2026 Week 7 Fantasy Football Injury Recap

After a brutal start to the season, the injury news has eased up over the past two weeks—but Week 7 still left fantasy managers with questions. Several notable players exited games before returning, while others face uncertain timelines. Giants running backs Cam Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy Jr. both suffered hamstring injuries, with a timely bye week giving them extra recovery time. Jaylen Waddle also exited early with a chest injury. We break down those injuries and the rest of Week 7’s fantasy-relevant updates below.

Running Backs

Christian McCaffrey — San Francisco 49ers

Injury: Left hamstring injury.

Expected Time Missed: No absence expected; San Francisco has a Week 8 bye.

​Re-injury risk: Moderate​

Primary Beneficiary: Kaelon Black.

Fantasy Impact: 

McCaffrey's injury has now been confirmed as a mild hamstring strain rather than a quadriceps injury. He was able to return to action, suggesting the injury was relatively mild. However, this is still concerning, as hamstring strains carry some of the highest re-injury rates in football, particularly in older players with significant injury histories.

The Week 8 bye comes at the perfect time for CMC, and the 49ers are optimistic he'll be ready for Week 9. Our Fantasy Injury Data Center shows no average decline in fantasy production for RBs following hamstring injuries, meaning his elite ceiling remains intact. The concern isn't necessarily diminished performance, but rather the elevated risk of another injury, which can persist for several weeks even after a player returns to full activity.

Saquon Barkley

Injury: Hamstring and Back injury

Expected time missed: Day-to-day

Re-injury risk: High

Primary beneficiary if time missed: Dameon Pierce (if healthy), Elijah Mitchell

Fantasy Impact: 

Saquon appeared to tweak his left hamstring on an explosive 29-yard run down the left sideline. This was exactly the concern with his return: high-speed running places substantial stress on the hamstring, particularly when accelerating toward top speed.

Barkley downplayed further hamstring damage, instead attributing his back tightness to compensating for the injury. This is a plausible explanation. The hamstrings and lower back work together within the posterior chain, and altered running mechanics or reduced hamstring output can increase the demands placed on the lumbar musculature.

The back issue appears relatively mild, and Barkley does not expect it to keep him out next week. However, the bigger concern remains his hamstring. Even if he avoids another absence, his re-injury risk will remain elevated for several weeks, particularly during explosive runs and maximal-speed efforts.

Aaron Jones — Minnesota Vikings

Injury: Aggravation of his left knee injury. An MRI was scheduled for Monday.

Expected Time Missed: Day-to-day.

​Re-injury risk: Moderate​

Primary Beneficiary: Jordan Mason.

Fantasy Impact: 

Jones received encouraging news following his latest left knee aggravation, as the injury is not considered significant. He is day-to-day and could still suit up in Week 8.

Jones has an extensive history of knee injuries but has managed to avoid a major setback. His overall outlook remains largely unchanged, as we have considered him a high injury-risk player throughout the season due to his age and injury history.

We'll closely monitor his practice participation and movement throughout the week. For now, we'd favor Jordan Mason handling the majority of the backfield workload in Week 8, although Jones returning to his usual role remains a possibility.

Cam Skattebo — New York Giants

Injury: Hamstring injury sustained on his long overtime run against Houston.

Expected Time Missed: TBD; the Giants have a Week 8 bye.

​Re-injury risk: Moderate​

Primary Beneficiary: Devin Singletary, with Tyrone Tracy Jr. also dealing with a hamstring injury.

Fantasy Impact: 

Skattebo tweaked his left hamstring on his final run in overtime, leaving Devin Singletary to finish the game. The Week 8 bye gives him valuable recovery time, and his young age works in his favor. Still, hamstring injuries can linger, with re-injury remaining a concern even after symptoms improve.

Skattebo’s power-based running style may work in his favor. The hamstrings face substantial demands during high-speed sprinting, consistent with his symptoms developing on a run of more than 40 yards. Much of his production comes on shorter, physical runs, although acceleration and explosive cuts still load the injured muscle.

Our Injury Data Center sample of 98 running backs with hamstring injuries shows an average of 1.8 games missed with no average decline in fantasy production after returning. That supports an encouraging outlook once he is healthy, but his practice progression after the bye will be important before trusting him in Week 9.

Tyrone Tracy Jr. — New York Giants

Injury: Hamstring injury sustained against Houston.

Expected Time Missed: TBD; Week 8 bye.

​Re-injury risk: Moderate​

Primary Beneficiary: Devin Singletary. Cam Skattebo’s availability will also determine the backfield split.

Fantasy Impact: 

Like his teammate Cam Skattebo, Tracy suffered a hamstring injury in Week 7 and was unable to finish the game. The Week 8 bye provides valuable recovery time, but hamstring injuries carry a high recurrence risk, which could remain a concern even if he returns in Week 9.

Tracy is a borderline rosterable fantasy player at this point, and with the upcoming bye, he can likely be dropped if roster space is needed. Our Fantasy Injury Data Center provides additional insight into how running backs perform following hamstring injuries, but Tracy's uncertain workload and injury risk limit his fantasy appeal moving forward.

Woody Marks — Houston Texans

Injury: Apparent left knee injury. Returned against the Giants.

Expected Time Missed: None; Houston has a Week 8 bye.

​Re-injury risk: Moderate​

Primary Beneficiary: David Montgomery, if recovered from his groin injury; Dare Ogunbowale if Montgomery remains unavailable.

Fantasy Impact: 

Marks’ left knee twisted awkwardly, placing stress on the structures along the inside of the joint, including the MCL. His return to the game is reassuring and makes a major injury less likely, although it does not rule out a mild sprain.

Some soreness or stiffness over the next day or two would not be surprising. Houston’s Week 8 bye provides valuable recovery time, and assuming no additional findings or setbacks, his Week 9 outlook is encouraging. I would not expect a meaningful impact on his fantasy production if those symptoms resolve.

Dameon Pierce

Injury: Undisclosed injury

Expected time missed: TBD

Re-injury risk: TBD

Primary beneficiary if time missed: Elijah Mitchell

Fantasy Impact: At the time of this writing, there is not much available information on Dameon Pierce's injury.  We will monitor throughout the week.  

Jaylen Wright — Miami Dolphins

Injury: Quadriceps injury sustained late in the fourth quarter against the Jets.

Expected Time Missed: Pending evaluation.

​Re-injury risk: Moderate​

Primary Beneficiary: Ollie Gordon.

Fantasy Impact: 

Wright exited Sunday's game with a quadriceps injury and did not return. The severity remains unknown, but this is another setback for a player who has already been dealing with a lingering foot injury this season. Quadriceps injuries can limit acceleration and explosive running, and any meaningful strain could cost him time.

Wright has struggled to establish a consistent role behind Ollie Gordon, who has emerged as Miami's lead back. Even if Wright avoids missing time, his fantasy upside remains limited. Our Fantasy Injury Data Center tracks post-injury performance, but without a confirmed diagnosis or severity, it's difficult to project his recovery. Wright can be dropped in most standard fantasy leagues, while Gordon remains the clear backfield priority.

Kenneth Gainwell — Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Injury: Hip injury. Returned against Carolina.

Expected Time Missed: None.

​Re-injury risk: Low​

Primary Beneficiary: Bucky Irving.

Fantasy Impact: Gainwell briefly exited Sunday’s game with a hip issue but returned and finished with 88 rushing yards. His ability to return and produce is encouraging, suggesting the injury is relatively minor. Barring increased soreness or a setback during practice, I would not expect the hip to threaten his Week 8 availability or meaningfully affect his production.​

Wide Receivers

Jaylen Waddle — Denver Broncos

Injury: Chest injury sustained late against Arizona.

Expected Time Missed: Pending evaluation.

​Re-injury risk: TBD​

Primary Beneficiary: Courtland Sutton and Marvin Mims Jr.

Fantasy Impact: 

Waddle injured his chest while diving to recover a fumble when a defender landed on top of him. He was unable to return, and although the exact diagnosis remains unclear as of this writing, chest injuries generally do not result in extended absences for wide receivers.

These injuries commonly involve the ribs, sternum, or costal cartilage and can be particularly painful with deep breathing, torso rotation, and upper-body movements required to make contested catches. Fortunately, most uncomplicated chest injuries respond well to conservative treatment and rehabilitation.

Our Fantasy Injury Data Center includes 62 wide receivers with chest injuries, showing an average of less than one game missed and a temporary 12% decline in fantasy production in the first game after injury. This suggests Waddle's long-term outlook is encouraging, although pain and limited upper-body mobility could affect his immediate production if he suits up in Week 8.

Tee Higgins — Cincinnati Bengals

Injury: Arm/shoulder evaluated following a hard hit against Baltimore. Returned to the game.

Expected Time Missed: None.

​Re-injury risk: Low​

Primary Beneficiary: None currently; Ja’Marr Chase would be a potential beneficiary if Higgins subsequently misses time.

Fantasy Impact: 

Higgins briefly exited to have his arm and shoulder evaluated but returned to deliver a massive second half, finishing with 148 receiving yards and a touchdown. His performance after returning is reassuring, and there is currently no reason to expect missed time or a meaningful impact on his fantasy production.​

Matthew Golden

Injury: Shoulder and foot injuries

Expected time missed: TBD​

Re-injury risk: Moderate

Primary beneficiary if time missed: Christian Watson, Bo Melton

Fantasy Impact: 

Golden was listed as an estimated DNP on Monday with shoulder and foot injuries, but there isn't much reason for concern just yet. He played 85% of the offensive snaps on Sunday and did not appear to suffer an obvious injury or show significant limitations.

Golden dealt with a shoulder issue last week, but the foot injury is new. If this represents a legitimate injury rather than routine post-game soreness, our Fantasy Injury Data Center shows an average 29% decline in fantasy production in the first game after a foot injury for wide receivers. This makes sense biomechanically, as receivers rely heavily on planting, cutting, and explosively pushing off the foot to create separation.

However, it's entirely possible Golden is simply dealing with soreness from Sunday's game, especially on a short week. If he practices Tuesday and Wednesday, particularly if he is removed from the final injury report, I would have little hesitation starting him Thursday night. Until then, this is worth monitoring rather than sounding the alarm.

Jalen Coker

Injury: Shoulder injury

Expected time missed: TBD

Re-injury risk: Moderate

Primary beneficiary if time missed: Tetairoa McMillan, David Moore

Fantasy Impact: 

Coker was listed as an estimated limited participant on Monday with a shoulder injury ahead of Thursday night's matchup against Green Bay. The limited designation is encouraging; players often receive this designation on Monday of a Thursday game to allow them additional rest.

Shoulder injuries can affect a receiver's ability to extend for catches, absorb contact, and secure contested passes. Coker has already dealt with quadriceps and ankle injuries this season, so another setback is less than ideal. However, he played 66% of Carolina's offensive snaps Sunday, suggesting this could be relatively minor.

We'll monitor Tuesday and Wednesday's practice participation, but I would lean toward Coker being available Thursday unless his participation declines. His inconsistent target volume remains a greater fantasy concern than the shoulder injury at this point.

Rashid Shaheed — Seattle Seahawks

Injury: Knee injury sustained against Kansas City; ruled out on Sunday night.

Expected Time Missed: Pending evaluation.

​Re-injury risk: TBD​

Primary Beneficiary: Tory Horton for additional opportunities; Jaxon Smith-Njigba for potential target redistribution.

Fantasy Impact: 

Shaheed exited Sunday's game with a knee injury and did not return. Fortunately, head coach Mike Macdonald reported that the early findings were positive, suggesting he may have avoided a significant injury. The exact diagnosis remains unknown.

For a speed-dependent receiver like Shaheed, knee injuries are particularly concerning because of the demands of explosive acceleration, cutting, and deceleration. Even relatively minor knee injuries can temporarily limit these movements, although the encouraging initial evaluation makes an extended absence appear less likely.

Seattle plays Monday night in Week 8, giving Shaheed an extra day to recover. I'd remain cautiously optimistic about his availability, but his already limited offensive involvement makes him difficult to trust in fantasy lineups, particularly if he's playing through discomfort.

Jaylin Noel — Houston Texans

Injury: Turf toe; seen in a walking boot following the Giants game.

Expected Time Missed: Pending evaluation; Houston has a Week 8 bye.

Primary Beneficiary: Tank Dell and Xavier Hutchinson, depending on Houston’s receiver rotation.

Fantasy Impact: 

Noel suffered a turf toe injury during Sunday's loss to the Giants and was spotted wearing a walking boot afterward. Head coach DeMeco Ryans confirmed Monday that the team is still evaluating the severity.

Turf toe involves injury to the structures supporting the first metatarsophalangeal joint at the base of the big toe. This joint is critical for pushing off during sprinting, accelerating, and changing direction. Even relatively mild injuries can be painful, though mild versions of turf toe are usually not going to have a long-term negative impact. More significant injuries can result in multiple weeks missed and persistent limitations after returning.

Our data set of 26 wide receivers shows an average 14% decline in fantasy stats after a turf toe injury. Noel's role has been growing, but this injury could lead to a setback even if he does play.

I would lean toward Noel missing time, although the severity and timeline remain unknown.

Tight Ends

Cole Kmet — Chicago Bears

Injury: Right knee injury sustained Thursday against New England. Ruled out for the remainder of the season and placed on injured reserve.

Expected Time Missed: Remainder of the season.

​Re-injury risk: High​

Primary Beneficiary: Colston Loveland.

Fantasy Impact: 

Kmet’s season is over following a right knee injury. The exact diagnosis has not been disclosed as of this writing. The mechanism appeared concerning for an ACL tear, but that remains unconfirmed.

If this is an ACL tear, it would not necessarily prevent Kmet from returning to productive football. Tight ends still need acceleration, agility, and strength, but their size, catching ability, and positioning can help them remain effective while explosiveness recovers. Kmet’s age is another favorable factor, although his recovery outlook will depend on the extent of the injury and any associated damage.

His 2026 season is finished, but a productive return remains a realistic possibility.