Malik Nabers Injury Update Brings Good News for Fantasy Football

Following a standout rookie campaign in 2024, Giants WR Malik Nabers played in only four games last season, suffering a season-ending torn ACL in October. 

The long-term injury has put his status in question for the beginning of the 2026 season, but the Giants’ first day of open practice brought hopeful news for the latest Malik Nabers injury update. 

Nabers was active, participating in individual drills on Wednesday afternoon. Could that mean Nabers will be ready to go for Week 1?

Below, we’ll dive into the latest Malik Nabers injury news and look at how a potential return impacts fantasy football and season-long projections for PrizePicks.

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Malik Nabers Impresses in Latest Injury News

Dan Duggan of The Athletic reported, “Nabers worked for the first 20 minutes of practice, participating in individual drills and routes on air (no defense). He looked sharp in both periods.” 

Nabers being active in any capacity in the first open practice of training camp is positive news — especially when he seemed to have no issue cutting in and out of breaks on routes. 

Keep in mind ESPN Giants reporter Jordan Raanan said in early July that Nabers may not return to the field until Week 5 or 6. If Nabers were to miss the first four or five games of the regular season, that likely meant beginning training camp on the PUP list. When a player is on the PUP list at the roster deadline, he must miss the team’s first four games.

Nabers has hurdled the first obstacle. As long as he stays healthy throughout camp, the PUP list looks very unlikely at this point. That fuels one burning question: Will Nabers play in Week 1? 

The former LSU star’s status for the beginning of the season will surely impact fantasy football drafts and his season-long stat projections on PrizePicks. If the Giants have their best skill-position player active, that also bodes well for New York’s 1.75x payout to reach 8+ wins and its 3.12x payout to qualify for the 2026 NFL Playoffs, per PrizePicks Team Picks.

Nabers’ activity on Wednesday has quickly thrust him into the fantasy football spotlight. Should fantasy football managers alter their rankings going forward? 

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Does the News Shift Malik Nabers’ Fantasy Football Stock?

According to PrizePicks, Malik Nabers carries Demon projections of 999.5 receiving yards and 7.5 receiving touchdowns for the 2026 regular season. Demons are more difficult to win but mean higher payouts, and users can only pick More when selecting these projections.

Considering the higher probability for Nabers to surpass 999.5 receiving yards and 7.5 receiving touchdowns, that suggests there’s still hesitance surrounding his 2026 stock. He smashed that receiving yard projection with 1,204 yards over 15 games in 2024.

Furthermore, one could argue the Giants’ offense is bound to improve in the upcoming season. 

John Harbaugh gives New York one of the league’s most experienced head coaches, leading the Ravens from 2008 to 2025 with one Super Bowl win in 2012. Plus, Matt Nagy was an exciting offensive coordinator add, as he led the Chiefs’ offense from 2023 to 2025.

The offense is slowly stockpiling talent, too, as QB Jaxson Dart and RB Cam Skattebo come off impressive rookie seasons, and the Giants made a splash signing in TE Isaiah Likely during the offseason. 

If Nabers is healthy for Week 1, that should inevitably drive a rising stock across the board, from fantasy football drafts to season-long stat projections on PrizePicks. 

Nabers is currently WR21 in PPR (point per reception) fantasy football rankings on FantasyPros, placing him 38th overall on the board. For traditional 12-team leagues, that means Nabers falls in the late third round or early fourth round. 

For reference, the Giants’ WR1 finished with 273.6 fantasy points (WR6) and 18.2 fantasy points per game (WR7) in 2024. Nabers accomplished that with a revolving door at quarterback, including Daniel Jones, Drew Lock, and Tommy DeVito. With the former first-round pick Dart taking over as the clear QB1, Nabers could enjoy the best QB play of his career in 2026 — and that wouldn’t take much.

Assuming Nabers is ready to go in Week 1, he could provide excellent value in various avenues, such as his fantasy football ranking and stat projections. 

However, we’re only days into training camp, and he was only a limited participant on Wednesday. The coming weeks will reveal if Nabers is truly ready to go for the Giants’ season-opening game vs. the Cowboys on September 13.

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Nabers’ activity in the Giants’ first open practice was excellent news for his potential return from injury in Week 1. If he continues to progress, Nabers’ current fantasy football rankings and stat projections on PrizePicks could provide fantastic value ahead of the 2026 season.

Week 1 of the NFL season begins on September 9, but the NFL board is already open on PrizePicks Team Picks — including winner payouts for the Panthers vs. Cardinals in the Hall of Fame Game on August 6. 

Users can also make NFL predictions for the upcoming 2026 season, such as the Super Bowl winner, divisional winners, and win totals, on PrizePicks Team Picks — available in 36 states!

Stay locked in on Playbook for daily NFL news as the 2026 regular season approaches.