Injuries, unfortunately, are a part of the game. Each and every year, we lose impact player after impact player and based on the tone of these first two sentences, 2020 was no different. Let's start off at quarterback and work our way through the skill positions. There were two major injuries at the quarterback position in 2020. Kyle Allen and Nick Mullins were tough losses to MANY fantasy leagues. Just kidding...

Carson Wentz (QB - IND) Updated 8/24/21

Latest Update  Wentz is back at practice and has been taking all of the reps with the first-team offense each of the last two days. It looks as if he's going to be ready for Week 1. Since the start of August, he's being drafted as QB25 per NFC data. The time is NOW to jump back on the Wentz bandwagon. Update After the initial report that Wentz would simply need rest before returning to action, surgery is now taking place. They've deemed this a five-to-12 week recovery, which means there's a good chance he misses the beginning of the year. Jacob Eason is now in the limelight as QB1 barring Indy doesn't make any moves. Wentz definitely drops in our rankings, and so do all the Indy pass catchers. This could, however, give Jonathan Taylor quite a nice bump. Eason is nothing more than a QB3 at this point. Original - It seems like Carson Wentz can't catch a break. After injuring his foot at the end of Thursday's practice, it's been reported that Wentz is out indefinitely until they know more about the injury. This puts the Colts in an awful position considering they didn't really back Wentz up the way they should have. Jacob Eason has taken snaps at QB1 at Friday's practice and he's yet to take a snap in the NFL. Wentz has been considered a fringe QB1 coming into the season and still could be, but we need to know more about the severity of the injury. Continue to monitor for updates come in.

Dak Prescott (QB - DAL) Updated 8/29/21

The latest out of “Jerry World” is that Dak Prescott is ready to roll for Week 1 and has been letting it loose at practice with NO limitations at all. Second Update - We have a NEW injury! Prescott is said to have a latissimus strain in his throwing shoulder. It doesn't sound too serious as the Cowboys plan on simply resting him for a few days and then seeing where he's at. This is obviously something to watch out for as we progress throughout camp, but it's only July. Let's hold off on sounding the alarms, shall we? Original - When Prescott went down in Week 5, the fantasy football community all audibly gasped after seeing what could’ve been a potentially all-time great fantasy campaign. He logged 222 pass attempts in five games and in the fifth game he suffered a season-ending compound fracture to his ankle. He tossed 39+ pass attempts in each of the first four games of the year and had 450+ yards in for three straight games. Prescott also had nine touchdowns through the air and three more on the ground. Dallas finished second in plays per game, they ran the second most plays overall and threw the most, notching 683 attempts through the air. The ankle injury is not supposed to hinder Prescott at all in 2021. Dallas brought back Kellen Moore as the offensive coordinator so nothing schematically should change. Dallas is going to throw a LOT and Prescott should be treated as an elite option heading into 2021.

Joe Burrow (QB - CIN)

A torn MCL & ACL ruined Burrow’s season in Week 11 so what did the Bengals do to protect the 2020 number one overall pick? Only pass on the most sought after offensive lineman in recent memory in Penei Sewell to take a wide receiver! Burrow was sacked 32 (!) times in 10 games last season. After carrying the two and multiplying by pi, that’s 3.2 sacks per game. Burrow was crushed and that’s the concern. He has all the weapons he needs with Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd, Joe Mixon out of the backfield and even Auden Tate, but can they protect him to avoid something like this happening again? Burrow is being drafted as a QB1 right now at QB12 according to NFBC’s ADP report. Everything points to Burrow being ready for Game 1, but we’ll see if his offensive line holds up for him throughout the entirety of the season.

Patrick Mahomes (QB - KC)

During the 2020 postseason, Mahomes suffered (and played through) a turf toe injury that he got surgery on after the Super Bowl. A full recovery is expected to be made and his draft stock won’t and shouldn’t be impacted at all. The Chiefs did a complete overhaul of their offensive line to protect the highest paid player in the NFL moving forward.

Tom Brady (QB - TB)

Not once during the 2020 campaign was Tom Brady’s name mentioned on the injury report. Not once were we made aware of any type of knee injury. He hadn’t had any surgery on anything since 2008..a knee surgery. That said, this injury was described, by Brady himself, as “pretty serious” so it’s definitely something to monitor heading into the season. That being said, he’s already practicing at full speed and everything seems to be operating smoothly. Brady’s listed as QB9 heading into 2021 and it’s well deserving considering the weapons he has around him.

J.K. Dobbins (RB - BAL) Updated 8/29/21

This is brutal. In the Ravens' last preseason game before the start of the regular season, Dobbins is feared to have suffered a season-ending leg injury. Nothing is official, but he is undergoing an MRI and the team fears something serious. The depth chart behind Dobbins is Gus Edwards, Justice Hill, and Ty'Son Williams. Edwards has carried the ball 130+ times in three straight campaigns and is going to shoot up draft boards. Hill has had 70 attempts in his two seasons in the NFL and is still just 23-years young. Williams is the wildcard here. He had a very impressive preseason as he ran for 40+ yards in all three games and did so on limited carries. Edwards is the clear cut number one option here, but Williams and Hill could be sneaky, late-round options in your drafts.

Travis Etienne (RB - JAX) Updated 8/24/21

This is awful news for the Jaguars rookie as his season is reportedly over before it ever began. Due to the nature of the mid-foot sprain and that it's Lisfranc, Etienne will undergo surgery to get it fixed. Etienne was being drafted in the fifth round, 17 picks ahead of backfield mate James Robinson. This obviously gets James Robinson a major bump as we'll likely see him vault into the first few rounds of every draft. Don't forget, Carlos Hyde is there to vulture some of the work, but this is Robinson's backfield with Etienne out. It's worth noting the pass catchers should receive a small bump too considering Urban Meyer's plans to use Etienne like a Swiss army knife, sometimes having him line up in the slot.

Darrell Henderson (RB - LAR) Updated 8/24/21 

Henderson has been diagnosed with a mild thumb sprain but is expected to be ready for Week 1. Let's see if this injury impacts things like pass blocking, something he was great at in 2020, or holding onto the football. Jake Funk and Xavier Jones are currently the team back up's but they have no waivered that Henderson is the guy this year, even despite this injury.

Cam Akers (RB - LAR) Updated 7/20/21

Just two weeks prior to training camp, it's been reported that Cam Akers has torn Achilles training. Oof. The Rams leading rusher last year was poised for a breakout 2021 campaign, will now be out for the entire campaign. That means Darrell Henderson will step into the limelight. Henderson had 138 carries last year for the Rams and averaged a very solid 4.5 YPC and had five rushing scores as well. Henderson, as long as the Rams don't go out and sign competition, steps in as the teams RB1. He could very well end this campaign as an RB2 if he can approach 200 touches, which is a very plausible thought.

Saquon Barkley (RB - NYG) Updated 8/9/21

Barkley. Is. Back! He has been activated off of the PUP (physically unable to perform) list and is returning to practice. This puts him on a good schedule to return in Week 1. This is definitely something worth noting because Barkley is a top-five fantasy player to do his ability to dominate on the ground AND through the air. Original - After appearing in just 15 of the 32 possible games the last two seasons, Saquon Barkley is looking to return to 2018 form in ‘21 after tearing his ACL in Week 2 last year. Despite his injury history the past two seasons, Barkley is still only 24-years old and if he looks like the guy who had over 2,000 yards from scrimmage again, the injuries will be forgotten. Barkley has advanced to agility drills at this point in the offseason and is on schedule to be ready for Week 1. 

James Conner (RB - ARI)

After injuring his toe in a non-football-related way, Conner had surgery on it and has since made a full recovery. Conner participated in the team’s OTA’s in June, too, so it seems this is all the way behind him. Without assessing any of the numbers, you would’ve thought Conner had a bad 2020 campaign, yet averaged 4.3 YPC while catching 35 passes and finishing a smidge below 1,000 scrimmage yards in just 13 games. Let’s not ignore the fact that was behind a bad Steelers offensive line. Arizona had the seventh-most rushing yards in the league last year and with Kenyon Drake gone, both Conner and Chase Edmonds will see plenty of opportunities.

Zack Moss (RB - BUF)

After going down in last year's Wild Card round, Moss received season-ending surgery on his ankle. Pretty recently Moss released this video below, showing everyone that the ankle is feeling pretty good. 

Head coach Sean McDermott had said in a previous statement that he expects Moss to be ready for training camp which begins at the end of the month, reportedly July 27th. Moss and Devin Singletary both figure to be heavily involved in this lethal Bills offense in 2021.

Tarik Cohen (RB - CHI)

Not only is Cohen coming back from an ACL injury, but now he has to deal with David Montgomery AND Damien Williams in the Bears backfield. In terms of Cohen’s return, he was on the field during OTA’s but really practicing. The plan is to have him back in full capacity by the time training camp rolls around. Cohen is only 26 heading into the year, so this should be an injury he can easily bounce back from. 

Rex Burkhead (RB - HOU)

Burkhead went down in Week 11 with a knee injury last season and what’s significant about that, he’s now coming off an injury for his Age-31 season. How many running backs are successful after 30, let alone after 30 AND coming off an ACL injury? Burkhead is in a backield that also has David Johnson, Mark Ingram, and Phillip Lindsay fighting for carries too. I’m not sure how much value he’ll have outside of his one week blowup that he seemingly has every year and Bob from accounting reaps the reward.

Marlon Mack (RB - IND)

Return of the Mack. .Return of the Mack.. Shoutout Mark Morrison and shoutout Marlon Mack who is returning from a season-ending Achilles tear from Week 1. Mack has yet to practice, but has been seen on the field going through drills and what not. Either way, healthy or not, this is Jonathan Taylor’s backfield. When it’s not his backfield, it’s Nyheim Hines checking in to spell him for a series or on passing downs. 

Jeff Wilson Jr. (RB - SFG)

Offseason injuries are the woooooorst I’d imagine. Wilson’s timeline for his torn meniscus is said to be four-to-six months and is likely going to start the season on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list. He won’t be able to return until at least Week 7 if that’s the case. This is one of the deepest running back rooms in the league and he’ll be a good addition when he does eventually return.

Raheem Mostert (RB - SFG)

As of the fourth of July weekend, Mostert still hadn’t taken part in OTA’s, but is still expected to be ready for training camp. Mostert only played in eight games in 2020, but when the smoke clears and he reports to camp in ‘21, he’s projected to be RB1 in San Francisco. There is a LOT of competition in San Fran and if his knee flares up at all, Mostert could lose his job to the next man up.

T.Y. Hilton (WR - IND) Updated 8/29/21

News broke on Sunday morning that Hilton would miss some time with a neck/upper back injury suffered at practice this week. How much time? That remains to be seen, but it seems as if it'll be an injury that keeps him out of AT LEAST one regular-season game. This paves the way for Michael Pittman Jr. and Parris Campbell to be the clear-cut target hogs in this offense.

Marquise Brown (WR - BAL) Updated 8/29/21

In what was supposed to be a “minor” hamstring injury and yet, Brown hasn't practiced in four weeks. It's worth monitoring considering we're two Sundays away from Week 1. Original - Brown has missed practice the last few days with a hamstring injury that is worse than initially anticipated. The Ravens have said Brown will be out for a “little while” which obviously is wide open timetable. This injury is opening the door for rookie WR Rashod Bateman to build a rapport with Lamar Jackson. Brown should enter the season as the WR1 as long as this injury doesn't hinder him long-term.

Michael Thomas (WR - NO) Updated 7/23/21

It has just been reported that Michael Thomas is going to miss the start of the 2021 season due to surgery to repair the ligaments in his ankle. Yes, this is the same ankle that forced him to miss nine games last season. With Thomas sidelined for some time, let's look at the rest of the Saints receiving corps and shield your eyes because it's not pretty. Tre'Quan Smith becomes the de facto number one option at wideout, while guys like Marquez Callaway and Deonte Harris figure to play large roles as well. Smith is someone I'm willing to take a shot on in best ball especially. Who knows how long this injury will linger for Thomas. Tough blow to Thomas owners. The Saints are expected to work some free agent WR out as well, so keep your eyes glued to the news because the right fit could vault someone into relavancy. THAT IS….if Jameis Winston wins the starting QB job.

Odell Beckham Jr. (WR - CLE)

After disappointing results through seven weeks of the 2020 campaign, Beckham endured a season-ending knee injury. He’s back and ready for 2021. Beckham turns 29 during the season and has spent three of the last four seasons with some form of injury. Beckham is already playing without a knee brace and that report came out in the middle of June.

Calvin Ridley (WR - ATL)

It’s been a weird offseason of injury news for Ridley. His knee procedure was “minor” and he is 
“pretty sure” he’ll be ready for the start of the year. Is it minor and will you be ready? Can we get better reporting than that? PLEASE. I suspect he’ll be OK and peppered with targets from the first snap of the year, we should just be getting more. That’s all.

Amari Cooper (WR - DAL)

Following the 2020 season, Cooper had surgery on his ankle, which is interesting considering he never showed up on the injury report throughout the season. He played all 16 games. The surgery could keep him from being ready for training camp, but shouldn’t keep him from missing any regular season games.

Courtland Sutton (WR - DEN)

In what was supposed to be his breakout, Sutton’s 2020 season came to an end when he tore his ACL. As of the middle of June, the 15th to be exact, coach Vic Fangio said they expect Sutton to avoid the preseason PUP list. That’s a good sign and it’s put him on track to be ready for the start of training camp. Sutton and Jerry Jeudy make for one helluva a one-two punch from the wide receiver position.

KJ Hamler (WR - DEN)

Generally, a June hamstring tweak wouldn’t be a big deal, except when it’s something that has lingered through college and into his professional career. He dealt with it in college and his rookie year and now that he’s tweaked it again, offseason or not, that’s not the best look. It seems like he’ll be ready for training camp, so long as he doesn't re-injure it again.

Tim Patrick (WR - DEN) 

It’s been quiet on the Patrick front since he had a minor hamstring tweak early in June. Considering it was minor, we should expect him to be ready for training camp and enter as the Broncos’ third or fourth pass catching option this year.

Preston Williams (WR - MIA)

What do we actually know about Preston Williams’ injury? Not much. They really didn’t give us anything definitive other than it being a foot injury and he had surgery on it. During open practice for the media in June, he was seen on the field, but wasn’t doing much. The team reportedly expects him to be ready for the start of the year. His health hasn’t held up, however, through the first two years of his career as he’s only played in 16-of-32 games.

Brandon Aiyuk (WR - SF)

He tweaked his groin in early June, but is expected to make a full recovery by the time training camp rolls around. This year's 49ers offense has far more pass catching options than they have in years past as well as a potential quarterback change at some point during the season. 

D’Wayne Eskridge (WR - SEA)

The Seahawks nor Eskridge has seemingly expressed any concern about the toe injury Eskridge suffered in the middle of June. He was still able to catch passes while jogging post injury, so he should be fine for the start of training camp.

Antonio Brown (WR - TB)

In May, Brown underwent surgery on his knee to clean things up and it was said that by the end of June, he’d be back at full capacity. Well, that was the last report we’ve gotten on the injury front. There’s no reason to think he won’t be ready for training camp unless the Bucs tell us otherwise. It’s worth mentioning Brown will be 33 in less than a week and is coming off a knee procedure. Something to monitor throughout the year.

A.J. Brown (WR - TEN)

The update we’ve gotten in the past week is a good one as Brown is close to a return and will likely be ready for training camp. Brown had surgery on BOTH knees, not just one, during the offseason so he’s coming back from that. He battled through knee pain all season long as the Titans micro-managed his practice schedule all season long. He’s one of the top pass catchers this coming fantasy football campaign.

Curtis Samuel (WR - WFT)

After missing the team's practices in early June, then missing the mandatory mini camp a week later, a little concern has crept into our minds about Samuel not being ready for training camp, but his status for the regular season is definitely not in any doubt at this point. It’s seemingly nothing more than a minor tweak of the groin.

Irv Smith Jr. (TE - MIN) Updated 8/29/21

This is a big blow to Smith and the Vikings as Smith will undergo surgery on his knee to repair a meniscus injury that will keep him out of the beginning of the campaign. Smith was a breakout candidate due to what he was able to show last year plus Kyle Rudolph is off to New York. Tyler Conklin likely lines up as TE1 in Smith's absence, but he holds little to no fantasy value. If anything, it only heightens Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson's target share. Dalvin Cook out of the backfield too.

Adam Trautman (TE - NO) Updated 8/24/21 

Trautman was carted off the field on Monday night but the good news is that the X-rays came back negative. He's still experiencing mild pain and will undergo an MRI today (Tuesday). Trautman has been a sleeper in the fantasy space all offseason, but this definitely stops the train dead in its tracks until we have more knowledge on how serious this is.

O.J. Howard  (TE - TB)

A ruptured Achilles tendon is a tough injury to endure and to come back from. Howard turns 27 during the middle of the year as he enters his fifth season in the league and health hasn’t exactly been on his side. The Bucs have a LOT of mouths to feed outside of the fifth-year tight-end coming off an Achilles tear and a lot of depth at the position as well. We’ll see how Howard fits into the equation during the season.

Jonnu Smith (TE - NE)

Smith was hurt in the Pats first OTA in early June after he pulled his hamstring. We hadn’t heard much on that front until Cam Newton posted a workout video with both Smith and Jakobi Meyers. Sure they were just running in a straight line, but running nevertheless. Smith is seemingly going to be just fine when training camp finally rolls around.

Blake Jarwin (TE - DAL)

After a season-ending injury during Week 1 of 2020, Jarwin was on the field during OTA’s in June and will be ready to go for training camp. He has an uphill battle ahead of him for snaps with Dalton Schultz really breaking out when Jarwin went down.