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Fantasy Football Injury Updates (RB, WR, TE, QB) – August 27

The 2024 NFL season is just over one week away, and fantasy football drafts are taking place in full force. Our preseason injury updates and reports as of Tuesday, August 27, 2024, will give you the latest updates on key players, including Christian McCaffrey, Nick Chubb, Puka Nacua, Jonathon Brooks, Jahmyr Gibbs, and more.

Unfortunately, injuries impact fantasy football decisions even before the season starts, so it’s important to stay in the know and monitor the latest injury updates around the league.

To keep close tabs on all of the news across the NFL, make sure to favorite or bookmark the fantasy football player news page, or download the free RotoBaller fantasy football mobile app with push notification alerts on all the latest news.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024 fantasy football drafts:

 

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (calf) was on the practice field on Monday doing side work as he continues to recover from a calf injury. Last week, head coach Kyle Shanahan said he is not concerned with CMC missing all of training camp, and his return to the field in some capacity is great news for his Week 1 availability against the New York Jets.

Last season’s NFL Offensive Player of the Year was dominant in fantasy football in Year 2 with the Niners, racking up just under 1,800 yards from scrimmage and 21 total touchdowns. The 28-year-old is still in the conversation to be the No. 1 overall pick in all redraft formats, and he’s a must-start option all season – regardless of matchup.

 

Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb (knee) is expected to remain on the Physically Unable to Perform List to start the season. According to Adam Schefter, the Browns are not ready to activate the star back and that means he will miss at least the first four games of the regular season.

This doesn’t come as too big of a surprise since Chubb’s major injury last season, but now it becomes a waiting game. With Chubb on the sidelines for at least four games, Jerome Ford will likely take on the bulk of the workload again while Pierre Strong Jr., D’Onta Foreman, and maybe even Nyheim Hines (knee) battle for reps behind him.

 

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (knee) is back at training camp practice on Monday and is taking part in individual drills. The Rams are easing Nacua back into the fold, with Monday being the first time he’s been at practice since Aug. 4 due to a bursa-sac injury in his knee.

All indications are that the 23-year-old second-year pass-catcher will be ready to go in time for the Week 1 regular-season opener on Sept. 8 against the Detroit Lions. Head coach Sean McVay hasn’t been worried at all about Nacua’s status despite missing plenty of practice time in camp.

Unless Nacua suffers a setback in the next two weeks, fantasy managers should feel confident selecting him as a top-10 fantasy wideout after a breakout rookie season in 2023 in which he went for 105 catches (160 targets), 1,486 receiving yards and six touchdowns in 17 regular-season contests.

 

The Carolina Panthers are leaving rookie running back Jonathon Brooks (knee) on the PUP/NFI list, meaning he will miss the season’s first four games. Brooks is still recovering from a torn ACL he sustained last November while at Texas. Despite the injury, the Panthers were impressed enough with Brooks to trade up and select him in the second round of the NFL Draft.

In Brooks’ absence, the Panthers will rely heavily on Chuba Hubbard, who led the backfield last season with 1,135 yards from scrimmage and five total touchdowns over 17 games (12 starts). Veteran Miles Sanders, who had 586 scrimmage yards in 2023, will also be in the mix for touches.

Hubbard is a solid late-round pick for those using a “zero RB” strategy, as he should serve as a solid RB1 for Carolina until Brooks returns. If your league has an IR spot, consider targeting Brooks late in drafts for a potential payoff later in the season.

 

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell said that running back Jahmyr Gibbs (hamstring) returned to training camp practice on Sunday. Gibbs returned to the practice field for the Lions after missing two weeks with a strained hamstring.

Now that the 22-year-old is back, he’ll have just under two weeks to prepare for the Week 1 regular-season opener on Sept. 8 against the Los Angeles Rams. The Lions haven’t seemed too worried that Gibbs won’t be ready for the season opener, but there’s still a chance he’ll cede more touches to backfield mate David Montgomery to open the year.

Now that Gibbs is back at practice, fantasy managers should feel more comfortable taking him as a midrange RB1 in drafts, either late in the first round or early in the second, especially in point-per-reception formats. Gibbs was the 12th overall pick in 2023 and had 945 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. He added 316 receiving yards and another score in 15 regular-season games in his rookie campaign.

 

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquise Brown (shoulder) was present at Monday’s training camp practice but wasn’t participating on the field.

Brown suffered a sternoclavicular injury in the team’s preseason opener on Aug. 10 and was given an initial timeline of four to six weeks, so his availability for the Week 1 regular-season opener on Thursday Night Football against the Baltimore Ravens is very much in question.

At this point, it would be a surprise if the 27-year-old suited up. However, barring a setback, Brown should make his KC debut at some point in September.

His injury has made both rookie Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice more attractive in fantasy drafts. The injury to Brown has surely put a damper on his fantasy value entering the year, but he’s still worth a late-round flier as a WR4/flex. When healthy, he could be one of quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ top targets.

 

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (undisclosed) was back at training camp practice on Monday and was wearing a non-contact jersey. It’s good news that Waddle is back on the practice field, but it appears the Dolphins are easing him back in.

With just under two weeks to go until the Week 1 regular-season opener, Waddle should have plenty of time to get up to speed to face the Jacksonville Jaguars. We’ll keep a close eye on the 25-year-old’s status along the way, though.

But as long as he’s active in Week 1, he should be a must-start in all fantasy formats. Fantasy managers would have liked to have seen Waddle visit the end zone more than just four times (a career-low) in 14 regular-season games in 2023, but he also finished with more than 1,000 yards receiving for the third straight season to begin his career.

He also had a robust 14.1 yards per catch. As long as his injury doesn’t extend into the regular season, Waddle should be considered a strong WR2 in fantasy.

 

Sam LaPorta Injury Update

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell said that tight end Sam LaPorta (hamstring) returned to training camp practice on Sunday. It marked LaPorta’s first practice session with the team since the first week of August after he injured his hamstring.

As long as the 23-year-old second-year tight end doesn’t suffer a setback with his hammy in upcoming practices, he should be ready to roll for the Week 1 regular-season opener on Sept. 8 against the Los Angeles Rams. LaPorta’s injury was never really considered all that serious, so his fantasy value as one of the top fantasy TEs hasn’t really wavered this summer.

The former second-rounder immediately established himself as one of the best pass-catching TEs in the NFL in his first year, catching 86 of his 120 targets for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2023. Travis Kelce might be the first TE taken in your fantasy draft, but LaPorta may have even more upside at this point.

 

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said that wide receiver Christian Kirk (calf) is feeling good and will return to practice this week.

A mild calf injury has kept Kirk off the practice field at training camp for around two weeks, but the 27-year-old will return this week and should have plenty of time to get up to speed in order to suit up in the Week 1 regular-season opener on Sept. 8 against the Miami Dolphins.

Don’t be surprised if Jacksonville eases Kirk back into practice this week. A groin injury cut his season short in 2023, leading him to finish with a 57-787-3 line in just 12 games played. Kirk set career-highs in catches (84), receiving yards (1,108), and touchdowns (eight) the year before, though, and he was on pace for similar numbers last year before his injury.

A bounce-back season could be in the making for Kirk in 2024 as long as he’s healthy, making him a nice WR3/flex target in upcoming fantasy drafts.

 

Green Bay Packers rookie running back MarShawn Lloyd (hamstring) will likely start the season on Injured Reserve. If his recovery takes longer than expected, Green Bay could use one of their two pre-cutdown IR spots for him, allowing them to keep Josh Jacobs, AJ Dillon, and Emanuel Wilson on the initial 53-man roster.

Wilson has demonstrated reliability as a third running back and can fill in when needed. By placing Lloyd on IR, he could be eligible to return after Week 4, giving him the chance to recover from his challenging hamstring injury fully.

Lloyd has potential as Green Bay’s future running back and could be the No. 2 option in 2024 once he’s healthy. If anything happens to Jacobs this season, he’s worth watching as a high-upside lottery ticket.

 

San Francisco 49ers rookie first-round wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (shoulder) returned to the practice field on Monday, but he was wearing a blue non-contact jersey. The rookie first-round pick out of Florida has been out of action for a few weeks, causing him to miss valuable reps in the absence of Brandon Aiyuk (holdout).

Pearsall’s role is already tough to analyze in Year 1 with the Niners, but his injury could take him even longer to get acclimated to his new offense. If Aiyuk re-signs with the 49ers, it would be a surprise if Pearsall is on the fantasy radar in 2024.

If Aiyuk is traded or does not play early in the season, Pearsall could have deep-league flex value, but veteran Jauan Jennings (oblique) could play ahead of him. Ultimately, Pearsall is an intriguing dynasty stash, but his projected redraft value is likely to be limited.

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