Is Patrick Mahomes healthy or injured? Will Mahomes be ready by training camp?

With all due respect to Jalen Hurts and Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes leaves no doubt about who is the best quarterback in the NFL. After losing his top receiving threat, Mahomes led the league in passing yards, touchdowns, touchdown pass percentage, and QB rating, securing his second MVP award in 2022.

When his ankle got hurt in the Divisional Round, things looked bad for the Chiefs, but Mahomes gutsed it out and got back on the field and won the game. In the AFC Championship, he played through pain and scrambled for a first down (plus penalty) that set the Chiefs up for the game-winning field goal to send them back to the Super Bowl. In his Super Bowl win, Mahomes' ankle wasn't fully healthy.

In fact, Mahomes has said his ankle is not even fully healthy now. While his pain tolerance is impressive, should Mahomes' lingering ankle injury raise concerns for fantasy managers? Will Mahomes be ready for training camp?

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Patrick Mahomes Injury Update for Fantasy Football

Mahomes suffered a high ankle sprain during the Chiefs' Divisional Round victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jags defensive lineman Arden Key's leg went down on Mahomes' ankle and caused it to twist at an angle that looked brutal on the TV broadcast. CBS's Michael Hurley wrote, "The injury looked bad to everyone ... except Mahomes." Mahomes just popped right up and didn't even wear a boot in the post-game press conference.

A high ankle sprain occurs as the result of an injury to the tibia and fibula, the joints connecting the lower leg bones, and the severity of the injury can range widely. Sometimes it requires surgery, but in this case, it did not. It is a positive sign that Mahomes' ankle sprain did not require surgery. Surgery would have limited Mahomes' ability to practice and extended the rehabilitation period. While Mahomes has said he is still not 100%, he is pretty darn close.

"With the ankle, I've felt like we've improved, especially these last few weeks, a ton as far as the swelling. That went down finally. I don't have that soreness just as much as I was having it after a few days of work. With the improvements that we're making these last few weeks, I have a great feeling that by the time we get to training camp, it wouldn't even be any question at all. We'll continue to work through it. By OTAs [starting in May], I don't think there'll be any limitations on reps or anything like that, especially if I'm not running around a ton," the 27-year-old said to ESPN's Adam Teicher.

Will Patrick Mahomes Be Ready For Training Camp?

Mahomes said that his availability for training camp in July "wouldn't even be any question at all." He also said he's going to be participating in OTAs in May without "any limitations on reps or anything like that."

The bulk of Mahomes' comments on his ankle was actually very positive. He said, "You might be a little sore on the weekends. But I think we're doing a great job of pushing it to the right limit to where now I'm throwing."

In short, the five-time Pro Bowler is feeling a little bit sore on his off-days precisely because he is practicing pretty hard. The injury didn't noticeably limit his performance in the playoffs. Mahomes still has the whole offseason to work and heal. So fantasy managers should not be worried at all about his ankle. The whole ordeal only adds to Mahomes' value, as it shows how difficult it is for an injury to keep him off the field.

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