The 2025 NFL fantasy season is just around the corner, and drafts are in full swing. Unfortunately, injuries are inevitable in football, and some big names are heading into the season banged up.
For some, a rule of drafting is never to take injured players. However, fantasy managers willing to take risks can be rewarded with big production from players who drop in drafts due to injury. Below is a list of fantasy-relevant players entering 2025 with injuries and whether they are worth stashing.
De’Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins
De’Von Achane suffered a calf injury during the Dolphins’ second preseason game, which should keep him out for the rest of the preseason. Achane has time to recover, but there is an element of uncertainty with the injury, especially after head coach Mike McDaniel said he could be out “between days and weeks.”
De’Von Achane could finish as Fantasy Football’s top overall player @ChristianDB122 pic.twitter.com/Fkm41evlY1
— SportsGrid Fantasy (@DailyRoto) August 19, 2025
Calf injuries are notoriously easy to re-injure, but Achane also has the upside to finish as the RB1 overall in fantasy, especially if he can repeat 2024’s receiving production (87 targets, 78 receptions, 592 receiving yards, and six touchdowns).
Achane was the RB6 last season (17.6 PPR points per game) and will likely be available at a discount in the late second to early third round. He’s well worth the risk, especially if he is your RB2 in fantasy.
Joe Mixon, RB, Houston Texans
Joe Mixon was the RB9 in PPR points per game in his first season with Houston (17.2), handling 245 carries for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns in 14 games. He also added 36 receptions (on 52 targets for 309 yards and a score.
Unfortunately, Mixon showed up to training camp in a walking boot due to a lingering foot/ankle issue and hasn’t practiced since. Mixon is currently on the Non-Football Injury (NFI) list and has no clear timetable for a return.
If your league has IR spots, Mixon is an ideal stash in the hopes that he returns to the field a few weeks into the 2025 season. None of Houston’s other running backs have done very well this preseason, so Mixon would potentially walk back into a full-time role once he can handle it.
Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks have managed Kenneth Walker III through foot soreness throughout most of the summer. That and Walker’s lengthy injury history make some fantasy managers skeptical about his potential 2025 impact.
Walker has been full-go in practice this week as he gears up for the 2025 season. He is too talented to fade in fantasy football, especially now that he will run in Klint Kubiak’s wide zone running scheme. You may not get a full 17 games of Walker, but what you get has the potential to win fantasy championships.
Tyjae Spears, RB, Tennessee Titans
Injuries stopped Tyjae Spears from splitting the backfield with Tony Pollard in 2024. Spears looked to have another shot at a role in 2025 before suffering a high-ankle sprain in the Titans’ first preseason game.
The injury cost Spears most of the preseason, but it shouldn’t dramatically impact the number of regular-season games missed. However, we have seen high-ankle sprains linger and sap explosiveness out of players for years, so there is an increased risk of a slow start in 2025.
Spears has averaged 5.2 yards per touch in his two seasons and offers significantly more explosiveness in the run and pass game than Pollard. He is a worthwhile stash in the later rounds of your draft, but he will likely take up a bench spot since an IR stint doesn’t seem likely.
Najee Harris, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
Najee Harris was set to split the backfield with first-round rookie Omarion Hampton for the Chargers in 2025. Then, a fireworks-related accident on the Fourth of July led to an ambiguous eye injury, putting Harris’s 2025 outlook in question.
Harris has been walking around the field but has not participated in practice. There is some hope that he may be ready for Week 1, but his status is still a bit up in the air. When asked if Harris will be ready to suit up in Week 1, Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh told the team’s website, “It’s a possibility.”
Even if Harris is healthy, we have no clarity on his injury and no timeline for a return. Meanwhile, Hampton has consistently been praised for his size, speed, and ability to execute the offense throughout training camp.
Is it possible that Harris plays most of the 2025 season? Of course! However, given that we don’t know what his role will look like without the offseason (plus the severity of his injury), he is a player worth fading in fantasy.
Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins
There was hope that Tyreek Hill could return from a disastrous 2024 season, where he was limited due to poor quarterback play (without Tua) and a wrist injury. Hill’s 12.8 PPR points per game and WR30 finish (minimum eight games played) were his lowest totals since his rookie season (12.4, WR32).
Unfortunately, Hill has missed most of this offseason while trying to navigate an oblique injury suffered at the beginning of August. That, combined with an offseason where Hill was critical of Miami’s coaching and quarterback play, makes it challenging to believe another big season is on the horizon. Hill has even been mentioned as a possible trade candidate in 2025.
It would be surprising if Hill isn’t on the field for Miami’s Week 1 game against the Colts since he will have had a month to rest and recover. But it is equally challenging to trust that another high-end wide receiver is on the horizon, especially with Jaylen Waddle looking fantastic all training camp.
Travis Hunter, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
Travis Hunter missed two preseason games with an ambiguous “upper-body injury,” even though he has participated in individual drills during the last week. There are no indications that Hunter will miss Week 1, but it opens up an interesting dilemma.
Hunter is currently being drafted as pick 69 (WR31) according to FantasyPros’ ADP tracker across all platforms. Many analysts are also touting Hunter as a high-end WR2 that can overtake Brian Thomas Jr. in the passing hierarchy as a rookie. Rarely do those bullish stances consider the risk of playing both ways at the NFL level.
The rookie put together a mostly healthy 2024 season at Colorado (he did miss part of a game with a shoulder injury) and won the Heisman. However, he also missed five games at Jackson State in 2022 with an ankle injury and another three in 2023 at Colorado due to a lacerated liver.
Hunter’s upside is immense, especially if he plays a significant role on offense during his rookie season. However, the injury risk is much larger than the average player, especially with Hunter’s slight frame (6’1″, 185 pounds).
Can Hunter be a two-way player at the NFL level? Absolutely. His conditioning is elite, and he was one of the top prospects at cornerback and wide receiver in the 2025 draft class. However, this upper-body injury shows one of the ways he could disappoint in fantasy this season.
Jayden Reed, WR, Green Bay Packers
Jayden Reed has missed nearly two weeks of practice with a foot injury that has required a walking boot. There haven’t been any significant updates about his status, but the fact that he is out of his boot with just under two weeks until the regular season is positive news.
Assuming Reed begins practicing in the next week, he will have more than enough time to ramp up for the 2025 season. However, Reed’s role is far less specific. He hoped to earn his way into two-receiver sets with rookie Matthew Golden in 2025. The injury may have dampened that process.
Physically, Reed could be good to go for Week 1, which means he is fine to draft in fantasy. However, the part-time role as a slot-specific player means he must continue being hyper-efficient to be a fantasy viable player.
Stefon Diggs, WR, New England Patriots
Nobody would have been surprised if Stefon Diggs had missed the offseason program and started the 2025 season on the PUP list after tearing his ACL in Week 8 last season. Instead, Diggs has participated in every practice and in 11-on-11 sessions.
Crazy how Stefon Diggs throttles down and still maintains his position relative to the defender
… And those late hands
Is Diggs going to be a league winner this year?
— PlayerProfiler (@rotounderworld) August 13, 2025
We still haven’t seen Diggs in an actual preseason game, but all indications are that he will be ready for Week 1 (even if the team is tempering expectations). The Patriots paid Diggs handsomely this offseason (three years, $69 million) to elevate their passing attack for Drake Maye.
He could become a reliable WR2 in fantasy, even if he needs to undergo a ramp-up process to get to full strength.
Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Chris Godwin was on the way to the best season of his career in 2024 before a dislocated ankle with fractures and ligament damage ended his season in Week 7.
The veteran wide receiver still secured a lucrative contract extension with Tampa Bay this offseason (three years, $66 million), leading many to believe he could have a chance to start the season on time. However, some alarms began to go off when the Buccaneers drafted Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Since then, we have confirmed that Godwin had another surgery in the spring to clean up his injury. He has missed the entirety of the offseason while on the PUP list. We have also learned that Godwin will not start the season on the PUP list, so he can practice with the team to build his stamina. Despite that, he likely won’t make his 2025 debut until October.
In recent seasons, we have seen players struggle to return to full strength in their first season back from dislocated ankles. Further complicating matters is that the Buccaneers don’t plan to put him on the PUP list or injured reserve, which will limit fantasy managers from simply stashing him throughout the season.
Given the complicated injury and that Godwin will occupy a bench spot for at least the first month of the season, it is easy to fade him in fantasy in 2025.
MORE: Free Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator
Brandon Aiyuk, WR, San Francisco 49ers
Brandon Aiyuk has not practiced this offseason after suffering a torn ACL and MCL during the 49ers’ Week 7 game. From the sounds of it, a trip on the PUP list is imminent, which would put him out for at least four weeks. However, GM John Lynch offered more clarity, stating that the team hoped to get Aiyuk back by Week 6.
Typically, the first season after an ACL injury isn’t stellar for players, so it could take Aiyuk time to get back up to full speed. However, the 49ers’ wide receiver depth chart is skinny behind Ricky Pearsall, so he may get fed enough targets in PPR formats to offset the dip in play.
