Injuries are a harsh reality of football. They affect all fantasy game modes, between redraft, dynasty, and daily fantasy. Learning to react to different situations helps in any format. Dynasty players can pivot to building for the future, while redraft players have to deal with the immediacy of the production loss. Dynasty leagues often require a deeper lens and can put redraft players ahead when proactively building benches.
Our staff discusses their approaches to dealing with injuries.
Question: Do you have any crucial advice for dealing with the rash of injuries across the league?
Andy Hicks - Be ahead of the game. There will be clear replacements for some injuries and open situations in other situations to consider. All players who see an opportunity will have value. Do not write anyone off on past performances. Surprises happen every year in the NFL.
Which players may keep their roles if the injured player returns? Who is a short-term fix only? Who is throwing them the ball? Or who is blocking for them? Some players will have seen targets or rushing attempts if the injury occurred in the game.
Jason Wood - Injuries are an inevitable part of this hobby and never get easier to manage. Dynasty leagues add another layer of complexity to dealing with injuries. As the season progresses, injuries in a redraft league often mean a lost season, but in dynasty leagues, you can proactively shift your focus to 2025 and beyond. You can use your assets—especially those who are injured—to enhance your team for the future. There's no set blueprint. Sometimes, it’s wise to acquire injured players who won’t help this season but could elevate your team next year. Other times, it makes sense to trade away a high-value, long-term asset who’s injured if it could be the difference between you fighting for a 2024 playoff spot or becoming a favorite.
Unfortunately, we're still very early in the season, and few, if any, teams should be shifting their focus toward 2025 and beyond. Dynasty leagues generally have much deeper benches, so easy fixes won’t be available on the waiver wire if injuries have struck you. You need to decide if you have assets worth trading, and a big part of that is understanding your league mates. Who are their favorite and least favorite players? Are they more interested in rookie draft picks and betting on the upside, or do they prefer proven veterans who they think can be acquired at a discount? If injuries plague your team and your roster lacks the appropriate handcuffs, take a day or two to evaluate the other teams in your league, then initiate multiple trade discussions. Get a sense of what’s possible, and use these conversations to more confidently triangulate the costs of acquiring what you need.
Corey Spala: Oh man, have I been decimated by injuries on a few of my teams? I will have a decision to make for teams. I have lost an elite player like Puka Nacua. If I am contending and need the production, I may need to trade him away to acquire the right now production. It would not be a disservice to wait out his injury if I am not contending.
On the contrary, if you are rebuilding and notice a contending team has lost an asset like Nacua, you may want to send out an offer and try to acquire the young talent. It is only Week 2, and you may not know if you are contending or rebuilding, which is a tell in itself. If you are contending, you should want to win; trading away the elite asset for a tier-drop and future draft capital may be best to win. If you are rebuilding, you should utilize an injury as an opportunity to make your team better for the future.
Dan Hindery - I recommend two things. First, don’t panic or overpay for short-term solutions. Be especially cautious about giving up significant assets for backup running backs temporarily thrust into starting roles, as their value will likely plummet once the starter returns. If you can’t field a competitive lineup for Week 3 due to injuries, or your roster isn’t strong enough to withstand early losses and make the playoffs, you’re probably not a true contender. The best time to make win-now moves is later in the season when several teams have been eliminated from playoff contention, and you have a clearer picture of your playoff potential and needs. Stay afloat over the next few weeks until prices for short-term upgrades drop. Second, remember this injury wave when planning for future seasons. One of the most common mistakes I see in dynasty startups is managers trading up to build starting rosters (often centered around older players) that look great on paper in the summer but are incredibly fragile due to weak benches. These teams often crumble by midseason. Injuries are inevitable, and teams prioritizing depth and youth are usually best equipped to handle the challenges of a long season.
Matt Montgomery- The advice I would give managers for navigating the injury landmines currently exploding in our league would be not to panic. While it is discouraging to see some of these big names go down, it is still only September, and you don’t blow your team up in September. The injuries have been putting players on IR, but we haven’t seen the “big one” quite yet, which means these guys will be healthy for a late-season run. This situation can be ideal if you manage your team correctly and keep yourself in playoff contention by utilizing the short-term mindset for waiver pickups and not overreacting to this news.
