Fantasy Football Injury Comebacks 2025: Top NFL Stars Returning to Dominate Your Draft
Quick List – Top NFL Players Returning from Injury in 2025
Christian McCaffrey – RB, 49ers
Dak Prescott – QB, Cowboys
Stefon Diggs – WR, Patriots
Chris Olave – WR, Saints
J.J. McCarthy – QB, Vikings
Aidan Hutchinson – DE, Lions
Rashee Rice – WR, Chiefs
Landing the first pick of your fantasy football draft is like acquiring a magic monkey’s paw from a mysterious man on the street and expecting your wishes to go off without a hitch.
Or it’s the pet cemetery that promises to breathe life into a soulless draft plan, only to send your season shambling back at you with dead eyes and a thirst for chaos.
Yes, you could say I’m a glass-is-half-empty guy when it comes to the No. 1 pick of the fantasy football draft, but I have a valid reason for my pessimism. Last year, after seemingly years of selecting toward the bottom of fantasy football drafts, I finally felt the thrill that comes with acquiring the first overall pick.
Then, I used that pick to select Christian McCaffrey, the dual-threat running back who played in just four games and scored a total of zero touchdowns on the season. He was injured most of the season, derailing what otherwise could have been — uh, I mean would have been — a dominant year for the Windy City Flyers.
But that’s the way it goes sometimes in fantasy football. It doesn’t matter how savvy your draft strategy is, how deep your sleeper picks go, or how long you spend doing mock drafts leading into the season. When key players miss games due to injuries, it can impact the success of your entire season.
One awkward landing, hard hit, or popped hammy, and suddenly your can’t-miss roster is clinging to waiver wire scraps. And that can make for a long season.
While McCaffery was the poster child of this type of misfortune last season, a number of promising players suffered injuries and setbacks that impacted fantasy rosters. Fortunately, most of them have the chance to bounce back this year — and perhaps do so in a big way.
Here are the top NFL players and fantasy football prospects returning from injury in 2025.
Christian McCaffrey, RB, 49ers
2025 Fantasy Football Outlook After Injury-Riddled 2024
After a dominant 2023 season, Christian McCaffrey went from fantasy MVP to cautionary tale in 2024. A string of leg injuries — including calf, Achilles, and a PCL tear — limited him to the previously mentioned four games, zero touchdowns, and a season on injured reserve.
Needless to say, fantasy managers who spent a top pick on him were in for a long season.
Heading into 2025, McCaffrey is reportedly healthy and once again slotted as the 49ers’ lead back. Early draft boards have him going late in the first round or early second, depending on format.
The upside? Another 1,800-plus total yard, 18-plus touchdown campaign. The risk? Age, mileage, and a recent history of breakdowns. He’s still elite when on the field, but he now comes with a “buyer beware” label. So, draft wisely.
Dak Prescott, QB, Cowboys
Fantasy Outlook Post-Hamstring Surgery
Dak Prescott’s 2024 season ended abruptly in Week 9 after he suffered a high hamstring tear off the pelvis, leading to surgery and nine missed games. He finished with just short of 2,000 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, and a career-low 86.0 passer rating, all far below his usual production and a blow to fantasy teams that relied on his consistency.
Going into 2025, Prescott has declared himself “100 percent healthy” and participated fully in offseason programs. He’ll remain the clear starter for Dallas, though questions linger about durability and regression.
Fantasy experts currently peg him around QB12 in point-per-reception (PPR) formats, with average draft position hovering near pick 107 overall (8th round). Analyst consensus is mixed. While some still rank him as a top-12 QB, others view him closer to QB20-plus, citing injury history and fading efficiency.
If healthy, Prescott can deliver a 25-plus TD passing season with 4,000-plus yards. His floor has historically been solid when playing a full slate of games, but fantasy managers should balance this upside with the risk of another injury-limited year.
Stefon Diggs, WR, Patriots
WR ACL Comeback
Stefon Diggs’s 2024 season ended prematurely with a torn ACL suffered in Week 8 while with the Texans. That injury halted his streak of six consecutive 1,000-yard campaigns, capping the year at 47 receptions for 496 yards and three touchdowns — short of his fantasy projections for the year.
Looking ahead to 2025, he signed a three-year deal with New England and is reportedly ahead of schedule in recovery, though his Week 1 status remains in question. Experts currently peg him around WR 41, with average draft position (ADP) around 90 overall — placing him in the 8th round.
If healthy, Diggs still offers a high-ceiling target. A season of 80-plus catches, 1,100-plus yards, and up to 10 touchdowns can be within reach, especially in a Pats offense led by a mobile Drake Maye. However, his recent ACL tear and age (31) — along with some off-field issues — cause some uncertainty with these higher projections. So, draft with eyes wide open.
Chris Olave, WR, Saints
Concussion Return
Chris Olave’s 2024 season was derailed by two concussions. The second, suffered in Week 9 against Carolina, ultimately landed him on injured reserve and cost him nine games.
In just eight contests, he managed 32 receptions for 400 yards and a lone touchdown — far below his two prior 1,000-yard campaigns. This absence significantly limited his fantasy value as managers who drafted him, expecting WR1 upside, got little to show for the selection.
Heading into 2025, Olave is cleared and viewed as New Orleans’s unquestioned WR1. FantasyPros projects him as a low-end WR3, ranking him the 30th best receiver in the NFL, and his ADP sits around pick 70 to 75 (Rounds 6 to 7).
Despite quarterback uncertainty and concussion history, experts argue he’s deeply underpriced, perhaps making him somewhat of a sleeper pick in 2025. If healthy, Chris Olave has WR1/2 upside in catches, yards, and touchdowns. While the risk is real, the potential reward may outweigh taking a cautious approach.
J.J. McCarthy, QB, Vikings
Rookie QB Debut Delay
Though a highly touted first-round draft pick, J.J. McCarthy’s rookie season never happened. After being taken 10th overall in the 2024 draft, he tore his right meniscus in his preseason debut and underwent surgery, causing him to miss the entire year.
This forced fantasy managers to pivot to Sam Darnold, who surprisingly delivered solid numbers. Now entering 2025 as the Vikings' designated starter, McCarthy has had a clean offseason and will rotate in preseason action ahead of his official debut.
Fantasy experts view him as one of the top QB sleepers, often listed late in drafts and considered viable as a high-upside QB2 or Superflex asset. If healthy and acclimated — and with solid receiving weapons at his disposal — projecting 3,700-plus passing yards and 24 to 30 touchdowns is realistic. The upside is real, but so is the inexperience risk.
Aiden Hutchinson, DE, Lions
IDP Pass-Rush Threat
Aidan Hutchinson’s 2024 season was cut brutally short after just five games when he suffered a compound fracture of both the tibia and fibula. He had racked up 7.5 sacks and 19 total tackles, positioning him as an early Defensive Player of the Year favorite, before the injury abruptly ended his year.
Fantasy managers in individual defensive player (IDP) formats lost a dominant edge rusher, forcing midseason pivots as his production vanished. The injury also stymied the Lions Defense from scoring optimal points on total sacks and potential turnovers caused by QB hurries.
Now fully cleared and ahead of schedule in recovery, Hutchinson has returned to practice at full speed. Experts see him as a top-five defensive lineman in IDP drafts and the cheapest route to a potential DL1 season.
With 28.5 sacks across three healthy seasons and elite pass-rush win rates, he carries enormous upside. Assuming his health holds up, double-digit sacks and 40-plus solo tackles remain realistic. Injury history appears to be his lone potential barrier.
Rashee Rice, WR, Chiefs
Rebounding Amid Legal Cloud
Rashee Rice’s 2024 breakout was wrecked by a gruesome knee injury in Week 4: an LCL tear from an accidental collision on the field ended his season and landed him on injured reserve.
Before the injury, Rashee Rice had 24 catches for 288 yards and two touchdowns, putting him on pace for monster numbers. Fantasy managers watched that early-season WR3 ceiling vanish.
As of summer 2025, Rice is reportedly fully healthy, running routes and catching comfortably in OTAs and camp. He’s also drawing praise from QB Patrick Mahomes, who was involved in Rice’s season-ending collision. Still, Rice is under the cloud of a possible suspension stemming from off-field legal issues, which could delay his season start.
FantasyPros currently lists him around WR2 range, with ADP in the mid-to-late rounds due to durability and availability uncertainty. If Rice stays on the field and avoids off-field disruptions, expect 100-plus catches, around 1,200 yards, and 8 to 10 TDs—a key piece in a loaded Chiefs offense. But his return is far from guaranteed.
Players coming back from injury carry inherent risk—but also idle upside that can’t be matched. As you build your 2025 roster, balance high-ceiling targets (like McCaffrey, Diggs, Hutchinson) with safe floor picks. Consider pairing injury-damaged stars with reliable backups to both bulletproof your roster and chase breakout performances.
