Zach Ertz has had a solid NFL career, but he hasn’t had as much success since joining the Arizona Cardinals. He’s still produced as a top-10 tight end in fantasy football. Ertz spent some time with the Philadelphia Eagles when Jonathan Gannon was a defensive coordinator, so he should be a bit familiar with his new head coach in Arizona.
Zach Ertz’s injury
Injury suffered: Torn ACL and MCL
When it happened: November 13
When he first suffered the injury, Ertz and the coaching staff didn’t think it was a torn ACL. However, he revealed while he was accepting his Man of the Year Award with the Cardinals, that he did indeed tear his ACL and MCL. The average recovery time from that injury is anywhere from 8-12 months for NFL players. Things have been relatively quiet on how his recovery is going.
Latest training camp updates
Aug 14: Ertz was cleared for full football activity and is expected to be available in Week 1, per Mike Garafolo.
As mentioned above, things have been quiet on the Cardinals end in regard to Ertz, but he still intends on being back for Week 1. He will need to practice in training camp if he wants to be ready to play Week 1. Even if he’s not able to return, I would expect Ertz to stay off the PUP list. But as I said before, the Cardinals have been silent, so it is hard to know what to expect.
2023 Fantasy football outlook
Ertz should still get drafted in fantasy football this season, but it is a risk. Ertz is 33 years old and won’t be able to recover from this injury as if he was 25 or 26. It could also be until the middle of the season when we see him look normal. We truly don’t see players look normal until a full season has passed from a major injury. If you are going to draft Ertz in fantasy football, I would wait until later rounds.