Impact of injuries in fantasy football: Updates on Nick Chubb, TJ Hockenson and Jonathon Brooks

An important part of preparing for the fantasy football draft is monitoring the status of players who get injured during training camp and preseason activities. There have been a number of injuries to keep an eye on this preseason; the list is headlined by names like Christian McCaffrey, Puka Nacua, and Jahmyr Gibbs. For updates on all fantasy-relevant injuries, be sure to check out our fantasy football injury tracker.

But not every injury that impacts a player's fantasy prospects occurs in the offseason. Several big names in fantasy are returning from injuries sustained at some point last season. Today we're looking at the fantasy prospects of Nick Chubb, TJ Hockenson, and Jonathon Brooks.

Each of these three players has undergone knee surgery after tearing their ACL. It's a little tricky to understand how to assess players with these types of injuries. Their return date is unclear and it's incredibly difficult to get a sense of what shape they'll be in when they get back on the field.

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The best approach to targeting these players in drafts is to get a concrete picture of their situation. Far too many people go into drafts not knowing the status of injured players and have completely wrong expectations of how they will perform. In addition to giving you status updates in this article, you should also have realistic expectations of how each player will perform.

Impact of Injuries in Fantasy Football: Fantasy Prospects for Nick Chubb, TJ Hockenson and Jonathon Brooks

Injury update for Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb

Chubb's 2023 season ended in Week 2 when he suffered a horrific knee injury that resulted in torn ACL, medial collateral ligaments and torn meniscus. There were legitimate doubts as to whether Chubb's career was over that night in Pittsburgh. But he has rehabbed well and plans to be back on the field in 2024.

With Chubb, it's important to note that not all ACL tears are the same. Chubb suffered a multiple ligament tear that required two separate surgeries to treat. Multiple ligament tears often require two years to fully recover from and make it difficult for the player to get back into shape once they're back on the field. The most recent example of this was Javonte Williams, who suffered a multiple ligament tear last year and looked objectively terrible on the field at times. Given the history of running backs recovering from multiple ligament tears, it wouldn't be surprising if Chubb was a shadow of his former self on the field this year.

PPR RANKINGS 2024
Top 250 Overall | RB | WR | TE | DEF/ST | K

As for the timetable for his return, there's nothing concrete yet. Chubb hasn't participated in practice all summer but has been spotted on the field doing individual drills. Chubb had his second surgery in mid-November, and the typical 10-month recovery time would put his return in mid-September. But it wouldn't be surprising if the Browns slowly ease Chubb back in given the severity of the injury. Chubb could realistically start the season on the PUP list, which would keep him out until at least Week 5. Since there's no concrete timetable, it's hard to say exactly when he'll be available to fantasy managers, but those looking to draft him should understand that it's realistic if he misses around six games.

Chubb is currently drafted in the 8th round as the RB31. That price is simply outrageous (he's RB41 in our PPR rankings). Chubb will likely miss a majority of games, and there's no telling what he'll look like when he returns to the field. For a running back who has relied on a large workload and outstanding efficiency to score in fantasy, this is an easy sell to have to be drafted as the RB3.

2024 POSITION LEVELS & DESIGN STRATEGY
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Injury update for Minnesota Vikings tight end TJ Hockenson

TJ Hockenson's injury wasn't quite as severe as Chubb's, but he still suffered a multiple ligament tear (ACL and MCL). Reports out of Minneapolis in June and July indicated that Hockenson's rehab was progressing well and he was on track to return to the field.

But Hockenson has not fully returned to training yet, and Minnesota reporter Darren Wolfson said the following about Hockenson while he was working out on the rehab field: “[Hockenson] seemed a little hesitant at times, a little more than a week or two ago.”

In late November, Week 12 of the NFL season, Hockenson will be back in action 10 months after his surgery. Some are currently speculating that Hockenson will return in Week 6 after the Vikings' off period. But given the typical recovery trajectory, a return in the Week 10 range seems more realistic.

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Hockenson will come off the board as a TE13 in the 10th round of the draft. Much like Chubb, this is an easy proposition. He may only be available for a handful of games this year, and there's no telling what he'll look like when he's finally back on the field. Combined with Minnesota's offensive decline with Sam Darnold at quarterback, there's no reason to draft Hockenson as a fringe player in fantasy football.

Injury update for Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks

Jonathon Brooks was selected as the first running back by the Carolina Panthers in the 2nd round of this year's NFL Draft. Had he not suffered a “clean” (unilateral) ACL tear in November, it was possible that Brooks would have been selected in the 1st round.

Because Brooks' injury is only a single ligament, fantasy managers should be more optimistic about Brooks than the previously discussed players recovering from multiple ligament tears. Players, especially young ones, have been able to bounce back and look like they did in the first year after an injury like this. The most recent example of this was Breece Hall, who came back from a torn ACL as a rookie and shined in a struggling Jets offense.

Fortunately for fantasy managers, Panthers head coach Dave Canales has been fairly transparent about Brooks' recovery timeline. Canales shared in early August that the team hopes to have Brooks back in action in Week 3 or 4, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see Brooks start the year on the PUP list.

FANTASY AUCTION VALUES 2024 (PPR & STANDARD)
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Given Brooks' age and the nature of his injury, it's possible he could make a full recovery and take over the Panthers' backfield as a rookie. That's not too big a task either, with only Miles Sanders and Chuba Hubbard standing in his way. Brooks is currently drafted in Round 8 (two picks ahead of Chubb) as the RB30. That's a good time to take Brooks and hide him on the bench or in the IR slot until he's available for his NFL debut. It's also worth noting that you may be able to get him even cheaper when (if) he gets placed on the PUP list.