RADIO
RotoBaller has assembled NBA injury updates and advice on various injury situations throughout the NBA to prepare for your daily lineups on February 10, 2016. Understanding the injury landscape, and who plans to benefit instead, is critical for setting your fantasy basketball lineups daily.
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 setting your daily lineups for both DFS formats and seasonal leagues. Consider this your one-stop overview of fantasy-relevant injuries in the NBA.
NBA Daily Lineup Injury News and Updates for 2/10/16
Returning From Injury
Tim Duncan (PF/C, SA): Duncan has missed nine straight games with a knee injury but finally looks like he will return to the court on Wednesday. It's unclear how many minutes he will play, but Boris Diaw and David West's minutes will definitely take a hit.
Questionable To Play
Carmelo Anthony (SF/PF, NY): Melo has been dealing with knee soreness, which he expects to continue for the foreseeable future. He'll likely miss games periodically for the rest of the season whenever the problem flares up. Arron Afflalo and Kristaps Porzingis would see a lot more scoring opportunities in games Carmelo sits out, with Langston Galloway and Lance Thomas seeing a boost in minutes.
Kobe Bryant (SG, LAL): Kobe is considered questionable for tonight's game against Cleveland. If he is limited, D'Angelo Russell and Nick Young would see a boost in playing time, with Lou Williams and Jordan Clarkson taking more shots.
Tobias Harris (SF/PF, ORL): Harris did not participate in shootaround on Wednesday, but it still looks like there is a chance he will play. His sore left ankle has kept him out of action for the past two games, but he will test it out during warmups. If he can't go, "Never Google" (Evan Fournier) will continue to start, with the whole starting lineup seeing extra minutes.
Roy Hibbert (C, LAL): Hibbert sprained his ankle on Saturday against San Antonio, and missed Monday's game against Pacers. He is considered probable tonight against Cleveland, but if he is ruled out again, Brandon Bass and Tarik Black would see the biggest boosts in minutes, with Julius Randle getting free reign on the boards.
Tony Parker (PG, SA): Much like the Patriots in football, the Spurs are tough to figure out when it comes to injuries. Parker is dealing with an ankle tweak and should be a game-time decision. Given the fact that the All Star Break is coming up, I wouldn't be surprised if Parker sits. This would mean more minutes for guys like Patty Mills.
Derrick Rose (PG, CHI): The oft-injured guard looks like he will be back for Chicago on Wednesday night. The Bulls are dealing with a few injuries and will likely lean on Rose for an offensive spark in order to take some positive momentum into the All Star Break.
Out Short Term
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (SG, DET): The Pistons guard has a strained groin. He will reportedly be back shortly after the All-Star Break. Rookie Stanley Johnson is starting in his place.
Matthew Dellavedova (PG, CLE): Delly has a strained left hamstring and is not expected back until after the All-Star Break. Mo Williams will be seeing more minutes in his absence.
Kevin Garnett (PF/C, MIN): Garnett has been dealing with a sore knee, and is out for tonight's game against Toronto. Young stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Gorgui Dieng have been seeing massive minutes in his absence.
Ersan Ilyasova (SF/PF, DET): Despite being recovered from his groin injury, Ilyasova is looking doubtful for Wednesday night's game with an illness. Anthony Tolliver could be in for some big minutes as a result.
Terrence Jones (SF/PF, HOU): Jones was diagnosed with a concussion after being involved in a car crash. He is considered doubtful for the Rockets remaining games before the All-Star Break. Corey Brewer has been playing a big role in his absence, while Josh Smith and Marcus Thornton could see more time off the bench.
No Timetable to Return
John Henson (PF/C, MIL): Henson has been out since the 26th with a bad back. Miles Plumlee and Greg Monroe have picked up the slack in his absence.
Brandon Knight (PG/SG, PHO): Knight has been out since January 19th with a groin injury and still has no timetable to return. The hopeless Suns may shut him down and tank for a higher draft pick. Archie Goodwin and Devin Booker will shoulder the load until Knight is ready to go.
Jameer Nelson (PG, DEN): Nelson has been out for several weeks with a sprained wrist. While the swelling is down, he's still considered doubtful for tonight with no clear indication of when he'll return. Emmanuel Mudiay will continue to see significant minutes, with Randy Foye seeing added action from the bench.
Rodney Stuckey (PG/SG, IND): Stuckey is recovering from an ankle sprain and won't return until at least the All-Star break. Monta Ellis and George Hill will handle most of the backcourt duties in the meantime.
On the Mend
Alec Burks (PG/SG, UTA): Burks has shed his walking boot, and could return shortly after the All-Star Break. His return could cut into the minutes of Trey Burke, Rodney Hood, and Raul Neto.
Al Jefferson (PF/C, CHA): Jefferson underwent knee surgery for a torn meniscus at the end of December and was given a timetable to return of six weeks. He was cleared for non-contact and conditioning drills last week, and the team is targeting a return after the All-Star Break. Cody Zeller, Frank Kaminsky, and Spencer Hawes will continue to pick up the slack for the big man.
Nikola Mirotic (SF/PF, CHI): Mirotic has had his stitches removed from his surgery, but remains in a lot of pain and will likely miss another week or two. Bobby Portis will continue to pick up more minutes off the bench behind starters Pau Gasol and Taj Gibson.
Donatas Motiejunas (SF/PF, HOU): Montiejunas has been out since the new year with a back ailment, and looks like he will be eased back into action slowly. He can be a solid role player for the Rockets once he gets back to game speed.
Brandan Wright (PF/C, MEM): Wright is recovering well from his knee surgery and looks like he will be back after the All Star Break. He could be in for some heavy lifting since Marc Gasol is out indefinitely with a broken foot.
Out Long Term
Jimmy Butler (SG/SF, CHI): Butler is suffering from a balky knee which will keep him out until early March. E'Twaun Moore has been starting at the 2 for Chicago and is being given a ton of usage in big minutes. Derrick Rose has also seen a bump in usage, while the likes of Doug McDermott, Mike Dunleavy, and Tony Snell will see some added minutes on the wing.
DeMarre Carroll (PF, TOR): Carroll had knee surgery in December, and is reportedly ahead of schedule with his recovery. There's a long-shot chance he comes back for the end of the year, so if you have an unused IR spot, stashing him there is better than nothing. In the mean time, Terrence Ross and Patrick Patterson will continue to see a boost production from Carroll's absence. The Raptors are likely looking for trade help on the wing, especially now that James Johnson is also out with a bad ankle sprain.
Tyreke Evans (PG/SG, NO): Evans will reportedly have surgery on his knee and miss the remainder of the season. Norris Cole remain starter for the rest of the year, with Jrue Holiday and Bryce Dejean-Jones continuing to play big roles.
Marc Gasol (C, MEM): Marc Gasol reportedly has a broken foot, and is out indefinitely. In his absence, the Grizzlies will likely make Zach Randolph their defacto center, with Jeff Green getting a lot of run at the 4. When they decide to run bigger lineups, JaMychal Green and (when he returns from his own injury), Brandan Wright would see more time.
Manu Ginobili (SG/SF, SA): Cringe warning: the Argentine had to have testicular surgery after taking a knee to the crotch from Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson. He'll be out until at least early March. Danny Green might find his way back to last season's fantasy value if he ends up taking on a bunch of Ginobili's minutes. Jonathan Simmons and Patty Mills could also see more run off the bench.
Eric Gordon (SG, NO): The shooting guard for the Pelicans underwent successful surgery on his finger and will be out until late February or early March. In the meantime, Bryce Dejean-Jones will remain starter at SG, with PGs Norris Cole and Jrue Holiday continuing to see increased minutes and usage.
Blake Griffin (PF/C, LAC): Griffin, who had been hoping to return soon from a quadriceps injury, broke his hand in a fight with a team employee in a Toronto restaurant. He will likely be out with the injury until sometime in March, after which he'll face a four game suspension for the fight. The Clippers have been managing without Griffin and Chris Paul, J.J. Redick, and DeAndre Jordan have stepped up in his absence, and they should continue to have increased value without him.
Austin Rivers (PG/SG, LAC): The son of Coach Doc Rivers is out for the next four-to-six weeks with a broken hand. As a result, Lance Stephenson and Jamal Crawford will see more minutes off the Clippers' bench.
T.J. Warren (SF, PHO): Warren suffered a fractured foot, and will miss the remainder of the season. P.J. Tucker and Markieff Morris will continue to see massive minutes at forward until one or both of them gets traded, with Mirza Teletovic and Sonny Weems lurking on the bench.
