By Dustin Brown, PT, DPT, ATC, LAT, VRT, Co-Founder and Podcaster of the Fantasy Football Healers
July 4, 2026
Cameron “Natureboy” Skattebo is a professional football running back for the New York Giants who was drafted in the 4th Round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Skattebo’s final season at ASU provided incredible stats that included 293 carries for 1,711 rushing yards, 605 rec yards and 25 total touchdowns. He carried the ASU team at the Peach Bowl in Jan. 2025, with 284 total yards, 3 touchdowns and a 2pt conversion. In the double overtime loss at Peach Bowl, Skattebo was named the game’s MVP. Skattebo also finished 5th in Heisman Trophy voting and he was named a First-Team All-American. So why did he fall to a day 3 pick?
Cam Skattebo is a very physical powerhouse running back, but he isn’t a speedster. The 5’10” 219lb RB was clocked at 4.65 sec 40-yard dash at his Pro Day. A 40 time >4.6 sec at the running back position tends to cause the RB to slide in the draft due to reduced opportunities for chunk plays. Skattebo had also suffered a hamstring injury during the pre-draft process which led to Cam opting out of the Senior Bowl and missing out on most of the NFL Combine events, only participating in the vertical and broad jump. Missing these key events, further decreased his draft hype when it matters the most. Per NFL.com, concerns of heavy college career workload and mileage in combination with his physical bruising play style may translate to a shorter pro shelf-life. Lastly, scheme fit and the depreciated NFL value of the running back may have also led to the Giants getting a steal in the 4th round.
It didn’t take long for the Giants to know what they had in the rookie running back. By week 2, Skattebo was playing 52% snap share, 11 attempts for 45 yards (4.09ypc) and 1 TD. Also catching 2 of 3 balls for 7 yards. That was good enough for 13.90 fantasy points in PPR leagues and he was just getting started! Over the next 5 weeks, he went on a tear in fantasy football, scoring 24.90 points, 13 points, 14.4 points, 31 points, and 18.40 points! From week 2 through week 7, Skattebo averaged 19.13 fantasy points per game. If you were fortunate enough to draft Cam Skattebo in drafts around his 2025 10th Round ADP, you had yourself what appeared to be a league winner!
He has a very physical play style which can often result in injury. In 2025 Week 8, Cam Skattebo suffered a gruesome season ending injury while attempting to make a reception. He and the defender landed on his right ankle resulting in ankle dislocation and tibia fracture. A fluke injury that had nothing to do with his play style. The injury was serious and required emergency surgery on October 26, 2025. While a standard, isolated high ankle sprain repaired with a tightrope device allows athletes to walk within days, Skattebo’s protocol was significantly more conservative and staged. Because his injury was a high-impact open dislocation involving severe bone fractures (tibia and fibula) and a torn deltoid ligament along with syndesmosis damage, his rehab required a hybrid protocol. The tightrope device is used to stabilize the syndesmosis permanently at the high ankle joint. Skattebo would have to wait for his open wounds and fractures to heal prior to weight bearing.
Phases of recovery for this type of injury
Phase 1: (wk 1-2) Non-weight bearing. Focus on wound healing and reduce risk of infection. RICE principal.
Phase 2: (wk 2-6) Non-weight bearing. Early range of motion. Eventually transitioning to cam boot. Scar massage to reduce adhesive scars which can limit range of motion and cause pain.
Phase 3: (wk6-12) Progressive loading to return back to walking. By Dec 2025, his fractures should have become stable. In this phase, he could start weight bearing activity, low resistance exercises, biking, and alter G anti gravity treadmill walk progression.
Phase 4: (wk 12-20) weaning off cam boot to full weight bearing in athletic shoes. Progressing strengthening, balance, proprioception and progress towards jogging.
Phase 5: (5-7 Months+ post op) begin plyometrics and agility training.
In May 2026, (7 months post op), Skattebo went viral for performing a back flip at a charity softball event which could indicate that he is back to full health. So the question we should be asking ourselves is “Should I draft Cam Skattebo in 2026 fantasy football drafts?”. “Details matter”- Reacher. We should probably take a look at past players that had similar injuries and evaluate their productivity on the field year 1, 2, and beyond post injury. After a quick search, I found a number of players that had a similar injury to Skattebo:
- Chris Godwin- Oct 2024 gruesome ankle dislocation against the Ravens (returned 11 months later in Sept 2025). In 2025, Godwin’s ADP was around Round 6-7, #70-75 overall. For context, the Buccaneers had drafted Emeka Embuka in the 1st round of the NFL draft for insurance which may have pushed his ADP down the board. Godwin didn’t make it back on the field until week 4 and sat out massive chucks of the mid-season games while managing residual symptoms from the gruesome injury. Godwin 2025 stats 33 rec 360 yards and 2 touchdowns in 9 games. Only 5 points per game but a silver lining in week 17 as Godwin started to look more like himself.
- Allen Hurns- Jan 2019 NFC Wildcard playoff ankle dislocation with fibula fracture (returned 9 months later in Sept 2019). Allen Hurns was largely undrafted in fantasy football PPR leagues in 2019 secondary to injury and landing on a rebuilding roster. 2020 no stats per sleeper app.
- Odell Beckham Jr- Oct 2017 fractured fibula and severe ankle structural damage that resulted after sustaining ankle dislocation. (returned 11 months later in Sept 2018). Beckham’s consensus ADP in 2018 following injury was at the round 1-2 turn, pick #11-13 overall. Fantasy managers that drafted Odell were well-rewarded. In 2018, Odell had 77 rec, 1,052 yards and 6 touchdowns in just 12 games with an average of 18.5 PPR points. The down fall was that Odell missed the last 4 games with a quad injury.
- Cooper Kupp- Late 2022 did not have ankle dislocation but did have a severe high ankle sprain that required tightrope surgery. People did not make a big deal of Cooper Kupp’s injury at the time. Fantasy managers continued to draft Kupp in the early 1st round, picks #4-7. In Aug 2023, Kupp picked up a hamstring injury in training camp which eventually dropped his ADP. Kupp would end up missing the first 4 weeks of 2023 with the hamstring injury. Kupp stats were underwhelming at 59 rec 737 yards and 5 touchdowns in 12 games. Averaging about 13.7 points per game. His pre-injury consistency of points was not there and his cost at ADP was high.
- Tony Pollard- Playoffs Jan 2023- suffered a fractured fibula and severe syndesmotic ligament rupture (returned 9 months later in Sept 2023). In 2023, fantasy managers brushed off his injury due to Pollard elevating to the RB1 position for Dallas after Ezekiel Elliot’s departure. Pollard was drafted around the round 1-2 turn, pick #12-16. Fantasy managers ended up being let down with Pollard’s 2023 stats based on where he was being drafted in fantasy. Pollard rushed for 1,005 yards (4.0 YPC which was his career-low) and 6 touchdowns, while adding 55 rec for 311 yards. Pollard appeared to lack burst.
Interestingly, each player appeared to make their return around September post injury. I think we should make note that Godwin, Kupp, and Pollard, did not live up to their fantasy ADPs. Hurns was non-existent at ADP and fantasy points upon return. Kupp and Odell sustained lower body injuries the year of their return with hamstring strain and quad strain as probable compensatory injuries following gruesome ankle recovery. While Godwin had nagging symptoms from recovery that left him off the field. Pollard, Kupp, and Godwin appeared to lose a step. Only Odell Beckham lived up to his ADP with great fantasy production, averaging 18.5 points per game.
The good news for Skattebo fans is that he appears to be making a great recovery and he appears on track to start the season. The Giants did not draft a running back in 2026. The Giants are re-rolling the same running backs this season with Cam Skattebo, Tyrone Tracy, and Devin Singletary. FantasyPros and Underdog have Skattebo at #43-45 overall ADP (early 4th round) while Dynasty Daddy has Cam Skattebo’s average ADP over the past 2 weeks (June 21-July 2) at pick #21 (back end of the 2nd round). He would have to average around 16.5-18 pts per game to meet the 2nd round ADP while only having to produce 12.5-14 points per game to meet the 4th round ADP which is much more realistic. You have permission to push the button in the 4th round but if he gets steamed up to round 2, I would be out completely. Lastly, training camp has not started yet. It would be wise to track whether Skattebo develops any compensatory injuries that could lead to nagging fantasy production in 2026. There is risk with drafting Cam Skattebo following this gruesome injury. Now that you have read this article, you can weigh that risk by now having a greater understanding about his injury recovery, past player injury/production, and ADP value.
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