RotoBaller has assembled NBA injury updates for Week 10, and advice on various injury situations throughout the NBA to help you prepare both your seasonal and daily fantasy league (DFS) lineups. Understanding the injury landscape, including who's out and who could benefit is a key skill in all forms of fantasy basketball.
Here we will focus on the important questions: Who is injured? When are they coming back? Should you stash an injured player on your roster? Who is getting an opportunity in the mean time? This injury analysis should assist in projecting how to respond to injuries in seasonal leagues. Consider this your one-stop overview of fantasy-relevant injuries in the NBA.
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NBA Injury Roundup for Week Ten
Questionable To Play
Dwyane Wade (PG/SG, CHI): Migraine. Nikola Mirotic and Doug McDermott got extended minutes with Wade’s minor migraine issue.
Bradley Beal (SG, WAS): Ankle. Sheldon McLellan started the second half after Beal left, but Kelly Oubre is the biggest beneficiary should Beal miss time.
George Hill (PG, UTA): Toe. Shelvin Mack is enjoying a huge boost in a starting role with Hill out.
Kawhi Leonard (SG/SF, SAS): Gastroenteritis. Kyle Anderson and Jonathan Simmons will split the minutes, but Kawhi shouldn’t miss more than one game.
Damian Lillard (PG, POR): Ankle. Allen Crabbe and Evan Turner have had to step up as their best player recovers.
Evan Fournier (SG/SF, ORL): Heel. Jodie Meeks takes over gunslinger duties and has been a low-end option in standard leagues.
Courtney Lee (SG/SF, NYK): Wrist. Sasha Vujacic started with more minutes than he probably should have. Justin Holiday is the better fantasy prospect, but Lee should be back soon.
Mirza Teletovic (SF/PF, MIL): Concussion. Michael Beasley will get more bench minutes as long as Teletovic is out.
Goran Dragic (PG, MIA): Back. Josh Richardson and Tyler Johnson have stepped up in Dragic’s absence.
Mike Conley (PG, MEM): Toe. Andrew Harrison has been absorbing a huge chunk of the starting point guard minutes when Conley can’t suit up.
J.J. Redick (SG, LAC): Hamstring. Austin Rivers has been playing better and got the start last time out. Jamal Crawford also gets a bigger role off the bench.
Joe Harris (SG, BKN): Hip. Randy Foye and Isaiah Whitehead should see an increased role with Harris out.
Dante Exum (PG, UTA): Knee. Raul Neto moves back into the rotation, but Shelvin Mack has gotten most of the PG minutes.
J.J. Barea (PG/SG, DAL): Achilles. Seth Curry moves into the primary backup bench role if Barea misses more time.
Rodney Stuckey (PG/SG, IND): Hamstring. C.J. Miles will take on heavy minutes off the bench and Aaron Brooks slides into some relevancy.
Victor Oladipo (PG/SG, OKC): Wrist. Anthony Morrow has entered the starting lineup and Alex Abrines gets a larger bench role.
Out Short Term
Arron Afflalo (SG/SF, SAC): Elbow. Ben Mclemore has been drawing the starts, but Garrett Temple has been the better player all season.
Rudy Gay (SF/PF, SAC): Hip. Matt Barnes, Anthony Tolliver and Omri Casspi see an uptick in minutes and role, but they’re probably locked in a virtual timeshare.
Gerald Henderson (SG/SF, PHI): Hip. Nik Stauskas should get a noticeable bump in minutes. Hollis Thompson also becomes a short-term option in deep leagues.
Patrick Beverley (PG, HOU): Thigh. Corey Brewer started last time out, but his fantasy value is miniscule. Sam Dekker saw more action as well.
Marco Belinelli (SG/SF, CHA): Ankle. Jeremy Lamb gets a larger bench role, but Michael Kidd-Gilchrist should see more minutes with the starters.
Jeremy Lin (PG, BKN): Hamstring. Isaiah Whitehead gets to start more games, but Sean Kilpatrick gets more floor general duties.
Dion Waiters (SG/SF, MIA): Groin. It’ll be interesting how the lineup will work once Waiters returns with all the healthy bodies back in Miami. Josh Richardson and Justise Winslow probably benefit the most with his absence.
No Timetable to Return
Quincy Pondexter (SG/SF, NOP): Knee Surgery. E’Twaun Moore, Tim Frazier and Solomon Hill have gotten starts, while Langston Galloway has carved out deep league value.
Cameron Payne (PG, OKC): Foot. Semaj Christon has looked serviceable in real-life, but it hasn’t translated to fantasy ball just yet.
Out Multiple Weeks
J.R. Smith (SG/SF, CLE): Thumb. DeAndre Liggins will likely draw the starts for the duration of Smith’s absence, while Iman Shumpert will have value as well.
Alec Burks (PG/SG, UTA): Left Ankle. Suffered a setback after off-season surgery. Rodney Hood should continue to earn the starts as long as he stays on the court.
Rashad Vaughn (SG/SF, MIL): Ankle. Malcolm Brogdon has been trending up and will likely keep his large bench role even when Vaughn returns. Jason Terry will see more minutes as well.
Larry Nance Jr. (PF, LAL): Bone bruise, knee. Luol Deng, Brandon Ingram and Julius Randle should get more minutes in the frontcourt. He’s targeting the end of January.
Tiago Splitter (C, ATL): Hamstring. He still has yet to play in a single game this season. Mike Muscala has been their best big off the bench and that should continue even with Splitter in the lineup.
Blake Griffin (PF/C, LAC): Knee. Paul Pierce will start, but Marreese Speights, Brandon Bass, and Wesley Johnson will see a bump in minutes for the next month or two.
Clint Capela (C, HOU): Leg. Nene Hilario and Montrezl Harrell are in a timeshare, which will probably be the trend for the next month or so.
Ben Simmons (SF/PF, PHI): Foot. Ersan Ilyasova looks to be starting for the next few months with Dario Saric getting the bench minutes. Slowly making progress.
Jared Sullinger (PF/C, PHI): Foot surgery. Pascal Siakam will draw starts with Patrick Patterson getting most of the minutes until Sully returns. He’s still in a walking boot.
Likely Out for the Season
Josh McRoberts (PF/C, MIA): Foot. Derrick Williams will likely draw the starts, but James Johnson is the better fantasy option.
Brandan Wright (PF/C, MEM): Ankle surgery. Wright has struggled with injuries his entire career and hasn’t played this season yet.
Jerryd Bayless (PG/SG, PHI): Wrist surgery. Spanish Chocolate and T.J. McConnell will go back to their roles they started the season with.
Khris Middleton (SG/SF, MIL): Torn hamstring. The Bucks push Tony Snell to the starting lineup for his ability to space the floor. We’re still hoping he comes back this season.
Chris Bosh (PF/C, MIA): Blood clot. James Johnson, Luke Babbitt and Willie Reed benefit from the extra frontcourt minutes.
Chris Andersen (C, CLE): Knee. He suffered an ACL tear in his right knee during practice. He’s been relegated to a deep bench role anyways.
Nikola Pekovic (C, MIN): Chronic Ankle Issues. Will likely be bought out for the final year in his contract. Cole Aldrich has gotten the primary backup minutes behind Karl-Anthony Towns.