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The injury news has come hot and heavy in the last few days, which is a real bummer for all of us NBA basketball fans, but it can help you turn your fantasy season around if you act quickly!
The biggest news this week was that Joel Embiid is set to miss some time because of the league's health & safety protocols, Jaylen Brown is set to miss some time with a hamstring strain, and Collin Sexton is going to be out for an extended period of time with a torn meniscus in his knee. Big bummer for those guys.
We'll just be covering the stuff that has changed since I wrote this article last week because I know you've been following and taking copious notes since we began! These players are listed in the alphabetical order of the teams for which they play.
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Short-Term Injuries for Fantasy Basketball
Jaylen Brown, SG/SF, Boston Celtics - Hamstring
Jaylen Brown is reportedly going to miss 1-2 weeks with a right hamstring strain. The Celtics are going to be missing his offensive production deeply, and this will lead to some bumps in production for Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart. Josh Richardson should be scooped up for the week, even though it's only a three-game week for the Celtics. Aaron Nesmith is worth a look in deeper leagues as well.
PJ Washington, PF/C, Charlotte Hornets - Elbow
PJ Washington hyperextended his left elbow last week and has missed the last few games. If you've stuck with PJ through all the turmoil to start this season, you might as well hang on a little longer. He was starting to turn it around before he suffered the injury. It was revealed last night that Washington is likely to miss at least another week of action. There's no clear pickup here as the minute should be split between Jalen McDaniels, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Mason Plumlee, depending on matchups and who is available.
Lauri Markkanen, PF/C, Cleveland Cavaliers - Health & Safety Protocols
Isaac Okoro is still out with a hamstring injury and now Lauri Markkanen is likely to miss the week with COVID protocols. Add in Collin Sexton's injury, which we'll cover later, and the Cavs are suddenly super thin. Ricky Rubio should be owned in all leagues, but since he's likely not available anymore you can probably look to scoop up Cedi Osman who should be in line for 30ish minutes per night. Dean Wade and Dylan Windler are worth a look in deeper leagues for those that are desperate for three-pointers.
Michael Porter Jr., SF/PF, Denver Nuggets - Back
Michael Porter Jr. missed his whole rookie season with a back injury, so this is moderately concerning. Even more concerning is that coach Mike Malone said MPJ would be out "for the foreseeable future." What that means is anyone's guess. In the meantime, the Nuggets will have to lean more on Will Barton, Monte Morris, and Aaron Gordon for offense. All of these guys are likely owned in your league. Jeff Green might be in line here for a guaranteed 20-minute role with MPJ on the sidelines, but he's hard to trust and only suited for deeper leagues.
Nikola Jokic, PF/C, Denver Nuggets - Suspension (?)
Late in the night, Nikola Jokic decided to shove Markieff Morris hard in the back as the Heat player wasn't looking. It's likely that Jokic is going to be handed down a suspension here, and depending on how bad Morris's injuries are it could span multiple games. JaMychal Green is worth a look in the short term and has the ability to put up points and boards with some three-pointers.
Killian Hayes, PG/SG, Detroit Pistons - Thumb
It's just a thumb sprain and the Pistons have a lot of time off. I suspect he'll be back for their next game on Wednesday, but if he has to miss for some reason then Josh Jackson would be worth a look as would Cory Joseph. I'd look towards CoJo if you need assists and JJ if you need points.
Eric Gordon, SG/SF, Houston Rockets - Groin
Eric Gordon's absence doesn't really leave us with an option for a pickup. He's not worth hanging onto either as he could fall out of the rotation any day as the Rockets look to develop guys. He may get traded, but wherever he ends up he probably won't have a big enough role to justify a roster spot.
LeBron James, PG/SG/SF, Los Angeles Lakers - Abdominal Strain
This is a big bummer for the Lakers, who have started terribly out of the gate. It was originally reported that LeBron James would miss a week with this ab strain, but LBJ's former strength coach has gone on record to say he thinks it will be 4-8 weeks before LeBron can play at the level he needs to play basketball. Not good. Hard to say an exact timeline, but in the meantime, Russell Westbrook is gonna go off. Carmelo Anthony will also be heavily leaned on for offense. Avery Bradley has gotten a ton of minutes but just hasn't done anything with them. What a mess for real-life bball and fantasy bball...
Nerlens Noel, PF/C, New York Knicks - Knee
Nerlens Noel attempted to play last night and had to leave the game with soreness in his knee. Mitchell Robinson is also on the sidelines with a hip injury, so Taj Gibson is worth a look in the short term. Be on the lookout though because if Mitch Rob can give it a go in the next one then Taj will lose a considerable amount of appeal.
Joel Embiid, PF/C, Philadelphia 76ers - Health & Safety Protocols
Can I just put the whole Philadelphia 76ers here? Joel Embiid was set to miss Monday's game to rest his knee, but the hammer dropped later in the morning that he would be entering the league's health & safety protocols. That's a huge blow for a team that's already missing Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle, and Isaiah Joe. What is going on in Philadelphia?! Danny Green is worth a long look in all leagues. The guy you probably want to get, though, is Georges Niang as he's just been stellar playing minutes in the absence of Tobias Harris. He can play the three and the four, so he could top 30 minutes here in this week's games. The other guy you'd want to snag is Shake Milton as they will need his scoring and he no longer has a minutes restriction.
Long Term Injuries for Fantasy Basketball
Coby White, PG/SG, Chicago Bulls - Shoulder
Late in the day yesterday we received news that Coby White has been cleared to practice again. He's likely still at least a few weeks away from seeing any game action, but teams in need of points and threes can consider stashing him at their own risk. The Bulls have started 7-3 on the season, so if they keep winning they really don't have much incentive to rush him back into the lineup. His return would hurt Ayo Dosunmu and maybe even Derrick Jones Jr. Alex Caruso could see his minutes slightly reduced as well.
Collin Sexton, PG/SG, Cleveland Cavaliers - Knee
This is a real unfortunate blow for Collin Sexton as he's been playing better team basketball of late and helping the Cavs to be much better than people expected in the preseason. His absence hurts this young Cavs team, but it should give Darius Garland a bump. Ricky Rubio is a must-add and Cedi Osman is worth a stream in the short term as Lauri Markkanen and Isaac Okoro are still out. There is no timetable yet for Sexton's return, but he wasn't even worth rostering before. There is no need to stash him.
James Wiseman, C, Golden State Warriors - Knee
A quick update on James Wiseman as it's been reported he's been cleared for 3-on-3 work. He'll likely be back within a few weeks and I am personally high on the kid long term, but his role is questionable at best. I'd leave him on the wire but add him to your watchlist. If you have an extra IL spot on your roster, you can certainly stash him and see what happens.
TJ Warren, SF/PF, Indiana Pacers - Foot
We received an update on TJ Warren as well as he could get back on the court towards the end of December or the start of January. Teams in need of points can look to stash him, but he doesn't offer a ton of upside. His return will likely make Justin Holiday an easy drop. Chris Duarte and Caris LeVert may see some reduced opportunity as well.
Talen Horton-Tucker, SG/SF, Los Angeles Lakers - Thumb
Talen Horton-Tucker has yet to appear in a game this season, but he's reportedly been cleared to return to practice. That's a step in the right direction. He isn't exactly a guy you want to run to stash, but I would certainly add him to your watchlist as a guy who will surely be in the rotation on a team that desperately needs a shot in the arm.
Rui Hachimura, SF/PF, Washington Wizards - Personal
There was an update on the status of Rui Hachimura, who has yet to appear in a game this season due to mental health concerns. The specifics around his absence remain pretty vague, but he has now rejoined the team and is going to start getting ramped up to play within the next two weeks. I was pretty high on him before the season started, but with the Wizards playing so well it's hard to see him making a significant impact right away. I'd still add him to your watchlist to see if he can carve out a 25-minute role and become a key contributor on offense. His return might cut into Kyle Kuzma's minutes and Davis Bertans is likely out of the rotation aside from situational minutes.
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