Jayson Tatum Nears Season Debut Amid Promising Celtics Injury News

The Celtics have Jayson Tatum practicing in a "full-go" status, making fans expect his return to be sooner rather than later.

Nov 29, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images | Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Jayson Tatum sounds like he is making steady progress toward his eventual return from injury. Celtics fans begin to get excited as their championship aspirations become more and more of a reality. With Tatum coming back soon, it is worth considering the Celtics a true threat to defeat the Pistons in the East if Tatum is playing to his normal self by the playoffs. Nonetheless, his return is important to fantasy basketball, and this is his return status.

Fantasy Basketball Impact

The latest for ESPN NBA Countdown on Boston's Jayson Tatum, a full go in five-on-five team scrimmages nine months post-Achilles surgery: pic.twitter.com/rSCJS8OR8g

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 26, 2026

When Tatum returns, his full impact may not be immediately felt. However, it will be felt sooner rather than later. In 2024-25, Tatum played to a 30% usage rate with Jaylen Brown at 28% behind him. Derrick White, the team's third option, then played to a 19% usage rate.

To compare, Brown is playing to a tremendous usage rate of 36% in 2025-26. Behind him, White plays to 23%, and Payton Pritchard is at 21%. Once Tatum returns to full minutes, he is expected to trend back to his 30% usage rate. In turn, Brown would project to sit in the high-20's while White and Pritchard should fall below 20%. Much of the same from last season is to be expected.

Now, as fantasy basketball managers wonder what to do, the answer is not to buy Tatum. By the time he reaches full strength, your season may have limited time left. The risk is not worth adding. However, Brown is a name to sell off. His usage rate may decrease by a solid 25%, and if you can sell him off at the current market price, it will be a profitable deal. The same will go for White.

Jayson Tatum Injury Timeline

Tatum is being labeled as a "full go" in 5-on-5 practice. He was originally hoping to return after the All-Star break, but this delay pushes it back another couple of weeks from that backdated day. It seems that Tatum is about healthy enough to return, so it is solely up to the Celtics to give him the bump.

The Celtics are yet to make any big announcements on Tatum. They have not even said that he will return this season. Common sense would suggest that Tatum's return will happen sooner rather than later. As the team can contend, they must use their elite player towards the ultimate goal.

It is being suggested that Tatum will return in March, and I could trust that. Two or three weeks is a vague timeframe, but further updates on Tatum must be awaited. As for now, his fantasy basketball risk remains higher than its reward.