RotoBaller has assembled NBA injury updates and advice on various injury situations throughout the NBA to help you prepare both your seasonal and daily fantasy league lineups in the NBA season. 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 One
Playing Through the Pain
Danny Green (SG/SF, SAS): Quad. Green is just returning from a lingering quad issue suffered early in the preseason.
Questionable To Play
Wilson Chandler (SG/SF, DEN): Hamstring. Kenneth Faried gets more PF minutes as Mike Malone deals with multiple injuries on the wing.
Tony Allen (SG/SF, MEM): Groin. Allen was a surprise scratch late on Tuesday. James Ennis started, but Vince Carter was the biggest beneficiary.
Tyson Chandler (C, PHX): Personal. Alex Len is drawing the starts as Chandler deals with a loss in the family.
Tony Parker (PG, SAS): Knee. Patty Mills has stepped up in Old Man Parker’s absence.
Terrence Ross (SG/SF, TOR): Sprained Right Finger. Norman Powell will absorb most of the wing minutes and gets promoted to the primary backup slot.
George Hill (PG/SG, UTA): Thumb. Solid backup, Shelvin Mack will hold down starting duties, while Dante Exum will get some extra minutes.
Bradley Beal (SG, WAS): Hamstring. Kelly Oubre, Tomas Satoransky, and Marcus Thronton could all benefit from the extra SG minutes.
Jonas Valanciunas (C, TOR): Knee. Jakob Poeltl has been starting with Lucas Noguiera handling backup duties; both hold little value in the fantasy world.
Out Short Term
Larry Nance (PF, LAL): Concussion. Julius Randle and Brandon Ingram have gotten extra run in Nance’s absence.
Ricky Rubio (PG, MIN): Elbow Sprain. ROY favorite, Kris Dunn is starting, but Tyus Jones has been quietly productive.
Dirk Nowitzki (PF/C, DAL): Achilles. Harrison Barnes has been a beast and is seeing most of the PF minutes as Rick Carlisle opts to go small.
Boris Diaw (PF/C, UTA): Leg Contusion. Trey Lyles will be the primary backup behind Derrick Favors.
Deron Williams (PG, DAL): Left Calf. JJ Barea has been as solid as a YMCA vet could be filling in for a starter.
Jeremy Lin (PG/SG, BKN): Hamstring. Isaiah Whitehead was getting the starts, but suffered a concussion. Sean Kilpatrick will get as many PG minutes as he desires as Yogi Ferrell is the alternative.
Roy Hibbert (C, CHA): Knee. Cody Zeller and Frank Kaminsky will fill the C spot for the Hornets, but Hibbert will be back sooner rather than later.
Will Barton (SG/SF, DEN): Left Ankle Sprain. Jamal Murray gets primary backup minutes and has looked better since the poor start.
Isaiah Whitehead (PG/SG, BKN): Concussion. Sean Kilpatrick started at PG and Yogi Ferrell got called up in his absence.
Jae Crowder (SF/PF, BOS): Left Ankle Sprain. The Celtics won’t rush him, so we can expect a bit of a delay on his “week or two” return. Jaylen Brown has been mostly ineffective and Brad Stevens has often gone to Marcus Smart.
Al Horford (PF/C, BOS): Concussion. Tyler Zeller, Kelly Olynyk, and Amir Johnson continue to run it by committee.
No Timetable to Return
Jrue Holiday (PG, NOP): Personal leave. Tim Frazier will be the full-time starter as Jrue takes care of his family. Pelicans are “hopeful” for a mid-November return.
Quincy Pondexter (SG/SF, NOP): Knee Surgery. E’Twaun Moore has gotten all the 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.
Al-Farouq Aminu (SF/PF, POR): Calf. Terry Stotts has decided to go small, inserting Allen Crabbe into the lineup with Moe Harkless moving to the four-spot.
Out Multiple Weeks
Jodie Meeks (SG, ORL): Foot Surgery. Mario Hezonja has been getting primary backup minutes.
Mike Scott (PF, ATL): Knee. Has been ruled out for at least four weeks. Mike Muscala will be the first big off the bench and should receive extended minutes.
Michael Carter-Williams (PG, CHI): Wrist Sprain, Bone Bruise. Isaiah Canaan, Denzel Valentine, and Jerian Grant have all seen a few more minutes, but remain irrelevant on the fantasy end.
Devin Harris (PG, DAL): Sprained Right Toe. Target date is Mid-November. JJ Barea is eating up most of the backup minutes with Seth Curry in the background.
Reggie Jackson (PG/SG, DET): Knee tendinitis. Ish Smith gets bumped up to the starting spot and Beno Udrih backs him up. He’s resumed some basketball activities, so there’s finally signs of life.
Ben Simmons (SF/PF, PHI): Foot. Dario Saric is starting for the next couple of months with Ersan Ilyasova getting extra run.
Jerryd Bayless (PG/SG, PHI): Left wrist. Sergio Rodriguez is drawing the starts and TJ McConnell will have some deep league value for assists as well.
Tyreke Evans (PG/SG, NOP): Knee. E’Twaun Moore is getting the starts at SG while Solomon Hill and Dante Cunningham have both started at some point.
Nerlens Noel (PF/C, PHI): Left knee surgery. Embiid and Okafor will eat up all the minutes at Center.
Patrick Beverley (PG/SG, HOU): Left knee surgery. Eric Gordon gets some extra minutes in the backcourt. Aiming for November 21.
Jared Sullinger (PF/C, PHI): Foot surgery. Pascal Siakam will draw the starts with Patrick Patterson getting most of the minutes.
Likely Out for the Season
Khris Middleton (SG/SF, MIL): Torn hamstring. The Bucks push Tony Snell to the starting lineup for his ability to space the floor. Rashad Vaughn and Malcolm Brogdon have also benefitted
Chris Bosh (PF/C, MIA): Blood clot. Luke Babbitt will get the starts for now, but James Johnson and Willie Reed benefit from the extra frontcourt minutes.
Alec Burks (PG/SG, UTA): Left Ankle. Suffered a setback after off-season surgery. Rodney Hood should continue to earn the starts.
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.