Fantasy Football 2025 Advice on Christian McCaffrey, Top Players Returning from Injury

An injury-riddled NFL season can be overwhelmingly frustrating for fantasy football managers.

That's the real-time reaction, at least. Move past the injury problems, and suddenly there's some discount potential with previously high-end fantasy performers returning to action.

There is some risk involved, of course, as recoveries don't always go according to plan, and past injury issues aren't always left in the rearview. That said, sometimes the post-injury player looks identical to the pre-injury version, only with a discounted draft cost.

Let's scour around the NFL world and spotlight three marquee players who had their 2024 seasons sidetracked by injuries while providing some draft advice based on their 2025 outlook.

Trust Dak Prescott as Your QB1

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If you're waiting to take your starting quarterback outside of the early rounds, you should give serious consideration to Prescott.

While he's had three injury-impacted seasons in his career, he's basically been a fantasy star when he avoids the injury bug. The last three times he's made at least 16 appearances, he's thrown for at least 4,449 yards and 30 touchdowns.

He has plenty of playmakers around him now, too. CeeDee Lamb is one of the league's premier pass-catchers, and he's now surrounded by George Pickens and Jalen Tolbert. Throw in tight end Jake Ferguson, and Prescott won't be hurting for quality receiving options.

With the Dallas Cowboys likely to be among the NFL's most pass-heavy offenses again, Prescott could be a top-five performer at his position. He just won't cost as much as everyone else who holds that kind of potential.

Avoid Christian McCaffrey in the First Round

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This time last year, you would've almost certainly needed the top overall selection to nab Christian McCaffrey. Now, you can get him closer to the back end of the first round (ADP: 10 in standard scoring leagues, per FantasyPros).

This discount will attract some fantasy managers, but we'd suggest avoiding that temptation. While it's true that McCaffrey can be the best non-quarterback in fantasy, it's also true that he's capable of sinking your entire season.

Injury problems limited him to just four appearances in 2024. And while some might want to flush that season and forget its memory, that seems reckless considering it was the third campaign in five years during which he played seven games or fewer. Plus, even when he played, he clearly wasn't himself. His 4.0 yards per carry were the third-fewest of his career, and he failed to find the end zone for the first time.

Hopefully, he's healthy now, but he's also 29 years old with plenty of wear and tear on his body, so assuming he'll stay upright sounds, at the very least, optimistic. And with Brian Robinson Jr. around to handle RB2 duties, McCaffrey's workload could be lighter than it's been before. McCaffrey's upside is still worth the gamble at some point, but you don't want to be in the position of him being the most important player on your roster.

Don't Expect Much from Chris Godwin

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Godwin has become one of the most consistent fantasy options at wide receiver. At least, that was true until a nasty ankle injury cut his 2024 campaign short. Prior to that, he had cleared 1,000 receiving yards in three of the previous four seasons.

It'll tempt more than a few managers, then, to take him at a discounted cost (ADP: 83) and hope that's still the case. If we're sitting in the draft room, though, we'd need more of a discount to consider drafting him.

For starters, he isn't fully recovered from that ankle injury and might not see any action before October. So, drafting him already puts you at a deficit for the early portion of the season. And when he does make it back, he'll face new competition for targets (notably from rookie first-rounder Emeka Egbuka) and be playing under a different playcaller (former offensive coordinator Liam Coen is now the Jacksonville Jaguars head coach).

Finally, who's to say Baker Mayfield will be as productive as last season, when he shattered his previous bests in completion percentage, yards and touchdowns? If his efficiency wanes, and Godwin's target volume decreases, this could be a really forgettable season. The potential reward just isn't great enough to justify the risk unless he's more deeply discounted in your draft.