The 2026 fantasy football injury report: What to know before draft season starts
Stephania Bell breaks down the status of fantasy stars heading into the 2026 season, from QBs to TEs.
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Perhaps the most surprising player not on this year's list is San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey. Two years ago, he appeared in just four games sandwiched between two significant injuries: bilateral Achilles tendinitis manifesting before the season even began and a PCL sprain. Who would have thought entering the 2025 season that CMC would be one of the healthiest players when all was said and done, playing every game (19 total if you include the postseason) while touching the ball more than any other nonquarterback in the league?
But alas, it is the quarterback group that touches the ball the most, thereby exposing them to increased injury risk -- a risk that had real consequences in 2025. Over the course of the season, 62 quarterbacks made at least one NFL start. In some cases, a change was made due to performance or rest. Still, the majority of quarterback substitution starts were due to injury.
Quarterbacks bore the brunt of the significant high-visibility player injuries. Some missed multiple weeks but were able to return (Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson) while others saw their seasons end prematurely (Daniel Jones, Patrick Mahomes). Quarterbacks lead the way as we look ahead to 2026, but fear not. Every skill position gets a mention because no NFL athlete is immune to injury.
Quarterback
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (left ACL/LCL)
It comes as no surprise that the first shared video clip of Mahomes casually dropping back and throwing a football subliminally messaged his determination to be on the field Week 1. He doesn't have to say it. He simply exudes the confidence of someone who expects to be ready. His well-established work ethic underscores his preparation.
At the spring NFL owners meeting, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach indicated Mahomes was rehabbing daily in the team facility shortly after surgery, noting that when he did travel home to Texas, he took his most trusted physical therapist with him so as not to miss a beat. There are still multiple benchmarks to hit as Mahomes' ramp-up toward a return to play continues, and his timeline remains fluid. When speaking with reporters in January, Mahomes acknowledged he "can't predict what happens throughout the process."
He will be just shy of nine months post-surgery when the season begins, an aggressive timeline even if all goes well. But, if the markers thus far are any indication, nothing is off the table.
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens (right hamstring)
Jackson was nicked and bruised for much of the season, appearing on the team's weekly injury report more often than not, primarily with lower extremity ailments. However, it was the Week 4 hamstring strain that was most notable, causing him to miss three games and leaving a lingering impact upon his return.
In Week 9, his first game back, Jackson threw for more than 200 yards and four touchdowns, yet had only five carries for 14 yards. In each of the four games prior to straining his hamstring, Jackson averaged at least 5 yards per carry. However, he reached that number just twice in nine games after returning to action. In fact, his rushing volume was substantially down compared to prior seasons, as his 5.2 carries per game was three below his previous career low of 8.2 in 2024. Even in that 2024 season -- Jackson's most prolific passing season by far (4,172 yards) -- he rushed for 915 yards, the third most in his career.
As he enters his ninth season in the league, Jackson will have had ample recovery time, but it's fair to wonder just how much to expect from his legs going forward.
Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders (left elbow/left knee/right hamstring)
After an electric rookie season in which he showcased his dual-threat ability while playing in all 17 games, Daniels' sophomore season was marred by injury and he was limited to just seven games. A sprained left knee in Week 2 as a result of a helmet hit forced him out for two weeks, and a low-grade hamstring strain in the middle of the season sidelined him for one more.
Yet, it was the dislocation of his left elbow on an awkward fall to the ground in Week 9 that essentially cost him the remainder of the season. (He did attempt a return in Week 14 but took a hit to the injured elbow that forced him out early.) Remarkably, Daniels suffered no major ligamentous damage and did not require surgery.
There should be no lingering issues heading into the 2026 season, especially given the injury was to his non-throwing arm. Nonetheless, last season served as a reminder that Daniels' lighter frame is best served by avoiding contact.
Kyler Murray, Minnesota Vikings (left foot)
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There are many questions surrounding the status of Murray entering this season, not the least of which is whether he will indeed be named the starter for his new team. Murray was last seen playing competitive football in Week 5 of the 2025 season. During that game, he suffered a midfoot sprain that ultimately became the reason he missed the rest of the season. At one point it appeared there was a chance Murray might return, but neither he nor the organization seemed inclined to push things once he was placed on IR, one month after the original injury.
Murray did not require surgery and the move to the Vikings tells us they were entirely comfortable with how his foot had healed. He is also more than three years removed from tearing his ACL and already proved his return to performance by playing in all 17 games in 2024 while posting the second-most rushing yards of his career (572).
Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts (right Achilles)
Jones was enjoying one of the most productive seasons of his career with his new team until it came to an end in Week 14 when he went down untouched with a torn right Achilles tendon. Jones underwent surgery with Dr. Martin O'Malley in New York on Dec. 9, leaving less than eight months before the start of training camp.
Jones -- who has proved his resilience in returning from other significant injuries, including an ACL reconstruction in 2023 -- immediately went to work. He has made enough progress that the Colts believe he will indeed be ready to start the season. At the time of this writing, he had begun dropping back to throw, but there are still some hurdles to cross before he can get football clearance. It's also worth noting that Jones has managed injuries through much of his college and NFL career, ranging from a broken collarbone and a high ankle sprain to hamstring strains, cervical (neck) disc herniation and a fractured fibula, along with the aforementioned ACL and Achilles tears. While he has overcome each challenge thus far and persevered at the highest level, his injury risk cannot be ignored.
Bo Nix, Denver Broncos (right ankle)
Nix had one of the more unusual injuries of the season, because virtually no one saw it happen at the time. But he knew. On the final drive of the divisional round game against the Bills, Nix was initially injured when tackled on a designed run. He stayed in the game to set up the Broncos' game-winning field goal, but in his final kneel-down, the pain worsened and he limped to the sideline, learning through postgame X-rays that he had fractured his ankle. Nix underwent subsequent surgery to place stabilizing hardware and appeared on track to participate in some minicamp activities until reports surfaced that he underwent a second procedure in April.
While the goal remains for Nix to be ready by training camp, his offseason activities will understandably be limited. Given his history of multiple ankle injuries, the Broncos will likely elect to bring him back slowly. Even as he progresses toward no limitations, the key for him will be regaining the mobility critical to his style of play. The good news is he is not attempting to rush back within the seasonal calendar and should be able to work through any residual stiffness as he moves through training camp.
Michael Penix Jr., Falcons (left ACL)
Penix is not new to ACL rehabilitation after having to face it twice for the same knee while still in college (2018, 2020). Still, the trauma of having to face it yet again when he went from a bone bruise in Week 7 (where he likely initially injured his ACL) to a season-ending injury in Week 11 had to be daunting for a player in only his second year in the league. As devastating as it was to learn he had now torn the opposite ACL, Penix pointed out that he knew what to expect and how to attack the rehab.
In November 2025, the same surgeon who performed Penix's revision (second) ACL on his right knee, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, reconstructed his left ACL. Given his prior history, it only makes sense that the Falcons will not want to rush a player in whom they invested so highly and, as if to prove that point, they signed Tua Tagovailoa in the offseason. For his part, Penix says his goal is to be ready by Week 1, which will fall less than 10 months from the date of surgery.
While the time frame is reasonable within the realm of returning from ACL reconstruction, there are multiple unique considerations, including his positional demands and his prior history. Regardless of how well Penix progresses through the various ACL benchmarks, he has made clear that the team will ultimately decide what is in his best interest when it comes to the timing of his return.
Running back
Quinshon Judkins, Cleveland Browns (right ankle)
After dislocating his right ankle, Browns RB Quinshon Judkins is on track to participate in training camp. Ken Blaze-Imagn Images In Week 16, playing at home against the Bills, the electric rookie dislocated his right ankle and fractured his fibula in the process. He was fortunate to not sustain any knee damage in the tangling of bodies that resulted in his injury. Judkins underwent surgery on Dec. 23. By February, he was out of his walking boot and participated in spring workouts in a limited capacity.
With an original recovery timeline of approximately 4-5 months, Judkins appears to be on pace to participate in training camp. The primary question is whether Judkins, the Browns' leading rusher in 2025, will regain the form he flashed last season. Running backs who are subject to these types of injuries when tackled, often require reacclimation to playing competitive football before their power, agility and balance are fully restored.
Cam Skattebo, New York Giants (right ankle)
The Giants were visiting the Eagles in Week 8 when Skattebo got caught in a pile with his right foot facing the wrong direction, a bone openly visible above his shoe. He underwent emergency surgery in Philadelphia due to the urgent nature of the injury and the immediate goal of mitigating infection risk. He noted the most challenging aspect in his early rehabilitation was regaining his dorsiflexion (upward movement of the ankle) after being in a boot for two months.
Skattebo steadily progressed toward jogging in March and was present at spring workouts. He hopes to be participating fully during training camp, something new coach John Harbaugh has echoed. Skattebo was never a finesse runner and it seems unlikely his style will be altered by this injury, as long as he can demonstrate that both his strength and power are restored.
Zach Charbonnet, Seattle Seahawks (left ACL)
Charbonnet's injury was one of those rare ACL tears that combines a noncontact planting of the foot while decelerating with an upper-body hit that forced him into rotation. The result easily subjected his left ACL to overwhelming force and, in the Seahawks' divisional round win over the 49ers on their way to the Super Bowl, Charbonnet's season ended.
As if it wasn't hard enough to watch his then teammate, Kenneth Walker III, earn MVP honors in their Super Bowl win, the late date of Charbonnet's injury ensured that he would miss the start of the 2026 season. Coach Mike Macdonald -- who at the time of Charbonnet's injury described him as "the epitome of what it means to be a Seahawk" -- said in March that "he's not going to miss the whole year." While that is an encouraging early declaration, late November will mark just nine months post-surgery and Charbonnet's progress at that point could very much dictate whether or not the team opts to activate him in 2026.
With the departure of Walker and the uncertainty around Charbonnet's availability, the Seahawks selected running back Jadarian Price in the first round of the NFL draft.
