2026 Player Injury Profiles

Patrick Mahomes

Mahomes was cleared to practice roughly seven months after tearing his left ACL and LCL. Multi-ligament procedures carry higher mobility restoration demands than clean, isolated ACL tears.

Across this sample, quarterbacks average an 11% drop in rushing attempts per game and a 14% drop in fantasy PPG (roughly 86% of pre-injury baseline) in Year 1 post-ACL.

Daniel Jones

Jones reported to camp as a full participant after undergoing Achilles tendon repair in early December.

• Kirk Cousins (2024): Returned post-Achilles though mobility and pocket movement were limited. The worry with Jones, as we saw with Cousins, is that his back leg power is reduced meaning his deep ball could be impacted. Ultimately this might mean more short and intermediate balls (Jonathan Taylor) and fewer deep shots (Alec Pierce).

Alec Pierce

Pierce underwent left ankle debridement surgery following chronic joint irritation.

• 91% points differential.
• 111% targets per route differential.
• 40% stud rate.

George Kittle

Kittle opened training camp on the Active PUP list following an Achilles tendon repair in mid-January. It's possible that he returns in the first few weeks of the season but not a slam dunk he'll be ready by Week 1.

Because the sample of TEs coming back from achilles tears in the last ten years is so small, and because none of them were anywhere near Kittle's stratosphere as comparisons, Kittle is a trickier athlete to analyze. But if you're wondering, the average drop in Half-PPR fantasy points per game (PPG) was 53.2% in those 4 TEs.

The argument that Kittle is a good value is that the TE9 in 2025 (Travis Kelce) averaged 9 half PPR points per game, meaning the bar is extremely low to return value. And since after the top 3-4 are off the board it's a plug-your-nose-and-hope position, Kittle still has the most upside at that spot.

And if you go with the streaming strategy anyway, Kittle still lets you draft another 1-2 late-round fliers.

Tucker Kraft

While ACL tears still cause a production drop-off for most veterans (~35 to 40% decrease), elite younger players can bounce back if they're given enough rehab time. Both Rob Gronkowski (+2.5%) and Hunter Henry (+37.1%) returned from ACL tears to play at equal or superior fantasy levels.

Below is a chart of TE ACL injuries since 2012.

Jonathon Brooks

Brooks enters 2026 cleared following two ACL reconstructions on the same knee.

None. No RB in the modern era has rehabbed two ACLs back to back.

Quinshon Judkins

Judkins is full-go for training camp following surgical fixation of a fibula fracture and ankle dislocation.

• Injury Type: Fibula Fracture / Ankle Dislocation Repair
• Post-Op PPR PPG Recovery: RBs average 89% pre-injury PPR PPG (102% median) in Year 1 post-fibula surgery

• Tony Pollard (2023): Played a full season post-fibula/tightrope procedure, maintaining high touch volume but dipping in fantasy PPG.

Cam Skattebo

Skattebo was cleared as "good to go" for camp following open tibia fracture and open ankle dislocation repair, with a ruptured deltoid ligament also involved.

• Injury Type: Open Tibia Fracture / Open Ankle Dislocation Repair
• Open Fracture Return-to-Sport Rate: 81% to 90% of NFL players return after an open fracture, with games played, performance, and career length similar to matched closed-fracture cases

• FF Points Differential: 100%
• Touches Differential: 101%
• Targets Differential: 112%
• Stud Rate: 50% · Dud Rate: 11% · Week Winner Rate: 22%

• No clean, fantasy-relevant RB open-fracture comp exists, so the aggregate data is the better reference. Open fractures return at rates similar to closed fractures, with comparable performance and career length. Median time missed is roughly 49 weeks.
• Tony Pollard (2023): Closest named lower-leg comp. Played a full season after a fibula fracture and tightrope procedure, maintaining high touch volume.

Zach Charbonnet

Charbonnet opened training camp on the PUP list following February ACL surgery. He's been getting steam for some reason, but the only way he's back by Week 1 is if he had an ACL repair as opposed to a full reconstruction. By all accounts this was a full reconstruction, meaning we shouldn't expect a fully released Charbs until mid-November.

• 80% of RBs fail to reach 85% of pre-injury fantasy PPG in Year 1
• 12% drop in fantasy PPG for RBs in Year 1 post-ACL

• Gus Edwards: PUP/Hamstring, 8 games missed Year 1

Malik Nabers

Nabers isn't expected to open the season on PUP, but that doesn't mean he won't miss time, and it definitely doesn't mean he's in the clear for 2026.

For a WR coming back from an ACL tear, we want every box below checked. Nabers misses on the ones that matter.

Nine months is the bare-minimum milestone most surgeons use before full release, and Nabers isn't even there yet post-surgery, let alone post-injury. His was a complex ACL repair with meniscus involvement, then a spring cleanup. He's a freak, but the receivers who age best out of injury tend to win with separation and zone-beating feel, like Cooper Kupp or Julian Edelman, and Nabers sits just under that 80% zone bar.

Put on Giants-colored glasses, ignore every missed box, and assume he's normal by Week 1. Even then, only eight total WRs post-ACL since 2013 have reached 85% of pre-injury PPR PPG in Year 1 while also scoring at least 10 PPR points per game. The half-PPR return-year numbers over the last decade:

In 2024 and 2025 combined, Nabers averaged 14 half-PPR points per game, which would have been WR5 in 2025 (George Pickens). That is the absolute ceiling. Hitting 85% of his pre-ACL production is 11.9 PPG, roughly a WR8 finish (Zay Flowers in 2025).