Fantasy Basketball Injury Updates for Week 14 - Tyrese Haliburton, Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell

Welcome back RotoBallers! I'm here to help you stay up to date on injury news, and how it impacts your teams in case you had a busy weekend and couldn't keep track of everything. How is it week 14 already?

I'm doing this midday on Monday for release Tuesday morning, so any news that drops on Monday night won't be covered. I'll just cover what has changed since last week.

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Short-Term Injuries for Fantasy Basketball

Tyrese Haliburton, PG, Indiana Pacers - Knee, Elbow

Haliburton got a 2-for-1 injury in the Pacers' loss to the Knicks last Wednesday, and subsequently, the team announced he'll be shelved for two weeks and then be re-evaluated. TJ McConnell has earned himself huge streaming appeal after the first 3 games without Haliburton.

Chris Paul, PG, Phoenix Suns - Hip

Paul has been out since last Tuesday, but that coincided with a Suns' road trip, so it made sense for him to not make the trip with the team. The Suns don't play again until Thursday, and it is possible he could be good to go by then. However; if he's not, this could quickly evolve into an extended absence for CP3. It's something I definitely want to keep my eye on this week.

Rudy Gobert, C, Minnesota Timberwolves - Groin

The extent of Gobert's injury isn't quite fully known yet, as he suffered it during the day slate on Monday. He seemingly re-aggravated a groin injury after only 5 minutes, so I can only imagine the T-Wolves won't be extra careful in bringing him back this time. Naz Reid would make for an excellent streaming option while Gobert is out.

Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers - Groin

Another former Jazz player, Mitchell's current situation is pretty much exactly the same as Gobert's, minus the re-aggravation. Mitchell left early in Monday's win vs the Pelicans in what was reported as a "strain". If that is the correct diagnosis, then I would expect Mitchell to miss a couple of games at least. If you're looking for a high-upside gamble, grab Caris LeVert now in hopes that Mitchell misses at least the week.

Kyle Lowry - PG, Miami Heat - Knee

Lowry suffered this injury last Sunday, and the Heat hadn't released any further info in time for last week's article. A week has passed and Lowry has missed 4 games and is being treated as a game-to-game absence with no clear return date yet. The Heat have had wave after wave of minor backcourt injuries this season, so see who's available in your league. I would probably prioritize Gabe Vincent if you're looking for the closest direct replacement for Lowry.

Lonnie Walker IV, SG/SF - Knee & SG/SF Austin Reaves - Hamstring, Los Angeles Lakers

Both of these Lakers' wings are slated to be sidelined for two weeks with their respective injuries. The Lakers are INCREDIBLY thin on the perimeter right now with these two hurt, as well as Troy Brown Jr. I know this might sound crazy, but I think Dennis Schroder is the #1 streaming option for the whole week.

Week 2: Reaves and Walker remain out, while Brown has returned. He's a thinner option than Schroder, but you could do worse.

Bradley Beal, PG/SG, Washington Wizards, - Hamstring

Beal exited last Tuesday's game against the Sixers early in the fourth quarter and hasn't returned since. The Wizards have treated him as day-to-day, but he's remained out in all capacities since, and it doesn't appear anything else is going on besides Beal trying to rest and shake it off. With no firm timetable, I would expect him to miss at least a couple more games.

Week 2: The Wizards have already confirmed Beal will be out until at least Friday vs the Knicks. If he sits out that game, the Wizards' next game doesn't come until next Monday.

Week 3: The Wizards continue to treat this as a game-by-game absence, but there are no clues as to when Beal will return. Beal has only appeared in six games since December 4.

Long-Term Injuries for Fantasy Basketball

Kevin Durant, SF/PF, Brooklyn Nets - Knee

Durant suffered an MCL sprain, and while the Nets announced he'll be re-evaluated after two weeks, these injuries typically take around a month for a player to return. I expect that to be around Durant's timeline. He'll be back before the All-Star break (Feb 16-21), but I wouldn't expect to see him before February.

Zion Williamson, PF/C, New Orleans Pelicans -  Hamstring

Zion tweaked his hammy last Monday night in Philly, and the Pelicans initially ruled him out for 3 weeks. We're 1/3 of the way through their initial diagnosis but given the organization's track record with their former #1 overall pick, I'd much prefer to err on the side of a longer absence.

Khris Middleton, SF/PF, Milwaukee Bucks - Knee

I'm officially moving Middleton to long-term after another week of him missing games with no further updates. Middleton has been extremely frustrating to deal with this year if you roster him in fantasy basketball, and as of now, there's no clear light at the end of the tunnel. In Middleton's absence, Grayson Allen and Pat Connaughton both remain viable streaming options.

Marvin Bagley, PF/C, Detroit Pistons - Hand

Bagley underwent hand surgery last Thursday, after suffering two broken fingers, and is going to miss 6-8 weeks. I'm going to assume Jalen Duren is no longer available in your league, so if you need to dig deep, look at Nerlens Noel.

Devin Booker, PG/SG, Phoenix Suns - Groin

Booker played only four minutes on Christmas and then exited with a presumably re-aggravated groin injury. No update is being provided until Tuesday, so I don't have definitive answers this week. I know the Suns' backcourt is depleted right now, and Damion Lee is in a potential short-term explosion spot. I also think Torrey Craig is a decent option again as well.

Update 12/28: Booker was ruled out for 4 weeks, so he's officially been placed in the long-term section. Both guys that I listed in my initial write-up profile as fine streamer options during Booker's absence (but I may have gassed up Damion Lee a bit).

Devin Vassel, SG, San Antonio Spurs - Knee

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said that Vassel won't return until "a little after the All-Star break" after the rookie standout got hurt and is expected to have surgery done this Wednesday. The Spurs are obviously not looking to compete for anything (besides the Victor Wenbenyama sweepstakes) this year, so hopefully, this isn't the beginning of the end for the standout rookie guard. Josh Richardson looks to be a great replacement option for Vassel from a fantasy perspective.

Anthony Davis, PF/C, Los Angeles Lakers  - Foot

Davis is out a minimum of one month due to the injury, but what makes this even tougher to swallow for Davis owners is that Shams has reported the Lakers have braced for "an indefinite absence." Not exactly what you want to hear when it comes to a guy with extensive injury history in Davis. If your league is any sort of competitive, Thomas Bryant has already been scooped off waivers. If you need to dig deep, Dennis Schroder is worth a look based on volume (albeit not exactly a clean fit).

Update 1/16: Davis is expected to start running on the court again this week, with a target return of early February before the All-Star break.

Karl-Anthony Towns, PF/C, Minnesota Timberwolves - Calf

KAT strained his calf last Monday night, and his timetable for return is 4-6 weeks. Based on usage since the injury, it looks like the Wolves starters will just take on more of the load. If you're looking for streaming options, both Jaden McDaniels and Kyle Anderson are worth evaluating.

Update 1/7: Towns is apparently still considered "weeks" away from a return. At this rate, I would expect that to mean he won't see the floor until February.

Kelly Oubre Jr, SF/PF, Charlotte Hornets - Hand

Oubre is going to miss 4-6 weeks after getting surgery on his left hand. Jalen McDaniels was called upon to take Gordon Hayward's minutes when he was injured, and I would expect he and Hayward will fill the void left by Oubre (although Hayward is injured at the time of writing this 1/9/23).

Cameron Johnson, SF/PF, Phoenix Suns - Knee

Johnson tore his right meniscus in last Friday's game against the Trail Blazers. Johnson is getting surgery done this week, and recovery time is typically four weeks minimum. I wouldn't expect to see Johnson until about mid-December.

Update 1/16: Johnson practiced on Sunday, but didn't play Monday. He's expected to return "soon", so I'm going to assume he plays before next Monday with the Suns being 2-12 in their last 14.

Aleksej Pokusevski, SF/PF/C, Oklahoma City Thunder - Leg

Pokusevski suffered some sort of tibia fracture in his left leg, which is expected to sideline him for at least 6-8 weeks. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault, said that he doesn't think the injury is "long-long term", and expects Pokusevski to return before the end of the year. But...we know the Thunder, currently 12th in the West, love a good tank, so take that with a grain of salt.

Lonzo Ball, PG/SG, Chicago Bulls - Knee

Until Ball returns (which doesn't seem like it will be in 2022), Ayo Dosunmu is the starting PG for the Bulls. Dosunmu is off to a hot start, and he's definitely worth looking to acquire if you can find a good deal.

Update 1/16: Ball himself acknowledged that he's still dealing with discomfort in his knee and it's possible he doesn't play this year. I would expect him to not see the floor this year, as the Bulls appear to be sellers heading toward the trade deadline.

The Tank Corner 

Closed until later in the season, we'll get here when teams start trotting out G-Leaguers none of us have ever heard of.

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