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The 2026 NFL season’s Week 1 slate is fast approaching. While some fantasy-relevant players have successfully rehabbed their training camp injuries and can be relied upon in fantasy football lineups this week, others require close monitoring.
The article below details nine need-to-know injuries for the upcoming season.
WR Luther Burden III, Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson said No. 1 wide receiver Burden (groin) “looks 100.0%” healthy. The star second-year wide receiver suffered a groin strain on Aug. 8 and has evidently rehabbed the injury successfully. Assuming he continues to participate in practice as usual next week, Burden can be treated as a WR2 with easy WR1 upside against the Panthers in Week 1.
As detailed in “Must-draft wide receivers for home leagues,” Burden is an exceptionally talented player who benefits from Johnson’s elite, fantasy-friendly offense. Among 35 NFL rookie wide receivers with at least 70 targets in 2021-25, Burden grades out as the 14th-best player (77.7 PFF receiving grade) while ranking 12th in target rate (23.4%), sixth in yards per route run (YPRR, 2.34) and fourth in yards after the catch per reception (7.2).
TE Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
An Aug. 19 hip injury briefly jeopardized Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta’s “terrific” training camp. He recently resumed practicing, which could indicate the fourth-year tight end only suffered a contusion.
A Week 10 herniated disc ended LaPorta’s 2025 season prematurely, yet he notably racked up several career-best grades and metrics including an 83.2 PFF receiving grade, a 64.8 PFF run-blocking grade, a 7.0% slot-target rate, 2.00 YPRR, an 88.9% catch rate, a 100.0% contested catch rate, 12.2 yards per reception and 6.8 yards after the catch per reception.
As outlined in “Must-draft quarterbacks for home leagues,” LaPorta is a locked-in TE1 who benefits from his offensive scheme and upcoming 2026 schedule.
RB Jeremiyah Love, ArizonaCardinals
Arizona Cardinals first-round rookie running back Jeremiyah Love suffered a high ankle sprain after totaling 14 offensive touches and earning a 68.1 PFF offense grade in his team’s preseason Week 1 game. He is currently considered questionable to play in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Love’s backfield mate, running back Tyler Allgeier, produced a 72.2 PFF rushing grade or better in four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. With Allgeier in-house, the Cardinals’ coaching staff can prioritize Love’s long-term health by featuring Allgeier as the primary rusher early in the year. This could create a fantasy football buy-low opportunity for Love.
WR Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ staff refuses to confirm whether second-year wide receiver Emeka Egbuka’s Aug. 12 toe sprain is a turf toe injury, though they remain hopeful that he will play in Week 1 against the Bengals after practicing on Monday. The injury is an unfortunate development for Egbuka, who wore down partway through his rookie campaign due to insufficient rest between his extended, final college season and his first NFL season. Egbuka shared his offseason rehab, rest and prep programs with reporters in June, setting the stage for a 2026 bounce-back.
Egbuka earned a 75.8 PFF receiving grade as the half-point-per-reception (half-PPR) overall WR3 in Weeks 1-5 last season. The 23-year-old wide receiver can return to form if his toe injury fully heals, but the opaque injury specifics cloud projections.
Buccaneers veteran slot receiver Chris Godwin suffered a season-ending fibula fracture and ankle dislocation in 2024. He resumed playing in Week 4, 2025, but sustained a new fibula injury, which impeded his play and sidelined him from Weeks 6-11. He compiled a 72.5 PFF receiving grade from Week 12 onward and should rack up receptions for as long as Egbuka is limited or sidelined.
WRs Parker Washington, Jakobi Meyers and Brian Thomas Jr., JacksonvilleJaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars No. 1 wide receiver Parker Washington (undisclosed), X-wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (shoulder) and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (thumb) all recently resumed practicing after suffering injuries in August.
Washington’s Yahoo! and ESPN rostership rates must hit 100.0%. Washington more than doubled his year-to-year yards per route run (YPRR) average last year, going from 1.02 in 2024 to 2.19 in 2025. Playing in head coach Liam Coen’s fantasy-friendly offensive scheme, Washington can be treated as a WR2 candidate. He earned a career-best 85.1 PFF receiving grade last season.
Further, Meyers posted a 75.4 PFF receiving grade after being traded to the Jaguars in-season last year. He is best viewed as a reliable flex contributor, particularly in PPR leagues.
Finally, Thomas played to a 66.6 PFF receiving grade in 2025 after earning an 83.4 PFF receiving grade as a 2024 rookie. His box-score results could remain volatile, but he will assuredly generate high-end outcomes.
RBs Jonathon Brooks and Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers running backs Jonathon Brooks (soreness) and Chuba Hubbard (hamstring) are nursing injuries, though the Panthers’ have not disclosed whether it is Brooks’ twice surgically reconstructed ACL that is the issue, making second-year backup running back Trevor Etienne a deep-league add.
Brooks earned a 52.1 PFF offense grade in preseason play. Meanwhile, Hubbard produced a 69.8 PFF offense grade last year.
Etienne churned out a 68.6 PFF offense grade as a rookie and a 62.3 PFF offense grade in the 2026 preseason. His talent-based upside is likely limited, though he could handle a flex-worthy workload if both running backs are sidelined.