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RotoBaller has assembled NBA injury updates for Week 20, and lineups advice on various injury situations throughout the NBA to understand who stands to benefit instead.
We're here 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, and who can you target with your DFS lineups. Consider this your one-stop overview of fantasy-relevant injuries in the NBA.
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NBA Injury Roundup For Week 20
Questionable to Play
Derrick Favors (F/C, UTA): Knee soreness. Trey Lyles and Boris Diaw will get a bump in the rotation with Favors out.
George Hill (G, UTA): Toe. Dante Exum will get the starts and should get all the opportunities as the floor general. Joe Johnson should get some extra ballhandling minutes as well.
Joe Harris (G, BKN): Concussion. Caris LeVert and Randy Foye should see more backcourt minutes in his absence.
Dwyane Wade (G, CHI): Thigh. Paul Zipser has been earning the starts, but Denzel Valentine looks like the better own in this case.
Rajon Rondo (G, CHI): Ankle. Jerian Grant, Denzel Valentine and Cameron Payne all get an uptick in minutes.
Danilo Gallinari (F, DEN): Illness. Will Barton and Wilson Chandler should absorb most of the perimeter minutes and touches while Gallo is out.
Nikola Jokic (F/C, DEN): Illness. Mason Plumlee will continue to produce as the starter with Jokic dealin with an illness.
Ryan Anderson (F/C, HOU): Back. Mike D’Antoni will likely go small with Eric Gordon sliding into the starting unit.
Anthony Davis (F/C, NOP): Left wrist. Dante Cunningham likely steps into a starting role, but remains a low-usage guy.
Nikola Vucevic (C, ORL): Achilles. Bismack Biyombo is the biggest beneficiary here and needs to be owned as Vuc could be out longer than expected.
Out Short Term
DeMarre Carroll (F, TOR): Ankle. Norm Powell should have a good stretch, while P.J. Tucker will get extended run as well.
Jahlil Okafor (C, PHI): Sore right knee. Richaun Holmes needs to be owned in almost all formats while Okafor is out.
Michael Beasley (F, MIL): Knee. Terrence Jones is expected to step in at some point, but until he actually sees minutes, Jason Kidd will go with a smaller lineup of Brogdon, Snell, Maker, Middleton and Giannis.
J.J. Barea (G, DAL): Left calf strain. Seth Curry and Yogi Ferrell will benefit from the extra guard minutes. Barea is aiming for Friday to return.
J.R. Smith (G/F, CLE): Thumb. Iman Shumpert has taken over starting duties and should be considered in deep leagues. Kyle Korver gets a bump as well. Smith should be close to returning to the court.
Kyle Korver (G/F, CLE): Left foot soreness. Iman Shumpert should get an extended look from the perimeter.
Frank Kaminsky (F/C, CHA): Shoulder. Cody Zeller will be heavily leaned upon with Marvin Williams also having to share the big man minutes. Kaminsky is expected to return in about a week.
Michael Beasley (F, MIL): Hyperextended left knee. Khris Middleton will be leaned on more heavily with the rotation a little thin in Milwaukee.
Kenneth Faried (F, DEN): Back. Wilson Chandler will continue his strong play in a starting role with Faried sidelined until the middle of March.
No Timetable to Return
Josh McRoberts (F/C, MIA): Left foot. Luke Babbitt slides into the starting spot, but James Johnson has been the better fantasy producer even off the bench. McBob remains out indefinitely.
Quincy Pondexter (G/F, NOP): Knee Surgery. E’Twaun Moore, Tim Frazier and Solomon Hill have received starts, while Langston Galloway has carved out deep league value.
Jodie Meeks (G, ORL): Thumb surgery. A combination of D.J. Augustin and C.J. Watson should get more run.
Out Multiple Weeks
Joakim Noah (F/C, NYK): Left knee surgery. Willy Hernangomez and Kyle O’Quinn (in that order) are worth a look.
Kevin Durant (F, GSW): MCL sprain, tibial bone bruise. Andre Iguodala will probably eat up most of the perimeter minutes off the bench. Patrick McCaw and Matt Barnes will also see an increased role with KD out.
Kevin Love (F/C, CLE): Knee. Channing Frye and Richard Jefferson are swapping starts between each other as coach Tyronn Lue will go based on matchup. Love probably won’t see to many games in March.
Dragan Bender (F, PHX): Ankle. Marqueese Chriss’ rest of season outlook gets a slight boost, but no significant increases elsewhere.
Evan Turner (G/F, POR): Right hand. A combination of Allen Crabbe, Maurice Harkless and Al-Farouq Aminu should benefit. He’s expected back around the middle of March.
Omri Casspi (F, SAC): Right calf. Matt Barnes and Anthony Tolliver should see a few extra minutes each.
Likely Out for the Season
Andrew Bogut (C, CLE): Fractured left tibia. He played less than a minute for his new squad, so everything should remain unchanged in Cleveland.
Kyle Lowry (G, TOR): Wrist surgery. Cory Joseph will log most of the minutes at the one with Delon Wright and Fred VanVleet backing him up.
Joel Embiid (C, PHI): Knee. Jahlil Okafor will draw the starts, but Richaun Holmes is the more alluring fantasy option here.
Ben Simmons (F, PHI): Foot. T.J. McConnell will gladly take all the ballhandling duties with Sergio Rodriguez acting as the primary backup.
Jabari Parker (F, MIL): Torn left ACL. It could be a mix of Mirza Teletovic and Michael Beasley stepping up now that Parker will be out for 12 months.
Zach LaVine (G, MIN): Torn ACL. Kris Dunn and Tyus Jones get an increased role in the lineup well.
Rudy Gay (F, SAC): Ruptured left Achilles. Garrett Temple is the most reliable option on the perimeter, but Matt Barnes could also so an increase in minutes.
Justise Winslow (F, MIA): Right Shoulder. James Johnson becomes essential to the Heat frontcourt, while Rodney McGruder and Wayne Ellington should see increased run.
Brandan Wright (P/C, MEM): Ankle surgery. Wright has struggled with injuries his entire career and hasn’t played this season yet.
Jerryd Bayless (G, PHI): Wrist surgery. T.J. McConnell has taken over the point guard duties in Philly.
Chris Bosh (F/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.
