Press Coverage - Injury Updates for Dynasty Fantasy Football
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
41 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Jul 8, 2026
Published
Wed, July 8, 2026
7
Player insights
7
Players mentioned
Topics
George KittleMalik NabersPatrick MahomesQuinshon JudkinsRashee RiceTucker KraftXavier Worthy
Player analysis
Player insights
George Kittle
PositiveProjection18:30
Kittle tore his Achilles in the wild card round but is planning to return for week 1 of 2026. The source's skepticism has softened after reviewing reports. Kittle received the speed bridge technique for Achilles repair, which carries a 6–9 month recovery timeline compared to the traditional 9–12 month timeline. The speed bridge allows early weight bearing in a boot, accelerating recovery versus traditional repairs that restrict weight bearing for 6–8 weeks. Aaron Rodgers used this technique and returned the same season with a reported 4-month timeline. While week 1 return sounds ambitious, it is a realistic possibility. Kittle ranks in the 75th percentile among tight ends for undershooting recovery timelines, suggesting he recovers faster than peers; the source notes he is 'just a freak' and wouldn't rule him out for week one. Kittle will remain a key security blanket for Brock Purdy in the 49ers offense alongside Christian McCaffrey. The source emphasizes that Brock Purdy is 'a good NFL quarterback and a good fantasy football quarterback,' making the 49ers offense attractive; Kittle is 'a big piece of that,' especially in dynasty tight end premium leagues. However, Kittle's long-term dynasty value is constrained by age and injury history. He is turning 33 soon and will be 34 next season; even if he returns and plays well late in 2026, his value will continue to decline as he ages. The source warns that buyers should understand Kittle 'is probably not leaving your team after that' because 'this is probably the last year' of meaningful value, and his injury history will further depress future valuations.
Insight pageMalik Nabers
NegativeProjection1:58
Nabers tore his ACL and meniscus in week 4 of 2025 and underwent a second procedure in May to remove scar tissue; John Harbaugh noted on May 22nd that it's not a simple knee injury. There is a realistic chance he starts the 2026 season on the PUP list and misses the first four weeks. However, his pre-ACL metrics are elite: 14.1 fantasy points per game (top 50% among WRs), 2.12 career yards per route run, ~10-yard average depth of target (sweet spot), and 28% target share (only Julian Edelman and Jordy Nelson have higher post-ACL target shares in the source's database). Edelman moved from WR16 to WR21 post-ACL; Nelson finished as WR2 the following season. Nabers is a freak athlete with elite athleticism to spare even if slightly slowed. The source is not worried about his long-term dynasty outlook and believes if anyone breaks the mold of slow year-after-ACL performance, it's Nabers.
Insight pagePatrick Mahomes
NegativeProjection32:57
Mahomes tore his ACL and LCL in week 15 of 2025 but appears to be recovering well; the source notes that while the injury is significant, Mahomes 'seems fine' and could be ready for week one, which is not uncommon for quarterbacks given the different physical demands of the position compared to skill positions. However, Mahomes has not been a strong fantasy quarterback in recent years. In 2025, his fantasy numbers were 'bolstered by some rushing,' nearing a career high in rushing attempts. Post-Tyreek Hill, 'Patrick Mahomes has not been the same fantasy quarterback that he's been pre-Tyreek Hill or with Tyreek Hill.' The source expresses concern that his fantasy success is dependent on rushing volume, which may be limited in 2026 coming off an ACL/LCL injury. Mahomes is ranked QB8–QB10 in dynasty, which the source considers 'fair' and 'an appropriate cost.' He is grouped with Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert, Jackson Dart, and Trevor Lawrence. The source notes that while Mahomes has name value and could be sold for a 'massive profit' in casual leagues, his recent fantasy performance warrants scrutiny. The source is 'always going to be in on Patrick Mahomes because he's Mahomes' but acknowledges the need to reconcile his recent fantasy numbers.
Insight pageQuinshon Judkins
PositiveProjection7:21
Judkins dislocated his ankle and fractured his fibula in week 16 of 2025 but is showing strong recovery signs with Instagram clips of him running well. The source is not concerned about his 2026 outlook. While there may be some efficiency concerns as a ball carrier, his pre-injury profile shows he was a top 20 RB in opportunity share (carries and targets) and top 25 in points per game despite stacked box rates (8th in NFL) and yards per touch outside top 50. He is a quintessential volume-based RB2 with a known ceiling limited by the Browns' poor offense, not by injury. Dylan Sampson's role as backup is unlikely to expand significantly in PPR leagues; Sampson's season average target share was 8.3% when Judkins was healthy, compared to 15% in games where Judkins was out. The Browns did not bolster the backfield in the offseason, so Judkins remains the clear lead back.
Insight pageRashee Rice
PositiveInjury37:06
Rashee Rice is dealing with back-to-back major injuries across two consecutive seasons but showed no huge concerns when he returned from his LCL tear last offseason. The source is 'optimistic about Rashee Rice' and notes that despite the injury history, he 'looked great coming back at injury,' suggesting resilience and a positive recovery trajectory.
Insight pageTucker Kraft
NegativeProjection26:45
The source is 'a little bearish on Tucker Kraft' for 2026 despite his ACL recovery, citing efficiency and workload concerns. Kraft ran only 23.9 routes per game last season, significantly below elite tight ends like Trey McBride (40.2), Brock Bowers (32.2), Kyle Pitts (30), Sam Laporta (27), and George Kittle (26). A third of Kraft's points came from yards after the catch, and he is coming off an ACL injury that may affect efficiency. The source compares Kraft's post-ACL trajectory to T.J. Hockenson rather than Rob Gronkowski. Hockenson, who tore his ACL at age 26 (similar to Kraft's age 26), dropped from a top-five tight end to TE34 overall in his age-27 season post-injury, running 10 fewer routes per game. The source notes Hockenson is 'currently Tucker Kraft's best comparable player on player profiler,' suggesting Kraft may face a similar decline. The source ranks Kraft as his TE5 in dynasty but is not actively buying more at current market prices. He prefers Harold Fundy Jr. and Sam Laporta ahead of Kraft, noting that while he 'believes in the player,' Kraft is 'a little bit of an outlier' relying on pure efficiency rather than high-volume pass-catching. The source would 'listen to offers' and would trade Kraft straight up for Laporta, or trade Kraft plus a pick for Laporta.
Insight pageXavier Worthy
PositiveProjection38:18
Xavier Worthy suffered a labral tear on a freak play in week one (friendly fire from Travis Kelce). Andy Reid's staff had to 'change Xavier Worthy's route tree completely because there was just some things that he could not do with that labral tear.' The source notes that Worthy is a field stretcher who relies on explosive plays and 50-50 ball ability, both of which are compromised by shoulder instability from a labral tear. However, Worthy's ability to produce last season despite the labral tear that limited his route tree and prevented him from running crossers and laying out for 50-50 balls is 'really a testament to his grit.' The source expects a 'different Kansas City offense with both those guys [Rice and Worthy] healthy,' suggesting significant upside if Worthy returns to full health and regains his full route tree.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00Hey, it's Bill from the Bill Simmons Podcast. FIFA World Cup 26 fans, listen up!
0:05As the official beer sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 26, Michelob Ultra is giving away $1 million worth of FIFA World Cup 26 tickets and prizes.
0:13Enter now at MichelobUltra.com slash SuperiorAccess slash FIFA World Cup 26.
0:16Michelob Ultra, FIFA World Cup 26, Superior Access, no purchase necessary.
0:20Open U.S. Residence 21 Plus begins on December 1st, 2025, ends on July 31st, 2026, multiple entry periods.
0:25Visit www.micelobUltra.com slash SuperiorAccess slash FIFA World Cup 26 for free entry, entry deadlines, prizes, and details.
0:31As soccer takes center stage this summer, Comcast helps bring the experience home to America.
0:35As the exclusive Spanish language home of the tournament in the U.S., Telemundo is set to present its most expansive coverage ever.
0:42700 hours of programming, live on-site presence at all 104 matches, and with multi-view and real-time 4K, Xfinity will deliver the most
0:49innovative and immersive sports viewing experience for fans watching on Telemundo, Peacock, Fox, and FS1.
0:54Learn more at ComcastCorporation.com. What is going on, everybody?
0:56Welcome on into Press Coverage. We help you get an edge in fantasy football.
1:01I'm your host, as always, Mitch Anderson. With me today, Adam Hutchison from Football Guys to talk about some injuries because, boy,
1:07do we still have some that we have to be worried about heading into redraft season.
1:12Dynasty season's going strong. There's players that we need to talk about.
1:16Adam, how are you? I'm doing good. I'm doing good.
1:19I'm doing good. Appreciate you having me. I've been soaking up some of the World Cup.
1:24I know this is a fantasy football show, but yeah, I've been enjoying the summer, watching as much soccer as I can
1:31right now before we gear up for football season.
1:34Yeah, well, I mean, even though it is a football show, it's worth talking about because USA, you know, let's make a little bit of noise.
1:42It's all over now, but it was a good time to enjoy a little bit of USA soccer there.
1:48All right, so we're talking injuries, and you're the guy to bring on for that, in my opinion.
1:53I think you're pretty good at this, so we're going to get right into it.
1:58Talk about Malik Neighbors. This one's obviously very important because he's one of the top players in fantasy football since he stepped
2:05on an NFL field, and I thought what's interesting is that his ADP in Dynasty has not dropped too much from where it was.
2:12I thought there was a chance it could drop a little bit, but to remind everybody, tore his ACL and his meniscus in week four of 2025.
2:21Didn't really get to get going in that season, and we haven't gotten great news throughout the offseason.
2:26You know, Adam, where do you think we are with him right now?
2:30Yeah, I mean, Malik Neighbors, when you talk about injuries, like, I think this is the one everyone wants to know about.
2:37I'm similar to where Dynasty drivers probably are at.
2:40Am I thinking, is 2026 going to be Malik Neighbors' best season?
2:43Probably not. But am I letting him go for Dynasty for pretty much anything?
2:48Absolutely not. You hit it a little bit with the reporting that was coming out of Giants camp.
2:53You know, we learned earlier in May that he had a second procedure on his knee to remove some scar tissue.
3:00John Harbaugh talked about it on May 22nd, referencing that it's not a simple knee injury.
3:05Then we also, you know, because we're fantasy football connoisseurs, we got the clip of him at the charity baseball game, softball game.
3:12People were, like, breaking down his gate because they were a little bit worried.
3:16I think it's valid to have some concerns about him in Dynasty.
3:20You know, when we look at Keep Drey Cut, which is a great resource just to give us, like, a crowdsourced data information.
3:27I'm a little surprised he's not in the top six.
3:30I mean, we've got Jamar Chase, JSN, Puka Nakua, Amonra St.
3:34Brown, Justin Jefferson, and then Malik Neighbors. You know, in Dynasty, there's always that age component.
3:39Amonra St. Brown, Justin Jefferson pushing age 28. Malik Neighbors is going to be pushing, coming into his year 24 season.
3:45So I get it. Really, for me, when it comes to Malik Neighbors and just looking at 2026, what is the instant value?
3:52A lot of the things that I've looked at for wide receivers post-ACL reconstruction, there's some key metrics.
3:58It's not really a model. It's just some data points that show, like, what wide receivers have done well post-ACL.
4:04Malik Neighbors has all of those. When we look at pre-fantasy points per game in 2024 and in 2025, he's at 14.1.
4:11That's top 50% amongst the wide receivers that I currently have in my database.
4:15His career yards per route run is above 2 at 2.12.
4:19That's a strong number. Where his pre-ACL averaged up the target.
4:22So you want something kind of in that sweet spot.
4:25You don't want someone that's just getting targets behind the line of scrimmage.
4:29But we didn't want to see, like, a huge A dot because that's somebody that's maybe more of a field stretcher and
4:36just kind of put into one role where they're maybe not getting a high volume of targets.
4:41This is in that sweet spot around 10 yards.
4:44Big one is the pre-ACL target share. I mean, we didn't get a big sample size for 2025, but grouping 2024 and
4:512025 together, strong target share at 28%. The only two wide receivers that I have post-ACL with a number higher than 28%,
4:58we're looking at Julian Edelman, who moved from pre-ACL wide receiver 16 to post-ACL wide receiver 21.
5:03He's kind of that low A dot wide receiver we're talking about.
5:07But he finished in a similar range. The big one is Jordy Nelson.
5:11Jordy Nelson finished as the wide receiver 2 overall the following season for his ACL.
5:15The other thing that I've looked at is just, like, athleticism.
5:19It's not super sticky for, you know, post-ACL production.
5:21But if you wanted to use that as the cherry on top for Malik Nabors, you could.
5:27He's definitely a freak athlete. And I think it just all ties together into a place of am I worried about Malik Nabors' long-term and dynasty?
5:35I'm not. And I really think if there's somebody that's going to kind of break the mold and the year after the
5:41ACL tear, I'm going to bet on a profile at Malik Nabors.
5:45Yeah, when we started getting the bad news, I started to try and knock on some doors in dynasty because I was
5:52hoping maybe there was just a little bit of panic of what he could be for the 2020 season.
5:58Because I do think, like, he's probably going to start slow.
6:01But for a lot of reasons you said, I do think he's going to come back at least close to form at some point in the 2026 season.
6:10I really like your point about the chair on top of, like, the athleticism.
6:14Like, this is a dude who has athleticism to give and still be a top athlete in the NFL.
6:20So even if he has slowed down slightly, I think he could play at a really high level.
6:26But with knocking on those doors, I haven't really gotten a lot of open doors.
6:30You know? So my hope is that maybe 2026 season actually starts, he's not on the field, and then we see some
6:37teams maybe start to panic, and then it's a time to revisit.
6:41What's your thought on that? Yeah. No, I think that's a great point.
6:45I think that's the key, honestly, is that I do think there's a realistic chance at this point that he does start
6:52on the PUP and miss the first four weeks of the season.
6:55I don't think it's a lock, though. So I understand your panic of, like, hey, I want to try to get in
7:02this early because there's still some unknown. But there could potentially still be another window to buy in Dynasty specifically because there
7:09is a strong possibility that he misses the first four weeks.
7:13Yeah, and to that point, too, you know, this is something where we have to consistently, I think, if you want to
7:19be trying to buy Malik Neighbors, you have to consistently be checking back in with the managers in your leagues.
7:26I think because, hey, training camp comes around and news is still bad.
7:30Maybe then that's the tipping point for some managers in your leagues.
7:33Absolutely. Okay. Next up, we're going to talk about a couple of running backs with similar injuries, and that's Quinshon Judkins and Cam Scadabo.
7:41Judkins dislocated his ankle and fractured fibula in week 16.
7:44Scadabo in week 8, dislocated ankle and fractured tibia.
7:47I believe there's a little bit of additional damage there as well that I'm sure you could help me out with.
7:53But both, at this point, seem to be doing pretty well, all things considered.
7:57I mean, you've got Cam Cam Scadabo doing backflips.
8:00Reports out of Brown's camp is that Quinshot Judkins looks to be back in shape and running well.
8:06How are you feeling about these two? Yeah, I mean, similar to Malik Neighbors, like long term, I'm not really worried.
8:12I think it's just about a question of where your Dynasty team is.
8:16And then we see those peaks and valleys based on, even though it's Dynasty in a long format, fantasy football is a
8:23very emotional game and a very reaction-based game. That if these guys get off to slow starts, they're certainly buying opportunities.
8:30I'm really not worried about either in 2026. I'll start with Quinshot Judkins.
8:34The only thing that really gave me slight pause with him is where his injury was.
8:39You touched on it week 16. That's a little bit later in the season.
8:43But, I mean, even on Instagram, we're getting clips of him running and looking well.
8:48I'm really not concerned. I think for him, there could be some efficiency concerns as a ball carrier.
8:53And I think people might look at those concerns in 2026 and use it as confirmation bias to say, hey, see, the
9:00ankle injury is really slowing him down. But just digging into some of his numbers from last season, I mean, the stack
9:07box rate against him was top 10 in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns, ranking eighth.
9:12His yards per touch was outside the top 50.
9:15His fantasy points per touch was outside the top 60.
9:18But he's still a top 20 running back in terms of opportunity share, seeing carries and targets.
9:23He's still a top 25 running back in points per game.
9:26We know what Quinshot Judkins is. The Browns are bad.
9:29He's strictly a volume play. And I think sometimes two people will look and say, well, with the ankle injury, you know,
9:36in a PPR leagues, does Dylan Sampson get a little bit involved?
9:40Their target shares really weren't that different last season.
9:43And Sampson's numbers might be even a little bit more inflated in games where Judkins was out, either due to disciplinary reasons or when he got hurt.
9:51Sampson had a 15% target share. But his season average was like 8.3 when Judkins was healthy.
9:56So, yeah, I think Judkins should be fine. The Browns really didn't do anything to bolster that backfield.
10:02So, like I talked about, we know that Browns ceiling isn't very high.
10:06I think Quinshot Judkins is the quintessential RB2 plug and play.
10:09You know he's a volume play. Probably doesn't have the highest ceiling, though.
10:13Yeah. He's a volume play player. You mentioned it.
10:16We're getting videos of him, too, obviously, doing Cam Scadabo things, doing the backflip.
10:20You know, in redraft leagues, his ADP has risen since May, coming up about, like, 12 spots and redraft in best ball leagues.
10:28He's a higher pick right now in redraft than Quinshot Judkins.
10:31And that's probably just because we expect the Giants to be a little bit better.
10:36By, like, a round, too. Yeah. Yeah. And probably – I know there's some questions about Jackson Dart, but there's no question
10:42that the quarterback play in New York is better than what we're going to get in Cleveland in this season.
10:49There's a lot of unknowns. Deficiency things, you know, Cam Scadaboo, anything tied to his elusiveness or broken tackle rate, I don't
10:55know if that was really, quote, unquote, him being elusive.
10:59I think it's just Cam Scadaboo being a tough, hard-nosed running back that will literally run through your face.
11:04Yeah. And I don't really expect the ankle injury to affect that too much either.
11:09Yeah. I'm with you on both of these that, like, I think in general I just want to be in on them.
11:16Judkins is a little bit harder because he was a much higher-ranked prospect coming into the NFL.
11:21He's much highly thought of in Dynasty. But their prices are closer than I expected a little bit.
11:27It just kind of depends on where you look.
11:29Like, Judkins has a little bit of variability to his Dynasty value right now.
11:34Like, Dynasty Data Lab started BDP, RB14. DLF was RB15, but then keep trade cut RB9.
11:39I actually expected him to be closer to that RB9 valuation.
11:42That's interesting. It was tough going for him on the Browns because the Browns have an awful offensive line.
11:48When you have no QB play, it's easy for the defense to just crash down on the running back.
11:54But I think, like, he's one of those players where you could just watch and, like, see.
11:59Like, okay, I mean, this guy's obviously good. You know, it's just if he could really get something going around him, he could really take off.
12:07But Scadabo, I think, Scadabo was one of those where I feel like there was just this overanalyzation that happened.
12:13Like, Scadabo and Fannin last year. Harold Fannin were the two players to me that was like, it's really obvious who they
12:20are and who they were coming to the NFL.
12:23And, like, people picked apart because all these different things.
12:26It's like they were just the same people the moment they hit the NFL.
12:30You know, Cam Scadabo showed so much in college and they got to the NFL.
12:35And was that exact same guy and, like, immediately took over the backfield once he got a shot.
12:41So I'm expecting more of the same from them.
12:43Judkins, I think, is rightfully valued lower in redraft in seasonal leagues because of the Browns offense.
12:49But also, I think, rightfully valued higher in Dynasty because he is, you know, second-round draft pick.
12:54Cam Scadabo, day three, no matter what you want to say about it.
12:58He probably didn't deserve to be a day three pick.
13:01Maybe it was because of that draft class, you know how good it was, but he was a day three draft pick.
13:08And we've seen over and over again day three draft picks get replaced when we think they shouldn't.
13:14I don't think that's happening to Cam, but, like, that's always going to be a part of his profile in a way that Dynasty managers think.
13:22It will always be part of the thought process.
13:24So I think you kind of have to have them a little bit lower.
13:29But I'm just kind of in general on both of them, I would say, moving forward.
13:34I'm impressed with where they are in their recoveries.
13:36Yeah, I think for 2026, they should be good.
13:39You know, the interesting point that you made there at the end with Cam Scadabo, it makes sense in terms of his
13:46Dynasty value because it is a little bit more fragile.
13:49And you talk about, you know, potentially getting replaced.
13:52A part of that, too, is injury. I mean, injury seeds opportunity.
13:56It's harder for a team to, you know, replace a first-round running back.
14:00I know Jenkins wasn't a first-round running back. But let's say Jeremiah Love, knock on wood, doesn't get hurt.
14:06But let's say he got hurt this year. No one's worried about his job.
14:10Right. Cam Scadabo, physical player, does have another injury this year.
14:13The Giants probably think about bringing in another running back for more competition.
14:17Yeah, and that's going to be something that's on Dynasty managers' minds, like, forever.
14:22Throughout Cam Scadabo's career, like, coming in the NFL, everyone's like, dude just runs into people's faces, and that's a dangerous way to play football.
14:29And the first season, I mean, it's a freak accident, but he gets hurt and gets his season ended for the year.
14:36And, like, managers will remember that, and they'll be thinking about it, like, throughout the rest of his career.
14:42They're always going to wonder when that next time is going to happen.
14:46Now, you could possibly use that to your advantage in Dynasty if people get too low and you think it's now time to attack.
14:54You can use that. But I do think that will always be a part of his profile.
14:59Yeah, he might be a shooting star that's not long for an NFL career.
15:03But, man, if you're trying to win this year, 2026, 2027, I mean, I'd be excited about having Cam Scadabo on my team.
15:10Yeah, I'm with you. Now, we're going to take a quick minute to hear about the world-famous player profile draft kit.
15:17And when we come back, we've got more injured players to talk about.
15:21You know, the original player profile was just my podcasting tool that I made available to the public so that you could
15:28follow along and look up the stats while I'm looking them up and talking about them on the show.
15:33And then you're asking, well, I want to dominate my drafts.
15:37I want to know what you know about Josh Downs and Trey Harris and Jalen Coker.
15:42So that's why we have the world-famous draft kit.
15:45The key team insights, the player breakdowns, and the key stats that you need to know, like vacated targets, vacated touches, all
15:51there available to you with cheat sheets for every format and interactive drafting.
15:55As you draft, the players fly off the board.
15:58And this year, for the first time, I am publishing my personal draft cheat sheet during draft season as well as Bradley's.
16:05And when you sign up for the all-in package, you get $25 off with code PODFATHER.
16:10Code PODFATHER, $25 off. The world-famous draft kit is now live.
16:13It is ready. It is complete. So go grab it and dominate your drafts.
16:18From athletic stuff like a full-court pickup game, swish, to athletic-ish stuff like a half-mile stroll.
16:23Get those steps in. Head to Sierra or Sierra.com for the brands you want at the prices that let you do it all.
16:30From athletic to athletic-ish, Sierra's got it. This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome.
16:35You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome?
16:38That's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block,
16:45or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks.
16:48Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense?
16:53There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up required.
16:56Compatibility and availability varies 18+. Back here on press coverage with Adam Hutchison from Football Guys, talking about some of the biggest
17:03injured players heading into the season and what to do with them.
17:06Before we get to our next player, though, Adam, let everyone know what you've been working on.
17:12Yeah. So I just finished up helping out Football Guys.
17:15We're rolling out a draft guide as well. Joe Bryant, our leader, really likes the written copy.
17:20There's some nostalgia factor to that as well. I'm not sure you're familiar with it, but last year's version came out.
17:26It looked really good, had a lot of good information in it.
17:30I updated our injury section for that, and that should be coming out, I think, July 13th or July 12th is when it should start hitting mailboxes.
17:39So just finished up that. Doing some player spotlights for Football Guys with a little bit of an injury focus.
17:45Bucky Irving was a player that I wrote about earlier this summer.
17:48And then, you know, after talking to you and looking through some things, there's another player that we'll be talking about.
17:55I'll tease that, that I'll be dropping a player spotlight on Football Guys soon.
17:59And then just updating. Yeah. Yeah. And then just updating the injury index for Football Guys that comes out when we get closer to football season.
18:07And it's just, it's more of a redraft tool, but it really gives fantasy managers, in my opinion, some actionable information regarding injuries.
18:14Average times missed, re-injury rates, what fantasy production, snap share, things like that for specific injuries at specific positions.
18:20I've added a new twist to it as well this season.
18:24So just trying to give some readers some actionable injury information so they can make the most informed decisions.
18:30Love to hear it. I feel like injury situations are forever the hardest thing for everybody in playing fantasy to really wrap
18:36their heads around and try to decide to be in or out of a player.
18:41Because it is so unique to each player. It can be really difficult to decide between.
18:46So people like you doing the good work for us is much appreciated.
18:50But we're going to move on to our next player, and that is George Kittle.
18:55Tor is Achilles in the wild card round. This is a tough one because Achilles used to be a death knell.
19:01You tore your Achilles, you're done. Your NFL career is over.
19:05But that has been changing, and it's been changing rapidly over the last few years, which players are able to come back from those Achilles injuries.
19:13They're not always getting back to form right away, but they are on the football field much quicker than normal.
19:19Kittle seems to be like he's planning to be there week one.
19:23I'm still a little bit apprehensive that week one is going to happen, but he seems to be set for it.
19:29How are you feeling about Kittle? To be honest with you, I was a little skeptical about George Kittle coming into 2026,
19:36but my stance has softened a little bit the more I've looked at it and the more reports I'm seeing about him.
19:43I mean, like everyone at this time of the year, they say they're going to be ready for week one.
19:49And he and the 49ers say he's on track for week one.
19:53I do think it's a possibility, as crazy as that sounds.
19:56It sounds like he got the speed bridge technique that we're using for Achilles tendon repairs, which carries closer to like a
20:03six to nine month timeline where Achilles tendon repairs were more closer to a nine to 12 month timeline.
20:09Mostly because that procedure allows for early weight bearing, although they are in a boot where a typical Achilles tendon repair probably
20:16is not putting any weight through that with a boot or without a boot for like six to eight weeks.
20:22So you can see where it starts to really accelerate that timeline.
20:25This came a little bit more popular with Aaron Rodgers when he tore his Achilles and he was talking about like a
20:32four month recovery timeline, which is a little crazy even for Aaron Rodgers standards.
20:37But maybe it wasn't that crazy because coming back that season.
20:40We were like, what? Yeah. Yeah, I know it was.
20:43It was a little Aaron Rodgers ask, but I think there was probably a little bit of truth to that just based
20:50on some of the recovery timelines that we're seeing with this, the speed bridge.
20:54And then again, you talked about like just because it's George Kittle and that profile, you know, with that injury index I was talking about for football guys.
21:03Another thing that I've looked at is just average recovery timelines per injury and then comparing it to specific players and seeing
21:10what players are better at coming back from injury.
21:12So like a hamstring strain for a wide receiver on average takes 2.3 weeks to recover.
21:17What wide receivers are undershooting that? What wide receivers are overshooting that?
21:21It doesn't tell us necessarily if someone's injury prone, but it just gives us an idea of like, you know, maybe this player is a little bit tougher.
21:30Maybe they're a little bit more regimen with their with their health care and how they take care of their body.
21:36George Kittle is one of those tight ends that usually undershoots recovery timelines.
21:40He ranks in the 75th percentile amongst tight ends.
21:43I mean, the guy is just a freak. He loves football, so I wouldn't rule him out in week one.
21:49I think a lot of his dynasty value is tied to his age and then obviously this injury on top of it.
21:56But in 2026, I think you could do a lot worse at tight end than George Kittle.
22:01Yeah, his tight end value in dynasty has now started to have some variability to it.
22:06It's dropped, obviously. You know, he was consistently near the top and it's finally starting to fall a little bit.
22:13Dicey's LLB, start of AP, tight end 15. DLF, he was tight end 11.
22:17Kutrid cut, tight end 13. But I see those prices and I think to myself, like, if I'm a competing team, I
22:24mean, it's probably the best bang for your buck value if things work out.
22:28Like, I'm sure it's going to be slow to start the season.
22:32But halfway through the season, heading into fantasy playoffs, like, if we're getting anything close to what George Kittle has been for
22:39this price, that seems like a pretty good win for me in dynasty if you're a competing team.
22:44What do you think about that? Yeah, I mean, the 49ers have some new weapons on offense, but who's going to be the security blanket for Brock Purdy?
22:53It's going to be Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle.
22:56And I think we have enough objective data at this point to say Brock Purdy is a good NFL quarterback and a good fantasy football quarterback.
23:04So I'm buying into that 49ers offense. And George Kittle is a big piece of that, you know, especially in our dynasty
23:10leagues where they're more likely to be tight end premium.
23:14Like, yeah, you nailed it. He's somebody that if your team is win now in 2026, I think he gives you a
23:20positional advantage at that tight end position. I do have to note that, like, if you're listening to this and you think
23:27I'm going to go out and buy some George Kittle on my competing dynasty team, understand he's probably not leaving your team after that.
23:35Like, you buy him and then you just let him die on your roster because this is probably the last year.
23:41I mean, even if he comes back and plays well at the end of the year, he's going to have his value
23:48drop even more as he moves on into next season.
23:51He's going to be turning 33 here soon. You know, next year he'll be turning 34.
23:56Or even though he came back from an injury, people are going to look at his career and all the injuries he's
24:03battled through and including this and say, like. So my point is, like, if you buy him now and you think like
24:10and it doesn't go as planned, you think, oh, maybe I can flip him for something later.
24:15Like, I would just tell you, you're probably not.
24:18Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You got to know what the cost acquisition is.
24:21And honestly, this probably wouldn't be the best time to buy George Kittle because it depends on your dynasty league and who's in it.
24:29But usually week one, like everyone's in compete mode and win now mode.
24:33As the season goes on, some of those things dwindle off.
24:36The price tag for George Kittle could cut by 50 to 60 percent if it's a team that's obviously not competing.
24:43And they realize that as well as that in 2027, 2028, there's not going to be a lot of value tied to Kittle.
24:50Yeah, it's funny how that works in dynasty leagues where, you know, there's probably only three teams that are truly competing each and every year.
24:58Like you can actually tell a difference. But then there's a large subsection in the middle who think they could compete if things break right.
25:05Right. And there's maybe one or two teams. Yeah.
25:08And then there's maybe one or two teams at the bottom who are like truly rebuilding like they tore it down, you
25:15know, that they're not actually trying to do this.
25:18And I fall in that middle section plain times because it's true.
25:21Things do happen. You know, a couple of things break your way with top team loses a top player.
25:27And next thing you know, like they're they're struggling.
25:30I always tell myself, like going into a season that, you know, I'm waiting till like week five, six, seven before I'm
25:37really like, OK, it's not going my way, you know, because things do happen.
25:41But you have to understand you're in that situation going into the season.
25:45Sure. Yeah, absolutely. I agree. All right. Our next player of the day is Tucker Craft.
25:50Now, this one's interesting, in my opinion. So he tears his ACL week nine.
25:55He was absolutely crushing it leading up to that.
25:57You know, he was one of the bigger values in drafts last year and bigger values in dynasty because, you know, as
26:04everyone remembers, he was a second tight end drafted by Green Bay in that draft class and was forgotten about.
26:10And he ended up being the one who broke through.
26:13So he was he's been a big value throughout his career and his dynasty market value was, you know, rising through the 2025 season.
26:21And it just never dropped despite the injury. You know, he stayed there within the top six tight ends basically ever since then.
26:28I think speaking to people's belief in who he is as a player.
26:32And he's another one where it's like seems like he's just fine and like ready to go.
26:37Like, what's the confidence level in Tucker Craft right now?
26:40So to this point of the show, I have been like all sunshine and rainbows.
26:45And this might be a little hot takey. But specifically, yeah, specifically for 2026, I'm a little bearish on Tucker Craft.
26:51A couple of reasons. So I think we're just thirsty for like really good tight ends.
26:56We kind of do this thing where we shoot them all the way up the board specifically on like keep trade cut.
27:03We did this with like Sam Laporta. He was our tight end one and then he moved down to tight end eight.
27:10And now he's kind of settled in. We did this with Kyle Pitts a couple of years ago.
27:16And I think we're kind of doing this with Tucker Craft where we've just crowned him the new the new tight end
27:22flavor and putting him up in the top five.
27:25I think for Dynasty, like I would I'd listen to offers.
27:29I think I'd rather have Sam Laporta and I think I could be talked into Kyle Pitts.
27:34But I'll dive into a little bit for 2026 specifically why I'm a little bit concerned.
27:39So the first thing, it really comes down to like efficiency concerns versus workload concerns.
27:44So I heard about Jacob Gibbs talking to Theo Grevenger on on his new Rotowire show show.
27:49And he was talking about how routes run is a really sticky stat for fantasy points for tight ends.
27:55And it makes sense, right? Like if your tight ends running more routes, they're likely to catch more passes.
28:01Here's a breakdown of some of the tight ends last season in terms of route run.
28:05We got Trey McBride at 40.2. Brock Bowers at 32.2.
28:09Kyle Pitts at 30 routes per game. Sam Laporta at 27 routes per game.
28:13George Kittle at 26 routes per game. And Tucker Craft's kind of way down there at 23.9 routes per game.
28:19It doesn't sound like a big drop off. But when you talk about like the tight end one, tight end two, tight
28:26end three between McBride, Bowers and Pitts, there's a significant drop off.
28:30Another sticky stat for tight end production is yards after the catch as it correlates well to fantasy points.
28:36Again, that makes more sense. You're catching the ball, running for more yards.
28:40Yards are how you get points. But it's a big reason why we like those athletic profiles for tight ends, specifically in
28:46Dynasty, because the guys that can make big splash plays yards after the catch are really those guys that separate themselves at the position.
28:54Last season, a third of Tucker Craft's points came on yards after the catch.
28:58So initially starting off with that, I'm worried about a tight end here a little bit that we're just seeing in terms
29:05of the routes run is not getting a massive workload compared to some of those top tight ends.
29:11And then we got a player coming off an injury in terms of an ACL that might affect his efficiency.
29:17The third point, if you would allow me here, I can take you down narrative street a little bit.
29:23I'm seeing a lot of people comparing Tucker Craft to Rob Gronkowski, kind of giving him the baby Gronk nickname specifically for his post ACL production.
29:31So we looked at Rob Gronkowski, who's age 24 coming off of that.
29:35But Tucker Craft actually compares better to another player who kind of had an up and down trajectory to start his career,
29:41burst onto the scene with two top five finishes in consecutive seasons in 2022 and 2023.
29:46He tore his ACL at age 26, moved into his age 27 season post ACL.
29:51That's more of a similar age range to Tucker Craft.
29:54Following that, he moved from tight end. He moved down to tight end 34 overall.
29:59Tight end 18 on a points per game because he only played 10 games, but he was running 10 fewer routes per game.
30:06That player was TJ Hawkinson, who is currently Tucker Craft's best comparable player on player profiler.
30:11This is true. This is true. I'm in a awkward spot with Tucker Craft.
30:15I've always been a Tucker Craft guy. I was big into Tucker Craft last year.
30:20I thought I hit the lottery with the way he was playing, you know, that I had so much Tucker Craft.
30:26But I am actually behind him on him on this dynasty marketplace where he's being valued right now.
30:32I have Harold Fan Jr. and Sam Laporta ranked ahead of Tucker Craft.
30:36He's my tight end. I like it. So it's one of those, like, I believe in the player.
30:42I've always believed in the player. But I also recognize that he is a little bit of an outlier, right?
30:48The way that he's done it. He's been pure efficiency.
30:51He's been really good at it. Like, it seems like he could be an outlier efficiency-wise for his career because that's how good he is.
30:59But he is not a high-volume pass catcher. It's hard to see that increasing.
31:03So when you start to nitpick at the top of tight ends, like, I'm going to go to these other tight ends.
31:10It's easier for me to, like, Harold Fan's coming off this great rookie season.
31:14It's easy how he can get these high-volume seasons.
31:17Sam Laporta's even had higher volume than Tucker Craft.
31:20It's not necessarily that he's had the highest volume.
31:22He's competing with Amon Ra, James Williams, you know, Jameer Gibbs.
31:26But the things that he's done. And, I mean, he's actually dealing with a little bit of his injury in his own right, but not a torn ACL.
31:34Correct. Yeah. So, like, if I was in a league where someone was down on Tucker Craft because of this, like, I'd be buying.
31:42But the marketplace is telling me that I'm actually, I don't want to say necessarily a seller.
31:47I'm holding on my Tucker Craft, you know, that I have.
31:51But I'm not actively going looking to get more Tucker Craft right now.
31:55Yeah. And I think he's, you know, I like the Harold Fan and call out.
31:59For me, I'm, the way I've structured Dynasty teams is I really try to win every year and put myself in the best position.
32:07So, if we're just using, again, crowdsource data for keep trade cut, like, would I trade Tucker Craft straight up for Sam Laporta?
32:14I think I would at, like, push comes to shove.
32:17But I would definitely try to get more out of the Sam Laporta manager.
32:21If someone was higher on Tucker Craft and I could get Sam Laporta an additional draft pick, like, I'm doing that all
32:28day just because I think in 2026 I'm going to get a lot more out of Sam Laporta.
32:34Yeah, I think that's right. I mean, I would say, you know, between, like, Fan and Laporta, Craft, if I had one
32:40and I could get one of the others while getting a draft pick added on tap, I'm just going to make the move whichever way.
32:48Because I think they're all, you know, in a tier together in Dynasty right now.
32:53Yeah, that's fair. All right. Last player of the day is Patrick Mahomes.
32:57Tours ACL and LCL in week 15 of 2025.
33:00Another way to play. I mean, it's crazy that we keep going over, like, these big injuries and every time I'm like, but they seem fine.
33:08You know, like, that's where we are with medical science at this point.
33:12But it seems like Mahomes is fine. And he is a player in the past who's, like, really played tough through some injuries.
33:19I remember the ankle injury in the playoffs in the past where it was like he probably should have sat, but he
33:26pushed through for the playoffs, you know. How are we feeling about Mahomes?
33:30Yeah, I mean, similar to Kittle, he was another one I was a little bit worried about.
33:35I thought the PUP was going to be an option for Mahomes.
33:39Mahomes, it's kind of a quick timeline for him to be ready week one, but I don't think that's super uncommon for the quarterback position.
33:46It's just different demands for that position versus a skill position, wide receiver, tight end, running back.
33:52So I think Mahomes could be ready week one.
33:54The big thing for me for Mahomes is he just hasn't been that great fantasy quarterback.
33:59I think he's been a better real-life NFL quarterback.
34:02In 2025, I think a lot of his numbers, again, were bolstered by some rushing.
34:07He was nearing a career high in rushing attempts, and he might have gotten it if he had played two more games.
34:14I think if you're betting on Mahomes and Dynasty, you're really betting on Rashi Rice and Xavier Worthy, which could be a different discussion.
34:21Because post-Tiree Kill, Patrick Mahomes has not been the same fantasy quarterback that he's been pre-Tiree Kill or with Tiree Kill, I should say.
34:28Yeah, very good point about the rushing. And that's one of the reasons why you could be possibly concerned about him moving forward, at least for 2026, too.
34:37It's because he was getting back to being a high-end fantasy QB in 2025, but it was tied to that rushing.
34:44And how much of that rushing do we get in 2026 when he's coming off this injury?
34:49I think there's another part of this where how much of this lack of fantasy success falls on the shoulders of Matt
34:56Nagy, who we all hate, I'm pretty sure. No one's really a fan if you're a fantasy football player, right?
35:02And now that he's gone, does the offense change enough to breed some more fantasy points?
35:07Does he have the requisite weapons with him to be able to do that?
35:11I mean, we've seen him put up a high-end fantasy finish without many people to throw to before.
35:17Can it happen again? In general, like, I think I'm just always going to be in on Patrick Mahomes because he's Mahomes.
35:24There is a part of me that, you know, is trying to look myself in the mirror and be like, but do
35:30you see what his fantasy numbers have been over the last few years?
35:34And you're trying to come to grips with that.
35:37But, you know, he's between QB8, QB10, and Dynasty.
35:40I think that's fair. I think it's an appropriate cost.
35:43But we're really kind of nitpicking against some of this.
35:46I mean, like, he's next to players like Jalen Hurts, who's kind of apparently been near the top at QB scoring.
35:53Justin Herbert, who, you know, came out guns blazing as a sophomore but hasn't quite reached it since.
35:58We keep thinking he can. Now he's got Mike McDaniel.
36:01Is it finally the time that it happens? You know, he's around Jackson Dart, who's one of the new running QBs that we have.
36:09Trevor Lawrence is coming off, finally ascending to the heights we had hoped for him.
36:13You know, I think this, I don't know about you, but I think this is another situation where if we're talking about
36:20like that group of quarterbacks, kind of similar how we were just talking about with Tucker Craft.
36:25If I can maneuver within these QBs while picking up an additional asset, that's something I'm interested in.
36:31But just like Patrick Mahomes in general, like, I don't know if I have strong feelings.
36:36What do you think? Yeah, and I think it depends a little bit on your league.
36:41I mean, every league is a little bit different in terms of the sharp players that you have in there.
36:47Patrick Mahomes certainly has the name value, right? I mean, I think in more of your casual dynasty leagues, he's somebody that
36:54you could probably net a massive profit for just because he is Patrick Mahomes.
36:58And I know we're talking about like his specific injury, but I am optimistic about Rashi Rice and Xavier Worthy, both of them coming off injuries.
37:06I mean, Rashi Rice is now two back-to-back seasons where he's had a major injury, but we had concerns last offseason about
37:13Rashi Rice coming off the LCL tear, and he looked great coming back at injury.
37:18We didn't really see any huge concerns. And then Xavier Worthy gets hurt on a freak play week one, friendly fire from Travis Kelsey.
37:25And Andy Reid's flat-out said they had to change Xavier Worthy's route tree completely because there was just some things that he
37:32could not do with that labral tear. So I think he's in an interesting spot.
37:37I think you could be on both sides of the coin here depending on where your league's at.
37:42If people are willing to overpay, I would certainly listen to it because I think there is some interesting selling window here.
37:49But also, you could play in some leagues that maybe – I don't know what the right word is here – but
37:56maybe too sharp or too cute where everyone thinks they're smarter in the room.
38:00And if someone's like selling Patrick Mahomes – I know a lot of those.
38:05Yeah, I'm going to get Patrick Mahomes if it's reasonable.
38:08Yeah, I really like your point about Xavier Worthy too because, you know, the injury happens on a crosser where he's coming
38:14across the field and Kelsey's going the other way.
38:17And, I mean, I don't have the doubt on this, but like anecdotally, I don't remember seeing him run another crosser like the rest of the season.
38:26And those were the things like you wanted to see Xavier Worthy doing and help create some like explosive for the pass
38:32game is getting the ball in Worthy's hands because he is dynamic after the catch.
38:37You know, it was something that he started to do as a rookie when Rasheed Rice was out.
38:43And without that, you know, that really hampers the offense.
38:46Yeah, and we could probably get too cute and nitpicky with some of the routes.
38:50But the other thing for like a labral tear on the shoulder, your shoulder is inherently unstable.
38:56So for like a field stretcher that needs to like maybe lay out and dive for those 50-50 balls.
39:02Yeah, he's. Again, I don't have the data on that, but he probably wasn't doing that either because of the shoulder injury.
39:08I mean, and what do we know Xavier Worthy for?
39:11But nothing but being a field stretcher, if nothing else.
39:15So I just think he was really hampered in terms of the fact that he gave you anything last season is really a testament to his grit.
39:23But I think we might see a different Kansas City offense with both those guys healthy.
39:28Yeah, that'll be interesting to see. Adam, this was great.
39:31I really appreciate you joining me. But before we get out of here, remind everyone where to find you and find all your work.
39:38Yeah, I again appreciate you having me. This was a lot of fun.
39:42I hope that we got some actionable takeaways for some people in dynasties post-injury.
39:47I'm on Twitter occasionally or X as we call it now.
39:50You guys can find me at TheRealAdam underscore H.
39:53All my information is exclusively over at Football Guys.
39:56During the NFL season, every Monday I do an injury roundup, which discusses the previous injuries.
40:01Every Saturday I give you guys a look behind the curtain to see what players I think are going to be active come Sunday.
40:08What their availability or what their fantasy production should look like.
40:12But you guys can find all my content at Football Guys.
40:15Appreciate you again. On this side of things, you can follow me on Twitter at WyattB underscore FF.
40:20Make sure you've liked and subscribed if you haven't done so yet.
40:24Leave us a comment everywhere if you're listening on your favorite podcast platform.
40:28Rate us five stars. Check out that draft kit.
40:31I appreciate all of you. And we'll see you next time.
40:34You know it's important to me that all of our media be free.
40:38But it is you, the premium subscriber with access to data analysis, rankings, Dynasty Deluxe, DFS Dominator, the world famous draft kit.
40:45You get that content and you make all of this possible.
40:49The free podcasts, articles, NFL draft content. So I must give a special thanks to all of our premium subscribers.
40:55You make all of this possible. Relax and let Fred Meyer Pickup handle your grocery shopping this week.
41:00We start with only the freshest items. Then choose your favorites.
41:04Carefully pack everything up and load it right into your trunk.
41:07So you can feel confident it's what you ordered.
41:10Fresh groceries your way with Fred Meyer Pickup and Delivery.
41:13And right now, you can save $20 on your first pickup or delivery order.
41:17Fred Meyer. Fresh for everyone.
