Fantasy Football Injury Stashes: 8 Players to Draft and Wait On

Let's take a look at some notable NFL players who are out at least four weeks to start the season, but are worth stashing in fantasy football leagues. 

The focus will be on offensive players, but I'll mention a couple of defensive players as well.

Fantasy football injury news is available all season on FantasySP. 

Zach Charbonnet - Seattle Seahawks

Charbonnet is on the injured reserve list, which will force him to miss at least the first four weeks. He is still working his way back from the major knee injury he suffered at the end of last season.

Drafting Jadarian Price in the first round was a way for the Seahawks to work Charbonnet along slowly. Price will lead the backfield in the early going, with George Holani and Emanuel Wilson as additional options.

When Charbonnet is back on the field though, he could be a big part of the Seahawks' offense, and maybe even lead the backfield, depending on how Price has fared to that point. Charbonnet is a running back I wouldn't mind drafting near the end of a standard league draft, then stashing until he's ready to go - if you have IR spots to utilize, I'd make that move in all leagues).

Jordyn Tyson - New Orleans Saints

Tyson is out at least four weeks with the hamstring injury he's been dealing with. We don't have a timetable for him yet, so his absence could extend past that.

The first-round pick was expected to be a big part of the Saints' offense, being a strong WR2 option behind Chris Olave. Now, Devaughn Vele, and rookies Barion Brown and Bryce Lance will hold down the fort until Tyson is ready to play.

Tyson is another guy who could be worth stashing, especially if you have IR spots to utilize. He could be a pretty solid fantasy asset when healthy, so I'd at least be stashing him in deeper leagues. 

Take Tyson near the end of your standard league draft, and definitely take him in deeper leagues. Stash him for a month or so and hope he delivers big when he's activated.

Tank Dell - Houston Texans

Dell is another wideout who was placed on the IR list. He's still working his way back from a devastating injury in 2024.

The Texans could use him, as Jayden Higgins was lost for the season to an injury. Nico Collins will power the wideout room in 2026, and Kayshon Boutte, Jaylin Noel, Xavier Hutchinson and Jared Wayne are some other options to kick off the season.

Only Collins is proven amongst that group of wideouts, so when Dell is healthy, he could be starting and producing enough to be worth trying in some fantasy leagues. I'd only look to stash Dell in deeper fantasy leagues right now though.

He doesn't have the upside that Charbonnet or Tyson has, but that doesn't mean you should write off Dell. Keep tabs on him, and be ready to add him in more leagues if he's producing when activated.

James Conner - Arizona Cardinals

Conner is an interesting player to possibly stash. He didn't appear to have a big role ahead of him in Arizona after the team signed Tyler Allgeier and drafted Jeremiyah Love. Trey Benson is another injured back on the team.

Love is also injured to start the season, so it could be Allgeier leading the way in the early going. With Conner and Benson unavailable, Bam Knight could also get some work.

I mention Conner, as he could be traded to a team that loses a running back early in the season. A team to keep tabs on is Green Bay, which is dealing with the Josh Jacobs' issue.

I wouldn't mind stashing Conner in some deeper fantasy leagues, just in case he gets a chance to be a team's lead back after a few weeks. I don't see him doing much in Arizona, but injuries could change that too.

Micah Parsons - Green Bay Packers

For those in IDP leagues, there's some stellar defensive players who are out for at least four games who could be big difference makers later on. Parsons is the biggest name of the bunch.

He's still working his way back from a torn ACL from last season, and he could miss a bit more than four weeks. With him out, Lukas Van Ness and Barryn Sorrell are projected to start as the outside linebackers in the Packers' new-look defense. Brenton Cox Jr. and rookie Dani Dennis-Sutton could also play more and produce a little.

When healthy, Parsons is obviously one of the top pass rushers in the game. We'll see how he looks after the major injury, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him shine like he has in the past. That makes him worth stashing in some IDP setups.

Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph - Detroit Lions

Branch and Joseph are out, leaving the Lions thin at safety and in the secondary. Branch has an Achilles injury, while Joseph is dealing with knee ailment. 

With those two out, Chuck Clark and Avonte Maddox are the projected starting safeties. The Lions DST could struggle early on, especially against the pass, so keep that in mind when looking at them as a fantasy asset.

Branch and Joseph are good fantasy assets when healthy, so stash them in some IDP leagues and be looking forward to their returns.

Kyler Gordon - Chicago Bears

Gordon is out at least four weeks with a calf injury. That leaves Chicago thin at cornerback to open 2026.

Tyrique Stevenson and Jaylon Johnson are the projected starting outside cornerbacks, with Cam Lewis as the slot corner. Rookie Malik Muhammad II, Clark Phillips III and Josh Blackwell could also factor in more too.

Gordon only appeared in three games last season, so Chicago should be used to playing without him. He's had some good fantasy seasons in the past, so he's another worth maybe stashing in some IDP leagues for a few weeks.