2026 NFL Preseason Injury Report: Mahomes, Jeanty and More

The biggest fantasy injury decisions on August 25 are not all equal. Patrick Mahomes is practicing in team periods after ACL surgery, while Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty has a sprained ankle with no public return date. Texans receiver Jayden Higgins is out for the season with a torn ACL, and Saints running back Alvin Kamara is expected to miss at least a month with a Grade 2 MCL sprain.

That means fantasy managers should separate players who are merely being managed from players whose roles have materially changed. Mahomes and Breece Hall are trending toward Week 1. Jeanty and Sam LaPorta remain draftable but require a risk discount. Higgins and Kamara create immediate replacement opportunities.

2026 NFL preseason injury report at a glance

Sources: the NFL's current injury hub, official team reporting and the player-specific reports linked below.

Patrick Mahomes: the practice evidence is encouraging

The Chiefs have moved Mahomes through meaningful football work, not just rehabilitation drills. Kansas City reported that he returned to 11-on-11 work on July 29 and later looked explosive while rolling, stopping and throwing during an August 18 red-zone period. The team's latest practice account called his progress remarkable.

That evidence supports optimism, but it is not the same as a formal Week 1 clearance. Fantasy managers can keep Mahomes in the starting-quarterback tier without pretending the medical process is finished. The safest construction is to draft him where the value is reasonable, then use a final-round quarterback as short-term insurance. Football Nation's earlier Mahomes knee comeback report explains the original recovery benchmarks.

Ashton Jeanty: ankle uncertainty matters more than the label

Reuters reported that Jeanty is believed to have a sprained ankle and that the injury is not considered long term, but his return timeline remains unknown. That combination is better than a fracture or major ligament injury, yet it does not guarantee a full Week 1 workload.

Jeanty produced 1,321 scrimmage yards and 10 touchdowns as a rookie, so Las Vegas has every reason to protect him. Mike Washington Jr. has impressed in preseason and becomes the logical insurance pick if Jeanty misses time. Read the full Jeanty injury and backfield breakdown before deciding how aggressively to chase the discount.

The injuries that change depth charts now

Higgins is the clearest removal from fantasy boards. The NFL confirmed that the second-year Texans receiver tore his ACL and will miss the 2026 season. Houston responded by trading for Boutte. The practical fantasy question is no longer whether Higgins will return soon; it is whether Boutte, Jaylin Noel or another receiver earns the second-most valuable perimeter role behind Nico Collins. Football Nation has separate breakdowns of the Boutte trade and Noel's opportunity.

Kamara's MCL sprain is also a real early-season absence, not routine camp maintenance. NFL Network has reported a four-to-six-week estimate, and the league's August 19 roundup said he would be out at least a month. Drafters should price in missed September games and avoid paying for a full 17-game workload.

LaPorta, Hall, Love and Coleman: discount, do not panic

LaPorta's hip flare-up deserves attention because he underwent back surgery last November, but Detroit has expressed long-term optimism. The correct response is a modest risk adjustment, not an automatic fade. Football Nation's LaPorta Week 1 update tracks the return-to-practice checkpoint.

Hall has a clearer timetable: he is expected to miss two to three weeks but be ready for the September 13 opener. His Week 1 workload still needs confirmation, so the distinction is availability versus full-volume readiness. The earlier Hall injury analysis contains the sourced report and remains the best Football Nation guide to that risk.

Love's high ankle sprain will not require surgery, but the Cardinals do not expect him to play again in the preseason. That lost practice time matters for a rookie running back. Coleman, meanwhile, was seen in a walking boot after a sprained foot/toe. Neither injury currently carries a firm regular-season absence, which makes both players price-sensitive draft bets rather than automatic avoids.

The encouraging 49ers context

Two prominent 49ers are moving in the right direction. Christian McCaffrey returned to team drills after an absence the club described as part of a planned workload cycle, while George Kittle returned from the active/PUP list to individual work less than eight months after tearing his Achilles. San Francisco's August 23 practice report provides the confirmed context. The fantasy distinction is important: McCaffrey appears to be in a maintenance phase, while Kittle still must progress from individual work to team participation. Football Nation's McCaffrey readiness report links the official report and explains why planned rest should not be treated like a new setback.

What changes next

The next decisive information will arrive in the first regular-season practice reports. Those reports will show whether Jeanty and LaPorta are limited or full participants, whether Mahomes has cleared every football requirement, and whether Hall's workload is being ramped carefully. Fantasy managers should use current uncertainty as a price input, not as permission to invent return dates.

Football Nation takeaway

Draft the status, not the name. Higgins is out and Kamara is expected to miss meaningful time, so their values must change now. Mahomes and Hall have positive practice or timetable evidence, so they do not belong in the same risk bucket. Jeanty, LaPorta, Love and Coleman sit between those extremes. Apply a modest discount, secure the clearest replacement option, and let the first official Week 1 practice reports make the final call.