Originally this introduction was a lighthearted take on injuries causing chaos for fantasy football in 2024. Then in the third quarter on Thursday Night Football Tua Tagovailoa suffered his third concussion since 2022, and this sobering thought hit home: This violent game brings with it injury realities that could affect players well beyond their playing days. So we’ll get straight into the injuries that are impacting fantasy in Week 2 and sometimes beyond.

Here are nine players who have varying degrees of injuries, with some already ruled out and others possibly joining them. Or they could play. We’ll start out with the player with the most intrigue surrounding him for the past month.

Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers

Well, the player most drafted at the 1.01 missed Week 1. What’s next? Earlier this week John Lynch said that CMC would have played if this were a playoff game instead of the opening of the season. Well, does he play in the season’s second week? 

According to Dr. Edwin Porras, since 2018 there have been 25 players on NFL injury reports with calf/Achilles injuries. Only two had a further injury. McCaffrey was at practice on Thursday, though it was not fully padded. There is the possibility that the 49ers may be waiting this out so he could be completely ready for what could be a lengthy playoff run. 

Target CMC if you want in trade talks. As far as this week is concerned, the Jordan Mason ship has sailed—he’s the RB10 in Fantasy Life rankings and rostered in 81% of Yahoo leagues. Be ready for contingency plans and be pleasantly surprised if CMC gets the active designation on Sunday in the early window at Minnesota.

Kenneth Walker III, Seattle Seahawks

An abdominal injury could keep Walker out of Week 2, which would be a shame for a player who has received so much praise from the Seattle coaching staff throughout training camp. Now he’s missed his second day of practice and was seen in workout clothes. The running game is an important part of OC Ryan Grubb’s offense, and Walker was fantastic in rushing for 103 yards on 20 carries and put up the No. 8 Utilization Score of 8.5.

With two missed practices it is trending toward Walker going inactive, which would put the spotlight on Zach Charbonnet, who is rostered in 53% of Yahoo leagues. Charbonnet may be one of the most valuable handcuffs for fantasy football, though he will be facing a New England defense that held Cincinnati RBs to 55 total rushing yards. As for Walker, if he is inactive but not placed on IR, this could mean less than a four-week absence.

Malik Nabers, New York Giants

The highly touted rookie was limited in Thursday practice with an apparent knee issue that the team is keeping an eye on. Nabers is too valuable to the Giants’ future. The training staff will be very careful with him in the early portion of his career. 

He has a breakout spot awaiting him, as Mike Evans and Chris Godwin combined for 144 receiving yards and three TDs in Week 1 against the Commanders. For a player selected so highly in fantasy drafts (ADP RB25 and 57.4 overall), as long as he’s healthy, he’s a start with the possibility of a breakout performance.

Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals

The wideout has not practiced both days after missing Week 1. He was not in uniform on Thursday and was walking gingerly to practice. This is not trending in the right direction toward Higgins playing. 

Fantasy managers need to make alternate plans and be giddy should Higgins play in a game where the Bengals will need to score points to keep up with the Super Bowl champion Chiefs. The over/under is 48 in this potential shootout.

Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers

Packer Nation received some positive news when it was determined that Love did not suffer a season-ending injury at the end of the game against the Eagles in Brazil. How long could he be out? Early reports are that Love could return in three to six weeks, though Porras pointed out that Patrick Mahomes returned from a similar injury in two weeks back in 2019. 

This downgrades all the Green Bay pass catchers with Malik Willis expected to start in Love’s place. Nicholas Petit-Frere was a teammate of Willis’ in Tennessee for the QB’s first two seasons in the NFL and pointed out that the quarterback out of Liberty really grew in the offense before his release and impending signing with the Packers. Still, it’s hard to trust any WRs other than Jayden Reed and Christian Watson, though both should be at best flex plays this week. 

Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins

Ian Rapaport reported that Moster's chest injury is not season-ending, nor is it expected to land him on IR. Considering Mostert’s long and varied injury history, the veteran running back missing time so early is a concern. However, with his receiving extra rest following the Thursday matchup with the Bills, Mostert’s progress should be monitored in case he returns. That said, DO NOT drop Jaylen Wright nor Jeff Wilson Jr.  

Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears

Neither of this pair of Bears WRs participated in practice either of the first two days this week. That’s not looking good. Allen came into the season with a heel injury and appeared to aggravate it during a game when he drew 11 targets and saw a solid 79% route participation. 

Odunze suffered a knee injury in the same game, and he had an excellent 85% route participation but saw only 11% TPRR. That will change once he gets on the field. That is the question for both WRs. 

If either or both miss this game, it could mean great things for DJ Moore, who drew eight targets on 94% route participation. This is elite utilization, and any narrowing of the targets could mean a big day for Moore in a game where the Bears will have to put up points at Houston against C.J. Stroud and Co.

Jordan Addison, Minnesota Vikings

Ankles are so tricky, and it’s hard to know if a player could miss several weeks or play through and appear fine. What we do know about Addison is that he has yet to practice through Thursday. If he sits out Friday’s workout, it likely means he’s sitting. 

That could mean a HUGE target load being directed at Justin Jefferson, who might even challenge Cooper Kupp’s 21 looks last week. The 49ers are good, but keep in mind they are on a short week and traveling to the Eastern time zone. Jefferson may be a boom play in DFS if Addison sits. 

David Njoku, Cleveland Browns

The tight end has already been ruled out of the Browns’ upcoming game at Jacksonville after suffering a high-ankle sprain. Such an injury can wreck seasons. Ask Austin Ekeler. Porras said these are often four-week injuries, though they could be longer at times depending on the player. 

Can other Browns pass catchers pick up some of the targets that Njoku left behind? Possibly. The game against the Jaguars could make for a good passing environment for Cleveland, though QB Deshaun Watson had a rough outing in Week 1 against Dallas. Other than Amari Cooper, there is no other Cleveland pass catcher worth starting. 

Instead of looking for Jordan Akins, take a long look at Colby Parkinson. The TE14 in Fantasy Life consensus rankings is available in 64% of Yahoo leagues. He could be a good replacement going into a Rams-Cardinals game that has a healthy over/under at 48.