There may not have been any NFL games recently, but many players are still dealing with injuries. With fantasy football drafts just a few weeks away, it’s important to know whether injured players are likely to be ready for the start of the season. We recently put together an all-encompassing fantasy injury update, but here’s the latest on various quarterback injuries throughout the league.
Kirk Cousins Injury Update
Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles in Week 8 of last season. An Achilles tear is one of the worst injuries an NFL player can sustain. However, it’s not quite as devastating for quarterbacks as it is for running backs or wide receivers who rely much more on cutting.
The news surrounding Cousins’ recovery has been all positive, though. He was fully cleared for the start of training camp. Setbacks or reinjury are always possible, but as of now, there’s no reason to think Cousins will be anything other than ready to rock come Week 1.
If there is a slight concern with Cousins, it would be his ability to really push off that back foot and step into throws. That might impact his deep-ball accuracy early in the season, but it is purely speculative. Fantasy managers should draft Atlanta Falcons players with the same confidence they would’ve had if Cousins had never gotten hurt.
Russell Wilson Injury Update
The Pittsburgh Steelers overhauled their quarterback room this offseason, replacing Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, and Mason Rudolph with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Wilson is the overwhelming favorite to be under center Week 1, but his training camp is off to an inauspicious start.
Wilson has been nursing a calf strain, which has limited him to mostly handoffs at practice. He’s not able to run at full speed just yet.
MORE: PFN’s Consensus Fantasy Football Rankings (Updated Weekly)
It’s still very early. We have over a month until the season starts. However, as we saw last season with Joe Burrow, calf strains have a tendency to linger.
Right now, it’s too soon for fantasy managers to panic. But if Wilson can’t get back to practicing in full by the end of August, we may have to consider the notion of Fields starting Week 1.
Aaron Rodgers Injury Update
Of all the players dealing with injuries right now, Aaron Rodgers is the farthest removed from his. Rodgers tore his Achilles in Week 1 of the 2023 season. His recovery was going well enough that he was going to play in the final two or three games last year had the New York Jets still been in playoff contention.
It’s now been an additional seven months since Rodgers was recovered enough to manage the injury on a football field. He is back to 100 percent (or as close to it as a 40-year-old recovering from a torn Achilles can get).
There’s definitely reason for concern that a quarterback as old as Rodgers — who did not look particularly good when we last saw him play in 2022 — could completely fall off this season. Nevertheless, fantasy managers can proceed into drafts as if Rodgers is all systems go for Week 1.
