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Our fantasy football IR tracker for injured NFL players on Injured Reserve heading into Week 1 of 2025. Fantasy football injury updates reports for Brandon Aiyuk, Joe Mixon, Jalen Coker, Christian Watson, Jalen McMillan.
The 2025 NFL season is here, but not every player who will impact fantasy leagues this season is going to be in action this weekend. Fantasy managers need to be mindful of players who are currently injured but have a chance to return before the end of the year.
Players who have been placed on Injured Reserve or the Physically Unable to Perform list heading into the regular season are guaranteed to miss at least their team's first four games. It's easy to let those who are out of sight stay out of mind, but there are still plenty of key updates for fantasy managers to be aware of.
Below is analysis and advice for five players who are starting the season on either the Injured Reserve (IR), Physically Unable to Perform (PUP), or Non-Football Injury (NFI) lists but are still potentially fantasy-relevant in 2025. Let's dive in.
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Brandon Aiyuk Injury Update
Aiyuk (knee) suffered a devastating knee injury in Week 7 of the 2024 season when he tore the ACL and MCL in his right knee. San Francisco placed him on the PUP list in August, and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has said that Aiyuk could return sometime around Week 6.
Week 6 return….Brandon Aiyuk is chopping his feet and running routes off to the side of receivers on the #49ers practice field. #FTTB pic.twitter.com/rhcMLlq8oD
— Matt Lively (@mattblively) August 12, 2025
Even before getting injured in 2024, Aiyuk was having a disappointing season. In the seven games he played, he averaged less than four targets per game and did not record a touchdown. However, Aiyuk posted at least 75 catches, 1,000 yards, and seven touchdowns in both 2022 and 2023.
The 49ers have typically been a run-heavy offense under Shanahan, which means target volume is an issue for their pass-catchers.
While a fully healthy Aiyuk is the team's most talented receiver, San Francisco has other capable target-earners in star tight end George Kittle, running back Christian McCaffrey, and wide receivers Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings.
In leagues with an IR spot, Aiyuk is a solid stash candidate. However, it may take him past Week 6 to be fully re-integrated into the offense and physically capable of playing a full snap share. He should not be expected to provide elite fantasy production until the back-half of the season, at the earliest.
Joe Mixon Injury Update
Injury updates on Joe Mixon's ankle have been a slow trickle of bad news for Texans fans and fantasy managers alike. The veteran running back did not participate in any of the team's offseason activities and will start the year on the NFI list.
Mixon was stellar in his first season with the Texans last year, collecting over 1,300 yards from scrimmage and 12 touchdowns in 14 games played. When fully healthy, Mixon projects as a low-end fantasy RB2.
Houston's decision-makers have been unable to provide clear answers regarding a recovery timeline for Mixon. In late August, Texans general manager Nick Caserio responded, "We'll see," when asked if Mixon would return to the field in 2025.
#Texans GM Nick Caserio initial back & forth re: RB Joe Mixon. Following the last Q about will he play this season, “we’ll see, we’ll take it one day at a time,” is offered as part of the answer. Later adds he views reserve/NFI & IR/dtr as essentially the same. pic.twitter.com/rQgqIidAdM
— Adam Wexler (@AdamJWexler) August 27, 2025
While that quote certainly does not preclude Mixon from returning this season, it also does not project much confidence from the team regarding his status.
Fantasy managers with an available IR spot should consider using it on Mixon, but the roster slot may be better served on a player with less injury uncertainty. Even if he returns, Mixon will be a 29-year-old who may or may not be fully healed from an ankle injury, which is not an encouraging combination for a running back.
Christian Watson Injury Update
Christian Watson tore the ACL in his right knee in Week 18 of the 2024 season, so it was always the expectation that he would begin 2025 on the PUP list. Reports out of Green Bay on Watson's rehab have largely been positive, and there's a chance he could return as soon as he is eligible in mid-October.
As Christian Watson continues to rehab from his ACL injury, the #Packers WR has been told he's "ahead of schedule" and in his words, he's "feeling good." pic.twitter.com/PIyOCsLvLB
— Cameron Ezeir (@EzeirCameron) August 8, 2025
The issue for Watson last season was volume. He averaged just 3.5 targets per game in a run-heavy Packers offense that also valued spreading the ball around to a deep wide receiver corps. Green Bay added a first-round rookie wideout in Matthew Golden this past April, which will only make it more difficult for Watson to become a consistent feature in the Packers' passing game.
Watson is worth stashing in an IR spot for fantasy managers as a pure upside bet. However, it should be expected that the team will bring him along slowly, given their depth at wide receiver and tendency to rotate bodies at the position regardless of injury.
Jalen Coker Injury Update
When the Carolina Panthers traded away veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen to the Minnesota Vikings in late August, Jalen Coker appeared to be the primary beneficiary.
Unfortunately, Coker was placed on the IR with a quadriceps injury almost immediately after the trade and is expected to miss as many as the first six games of the season.
In the seven games that Thielen missed last season with a hamstring injury, Coker recorded 17 catches for 263 yards and one touchdown. Those are not mind-blowing numbers, but still impressive considering Coker was a rookie who did not get selected in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Panthers signed veteran wideout Hunter Renfrow after placing Coker on IR, but Coker should be expected to win back the team's starting slot receiver job upon his return.
The 23-year-old has a chance to earn a prominent role in Carolina's passing game, which is heavily relying on talented but unproven wide receivers in rookie Tetairoa McMillan and 2024 first-rounder Xavier Legette.
Coker is an under-the-radar stash candidate, but there are also many leagues where managers should be able to scoop him up off the waiver wire closer to his return date. Coker is a name to monitor in the coming weeks as he begins rehabbing and a firmer return timeline starts to take shape.
Jalen McMillan Injury Update
With Chris Godwin (ankle) set to miss the start of the season as he recovers from ankle surgery, Jalen McMillan could have had a chance to seize a key role in the Buccaneers' passing game. Instead, he suffered a sprained neck in the preseason and will start the season on the IR as a result.
McMillan will be eligible to return in Week 5, but initial reports indicate that he's likely facing a more prolonged absence.
Jalen McMillan will be placed on injured reserve after suffering a “severely sprained neck,” against the Steelers and could be out past the Bucs Week 9 bye week, the Times has learned. Team still feels fortunate the injury wasn’t worse and have depth at WR starting with Mike…
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) August 19, 2025
By the time McMillan is back on the field, Godwin may already be fully re-integrated into the offense and playing a normal snap share. Additionally, rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka will likely have nearly half a season's worth of reps under his belt.
That makes McMillan almost certain to be the WR4 in Tampa Bay behind Godwin, Egbuka, and Mike Evans upon his return. Even in a Bucs' offense that figures to be potent, the WR4 role is not going to lead to consistent fantasy production.
Considering the projected length of McMillan's injury absence and the incredible talent surrounding him at wide receiver in Tampa Bay, fantasy managers are better off stashing a different player in their IR spot.
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