NFL training camps are officially underway and fantasy football draft season is ramping up. Draft prep is key and there’s nothing more important than knowing which players are coming off injury and which players are dealing with one going into the season. Below, we’re going to be tracking all the latest injury news coming out of training camp while also updating you on the status of players already dealing with an ailment.
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Quarterbacks
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams — back
Overall Ranking: 135
ADP: 127.7
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Update — Stafford is dealing with an aggravated disc in his back and is considered week-to-week, per the team. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported early Wednesday that Stafford is expected to be ready for Week 1 and the team is simply being cautious with the veteran QB. While reports say that Stafford isn’t expected to miss any time, given his age and the nature of the injury, we should proceed with caution in fantasy football drafts. Keep in mind, this injury has less to do with Stafford and more to do with how his potential absence would impact offensive skill position players around him — namely WRs Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. RB Kyren Williams recently got the contract extension he was seeking. If Stafford were to miss time, it’s a bump to Williams’ usage and a downgrade for the WRs. Jimmy Garoppolo is the backup QB for the Rams.
Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts — finger
Overall Ranking: 209
ADP: 127.7
Update — Richardson was forced to exit Thursday’s preseason opener vs. the Ravens after dislocating his pinky finger after being sacked. Daniel Jones entered the game and was underwhelming. Richardson was deemed day-to-day. This doesn’t appear to be anything that will impact Richardson long-term but it could give Jones another upper-hand in the battle for QB1 on the Colts. Monitor the situation and see how Richardson responds if he’s able to play in Indy’s second preseason game next week vs. the Packers.
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Running Backs
Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans — ankle
Overall Ranking: 112
ADP: 129.4
Update — Spears was carted off the field during the Titans’ preseason opener vs. the Buccaneers on Saturday and did not return. ESPN later reported that the belief is Spears suffered a high-ankle sprain. We’ll keep an eye out for updates but the usual timeline for this type of injury is week-to-week. Spears has plenty of time before the start of the regular season to get healthy. Still, it’s a slight bump up for Tony Pollard if he can come out of the preseason unscathed. If Spears were to miss any time, Julius Chestnut or Kalel Mullings could see increased snaps as the primary backup to Pollard. Mullings had a decent preseason debut with seven carries for 33 yards on Saturday.
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Najee Harris, Los Angeles Chargers — eye
Overall Ranking: 106
ADP: 111.1
Update — Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh had a bit of an update on Harris as the team opens camp. Harbaugh told reporters Harris is “doing good” and is “praying for healing” while the back recovers from a fireworks accident. The head coach also doesn’t know if Harris will practice during camp, which is notable. We shouldn’t overreact to this too much since it’s not an injury that should hamper Harris’ ability to run. With that said, it may give rookie RB Omarion Hampton more of a opportunity to showcase what he can do in practice and preseason. Try not to go too crazy when it comes to drafting either back higher or lower.
Joe Mixon, Houston Texans — ankle/foot
Overall Ranking: 44
ADP: 45.9
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Update — Ian Rapoport reported over the weekend that Mixon is going to be out an “extended period of time” due to a foot injury. It’s uncertain if the running back will be ready to go for Week 1 of the regular season. Yahoo analyst Justin Boone wrote a bit about Mixon in his latest RB rankings update and pointed to Nick Chubb and rookie Woody Marks as potential late-round sleepers if Mixon ends up missing any time.
Wide Receivers
Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers — foot
Overall Ranking: 82
ADP: 103.1
Update — Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters following the team’s loss to the Jets in the preseason opener on Saturday that Reed is dealing with a foot sprain and is day-to-day. Reed was seen on the sideline at Lambeau walking in a boot. We’ll take MLF at his word that Reed is DTD and this situation is worth monitoring given the Packers’ carousel at wide receiver. If this injury persists, that would be a boost to WRs like Matthew Golden, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks, as well as TE Tucker Kraft.
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Khalil Shakir, Buffalo Bills — ankle
Overall Ranking: 96
ADP: 116.5
Update — Bills head coach Sean McDermott told reporters over the weekend that WR Khalil Shakir will be “week-to-week” due to a high ankle sprain. There’s plenty of time until Week 1 so for now, we shouldn’t expect Shakir to miss any regular-season games. Shakir enters the 2025 season as the default No. 1 WR for Josh Allen and Buffalo. Keon Coleman, Josh Palmer and Elijah Moore make up the rest of the wide receiver room. We’ll see how Shakir progresses but there’s no reason to treat him any differently in drafts at the moment.
Jauan Jennings, San Francisco 49ers — calf
Overall Ranking: 85
ADP: 107.5
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Update — Jennings re-aggravated his calf injury and has no timeline to return during training camp, per head coach Kyle Shanahan. The 49ers continue to have issues with injuries at receiver between Jennings, Ricky Pearsall and Brandon Aiyuk. Pearsall was activated off the PUP list for training camp but has been dealing with a hamstring injury. Aiyuk won’t be back until mid-season recovering from knee surgery. As a result, the Niners brought in Marquez Callaway and Andy Isabella on one-year deals on Thursday. Demarcus Robinson and Jacob Cowing would be the other WRs competing for playing time during camp. Right now, all we know is this further solidifies George Kittle as the No. 1 receiving option for San Francisco entering the season.
Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings — hamstring
Overall Ranking: 5
ADP: 5.3
Update — Well, we’ve got our first bit of impactful injury news of NFL training camp with WR Justin Jefferson dealing with a mild hamstring strain that held him out of practice Friday, the team announced. Jefferson is expected to be re-evaluated next week. We’ve still got plenty of time before the start of the season. But this isn’t good considering what fantasy football managers need to invest to get Jefferson — a first-round pick. We’ll need to continue to monitor Jefferson throughout camp and preseason. Hopefully he can get back on the field before draft season ramps up in late August.
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With Jefferson dealing with this ailment and Jordan Addison staring down a suspension, Jalen Nailor doesn’t seem like a bad player to target late in your draft. He wasn’t bad last season with 414 yards and six TDs on just 28 receptions (42 targets).
Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers — ankle/PUP List
Overall Ranking: 56
ADP: 81.6
Update — The Bucs are placing Godwin on the PUP List to begin training camp. He was never expected to be ready to start the 2025 season and this simply confirms that. If Godwin isn’t ready to start the season, it’s a bump to first-round rookie WR Emeka Egbuka.
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Malik Nabers, New York Giants — shoulder
Overall Ranking: 12
ADP: 14.4
Update — Nabers was back at practice on Thursday after leaving on Tuesday due to a shoulder injury.
Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers — torn ACL/MCL; PUP List
Overall Rankings: 109
ADP: 123.9
Update — 49ers GM John Lynch told reporters on Tuesday that the team has no timeline for a return for Aiyuk right now. As a result, the Niners are signing veteran WR Equanimeous St. Brown after holding a tryout for him on Monday, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN. That could mean San Francisco is concerned about the long-term prospects of Aiyuk coming back this season. We’ll have to wait and see how he progresses in his recovery. We’ve got some updated info on Pearsall and Jennings below.
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Ricky Pearsall, San Francisco 49ers — hamstring; PUP List
Overall Ranking: 91
ADP: 115
Update — Pearsall could come off the PUP list within the next few days as the 49ers begin training camp, head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Tuesday. This is good news for those who have Pearsall in dynasty formats. With Aiyuk to start the season out and Jauan Jennings looking for a new contract, Pearsall has the fast track to being San Francisco’s top wideout to start 2025. Jennings is reporting to camp for now. Even if he signs a new deal/or decides not to hold out, Pearsall figures to have a pretty big role in the offense in his second NFL season.
Tight Ends
Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys — back
Overall Ranking: 114
ADP: 120
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Update — Ferguson exited practice on Thursday after taking this hit in the back:
He went to the medical tent and now we know that he’s dealing with a back contusion. It doesn’t appear to be too serious but could hold Ferguson out of practices and the Cowboys will likely be cautious with the starting TE during preseason. Ferguson is looking to bounce back after a rough 2024 in which he underperformed after the Dak Prescott injury. Monitor the situation for Ferguson’s return to practice.
Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens — foot fracture
Overall Ranking: 153
ADP: 131.2
Update — It appears Likely suffered a more serious injury on Tuesday at practice with a small fracture in his foot. That means Likely will miss about 6 weeks and could be ready to return for Week 1 when the Ravens face the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 7 on Sunday Night Football.
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With Likely sidelined for that long, it increases the stock of TE Mark Andrews, who will enter August ranked as the TE6 on Yahoo’s rankings of the position. This news could impact how we approach Andrews in drafts. But there’s also the scenario where Likely returns for Week 1 and is good to go. For that reason, you could get Likely at a solid ADP if it starts to plummet due to this injury. Also keep an eye on Charlie Kolar during training camp and preseason. If Baltimore opts to continue using two tight ends and Likely isn’t ready for Week 1, Kolar may see more snaps and usage. There was always concern over Andrews’ age and his drop off in production last season. With Likely potentially out of the picture early on, it helps us feel good about Andrews to start 2025.
Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers — hamstring
Overall Ranking: 172
ADP: 128.2
Update — Otton is dealing with a mild hamstring injury that held him out of practice Sunday and will keep him out Monday. Head coach Todd Bowles told reporters that the team is being cautious with Otton early in training camp. This doesn’t seem to be too serious and the Bucs don’t really have a notable tight end behind Otton on the depth chart, at least when it comes to fantasy football. With Godwin on the PUP List and Otton dealing with this ailment early, it simply reinforces the sentiment that Emeka Egbuka and Mike Evans should see the bulk of the targets for Tampa Bay early on.
