Fantasy Basketball Injury Updates for Week 23 - Jerami Grant, Robert Williams, LeBron James, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Paul George

March 29, 2022

Keith Cork's NBA injuries report for fantasy basketball in Week 23. He recommends NBA injury replacements to set optimal lineups for seasonal and DFS formats.

Not much season left, so any semi-serious injuries that happen are sure to last through the end of the season and make those guys easy drops. We are in the home stretch, so maximize your value now! I'll be getting this out early on Monday, so keep your eye on any news dropping after this has been published.

I'll just cover what has changed since last week. These players are listed in the alphabetical order of the teams for which they play.

Short-Term Injuries for Fantasy Basketball

Danilo Gallinari, SF/PF, Atlanta Hawks - Elbow

Danilo Gallinari injured his elbow in Friday's game and played through it, but he's in danger of missing this one. If he does, Onyeka Okongwu makes for a decent stream as he could be in line for more minutes. De'Andre Hunter and Kevin Huerter could get a bump too and are certainly rosterable if Bogdan Bogdanovic remains on the sidelines. Okongwu is a great add for teams in need of blocks and percentages.

Al Horford, PF/C, Boston Celtics - Personal

Al Horford being out couldn't come at a worse time for the Boston Celtics as Robert Williams just went down with an injury that will likely sideline him for the rest of the season. Scroll down to the long-term injuries to see my take there. Grant Williams is instantly a fantastic add, and Daniel Theis could get some additional run for deeper leagues. Go get Williams right now.

Jerami Grant, SF/PF, Detroit Pistons - Calf

Jerami Grant had to leave Friday's game with a calf strain and the Pistons are likely to handle him with kid gloves since they're looking to improve their draft position. Marvin Bagley shouldn't be sitting on anyone's wire, and Kelly Olynyk might get some additional run. Cade Cunningham probably gets the biggest bump here though, with Bagley being the waiver wire add.

Christian Wood, PF/C, Houston Rockets - Hamstring

Christian Wood is being listed as questionable for Monday's game due to a sore hamstring. The Rockets aren't looking to win games right now, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Wood sit. If he does, Alperen Sengun is the guy who is most likely to go off.

Goga Bitadze, C, Indiana Pacers - Foot

The Pacers' frontcourt rotation continues to be a headache, but one guy you can rely on is Jalen Smith. He is still available in over half of all leagues, which is a bit surprising. Go add him and hope that Goga doesn't suit up so he gets a bit of a boost. Isaiah Jackson is still having headaches.

Malcolm Brogdon, PG/SG, Indiana Pacers - Tanking

Malcolm Brogdon continues to sit random games, which has to be frustrating for fantasy managers. The Pacers are playing for ping pong balls, so he's hard to trust the rest of the way and if you're fighting for your life in the playoffs he's probably a drop. Chris Duarte is also out right now, but it's not clear who is actually going to suit up for the Pacers. Duane Washington Jr. would be a nice add but he's also questionable.

LeBron James, PG/SG/SF, Los Angeles Lakers - Ankle

LeBron James sprained his ankle badly in the last Lakers game, and the Lakers are looking at a lost season most likely so he could get some more "rest days" down the stretch here. If you have Lebron, you need to hold for now and hope he suits up in search of records again. He's doubtful for Tuesday's game though, so Stanley Johnson, Carmelo Anthony, and Malik Monk will get more touches and minutes.

Jaren Jackson Jr., PF/C, Memphis Grizzlies - Thigh

It's just a sore thigh, but Brandon Clarke might also be out, so if JJJ can't go then Kyle Anderson would be a nice short-term add. He's not likely to miss more than a game. Brandon Clarke is questionable, so if he can play then Kyle is not as great of an add.

Jrue Holiday, PG/SG, Milwaukee Bucks - Ankle

Jrue Holiday is just dealing with some ankle soreness, but he might miss Tuesday's game. If he does, Grayson Allen gets a nice bump, especially for teams in need of three-pointers. George Hill and Jevon Carter might also be worth a one-game stream, but only if you're desperate for assists and points. Neither guy is that appealing.

Malik Beasley, PG/SG, Minnesota Timberwolves - Ankle

Malik Beasley had to miss Sunday's game and Jaylen Nowell seemed to be the biggest beneficiary. Jordan McLaughlin also gets a bump, but neither guy does enough to warrant an add in a vast majority of leagues.

Quentin Grimes, SG, New York Knicks - Knee

Quentin Grimes might miss more time, but mainly I'm putting this here to tell you to go get Immanuel Quickley. I can't believe he's still available in nearly half of all leagues. He should be rostered.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, PG/SG, Oklahoma City Thunder - Ankle

There's a distinct possibility that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander misses the rest of the season. The only Thunder players you can count on at this point are Tre Mann and Aleksej Pokusevski. And even they are hard to trust. The other guys you can take a swing on are Isaiah Roby and Theo Maledon. It's a full-on silly season in OKC.

Josh Hart, SG/SF, Portland Trail Blazers - Knee

Josh Hart has been "the man" in Portland with the team tanking, but he's set to miss about a week here. Elijah Hughes, Keon Johnson, and Ben McLemore are the last guys left standing in Portland, but it's really hard to say you can trust any of them with a straight face. Keon Johnson is the most intriguing of those guys and someone the Blazers will be looking to develop for the future.

De'Aaron Fox, PG, Sacramento Kings - Hand

De'Aaron Fox was listed as doubtful for Monday's game before being ruled out, so there's still some hope he can come back this season, it would seem. If he does come back, Donte DiVincenzo and Davion Mitchell will take a hit. If he stays out, these guys are worth a roster spot with Davion Mitchell being the better add.

Rudy Gobert, C, Utah Jazz - Leg

Rudy Gobert is having issues with a leg contusion, and it just so happens that Hassan Whiteside is out too. The Jazz don't play until Tuesday and only have a three-game week, but if both of those guys miss again it seems that Eric Paschall and Rudy Gay will split the minutes at center. Neither guy is all that appealing unless you're desperate though.

Long Term Injuries for Fantasy Basketball

Robert Williams, C, Boston Celtics - Knee

Robert Williams tore his meniscus and that's a real shame for his fantasy owners. He's looking at a multi-week absence, no matter how long his recovery is going to be, so he's an easy drop for fantasy basketball purposes. His absence opens up a runway for Grant Williams for the rest of the season. Grant has played well and will contribute in boards, blocks, and threes.

James Wiseman, C, Golden State Warriors - Knee

James Wiseman was officially ruled out for the season, which is more important in real life than in fantasy. Kevon Looney should continue to hold down the starting center spot.

Myles Turner, PF/C, Indiana Pacers - Foot

The Pacers have officially shut down Myles Turner, so Goga Bitadze, Jalen Smith, Oshae Brissett, and Isaiah Jackson continue to have some streaming appeal. I Jax has the greatest upside but hasn't been able to stay on the floor. Goga would be next but has the same problem. Oshae and Jalen have been reliable, and I'd put Jalen Smith first.

Paul George, SF/PF, Los Angeles Clippers - Elbow

Paul George is hitting benchmarks to return this season, which is a welcome sight for Clippers fans. He has played in a 5-on-5 practice right now but remains without a firm timetable. In standard head-to-head leagues, you might be wasting a move if you go snag him now. I'd wait for one more update to make sure he's coming back for sure, but he's trending towards playing in the next week or so. Terance Mann and Marcus Morris Sr. are going to lose a lot of value if that happens, so owners of those players should pay attention as well.

Anfernee Simons, PG/SG, Portland Trail Blazers - Knee

It probably comes as no surprise that Anfernee Simons has been shut down for the season. Brandon Williams makes for a low-end stream for the remainder of the season.

Jusuf Nurkic, C, Portland Trail Blazers - Foot

Jusuf Nurkic was ruled out for the rest of the season, which isn't a surprise. Drew Eubanks will be safe for the remainder of the season.

Domantas Sabonis, PF/C, Sacramento Kings - Knee

Domantas Sabonis suffered a nasty injury on his knee and will be out at least through April 2nd. That's rough for Sabonis owners, and you likely have to cut him to survive the playoffs. There are no guarantees he plays another game this season. Trey Lyles seems like the most direct guy to benefit from Domantas's absence, but you can also take a look at Chimezie Metu and Damian Jones too since Richaun Holmes is out with a personal issue. I'd add them in the order that they are listed, though the Kings only have two games this week so it's hard to justify adding any of them.

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