We were excited for fantasy football to get here, and while Sunday brought plenty of touchdowns and fantasy points, the injuries were not far behind. This was a busy week in terms of tracking injuries and projecting recovery timelines.
If you avoided the injury bug, count your blessings. If not, this column is for you. Grab a seat and get familiar with the waiver wire. It could be a while.
Key: Position Player, Team | Injury | Projected Return to Play
WR A.J. Brown, New England | High Ankle Sprain | Projection: Week 8
A.J. Brown and the New England Patriots. Brown got off to a slow start in Wednesday night’s game against Seattle, and his night ended early after he suffered a high ankle sprain.
The injury appears significant, as the Patriots have placed Brown on IR, guaranteeing he'll miss at least 4 weeks...but it sounds like it will be more.
The expectation is Patriots WR AJ Brown will miss the next 6 weeks, per @RapSheet
— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) September 13, 2026
If this sticks - he’ll return Week 8. New England has a BYE Week 11. pic.twitter.com/JLF9NioPaC
From a fantasy perspective, high ankle sprains can be tricky, but historically they’ve been more limiting for running backs than wide receivers when it comes to fantasy production. There is still plenty of variability, though, with a large percentage of players performing outside their normal range after returning.
This is a tough blow, but Brown is someone I would prefer to hold; hopefully your league has an IR spot where you can stash him. I feel like the biggest impact is going to be his time missed. Using historical comparisons, WRs who missed >4 weeks with a high ankle sprain saw greater improvements in target share and snap % than those who returned in 4 weeks or under.
TE Brock Bowers, Las Vegas | Knee Surgery | Projection: Week 3
Before the fantasy football season even really got a chance to get started, we learned Thursday that Brock Bowers was undergoing a “meniscus trim” that would sideline him for the next couple of weeks. Bowers was expected to be the primary passing option for the Raiders and was a top-10 pick in most fantasy drafts, so obviously this is an impactful injury for fantasy football.
I talked about this injury at the end of last week. While I do think there is a chance Bowers misses only one or two games, we also have examples of players missing closer to four weeks following similar procedures. Michael Gallup in 2019 and Joe Mixon in 2018 both underwent arthroscopic knee procedures for meniscus injuries and returned relatively quickly, but those represent the more optimistic end of the spectrum.
ESPN's Adam Schefter has reported that the Raiders believe there’s a chance that Bowers could be back in Week 2. This still feels aggressive, especially since it's the same knee that suffered a PCL sprain that caused him to miss a large chunk of last season; you can see where the layers get a little more concerning.
After undergoing a meniscus trim Tuesday, the Raiders believe there’s a realistic chance Brock Bowers will miss only one game and return for Week 2 at the Los Angeles Chargers, per sources. Team will see how he’s feeling this week, but a potential return next week is within the… pic.twitter.com/YYADYQ7AN1
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 13, 2026
PCL sprains are notoriously difficult injuries for athletes, and specifically in the NFL, we’ve seen them lead to significant declines in fantasy production after injury. However, Bowers performed well despite his knee injury last season. This speaks to just how high Bowers’ floor is. His combination of elite talent, usage, and volume in the Raiders offense still gives him a massive ceiling. Honestly, at this point, we should all hope Las Vegas doesn't rush him back too soon.