The first round of the fantasy playoffs rocked us HARD with injuries. From Patrick Mahomes season ending ACL and LCL tear to Davante Adams aggravating a hamstring, fantasy managers who are still fighting are likely wondering who they can rely on. The week 15 NFL injury recap provides the fantasy insight to understand these injuries and know who you can and cannot trust in week 16.
Quarterbacks
Patrick Mahomes
Injury: ACL and LCL tear
Analysis: Mahomes suffered a season ending injury towards the end of Sunday's game when his knee hyperextended while the hip was laterally rotated, putting immense load through the ACL and LCL. His injury was confirmed on Monday after undergoing surgery to repair both ligaments.
An isolated ACL tear typically takes 9+ months to return to sport; the addition of the LCL will slow down several phases of rehab. Early on, the addition of the LCL leads to weight-bearing restrictions, where the athlete cannot put full body weight through the surgically repaired knee, often for 4-6 weeks depending on the protocol. Several weeks of only partial weight bearing contribute to strength loss through the entire leg. This will be mitigated with table-based exercises starting today, but some muscle atrophy will still occur.
Range of motion is also restricted to 90° of knee flexion for at least the first two weeks. Restricting the range of motion can sometimes lead to excessive scar tissue development and stiffness within the joint. Two weeks is usually not that big of a deal, so I would not expect any major stiffness to set in, but it is possible. Later on in the rehab phase, the addition of the LCL slows down when it is appropriate to begin isolated hamstring strengthening, often held until months 2-4 post-op, depending on surgeon preference. This will slow down the rate at which the athlete regains hamstring strength.
Lastly, some protocols call for holding jogging/agility drills until 16-20 weeks post-op. With just an ACL tear, athletes are running no later than 12 weeks. An elite athlete like Mahomes may be cleared to push all of these timelines up some, but not as quickly as he would if the LCL were not involved.
Mahomes has just under nine months from the time of surgery until week one next season. ACL rehab asks for AT LEAST nine months for safe return to sport, though occasionally athletes return sooner, and Mahomes certainly has the drive to attack rehab in a way that not many do, and seems like the type who can push rehab timelines to the max. Still, it is obviously way too early to know if he will be ready week one next year, as he has numerous hurdles ahead of him. Fortunately, this is his left leg (not his pushoff leg), and quarterbacks' fantasy production is less impacted by ACLs than running backs or tight ends. There is no question Mahomes can return to play at an extremely high level, and likely by some point next season, the question is how soon next season?