with Hunter Long and Johnny Mundt only combining for three receptions total between the two of them again this past Sunday.
Omarion Hampton, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
Rookie running back Omarion Hampton injured his ankle in Los Angeles’ Week 5 game against the Washington Commanders and has been placed on injured reserve, meaning he will miss at least two more games. Fellow RB Najee Harris was placed on IR three weeks back as well.
Kimani Vidal was the lead back again this week, but the Chargers running attack was highly ineffective and was abandoned altogether when they trailed by multiple touchdowns early into the second half.
Trey Benson, RB, Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals suffered another blow to their running back room with the news that RB Trey Benson would be placed on IR in addition to James Conner, who was ruled out for the season the week prior. Benson injured his meniscus in Week 4, leading to a trio of backups taking over the past several games.
But in Week 7, Bam Knight handled the bulk of the workload with 57 rushing yards on 14 carries, adding 3 catches as well for a respectable 9.4 fantasy points in PPR formats.
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 back on September 16.
Jones is eligible to return for the Vikes’ Week 8 matchup against the Chargers, but it is the Thursday night game. He has not been removed from the IR list as of yet.
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The Minnesota Vikings are still pretty thin at running back behind new starter Jordan Mason. Fortunately, Mason has averaged nearly 16 fantasy points per game since taking over for Jones after his injury.
But to this point in the season, no other Viking has more than 50 rushing yards on the season, so if you need injury backups, look to other teams. Jones’ earliest possible return date is Oct. 23 against the Chargers on Thursday Night Football.
Jalen Coker, WR, Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers placed Jalen Coker on IR due to a quad injury he suffered during practice on the last Thursday in August. According to Joe Person of The Athletic, he is making progress but is still considered “week-to-week.”
The Panthers still aren’t consistently having any fantasy production out of their receivers on a week-to-week basis outside of rookie Tetairoa McMillan.
Jayden Reed, WR, Green Bay PackersÂ
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.
Dontayvion Wicks and Matthew Golden have been stepping up while Reed and Christian Watson are out.
Christian Watson, WR, Green Bay Packers (PUP)
Christian Watson was officially placed on the physically unable to perform list prior to Week 1, meaning the earliest he could have returned was in the Green Bay Packers’ Week 6 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Packers designated Watson (knee) for return from the reserve/PUP list on Oct. 6, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reported. This means his 21-day practice window for activation is now open, and in all likelihood he’ll see game action this Sunday in Green Bay’s game against The Pittsburgh Steelers.
MarShawn Lloyd, RB, Green Bay Packers
The Packers also placed MarShawn Lloyd on the IR, where he has spent nearly all of his young career.
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No surprise, Josh Jacobs has been the workhorse here, and his stock value has increases while Lloyd has been sidelined. No one is getting consistent carries besides Josh Jacobs while Lloyd has been out.
Jalen McMillan, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jalen McMillan started the 2025 season on the IR, meaning he technically could have returned for the Bucs’ Week 5 game, but head coach Todd Bowles just reported on Friday, Oct. 10, that McMillan is still in a neck brace, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reported.
Reports from the Bucs camp suggested that the sophomore wide receiver would be sidelined for at least half the season, if not longer. Veteran WR Sterling Shepard has filled in for McMillan in the WR3 role while he is out; Emeka Egbuka has been a breakout star filling in for Mike Evans (who now looks to be out several months also again) and Chris Godwin amid their respective injuries.
Tank Dell, WR, Houston Texans (PUP)
Tank Dell was officially placed on the physically unable to perform list before the start of the 2025 season, meaning he would also miss at least the Texans’ first four contests of the year. 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
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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, but Nico Collins has remained quarterback C.J. Stroud’s favorite target.Â
Joe Mixon, RB, Houston Texans (NFI)
Joe Mixon is out for at least the first four games of the season. On August 26, he was placed on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list. The details of how the injury occurred have not been shared publicly, and there is some doubt whether he will suit up this season.
Texans GM Nick Caserio provided another non-update recently, confirming there is no timetable for Mixon’s return, and they will “take it one day at a time”.
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 season on the PUP list.
San Francisco 49ers GM John Lynch gave an update on Thursday that Aiyuk is getting closer to returning. “He’s better today than he was last week at this time” he told Matt Maiocco of NBSSportsBayArea.com.Â
Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati BengalsÂ
Once again, the Cincinnati Bengals fans are shaking their heads as their star quarterback, Joe Burrow, suffers another long-term injury. He will miss at least three months after Cincy finally got off to a good start, winning both of its first two games.
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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.
Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants
Malik Nabers tore his ACL in Week 4. He will miss the rest of the 2025 season, meaning Wan’Dale Robinson, Darius Slayton, and Jalin Hyatt will be new starting quarterback Jaxson Dart’s primary targets for the foreseeable future.
Austin Ekeler, RB, Washington CommandersÂ
Unfortunately, Austin Ekeler suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Washington’s Week 2 game 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 does get some reps occasionally.
James Conner, RB, Arizona Cardinals
James Conner injured his ankle in Week 3’s loss to the 49ers severely enough to have required season-ending surgery. Michael Carter, Bam Knight, and Emari Demercado have shared the backfield duties for Arizona; but Knight has been the main guy lately.
Miles Sanders, RB, Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys’ running back Miles Sanders went down with a knee injury that will require season-ending surgery. Rookie RB and (popular sleeper draft pick) Jaydon Blue will be the complementary back to Cowboys starter Javonte Williams in the future.
Najee Harris, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers’ running back Najee Harris suffered a torn Achilles tendon in his team’s Week 3 win over the Broncos. He will, of course, miss the remainder of the season, meaning Hampton’s stock value increased exponentially until he landed on IR in Week 4 as well. Third and fourth string RBs Kimani Vidal and Hassan Haskins will have their chance to shine now for L.A.
Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill suffered a dislocated left knee and multiple torn ligaments, including his ACL, in their Week 4 game against the New York Jets. Hill is out for the remainder of the season, and Malik Washington and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine have looked to step up in his absence, while Jaylen Waddle has elevated to the Dolphins’ WR1 as expected (though that isn’t saying much these days).
