10 Fantasy Football Injuries to Monitor During Training Camp (2026)

Nix is coming off his fourth ankle surgery on his right ankle, which will cause Denver to rely more heavily on the backfield early in the season. His inconsistent scrambling upside is a concern for his fantasy production this season—he has been up and down week-to-week with no clear pattern, creating uncertainty in his backfield usage and overall offensive consistency.

Cam Akers suffered an open fibula fracture (bone punctured skin), possible tibia fracture, and deltoid ligament rupture requiring surgical reconstruction—a more severe injury than Quinyon Judkins'. However, the source is not overly concerned about his return to performance because Akers relies more on power and short-yardage churning rather than explosiveness, unlike players like Kenneth Walker or Jahmyr Gibbs who depend more on lateral agility. The source is fine drafting him in the fourth round, especially given his strong receiving ability, which typically props up fantasy production in year one post-injury.

Hubbard had a great 2024 season with elite per-carry efficiency, then took a step back in 2025 because he dealt with a calf injury that never fully resolved. Calf injuries can have a substantial impact on running back performance and explosiveness. The source cautions against fully giving up on Hubbard despite last season's disappointing efficiency metrics, as a lot of his production was likely limited by that calf strain. Panthers offensive line injuries (Chris Brazell out, Taylor Moton hurt, Ickey Ekwonu returning from patella tendon injury) create additional downside risk for the backfield. Hubbard is the lead back on early downs in a split backfield with Jonathan Brooks, who is expected to play significant snaps on passing downs; this role split caps upside for both players in the weak Panthers offense.

Kittle is recovering from a torn Achilles and appears to be on the right timeline for return; modern Achilles injuries are no longer career-enders and allow return around 8-9 months post-injury. Expected to be active by week two (not week one due to Australia travel and recovery concerns), but unlikely to reach 100% until mid-season/Thanksgiving timeframe. First three to four games back should be expected to produce boom-bust numbers. Kittle has risen in ADP from early hundreds to back end of 90s overall and is ranked tight end six by fantasy points per game; he's been dinged with approximately 4.5 games removed from his projection due to the Achilles injury and expected week one absence. The source views him as a fine pick in the 90-100 overall range (tight end 9-10 ADP) if drafted with the understanding that his value comes from November-December production, not September-October. Strategy: pair with late-round tight ends like Goedert or Andrews for early-season production while waiting for Kittle to reach full health.

Dobbins serves as a worst-case comparison for post-injury movement severity. The source noted that Nabers' movement patterns in training camp were not as compromised as Dobbins' post-injury mobility, suggesting a more favorable recovery trajectory.

Dobbins carries an extensive injury history with multiple lower-body injuries piling up. The source questions whether a true Lisfranc repair was performed, noting those typically require 7–9 months recovery but Dobbins was cleared in approximately 2.7 months, suggesting it may not have been a full repair. Beyond injury risk, Dobbins lacks receiving work in the Broncos offense, limiting fantasy upside. He is characterized as a 'low-upside pick' despite potentially being a slight value at his round-nine ADP. The source expects a small dip in rushing efficiency coming back from all these injuries.

Judarian Price's fantasy outlook hinges entirely on Charbonnet's availability. If Charbonnet is sidelined until November due to a full ACL reconstruction, Price could see significant early-season usage and fantasy relevance as an early-down runner in the Seahawks' high-scoring offense (28 PPG, third in the league last year). However, if Charbonnet is active and healthy, Price's value is severely limited because the team heavily favors Charbonnet for goal-line and early-down work. The source is excited about Price's upside in this offense contingent on Charbonnet's recovery timeline.

Burrow is going QB4–QB5 in the sixth round, priced expensively relative to Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels; the source considers this pricing rich, especially when Dak Prescott goes a round and a half later and Brock Purdy goes nearly three and a half rounds later. While this is Burrow's first fully healthy offseason in quite some time, which should support increased passing volume and many Bengals shootouts due to defensive limitations, the expensive ADP makes him a questionable value for a pocket passer. As a pocket passer, Burrow holds onto the ball longer than necessary waiting for plays to develop and does not get out of the pocket as fast as he could, which naturally allows the pocket to collapse and defenders to roll up on him; this playing style directly caused his ACL tear and contributed to his turf toe injury when he stepped back aggressively in the pocket, suggesting some of his injury risk is self-inflicted by his own fault in how he plays.

Brooks suffered a double ACL injury, a rare occurrence for running backs; Frank Gore is the primary historical example of a double ACL injury (both in college) who went on to have a fantastic NFL career. Double ACL injury recovery is on track for 2026 season; second surgery in January 2025 with double-bundle technique adds joint stability; expected to be 21 months post-op by week one, enabling cutting and change-of-direction movements. First graft likely failed due to complications (laxity in joint), necessitating second surgery. Training camp reports show positive signs: breaking tackles, forcing missed tackles, explosive upfield movement. Kick return duties ruled out by coach Dave Canales to minimize re-injury risk. Brooks has a big offensive role planned by Dave Canales; praised for passing-down ability immediately after draft in April. Expected to play significant snaps on passing downs in split backfield with Chuba Hubbard as lead on early downs. Upside is capped by Hubbard's presence and Panthers' weak offensive projection (26th in implied points per game, bottom five in team fantasy points projections).

The source is 'actually pretty high on Kenneth Walker' despite his prior injury history (groin, hamstring, ankle injuries). Walker was healthy last season with only preseason foot soreness that didn't impact per-touch production. He fits the Chiefs' offense perfectly, and the source believes you can 'invest and rely on this increased rushing production' as the team shifts to a more run-heavy approach with Mahomes recovering from ACL/LCL injury. The Chiefs' 2–3% decreased pass rate and emphasis on ground game directly benefit Walker's role.

Pitts' PCL injury recovery took approximately 2 years to return to 100% performance, which is similar in timeline to ACL injuries but with more sluggishness, stiffness, and slower agility/cutting recovery. Return to 100% performance takes longer than the initial return-to-play timeline. The source notes Pitts now looks fantastic, secured a lucrative contract this offseason, and is shaping up as a pretty decent value pick going in the hundreds overall.

Nabers underwent cyclops lesion removal in May/early June to clear scar tissue blocking full knee extension post-ACL reconstruction. Despite initial expectations of 60–70% mobility in July, he demonstrated significantly better movement patterns than anticipated—moving with burst and quickness in early training camp, with only minor hesitation in sharp cutting and full acceleration off his right leg. The source initially expected movement patterns similar to Kyle Pitts' post-injury scarring issues, but Nabers' actual mobility was notably better than that comparison suggested, and not as compromised as J.K. Dobbins' post-injury movement. With 6 weeks until week one, the source is increasingly optimistic about his production trajectory by mid-October, noting that better movement now correlates with higher confidence in fantasy output. Nabers has moved from a fourth-round pick to a staple two-to-three turn selection, especially in best ball formats. He ranks sixth all-time in points per game among receivers in their first two seasons, alongside Randy Moss, Odell Beckham, and Puka Nacua. Even at 90% of full health post-cyclops lesion recovery, the source believes he makes strong sense at the two-to-three turn, as the WR7–13 tier is tightly bunched this year.

Evans is projected to earn targets at a 28% rate on his routes for the second consecutive year, placing him in the top 12 for target earning with strong separation metrics that have not declined. He is set to be basically the same target earner he has been for the Buccaneers for the past two seasons. Evans is going in the middle of the fifth round on Sleeper and solidly in the middle of the fourth round in sharper formats (FFPC, NFFC); the source expects his ADP to rise toward the third-round turn in sharper leagues given his improved target outlook. At current cost, the source is more willing to bet on Evans than Davante Adams despite recurring hamstring injury risk. Evans has suffered recurring hamstring injuries over the past two years, plus a hard-luck collarbone injury and concussion last season; as a long strider with multiple hamstring recurrences, Evans carries scar tissue that increases injury risk. The injury outlook is a true coin flip (50/50) for whether he avoids hamstring recurrence this season, though he could play 17 games healthy or deal with hamstring issues at some point. The source is willing to bet on Evans given the target share upside and red zone upside.

Mahomes is fully on track for week one after ACL/LCL recovery, but the source expects reduced rushing production this season. Despite a career-high in rushing touchdowns and season-high rushing yards per game last year, the source projects fewer purposeful rushing attempts due to injury caution and Eric Bieniemy's offensive coordinator role replacing Matt Nagy. The Chiefs are expected to be more run-heavy overall, with a 2–3% decreased pass rate as part of Mahomes' injury recovery strategy. Mahomes is expected to hold the ball longer on broken plays rather than scramble, and has adjusted his drop-back mechanics to reduce right knee rotation. The source anticipates an efficiency dip per rush and has dinged his rushing upside projections accordingly.

Ricky Pearsall suffered a multi-year PCL injury on top of prior misfortune (being shot before his rookie season, then an injury that slowed his rookie year). PCL surgery recovery is brutal with 9-12 months minimum recovery time and very sluggish progression. Pearsall was likely rehabbing through January with PRP injections and biologics, but continued brace-wearing and inflammation suggest persistent joint laxity and instability. The source expects either extensive time off (potentially a month) or worst-case surgery that would cost him the entire 2026 season, making him undraftable despite strong performance when fully healthy.

The source has no concerns on R.J. Harvey coming off labral repair in his shoulder, citing very low re-injury risk and very low dip for receiving work. Harvey looks good in the pass game and will split work with Dobbins in the Broncos backfield.

Charbonnet suffered an ACL injury in January 2025 with surgery on 2/20/2026, creating a front-weighted projection unique among rookies. Week one availability is uncertain and depends on whether the injury was an ACL repair (possible week one return) versus a full reconstruction (likely no return until November). Ian Rapoport's reporting suggested repair rather than reconstruction, but mixed reports persist. If it was a true reconstruction, Charbonnet likely won't play until November. Charbonnet has a front-weighted projection, meaning the Seahawks may need him early in the season rather than following the typical rookie ramp-up timeline (week 7–8 full integration). This contrasts with standard rookie expectations and suggests immediate fantasy relevance if he returns healthy.