NFL teams are set to make their preseason debut over the next few days, but multiple players with high fantasy expectations are currently dealing with injuries early in training camp.
Here are the RB injury updates you need to know about entering your fantasy football draft.
Fantasy Injury Update
Christian McCaffrey
Star San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey gave fantasy managers a scare earlier this week when he reportedly picked up a calf strain during training camp.
Shanahan doesn't anticipate Christian McCaffrey playing in the preseason after suffering a calf strain pic.twitter.com/O22vSbt3AR
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) August 6, 2024
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told the media earlier this week about McCaffrey’s calf injury, “You probably won’t see him this preseason.”
McCaffrey was unlikely to play very much in August, regardless of the calf strain. His 2,023 total yards and 21 total touchdowns firmly put him in the NFL MVP conversation last year. The 49ers’ offense projects to be amongst the highest-scoring units in the league, which makes McCaffrey a frontrunner to be the highest-scoring non-QB in all of fantasy football.
McCaffrey is currently coming off the board at No. 1 overall in the first round as the RB1.
Joe Mixon
One of the biggest acquisitions for the Houston Texans offseason was landing RB Joe Mixon, who has produced over 1,200 total yards and 9+ TDs in three straight seasons.
Unfortunately, Mixon injured his quadriceps at the start of training camp and is currently recovering from a hamstring injury that saw him miss practice on Wednesday.
This makes the likelihood of Mixon seeing extensive snaps in the preseason highly unlikely, but the fact he is considered day-to-day at the moment should make him a strong bet to ready for Houston’s regular-season opener against the Indianapolis Colts.
Mixon is currently coming off the board at No. 46 overall in the fourth round as the RB16.
Jonathon Brooks
Fantasy managers are very intrigued by the outlook of Carolina Panthers RB Jonathon Brooks — who was the first running back selected in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Unfortunately, Panthers head coach Dave Canales has not only stated that the rookie won’t appear this preseason, but that he could miss the first two games of the regular season as well.
Brooks tore his ACL last November in his final year at the University of Texas, which makes his potential workload and efficiency a bit tough to project entering his rookie year.
Brooks is currently coming off the board at No. 81 overall in the seventh round as the RB29.
Nick Chubb
If you want to understand why some consider Nick Chubb not to be human, here is a look at how his rehabilitation was going in mid-July, just eight months after suffering a torn ACL and MCL.
This is #Browns RB Nick Chubb squatting 540+ pounds—just 8 months after undergoing multiple significant knee surgeries.
Insanity.pic.twitter.com/JlWnad2Wdm
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 15, 2024
Cleveland Browns GM Andrew Berry did mention that Chubb still has a little ways to go regarding his potential return to the field, which puts his status for the 2024 season opener in jeopardy.
Chubb is currently coming off the board at No. 87 overall in the eighth round as the RB30.
Kendre Miller
New Orleans Saints RB Kendre Miller has been dealing with a hamstring injury he sustained early in training camp. He has missed a fair amount of time on the field and still was not spotted at practice on Wednesday.
Miller is currently coming off the board at No. 154 overall in the 13th round as the RB51.