Fantasy Football Injury Cheat Sheet: Updates to Jeremiyah Love, Jordyn Tyson, Others
We all have that friend who shows up to your fantasy football unprepared. They are there to "wing it" and in doing so, that person falls victim to the ever-changing scene of the NFL. We have to know what injuries are happening and to what extent they matter. That is why we have the below "cheat sheet" to list all noteworthy injuries, dated as of August 19.
Quarterbacks
Michael Penix Jr. — The expectation is that Penix Jr. will be ready for Week 1, but Tua Tagovailoa has the starting job all but wrapped up.
Bo Nix — His ankle fracture healed extremely well, and the Broncos will have a 100% Nix for Week 1. That was Nix's only injury across his entire NFL and College Football career that demanded missed time off. He is ultra-durable.
Daniel Jones — He tore his Achilles early enough in the 2025 NFL season that he has been able to fully heal and is 100% at training camp.
Pat Mahomes — The Chiefs have Mahomes back at camp, fresh off his ACL tear. Mahomes is slinging the football, and the only limitation will be his rushing ability, which we project to reduce to only around 6-10 yards per game in the short term.
Geno Smith — An ankle injury has caused Aaron Glenn to be very cautious. Smith did not play in Preseason Week 1 and may not play in Preseason Week 2. Smith is practicing in full and will start Week 1 barring any setbacks.
Running Backs
Jeremiyah Love — The rookie has a 50-50% shot at playing in Week 1. He is working through a 3-5 week recovery time, which would have Love back in the Week 1-3 span. Upon any return, Love may need a 1-2 game ramp-up to 100%. I would not draft Love above the 4th round of a fantasy football re-draft.
Chuba Hubbard — A hamstring injury is ailing the upside of Hubbard to begin the season. He is questionable for Week 1, and if he plays, Hubbard will not be 100%. The Panthers still trust him a lot in pass protection, and he will be steadily involved all year long. Hubbard drops to the RB2/3 range while Jonathan Brooks creeps up to the fringe top-40 among running backs.
Kyle Monangai — Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT, acknowledges that Monangai will be dealing with pain tolerance early on. His return to date is variable, and it points to certified RB2 status for D'Andre Swift, and RB1 if Monangai misses time. Do not start Monangai Week 1 (if active) unless absolutely necessary.
Kyle Monangai -
— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) August 17, 2026
Makes sense that he got the MRI to rule out other damage (meniscus, ligament etc).
He likely has a bone bruise from the hyperextension. These often take a while to heal but he may be able to return anywhere from 2-4+ weeks depending on pain levels. https://t.co/3p2y0XHkCI
Quinshon Judkins — His rehab has gone flawlessly and the Browns, are getting repeated praise on Judkins' 2026 return.
JK Dobbins — He will be at risk of soft-tissue aggravation all season long. A scare from last week has proven to be of little worry right now. Dobbins will start Week 1. We project Dobbins as the RB45.
Isiah Pacheco — Dan Campbell has stated that Pacheco is on track to play Week 1 despite a sprained MCL.
Alvin Kamara — The veteran suffered an MCL sprain, which will now have him out for roughly one month. The injury will slot Devin Neal into the handcuff role while Travis Etienne Jr. rises a few spots in our rankings; a sure-fire RB2.
Breece Hall — The Jets are sidelining Hall for 2-3 weeks out of caution. The groin injury is expected to be of no concern by Week 1. Hall is a high-end RB2.
Christian McCaffrey — If we take out 2024, McCaffrey has one missed game over the other three seasons back to 2022. He is out of training camp due to hamstring tightness. The 49ers are likely being cautious about a player who needs no practice to perform at his level. Nonetheless, we must keep an ear out for more updates.
Zach Charbonnet — At the earliest Charbonnet could be back in the ,Week 3-4 range. Most likely, he will not return until mid-October and he won't, be 100% until closer to November. Jadarian Price is too undervalued; a certified RB2.
Tony Pollard — He is back at practice ahead of Preseason Week 2. Pollard is of little injury concern, but Tyjae Spears is hunting down that lead-back role. Pollard is my RB39, and Spears is RB43.
Wide Receivers
Luther Burden III — Deepak Chona, MD. SMA notes that Burden's injury is mild. Burden has promised to be good to go and is on track for Week 1 with low risk. He is my WR30.
Jayden Higgins — The Texans WR2 has been listed out for the season following an August 19 torn ACL. This rises Nico Collins to WR5 and Tank Dell to WR35 in my projections. Dalton Schultz is a big-time tight end sleeper; my TE10.
Alec Pierce — There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding Pierce's return. He has muscle atrophy and continues to work his way back to the football field. The Colts hope he returns over the next few days. A Week 1 return would demand caution from fantasy owners in starting Pierce. He is conservatively ranked outside my top-40 wide receivers, but with top-20 upside when healthy. Keenan Allen was signed to help this core; ranked my WR76.
Jordyn Tyson — The rookie has repeatedly injured his hamstring over the past year. The Saints must get him right before that becomes a long-term muscular issue. Tyson will miss about two months and will probably not be 100% once he returns. Tyson is all the way outside of my top-70 wide receivers.
Malik Nabers — It is very impressive how sharp Nabers looks at training camp. He was originally expected to be out until October. Now, he might be ready for Week 1 with a small ramp-up. Nabers should be in the top 15 wide receivers in fantasy football, and I would not knock drafting him inside the top 12.
Michael Pittman Jr. — He reportedly pulled his hamstring this week. Pittman Jr. will be just fine for Week 1.
Mike Evans — The hamstring issues will linger all season long, so be ready for the long grind if you own or plan on owning Evans. He is my WR30.
Emeka Egbuka — Todd Bowles is optimistic about a Week 1 return. However, life is not that simple. Turf toe can linger on through September, as advised by Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT. We will await more information leading into Week 1 before the start/sit decision is made. Egbuka should be drafted around the WR30 range.
Tight Ends
Tucker Kraft — Despite being listed on a minor snap count, Kraft should have zero concern regarding his fantasy football upside. When on the field, Kraft will be schemed up. When sat, it will be for plays which wouldn't involve him anyway.
Kenyon Sadiq — The Jets expect Sadiq to return in Week 1. He should not be started, given that he is not practicing as a fresh rookie, in competition with Mason Taylor.
George Kittle — He had an Achilles repair 7 months ago. Yet, Kittle is running crisp at training camp. He could still miss Week 1, but the long-term outlook for Kittle is promising: a top-10 tight end.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.