Cam Skattebo Ankle Fracture & Dislocation: Timeline and Fantasy Football Impact

What Happened to Cam Skattebo?

With 8 minutes and 10 seconds left in the second quarter, Giants sensational rookie running back Cam Skattebo was the intended target on a Jaxson Dart pass, a play that would end Skattebo’s rookie season. The ball was thrown slightly behind Skattebo, causing him to slow down, twist to his right, and jump, eventually with his right foot planting out in front of him. At the same time, defender Zack Baun makes a play on the ball, causing Skattebo’s body to twist backward, which puts immense torque through the shin, eventually leading to the bones snapping and the ankle dislocating.

Fans didn’t need any medical training to know what happened; Skattebo’s foot was facing outward, a clear deformity noted. He was carted off the field and headed to the hospital for surgery.

What is an Ankle Fracture and Dislocation?

The ankle is made up of the two shin bones, the tibia and the fibula, and the talus bone of the foot. Under normal circumstances, the distal ends of the tibia and the fibula hug the talus and form a mortise. Several ligaments, including the syndesmotic ligament, the Anterior Inferior Tibiofibular Ligament (AITFL), the Posterior Inferior Tibiofibular Ligament (PITFL), the deltoid ligament, and others, hold these bones together to make a stable but mobile ankle joint.

In Skattebo’s case, we can clearly see the ankle fracture, noted by the significant deformity with his foot facing directly to the right. We also know that he tore his Deltoid ligament, a strong group of ligaments on the inside portion of the ankle that is critical for stability.

Click to Read the Full Week 8 Fantasy Football Injury Recap Article

Surgery Details and Immediate Concerns (Infection Risk)

Skattebo underwent surgery in Philadelphia a few hours after the injury. Reports that this was a compound (open) fracture in which bone protruded through the skin, creating a major risk for infection. Forces like the one Skattebo experienced can lead to open fractures, and the immediate surgery fits this case.

During surgery, the first priority is infection control, and time would be spent irrigating and debriding the open wound to reduce infection risk. After surgery, he would likely be on IV antibiotics to prevent a bone infection (osteomyelitis), which would be a major problem. To repair the fracture and dislocation, an open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) is performed, where the surgeon will use plates and screws to realign the bones and repair the deltoid ligament and any other ligaments that were damaged. This is followed by a period of non-weight-bearing and immobility.

Cam Skattebo Recovery Timeline

Skattebo has a long road to recovery ahead of him. For simplicity, I will write under the assumption that no infection sets in, but readers should understand that infection risk is real, and if his leg does get infected, his rehab timeline will extend dramatically. Below is a general guideline of the different phases of rehab and return to sport. Understand that this is GENERAL and his specific rehab process will depend on the uniqueness of his injury and surgery, and his surgeon’s preferences.

Phase 1: Protect The Repair (0-6 weeks)

• Non-weight bearing progressing to partial weight bearing over 6 weeks
• CAM boot or splint
• Gentle passive range of motion
• Hip, knee, core, and upper body strengthening

Phase 2: Increase Weight Bearing/Mobility (6-12 weeks)

• Progress to full weight bearing
• Begin addressing mobility
• Continue with lower-body and upper-body strengthening
• Normalize walking pattern and begin balance exercises

Phase 3: Advance Strengthening (12-16 weeks)

• Continue to ensure normal ROM
• Continue to normalize walking pattern
• Ramp up strengthening (calf raises, squats, lunges)
• Progress to single-leg balance exercises

Phase 4: Running, Cutting, Agility (4-6 months)

• Begin jogging program (ideally with an anti-gravity treadmill)
• Begin agility and plyometrics
• As strength, balance, hop tests, etc, normalize being route running/footwork drills

Phase 5: Sports-Specific Training (6+ months)

• Full-go with all weight training, ramping up weight, power, and muscular endurance
• Ramping up agility, plyometrics, and progressing to full speed
• Progressing to full speed sprinting

Return To Sport (9-12 months)

While the athlete is cleared for all activity usually by 6 months post-op, there is a significant loss of strength, speed, power, agility, etc that takes several more months to fully regain. Confidence is another key factor that is often overlooked. Skattebo will have to learn to trust his ankle and trust taking contact again.

Historical Comparisons

There is a limited sample size to compare Skattebo’s injury to. The most recent is Chris Godwin, though this is not a perfect comparison. Godwin had surgery after a week 7 injury last season to repair a dislocated ankle and fibula fracture. Godwin returned to play in week four, 49 weeks after his injury, and has since been out with another injury to the same ankle. Skattebo’s injury is more complicated than Godwin’s; however, Skattebo is five years younger than Godwin was and has nowhere near the same injury history that Godwin had even before his injury.

Lions defensive end Aiden Hutchenson fractured his distal tibia and fibula in week six last season. Hutchenson’s injury also was not as severe as Skattebo’s, but he was able to make a full recovery by training camp and has returned to his dominant level of play this season.

Alex Smith in 2018 is the scariest comparison. Smith also suffered a compound distal tibia-fibula fracture in which he developed necrotizing fasciitis, which eventually led to sepsis and nearly took his life. Smith miraculously recovered and returned to play in 2020, though he was nowhere near his prior self on the field.

Dak Prescott in 2020 suffered the most similar injury to Skattebo, a compound fracture of the distal tibia-fibula and dislocation. Prescott underwent immediate surgery similar to Skattebo and was ready to go in week one of the following season. While the most similar, Prescott, being a quarterback, makes his injury hard to compare to Skattebo’s.

Fantasy Football Impact

Obviously, you can drop Skattebo in redraft leagues, but what should dynasty players be thinking? How can we expect Skattebo to look next season? Let’s try to make sense of it all. Again, I will operate under the assumption that no infection will take place, and this will be a purely orthopedic recovery.

As an orthopedic physical therapist, I cannot count how many patients I have seen in my career who suffer major ankle injuries and never regain the same range of motion, strength, or stability they once had, even with high-level care. These are real concerns for Skattebo’s future. The biggest thing going in Skattebo’s favor is his age (23). Age makes a massive difference in the body’s ability to regain its prior level of function following a significant injury, especially in regaining range of motion. The first 12 weeks post-op are going to be critical for regaining range of motion. If this can be achieved, he will be on track to make a great recovery. These days, we often have access to players in public. We will look out for any videos of Skattebo in January-February to analyze his walking pattern. A stiff ankle versus a normally moving ankle is incredibly easy for a trained eye to see when analyzing a gait pattern.

If all goes well, he should be able to play early next season and possibly participate in some training camp. It is unlikely that he is at full speed come the first half of next season, but much of his game is built on fearlessness and power as well as great pass-catching ability, more so than an explosive speed back. I see his playing style as easier to regain compared to if a player like DeVon Achane or Jahmyr Gibbs had suffered this injury (please don’t let this jynx them).

Again, he is just 23 years old. Even if he does not return to his rookie season form in 2026, he should continue to regain his speed, strength, and explosiveness across the 2026 season, off-season, and finally hit what his new peak will be by 2027. JaVonte Williams is not a great comparison, being his was a completely different injury, but it highlights how some major injuries just simply take more than a year to return to full form.

In dynasty, if you have Skattebo and are in win-now mode, see if you can flip him to someone rebuilding for an asset that can help you win now. Davante Adams or Derrick Henry are two that quickly come to mind. If you are in rebuild mode and you have any assets that you are looking to flip, see if you can buy low on Skattebo and hope for a solid recovery.