Justyn Ross injury update: Latest on Chiefs WR for fantasy football Week 1

Justyn Ross will be playing football this season. What seemed impossible months ago is now the reality right in front of our eyes, as the Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver is set to make his NFL debut in Thursday's kickoff after missing his entire rookie season due to injuries.

Let's analyze his injury status for Week 1 and whether it's a good idea to pick him in your fantasy team.

Justyn Ross has been answering questions about his health since the NFL Combine

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Justyn Ross injury update

Could this be the first time that we see Justyn Ross in an NFL field? It's probable. The Chiefs wide receiver had the odds stacked against him during the NFL training camp, but his excellent performance - and more important, his health - allowed him to crack the 53-man roster.

There wasn't a lot of expectation that he would be on the Chiefs roster once the final cuts were made, but he was a surprise addition. There was never any doubt about his talent, but it doesn't matter much when you can't stay on the field. Ross had a fantastic training camp and didn't struggle with injuries, so Kansas City allowed him to have another shot.

Justyn Ross is fully recovered and will play for the Chiefs on the season's opener against the Detroit Lions on Thursday. He's not going to be a starter because he lacks NFL experience, and even if his talent is not a question mark, he needs to prove his body can hang with the league's brutal physical demands.

Another wide receiver who recently struggled with injuries is Kadarius Toney, who missed parts of camp as well.

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What happened to Justyn Ross?

The amount of injuries he's had to deal with ever since he committed to Clemson to play college football is astonishing.

After shining as a rookie at Clemson, Justyn Ross struggled badly with different injuries that affected his career. He missed the entire 2020 season due to a congenital fusion condition of his neck and spine that required surgery; in 2022, he had offseason foot surgery after signing with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent and was placed on the injured reserve, missing the whole season.

Even though he's a national champion and a Super Bowl champion, you can't say that a player with his talent would be happy with not playing. The 2020 problem almost ended his football career, and while everybody was excited to see the Kansas City Chiefs signing him as an undrafted free agent in 2022, almost everybody forgot he was there when he was sitting on the injured reserve.

At least the bleak days are over. Training camps are never easy - if he was able to hang in there during an entire month of grueling practices and preseason games, one can feel confident that he'll be able to dress up and play in real games during the 2023 season.

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When will Justyn Ross return?

Ross is available to play in Week 1 for the Chiefs against the Detroit Lions, although it's unclear how many snaps he'll get from the coaching staff in the season opener.

This is a wide receiver group that will allow plenty of opportunities for him to improve his snap count as the season goes on. It's not a bad group by any means, but it lacks the star power to help Patrick Mahomes. Ross' talent is undeniable - again, we must use caution here, because you never know if his body will hang in there.

The consensus ADP of Justyn Ross is #224, meaning that, depending on your league's size, you could even add him as a free agent over the course of the year, and that might be an excellent pickup. But for Week 1, there are many other options that are better suited to help your team.