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Fantasy draft season is approaching, and it's important to stay up to date with the latest NFL injury developments. Our offseason injury updates and reports as of Thursday, June 25, 2024, will give you the latest updates on key guys.
In the middle of the offseason, let's take a look at injured players Kirk Cousins, Deshaun Watson, George Kittle, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Tim Patrick.
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Kirk Cousins Injury Update
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (Achilles) is returning from a torn Achilles tendon suffered in Week 8 of the 2023 season with the Minnesota Vikings, but he has expressed confidence he'll be full-go by training camp at the end of July since his arrival in Atlanta in March. That sentiment didn't change throughout the offseason program, and Cousins' participation in all aspects of the team's offseason program is promising. Cousins said he did everything at organized team activities, but it will be worth watching if he continues to do everything in training camp.
The 35-year-old signal-caller will be in a non-contact jersey, but everything else should be business as usual. Cousins will still have plenty of weapons around him in Atlanta, but it's a downgrade in receivers and he's coming off a significant injury towards the end of his career. At best, fantasy managers should consider him a midrange QB2. (Falcons.com)
Deshaun Watson Injury Update
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (shoulder) was recently throwing during 7-on-7 drills. While that was a promising sign for fantasy managers, general manager Andrew Berry painted a more encouraging picture. "First and foremost, Deshaun has really worked his tail off," Berry told the media on Monday. "He's really actually ahead of schedule. He's thrown the ball well."
Andrew Berry: Deshaun Watson “really actually ahead of schedule” in shoulder rehab. https://t.co/HZlpp3QRA1
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) June 17, 2024
The 28-year-old should be ready to go for Week 1 after undergoing shoulder surgery in November. But the real question is if he'll bounce back from a forgettable 2023-24 campaign. Although there's a good chance Watson will, he's still hard to trust to be the No. 1 signal-caller on any fantasy roster.
George Kittle Injury Update
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle was rehabbing a fractured rib, issues with his shoulder and toe, and a core-muscle injury that required surgery this offseason. As a result, Kittle revealed that he lost almost 30 pounds after the Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, a significant blow to his typical 250-pound frame. "I couldn't lift," Kittle explained. "I couldn't do any upper body because of my shoulder and my rib, and I couldn't do lower [body] because of my core surgery. I didn't lift from the Super Bowl until like almost mid-March."
However, Kittle remains confident going into the 2024 season and has recovered from surgery on his core. The 30-year-old led the NFL with 1,020 receiving yards in 16 regular-season games in 2023 and is still one of the high-end targets at the position in fantasy. However, with only 65 catches in an offense with many mouths to feed, his 2023 production may be his ceiling at this point in his career. (NBCSports)
JuJu Smith-Schuster Injury Update
New England Patriots wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee) said his injured knee is much healthier than last year, but to the untrained eye, The Athletic's Chad Graff writes that it didn't appear as if Smith-Schuster had the same explosiveness that he did in 2021 or 2022. If he's going to make the 53-man roster out of training camp and the preseason this year, he's going to need to outplay both Kayshon Boutte and Tyquan Thornton this summer while hoping that Jalen Reagor loses the competition for the top kick-returner job.
Demario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne (knee), K.J. Osborn and rookies Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker appear to be roster locks at the position. The 27-year-old Smith-Schuster had just 260 receiving yards in 11 games in 2023 for New England and is well off the fantasy radar entering the 2024 campaign, even if he does somehow make the final roster. (TheAthletic)
Tim Patrick Injury Update
Denver Broncos wide receiver Tim Patrick (Achilles) has had an unfortunate run of injury luck. He suffered a torn ACL during the 2022 offseason before a devastating Achilles tear leading up to the 2023 campaign. However, the 30-year-old said he's feeling back to full strength this year. "I felt like myself," Patrick said after practice "I felt twitchy. I felt like I was running [full speed]. Honestly, I think I'm right there where I was three years ago, right now." Patrick was a decent fantasy football contributor in his last full season (2021), as he racked up 53 receptions for 734 yards and five touchdowns.
He posted a WR42 finish in PPR leagues. The last time he was on the field for a regular season game, Teddy Bridgewater was his quarterback. A lot has changed since then, and it will be interesting to see if he has any ability left after two major injuries. All that said, Denver has one of the weakest wide receiver groups in the NFL, so he could make at least a small impact in 2024. He should be left on waivers in traditional fantasy leagues, but fantasy managers in ultra-deep leagues can get him in the late rounds of drafts, as he's being selected outside the top 130 wide receivers. (DenverBroncos.com)
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