Malik Nabers Injury Update: Is the Star Wide Receiver Still a Fantasy Football WR1?

Malik Nabers rehabs his way back to the 2026 NFL football field. When will he return, and to what effectiveness?

Sep 28, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) is carted off the field following an injury during the second quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Malik Nabers is right smack in the middle of his ACL-tear rehab. Head coach John Harbaugh took the media stand recently to provide key injury updates, and he stated that Nabers is without much clarity at this point. Most likely, Nabers' return will be closer to training camp and the start of the season. Fans wonder — will Nabers be ready to go, and to what extent?

Fantasy Football Outlook

Nabers is a top-10 wide receiver in the NFL when healthy. He has a new coaching staff in store, but that should not matter much. Nabers is among the NFL's best wide receivers, and Matt Nagy/Jaxson Dart will make sure to feed their WR1. This is especially true with the departure of Wan'Dale Robinson. Nabers has no competition and can easily have a 35% target share.

When Nabers is healthy, he will be very highly ranked as a WR1. The question regards his health and when he will be ready to go. The team hopes that Nabers starts week 1, and we could say that it is very likely. The worst-case scenario may have Nabers at reduced efficiency to begin the season. However, he will likely not struggle beyond a couple of games, if at all.

Nabers can be drafted in the first round of fantasy football drafts. You have no concern in dynasty, concerns about the, and he should not be sold. We must now keep close attention to any further updates approaching the summer, but nothing signals worry.

Malik Nabers Injury Update

When updating the media on injuries, John Harbaugh noted Nabers to be ready "closer to the season." Nabers is at voluntary offseason workouts, which is very promising. However, he is probably very limited. The support is great to see. It's a true teammate.

Nabers will begin training camp on the PUP list, most likely. This is nothing surprising. The Giants aim to get Nabers back by the start of the season, and so long as he knows the playbook, he should be just fine with limited practice.

ACL tears usually have a 9-12 month recovery process. Having torn his ACL in Week 4 of 2025, Nabers would expect to be ready as soon as July, and as late as October. The August timeframe is the most logical return, especially given Nabers youth. Rehab can be volatile, so it must be approached day by day. The summer months will give us the best picture of Nabers' ultimate return.