Fantasy Football Strategy: Navigating the Pre-Season Fantasy Football Injury Report

The 2025 NFL season is fast approaching, and as you build your dream team, don’t forget to check out the latest fantasy football injury reports. Knowing who is injured and their rehabilitation status will help you make smart picks for a winning season and ensure that you bolster your fantasy lineup.

Take a look at some of the most common football injuries we’re seeing in the pre-season, along with updates on players returning from season-ending or significant injuries from last year.

ACL Tears

Athletes who play football and other high-demand sports that require frequent stops, starts, and direction changes are susceptible to sprains involving the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

The ACL runs diagonally across the middle of the knee and stabilizes the joint by preventing excessive rotation and forward movements. Slowing down or stopping suddenly, landing awkwardly from a jump, quick direction changes, and direct hits to the knee can damage the ACL. ACL sprains range in severity from mild overstretching to complete tears.

Let’s look at who is returning from an ACL injury.

• Brandon Aiyuk — Wide receiver: San Francisco 49ers: Aiyuk is the first of several 49ers players that make our list. While Aiyuk is expected to contribute this year, the question is when. ACL injuries can take a long time to heal, and like every type of injury on this list, no two injuries heal the same for different players. Aiyuk will have a significant impact when he’s fully healthy.
• Stefon Diggs — Wide Receiver: New England Patriots: Coach Vrabel is going to do everything in his power to try and restore the Patriots to their winning potential that they’ve lost over the last several years, and Stefon Diggs is going to have an important role to play if those aspirations are to be met. Stefon Diggs has surpassed 1,000 yards in six of the last seven seasons. For fantasy team owners who are looking to have a WR that can make an impact, Stefon might be a great option.

ACL Injury Recovery With Physical Therapy

Physical therapy is an essential part of ACL tear recovery. Once an athlete is cleared for activity, physical therapists introduce gentle post-op exercises to reduce swelling, rebuild muscle strength, and restore range of motion. Manual therapy, including stretching, soft tissue mobilization, and scar therapy, helps reduce soft tissue and joint restriction while promoting healing.

ACL tear prevention strategies are also crucial for injury prevention in football. Players work with physical therapists to improve their landing and turning power, coordination, speed, and balance to protect the knee and prevent season-ending injuries.

Achilles Tears and Tendonitis

Another group of NFL players are rebounding from Achilles tendon injuries. The Achilles tendon is a strong fibrous cord that connects the calf muscles to the heel bone. It helps you push off your foot when walking, rise on your toes, and point your foot down. We all depend on this tendon when we walk and move our feet.

Like ACL injuries, Achilles tendon injuries are more common in sports with sudden starts and stops, such as football, soccer, basketball, and tennis. Achilles tendinopathy is tendon breakdown, typically from overuse, that responds well to conservative treatment with physical therapy.

An Achilles tendon tear is a more severe condition where the tendon is overstretched, partially torn, or fully ruptured. With a complete rupture, you might hear an audible “pop” followed by sudden, intense pain in the lower leg and back of the ankle. A torn Achilles tendon can be treated surgically or non-surgically.

According to research, most professional athletes choose surgery because it allows them to regain full strength. However, non-surgical treatment with physical therapy and other non-invasive treatments can also offer a good outcome.

Here are some of the NFL’s top players returning from Achilles surgery or injuries this season:

• Christian McCaffrey — Running Back: San Francisco 49ers: McCaffrey had a rough outing in 2024. He started the year off with some discomfort and ended up missing the first eight games of the season before returning and sustaining another injury. When healthy, McCaffrey is a force to be reckoned with on the field, and with an offseason to rest up and recover, he could be a sleeper pick on fantasy football teams in those leagues where there will be some hesitation on picking him up due to his recent list of injuries.
• Christian Darrisaw — Offensive Tackle: Minnesota Vikings: Darrisaw might be one of the most impactful returns that the Vikings have this year. J.J. McCarthy is expected to take full control of the offense in his sophomore year (who is also returning from a knee injury last year), and he’ll need to rely on a strong offensive line to give him time in the pocket to jumpstart that powerful Vikings offense again. Darrisaw and his fellow offensive linemates will play a key role in whether that offense thrives, or sputters with McCarthy at the helm.

Physical Therapy and Achilles Injury Rehabilitation

Physical therapists have the tools and training to help elite athletes and weekend warriors prevent and recover from Achilles tendon injuries. Achilles tendinopathy and post-surgical therapy help encourage tendon healing, increase strength, and improve power needed to return to sports.

A comprehensive treatment plan to heal Achilles injuries combines therapeutic exercise and stretching with hands-on therapies to ease pain and stiffness, restore normal range of motion, and combat muscle weakness and instability. Athletes also benefit from preventative functional training to teach safe, controlled movements that minimize tension on the Achilles and lower the risk of sports injuries.

Sprains, Strains, Bruises, and Fractures: Notable Pre-Season Football Injuries

Football players are at high risk of musculoskeletal injuries even with protective equipment. According to a study of college athletes published by the National Athletic Trainer Association, football has the highest game injury rate of all sports. The following players are coming off sports injuries or were recently hurt in the pre-season.

• Nick Chubb — Running Back: Houston Texas: Nick Chubb has had a recent string of injuries, first his knee in 2023 and then a broken foot in 2024. Now set to backup Joe Mixon at Houston, Nick Chubb should be able to get a little less of the workload and be able to shine when he’s given opportunities.
• Aidan Hutchinson — Defensive End: Detroit Lions: The Detroit Lions lost both offensive and defensive coordinators who moved onto coach their own teams during this past offseason. Dan Campbell is going to rely on Aidan Hutchinson not only for his productivity when he’s healthy, but also for the tone he sets as a young star on the defensive side of the ball. The Detroit Lions were hobbled all year as the second half of the season they started to drop players left and right due to injury. Aidan is a challenge that opposing teams always have to scheme for, and he can help set the pace and tone for another strong year for the Detroit Lions defense, even with some coaching changes.

Concussions

Concussions are another major risk in a sport where players collide with one another at full speed. Some players have made major headlines the last few years as they deal with a number of concussions, including Chris Olave and Tua Tagovailoa.

• Chris Olave — Wide Receiver: Saints: Olave has been dealing with the injury bug for the last couple of years, including four separate concussions throughout his career. Olave is expected to play, but with the Saints still working on navigating their roster amid a tight salary cap, he’s going to be expected to do a lot while they work to figure out the quarterback situation. When healthy, Olave has shown an ability to be a consistent 1,000-yard receiver.
• Tua Tagovailoa — Quarterback: Miami Dolphins: Tua has made the national news two years in a row with the concussions he’s sustained while playing. Some of them have been very violent and have been in the spotlight for renewed discussion regarding proper safety protocols, return to play timelines after sustaining a concussion, and more. Tua is a talented player, but with his recent concussion history, it remains to be seen how much he will change his style of play to ensure he’s available throughout the season or if the prior concussion injury history has any lingering effects he’s still recovering from.

Factors That Impact Sports Injury Recovery

So, what does a severe football injury mean for your top fantasy football prospects? That depends on many factors, including:

• The player’s age
• Previous injuries
• Pain management strategies
• Health and fitness prior to injury
• Mental health and readiness to return to sport

The quality of their football player rehab program also impacts their ability to perform at pre-injury levels. While you’re pulling for your favorite players during their recovery, you can trust they have a dedicated team of physical therapists and athletic trainers working to get them back on the field safely.

But you don’t have to be a pro athlete to see results from sports therapy to improve performance, decrease the risk of injuries, and return to activity after surgery.

To learn how you can benefit from a sports physical therapy program, find a physical therapy clinic near you or request an appointment online.

• ESPN. “NFL Injuries | ESPN.” ESPN, 2019, www.espn.com/nfl/injuries.
• Return-to-play and performance after operative treatment of Achilles tendon rupture in elite male athletes: a scoping review | British Journal of Sports Medicine (bmj.com)
• Achilles Tendon Rip-Stop SpeedBridge Repair – PMC (nih.gov)
• Play-By-Play | NATA