After secretly returning to practice two days prior, Patrick Mahomes is targeting 11-on-11 work at training camp with his sights set on preseason action and a Week 1 start. Despite a career-low 3,587 passing yards last year, the veteran quarterback still managed 21.2 Fantasy Points Per Game (No. 2) before his season was cut short.
While this is good news on the surface, Charles Goldman is reporting that Mahomes admitted to running too much last year and plans to only scramble “if all else fails” in 2026. Mahomes’ ADP will rise across all formats from redraft to dynasty to best ball, but heavily reduced rushing production would place him more in the Stafford/Goff archetype this season.
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Patrick Mahomes is beating the standard nine-month recovery timeline after a Week 15 ACL and LCL tear cut his 2025 campaign short. Prior to the injury, he operated at peak efficiency, averaging 21.2 Fantasy Points Per Game (No. 2) and recording a 111.6 Explosive Rating (No. 8).
With reports indicating a rigorous seven-hour daily rehab program, expect Kansas City’s franchise cornerstone to avoid the PUP list and return in Week 1. Mahomes is currently being drafted at least a round later than he should be selected in all fantasy football formats.
Patrick Mahomes is working his way back from serious knee ligament tears that limited him to a career-low 3,587 passing yards last season. Despite the injury-shortened 14-game campaign, his high-efficiency traits remained intact as he still engineered an overall QB2 in Fantasy Points Per Game.
Mahomes’ mobility will nonetheless be compromised this season, lowering his rushing ceiling. Expect his visual progress in seven-on-seven work to keep him on track to avoid the PUP list and retain his premium status in summer drafts. Mahomes is strangely both a best ball fade and a dynasty buy given this year’s inevitable limitations.
Patrick Mahomes was spotted going through non-contact, opening OTA drills in a massive, robocop-style leg brace, and he told Chiefs media that he is working toward being cleared for full participation by time training camp. While Mahomes “races against the clock” for his age-31 season, the cold reality is that he’s recovering from catastrophic knee ligament tears that capped his 2025 campaign at a career-low 3,587 passing yards and a modest 22 passing touchdowns.
Bottom line: It is safe to expect that Mahomes will be back early in the season as he is already trending toward avoiding the PUP list, which is great news for Mahomes fantasy managers. If Mahomes isn’t cleared to suit up for the Week 1 opener, Andy Reid will gladly hand the keys to Justin Fields, a hyper-athletic Konami-code backup who offers fantasy upside.
The Kansas City Chiefs added a pocket passer at No. 249 in Garrett Nussmeier, who threw for 4,400 passing yards with a 31-to-9 TD-to-INT ratio. Nussmeier displayed 9.4 adjusted yards per attempt and a 68.2% completion percentage, at LSU where he was once considered a lock to go in the first round.
In dynasty Superflex formats, Nussmeier is the ultimate “stash and cash” taxi-squad priority, where he could start the season at QB2 behind Justin Fields if Patrick Mahomes is not ready to go to start the season September.
Mahomes is smashing ACL/LCL rehab timeline and could be ready for Week 1. The key indicator is whether he starts camp on the PUP list, which currently seems unlikely. Mahomes just needs to avoid the PUP list at camp, and his dynasty value returns to pre-injury levels.
Don’t overthink this one. Buy the dip now, because it always feels great to secure a cornerstone QB before the value window closes, especially in 2QB/superflex dynasty leagues.
