A key part of fantasy football draft prep is monitoring the status of players who get nicked up throughout training camp and preseason activities. There have been a slew of injuries to keep tabs on this preseason; the list is highlighted by names like Christian McCaffrey, Puka Nacua, and Jahmyr Gibbs. For updates on every fantasy-relevant injury, be sure to check out our Fantasy Football Injury Tracker.
But not every injury that impacts a player's fantasy outlook occurs during offseason activities. Several big names in the fantasy space are coming back from injuries that they sustained at some point last season. Today, we'll be looking at the fantasy outlooks of Nick Chubb, T.J. Hockenson, and Jonathon Brooks.
Each of these three players are coming off reconstructive knee surgery following an ACL tear. Understanding how to value players coming off these types of injuries is a bit tricky. They have murky return timelines, and knowing what form they'll be in when they get back on the field is incredibly difficult to get a feel for.
DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: 2024 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet
The best approach to addressing these players in drafts is by getting a concrete understanding of their situation. Far too many people go into drafts with no knowledge of injured players' statuses and have wildly inaccurate expectations for how they'll perform. In this article, you'll not only get status updates, but you should also leave with realistic expectations for each player's performance.
Fantasy Football Injury Impact: Fantasy outlooks for Nick Chubb, T.J. Hockenson, and Jonathon Brooks
Injury update for Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb
Chubb's 2023 campaign came to a close in Week 2 when he suffered a horrific knee injury that resulted in ACL, MCL, and meniscus tears. There were legitimate questions as to whether Chubb's career ended that night in Pittsburgh. But he has fared well in rehab and plans to take the field once again in 2024.
When it comes to Chubb, it's important to note that not every ACL tear is created equally. Chubb suffered a multi-ligament tear that required two separate surgeries to repair. Multi-ligament tears often require two years to fully recover from and make it harder to return to form when the player takes the field again. The most recent example of this was Javonte Williams, who suffered a multi-ligament tear and looked objectively awful on the field at times last year. Given the history of running backs recovering from multi-ligament tears, it would not be shocking to see Chubb look like a shell of his former self when he takes the field this year.
2024 PPR RANKINGS
Top 250 Overall | RB | WR | TE | DEF/ST | K
In terms of a timeline for return, there is nothing fully concrete yet. However, Chubb is expected to begin the year on the PUP list, meaning he will miss a minimum of four games. Chubb had his second surgery in mid-November, and the typical 10-month recovery timeline would slot him in for a mid-September return. Given the severity of the injury and the fact that he'll begin the year on the PUP list, we know Chubb is behind the standard 10-month timeline. With no concrete date for return, it's hard to know exactly when he'll be available for fantasy managers, but those interested in drafting him should understand that missing somewhere in the range of six games is realistic.
Chubb is currently drafted in the 8th round as the RB31. This price is simply egregious (he's RB41 in our PPR rankings). Chubb will likely miss a significant chunk of games, and there is no knowing what he'll look like when he makes it back to the field. For a running back who has relied on a large workload and elite efficiency to produce in fantasy, this is an easy fade when he must be drafted as an RB3.
2024 POSITION TIERS & DRAFT STRATEGY
QB | RB | WR | TE | D/ST
Injury update for Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson
T.J. Hockenson's injury wasn't quite as severe as Chubb's, but he still suffered a multi-ligament tear (ACL and MCL). Reports from Minneapolis in June and July indicated that Hockenson was doing well in his rehab and was on the fast track to returning to the field.
But Hockenson hasn't fully returned to practice just yet, and Minnesota beat reporter Darren Wolfson had this to say of Hockenson while he worked out on the rehab field, "[Hockenson] looked a little hesitant at times, a little bit more so than a week or two ago."
Hockenson will be 10 months removed from surgery in late November, which lines up with Week 12 of the NFL season. Some currently speculate that Hockenson will return following the Vikings' bye in Week 6. But given the typical recovery timeline, a return in the range of Week 10 seems more realistic. Hockenson was recently placed on the PUP list, meaning he'll miss four games at a minimum, but he'll likely remain sidelined longer than that
2024 FANTASY SLEEPERS
QB | RB | WR | TE | Each Team
Hockenson comes off the board as the TE13 in Round 10 of drafts. Much like Chubb, this is an easy fade. He may only be available for a handful of games this year, and you can't predict what he will look like when he finally gets back on the field. Coupled with the offensive regression in Minnesota with Sam Darnold under center, there's no reason for Hockenson to be drafted as a fringe starter in fantasy football.
Injury update for Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks
Jonathon Brooks was drafted as the first running back off the board by the Carolina Panthers in the 2nd round of this year's NFL draft. Had it not been for a "clean" (single-ligament) ACL tear in November, it would have been possible for Brooks to be selected in Round 1.
The single-ligament nature of Brooks' injury should make fantasy managers more optimistic about Brooks than the previously discussed players who are recovering from multi-ligament tears. Players, particularly young ones, have been able to come back and look like their former selves in the first year after this type of injury. The most recent example of this was Breece Hall who came back and shined in a putrid Jets offense after tearing his ACL as a rookie.
Luckily for fantasy managers, Panthers head coach Dave Canales has been fairly transparent in regard to Brooks' recovery timeline. Canales shared in early August that the team is hoping to have Brooks back in action in Week 3 or 4. Given Canales's comments earlier this month, it shouldn't come as a shock that Brooks was placed on the PUP list, meaning he'll miss a minimum of four games. He will likely only need the extra four weeks to recover and we should see Brooks on the field in Week 5.
2024 FANTASY AUCTION VALUES (PPR & STANDARD)
Overall | QB | RB | WR | TE | DEF/ST | K
Given Brooks' age and the nature of his injury, it's possible for him to fully recover and take over the Panthers' backfield as a rookie. This isn't exactly a tall order either, just Miles Sanders and Chuba Hubbard stand in his way. Brooks is currently drafted in Round 8 (two picks ahead of Chubb) as the RB30. This is a fine spot to take Brooks and stash him on your bench or IR slot until he's available to make his NFL debut. It's also worth noting that you may be able to get him even cheaper now that he is on the PUP list.