Time To Fade Makai Lemon in Fantasy?

Makai Lemon Still Sidelined With Hamstring Injury

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Makai Lemon remains out of practice with a hamstring injury, according to continued reporting from The Athletic’s Zach Berman throughout camp. The rookie has now missed a significant chunk of training camp, including a stretch of four or more consecutive sessions in early August, after first being sidelined earlier this month.

This isn’t a new issue for Lemon. He dealt with a hamstring injury in March 2025, another during OTAs in May 2026 that cost him all of mandatory minicamp, and now this latest setback in August. Combined with a concussion he suffered in September 2024, that’s three soft-tissue and injury-related absences in roughly a year and a half, a pattern that has become a genuine storyline in Philadelphia rather than an isolated bit of bad luck.

Philadelphia traded up to select Lemon 20th overall in April, viewing him as a potential quick contributor after he won the Biletnikoff Award as college football’s top receiver at USC last season. That opportunity looked especially real after the Eagles moved on from A.J. Brown, opening real target volume at the position. But recent reporting indicates Lemon is now considered unlikely to open the season in Philadelphia’s starting lineup given how much time he’s missed this spring and summer, a shift from earlier expectations that he’d step into a prominent role right away.

Offensive coordinator Sean Mannion has tried to strike a patient tone, noting that Lemon remains engaged in meetings and walkthroughs even while sidelined, mirroring his position’s assignments from the side of the field. That’s a reasonable approach for developing a young player, but it doesn’t change the fact that he isn’t accumulating the on-field reps a rookie typically needs to be ready for Week 1.

The Eagles have not announced a firm timetable for his return, and every missed practice is another lost opportunity to build chemistry in a new offense. Given the recurring nature of the injury and the increasingly uncertain path to a starting role, this is a clear fade in fantasy drafts right now. Lemon simply hasn’t been on the field enough to build any real confidence in his Week 1 outlook, and paying an early-round rookie price for a receiver who may not even be Philadelphia’s clear starter is a tough sell until he strings together sustained, healthy practice time.