Fantasy Football Injuries: Jonathon Brooks, Nick Chubb, Jahmyr Gibbs (2024)

In a way, injuries in fantasy football can be the defining moments of a season. Did you lose your first and second-round picks to long-term injury? Good luck finding that level of replacement on the waiver wire. Did your quarterback get injured on the first drive in your Week 16 playoff matchup? See you next season!

Most injuries that occur during games are unpredictable and force a certain set of reactions once the game week ends, but what about the injuries we are aware of before the season begins?

As the draft season for fantasy football leagues really ramps up over the next two weeks, players who are currently dealing with an injury can force a major dilemma. Do you take on the risk of an injured player for the hopeful outcome that they are ready for the season or can produce with only a short time missed?

As is often said in fantasy football, “Don’t invite trouble onto your roster.” Sometimes, however, the reward will outweigh the risk. This is why understanding the impact of injuries in preseason is immensely important.

This piece will look at key injuries to fantasy football-relevant players. The goal is to determine whether or not to take on the injury risk and what impact the injury could have during the season.

Fantasy Football Injuries to Monitor

All ADP data is taken from FantasyPros consensus ADP for half-PPR formats.

Jahmyr Gibbs (RB – DET)

After Jahmyr Gibbs left practice this week with a hamstring injury, we got good news when head coach Dan Campbell said on Wednesday that the second-year running back should be fine and ready for Week 1. The team plans to be very cautious with him as training camp winds down to ensure he will be ready to go for the regular season.

Fantasy Impact: Gibbs’ availability knocks David Montgomery back down a little bit in the rankings, but it also means there is no need to move Gibbs into the second round of drafts. Presently, Gibbs is the RB6 with an average ADP of 11.7.

Nick Chubb (RB – CLE)

Nick Chubb “still has a ways to go” in his rehab from major reconstructive knee surgery. He will start the year injured, although it remains to be seen if he will be on the PUP list or just be inactive. If the Browns think he will be ready within 2 to 4 weeks from the start of the season, Chubb will avoid the PUP list.

Fantasy Impact: Jerome Ford will nominally be the lead back in this offense while Chubb is out, but D’Onta Foreman will also have a short-yardage and goal-line role. It remains to be seen how gingerly the Browns will ease Chubb back in considering the gruesome nature of his knee injury last November.

Jonathon Brooks (RB – CAR)

Carolina head coach Dave Canales admitted last week that rookie Jonathon Brooks would not be ready until at least Week 3 or 4 this season as he recovers from a torn ACL in college last year. As a rookie with very limited practice reps, it’s hard to imagine that the Panthers don’t slow play him into the offense until he feels comfortable enough to carry a heavier load.

Fantasy Impact: While Brooks is out, Chuba Hubbard is the back to own in Carolina. Last season, Hubbard had the ninth-most carries among running backs and caught 89% of his passes. However, at pick 95, if your league allows injury stashes, Brooks is certainly a pick to make hoping you have him for 11-12 games this year.