Week 1 Fantasy Football Injury Recap
As The Fantasy Footballers’ lead injury analyst and sports physical therapist, I’ll be recapping the previous week’s injuries and giving a projected timeline for recovery all season long. Let’s look at the biggest injuries from Week 1 and take a look at what fantasy managers can expect heading into Week 2.
If you’re looking for more detailed injury analysis, check out JoinTheFoot.com for additional premium resources, including access to the Injury Blitz Podcast hosted by yours truly. This bonus podcast, available to all #FootClan Premier and Ultimate members, is a short, yet informative injury podcast that drops late in the week in order to provide all the injury updates you need to set your lineup each week.
QB Brock Purdy
Left Shoulder and Toe Injuries (Specifics Unknown): Questionable for Week 2
Brock Purdy played 100% of the snaps on Sunday against Seattle, but exited with multiple injuries. The specifics of these injuries aren’t known, but Kyle Shanahan spoke with reporters on Monday and announced that his QB is dealing with a left shoulder injury and a toe injury. Per Shanahan, the toe injury is the primary concern for Purdy ahead of their Week 2 tilt with the Saints. As you’ll see below, the 49ers are really banged up heading into their matchup in New Orleans.
Players impacted: Mac Jones, Christian McCaffrey, Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall
RB Will Shipley
Ribs Injury (Severity Unknown): Questionable for Week 2
Shipley left the season opener against Dallas with a rib injury in the first half and did not return. I usually don’t include backup RB injuries in this article, but given that Philly just traded for Tank Bigsby from Jacksonville, it’s notable that the RB2 job behind Saquon is now up for grabs. Neither RB is startable so long as Barkley is healthy, but this is a potential valuable role should Saquon miss any time.
Players impacted: A.J. Dillon, Tank Bigsby
WR Xavier Worthy
Dislocated Shoulder: Out Week 2, Could miss 3-4 weeks
Chiefs second-year WR Xavier Worthy is expected to miss some time and may land on short-term IR after he dislocated his shoulder Friday night in Brazil against the Chargers. For these types of injuries, the medical plan always involves surgery in the NFL, but it’s a matter of “when” not “if.” The team has two options depending on the stability of the shoulder: 1) He can potentially return after 3-4 weeks with a shoulder harness and brace or 2) He could have labral repair surgery and be done for the season. Based off initial reports, it sounds like the plan is for Worthy to rehab for a few weeks and attempt to play with the harness, which will limit his catch radius and opt for surgery in the off-season. Shoulder dislocations are tricky to manage given that this joint is inherently less stable than other joints in the body. If he would dislocate the shoulder again this season, he’d likely be done for the year.
Players impacted: Patrick Mahomes, Hollywood Brown, Travis Kelce
WR Drake London
Right Shoulder AC Joint Sprain: Questionable for Week 2
Atlanta’s WR1 suffered what appears to be an AC joint sprain in his right shoulder late in Week 1 against Tampa. He landed hard on his right shoulder in the end zone in the 4th quarter while trying to catch a go ahead TD. With only a few minutes left in the game, London went to the sideline and did not return for the Falcons’ final drive. After the game, it was reported that London is “week-to-week” which aligns with a mild Grade I sprain. Generally, these can heal in 1-2 weeks, so this is unlikely to be an extended absence for London. There’s a chance he misses Week 2, but I’d be surprised if he misses more than a game. In addition, he could play through the injury with an injection for pain control, but that remains to be seen. Look for him to land on Atlanta’s injury report this week and miss some practice time.
Players impacted: Michael Penix Jr., Darnell Mooney, Kyle Pitts
WR Jauan Jennings
Left Shoulder Injury: Doubtful for Week 2
Jennings injured his left shoulder on Sunday against the Seahawks and did not return. He was running a route and took a direct hit to the top of his left shoulder. On Monday, Kyle Shanahan shared that Jennings’ MRI was “okay” but the team was still awaiting the results of a CT scan. Generally speaking, MRIs are used to evaluate soft tissue injuries while CT scans are used to evaluate more complex bone injuries. In terms of imaging, X-rays are the first modality used, so this CT scan will be the third image that the Niners have gotten of Jennings’ shoulder. There’s a possibility that the scan is being used to evaluate the integrity of the shoulder joint or part of the scapula (shoulder blade). For now, we wait more details. With Jennings’ status up in the air, Demarcus Robinson still suspended two more games and Brandon Aiyuk still rehabbing his ACL, the team signed Kendrick Bourne to a one-year deal on Monday.
Players impacted: Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, Ricky Pearsall
TE George Kittle
Hamstring Strain: Out 3-5 weeks
Kittle was cooking early on against Seattle but pulled up with a hamstring injury and was held for the remainder of the game. Following an MRI on Monday, it was reported that Kittle would be sidelined for multiple games with Ian Rapoport suggesting the All-Pro could land on short-term IR. This timeline would suggest this is a Grade II (moderate) strain. Generally speaking, that recovery timeline (assuming no setbacks) is between 4-6 weeks on average. Fantasy gamers should plan to be without Kittle in Weeks 2-3 at an absolute minimum, but there’s a good chance this injury lingers into October.
George Kittle is likely out 3-5 weeks with the hamstring injury, source says, making him a candidate for Injured Reserve. https://t.co/pdGtuxzZPJ
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 8, 2025
Players impacted: Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings
TE Brock Bowers
Left Knee Injury (Diagnosis Unknown): Questionable for Week 2
Raiders second-year star TE Brock Bowers left Sunday’s game against New England after taking a hit to the right hip/thigh and landing on his left knee. He stayed in the game briefly, but he limped off and did not return. Per Tom Pelissero, Bowers wanted to return to the game, but the medical team decided to hold him out. As of Monday evening, there has not been any definitive reporting, but the mechanism of injury was consistent with a mild PCL sprain. Let’s hope that’s not the case, but if confirmed, he could miss a couple of weeks. Worth noting, Pelissero tweeted that he spoke to Bowers, who said he’ll be fine moving forward. For now, we wait for more details.
Players impacted: Michael Mayer, Geno Smith, Jakobi Meyers
TE Evan Engram
Calf Injury (Severity Unknown): Likely Out Week 2
Evan Engram exited his first game with Denver in the second half with a calf injury and did not return. As of Monday evening, no additional details are available on Engram’s injury, so for now, this is a situation to monitor until we get more information. Even a mild calf strain would force Engram to sit in Week 2, so for now, I’d consider him doubtful for next week against the Colts. It wouldn’t be surprising if this injury turned into a multi-week absence as calf strains can linger.
Players impacted: Bo Nix, Courtland Sutton