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When is Caleb Williams coming back? Will Caleb Williams play again this season? Read about Caleb Williams's return date and injury updates for 2026.
Injuries are an unfortunate part of fantasy football. Knowing how to navigate those situations can make or break a fantasy season.
Fantasy managers drafted Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams hoping that he took a step as a passer in Ben Johnson’s offense after an uneven 2025 season. Williams showed off the ability to generate jaw-dropping explosive plays as a runner and passer last season, but his inconsistency also led to plenty of frustration with plays left on the field.
Things got off to a strong start in Week 1 for the Bears offense, but Williams unfortunately suffered a hamstring injury in Week 2. When will he return to the lineup? Is he worth stashing? Let’s dive in.
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Caleb Williams Injury Update for Fantasy Football
Caleb Williams showed growth as a passer in Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers while also flashing more decisiveness as a scrambler when plays broke down. Williams completed 72.4% of his passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions and added 10 carries for 65 yards and two touchdowns. He finished as the QB1 (37.3 points) in a game where Chicago scored 59 points.
The longest run of Caleb Williams' career 💨
CHIvsCAR on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/NCOfwIBcDx— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2026
Unfortunately, Williams was unable to build on that strong start in Week 2. Chicago had a matchup against a tough Minnesota Vikings defense in a game that was bogged down by steady rainfall. Not only was Williams more inconsistent as a passer (57.7% completion rate for 138 yards and an interception on 26 attempts), but he also suffered a lower-body injury that required him to be carted off the field.
Initial fears were that Williams had suffered a season-ending injury. However, it eventually came out that the worst-case scenario had been avoided.
The initial injury was reported as a Grade 2 hamstring injury that would sideline the third-year quarterback for three to four weeks. The Bears showed their confidence in Williams returning within that timeline when they avoided placing him on injured reserve before Week 3's game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Caleb Williams Fantasy Football Outlook
When healthy, Williams has the blend of arm strength and athleticism to break fantasy football. Williams is frequently highlighted as one of the fastest ball carriers in the NFL, and his penchant to extend plays to attack defenses downfield makes him a weapon with head coach and playcaller Ben Johnson.
However, one of the essential parts of that formula is Williams being healthy enough to confidently extend plays and accelerate away from defenders. Chicago didn’t put Williams on injured reserve after his injury, which suggests they believe he will return within his projected timeline. However, if the team can keep winning with him sidelined, they will likely do everything within their power to get him completely healthy so that they can make the playoffs for a second straight season.
Williams is a player worth stashing on the bench in fantasy given the ceiling he has as both a runner and passer. Even if he doesn’t return at his fastest timeline (Week 5), he will be back in fantasy lineups shortly.
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Week 4 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players: Justin Herbert, Drake Maye, Bryce Young. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 4.
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Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, player news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
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Popular Week 4 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 4 (2026)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 4 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 4 for Justin Herbert, Drake Maye, Bryce Young:
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