Kansas City Chiefs receiver Kadarius Toney is loaded with talent. The third-year receiver has shown his electric playmaking ability in his first two seasons when he is on the field. Kadarius Toney’s injury history is lengthy, even in his short career. Many fantasy players are beginning to jump ship on Toney. Is this for good reason? In this article, I will outline his injury past and how it may influence his career going forward, to help fantasy players decide if Toney is a player they want on their rosters.
Kadarius Toney’s Injury History – College
- Shoulder: Oct 2017 – Missed one game
- Shoulder: Nov 2017 – Missed rest of game
- Shoulder: Sept 2019 – Missed 6 games
Kadarius Toney’s Injury History – NFL
- Ankle sprain: Oct 2021 – Did not miss time
- Ankle sprain: Oct 2021 – Missed one game
- Quad strain: Nov 2021 – Missed four games
- Abdominal Injury: Dec 2021 – Missed three games
- Hamstring: Aug 2021 – Missed much of training camp
- Shoulder: Dec 2021 – Missed two games
- Knee cleanup: May 2022 – Did not miss any games
- Hamstring: Aug 2022 – Initially did not miss time, ended up missing weeks 3-7
- Hamstring: Nov 2022 – Re-aggravation of prior injury. Missed three games
- Knee cleanup: Offseason 2023 – Was ready for camp
- Meniscus tear: July 2023 – Underwent surgery and currently rehabbing
- List courtesy of Draft Sharks
Making Sense of Kadarius Toney’s Injury History
That is a long list for a 24-year-old! The medical research clearly outlines that prior injury is the biggest risk factor for future injury. To break that down even further, lower extremity injuries are much more likely to influence future injuries than upper body injuries. Toney has a list of nine lower body injuries that have occurred over the past two years. He has missed 15 games in his first two seasons due to injury.
Kadarius Toney’s injury history certainly puts him at higher risk for future injuries. A history of hamstring injuries predisposes an athlete to future hamstring injuries. In fact, a prior hamstring injury increases the likelihood of another by 2.7 times. This increases to 5 times when in the same season. Ankle sprains have a 40% chance of turning into “chronic ankle instability,” in which the athlete begins to suffer recurring ankle sprains. He already has two in his history.
The three knee surgeries are not injecting much confidence either. Knee cleanouts (typically of meniscus and cartilage) leave less cushion inside the knee. This means more bone-on-bone contact and early development of arthritis (think Todd Gurley).
Kadarius Toney’s Current Injury
Toney will miss much, if not all, of training camp this week as he recovers from a meniscus surgery. There are conflicting reports on his current surgery. Some reports suggest his meniscus was repaired, whereas others suggest a cleanup procedure (debridement) was performed. These offer distinctly different timelines for recovery. Typically repairs take 4-6 months to return to play, whereas clean-outs take 2-6 weeks. With Andy Reid suggesting there is a chance Toney is ready for week one, it likely was the latter, and he probably had a combination of meniscus and cartilage cleaned up.
Kadarius Toney’s Outlook
All is not lost for Toney. While he does have an extensive injury history, he has one specific factor in his favor, age. He is only 24, which means his body is still highly adaptable to changes in training. Several medical studies outline issues with mobility in the ankles and hips and various weaknesses in specific muscle groups as risk factors for injury. As fans, we have no idea if any of these are present with Toney. If they are, however, his youth offers him the ability to train properly and specifically to address any of these issues to reduce his risk for injury.
Specific training can influence injury risk to some degree, but ultimately prior injury is the biggest risk factor for future injury. While it is not impossible for him to play an entire season, the odds are against him. Toney’s playmaking ability is undeniable, and he can be valuable in fantasy if he can stay on the field. If planning on drafting him, fantasy players must weigh the pro of his immense talent and the con of his tremendous injury risk. Toney is currently going as WR 38 and 91 overall, meaning fantasy players are using 7th-round capital on him.