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Welcome back, RotoBallers! Most fantasy seasons are done, but we wanted to keep this weekly article going for all the dynasty players, and for anyone else looking for a weekly roundup. We head into the final full week of the regular season with so much still up for grabs in both conferences. From here on out short-term means that the player will be back before the playoffs starting, and long-term means confrimed missing playoff time or beyond. So, as always 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.
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
Nikola Jokic, C, Denver Nuggets - Calf
The reigning MVP has currently missed three games straight with a calf issue, and he's listed as questionable for tonight's game in Houston. With the Nuggets only needing one more win to clinch the top spot in the West, and having a great chance to do so tonight, I expect Jokic will get some much-needed rest before the playoffs start
Julius Randle, PF/C, New York Knicks - Ankle
Randle sprained his ankle last Wednesday in a win over the Heat, and it was reported the next day he'd be reevaluated in two weeks. With the Knicks a guarantee to avoid the play-in games, I can't imagine Randle won't be good to go for Game 1 of the first round.
Jaylen Brown, SG/SF, Boston Celtics - Back
After being in a slump the last few games, Brown now finds himself listed as Questionable for tonight's game against the Sixers. This very well could be not a big deal at all, but if he's already dealing with back pain, that's not a good sign heading into the playoffs. Back injuries are known to linger, and it could make sense for Brown to just rest before the Celtics start their journey to make it back to the Finals.
Damian Lillard, PG, Portland Trailblazers - Calf
Lillard has been shut down with Portland eliminated from all postseason contention.
Bradley Beal, SG, Washington Wizards - Knee
Beal suffered a knee injury one week ago today, which lead the Wizards to have the hottest names on the waiver wire during fantasy championship week. The Wizards don't play again until Friday, so it's definitely possible Beal is back by then. But if he isn't, the Wizards may start to think shutdown for their big-money man in a lost season.
Week 2: Beal has still not returned, and it seems all but official that his season is done.
Kyle Kuzma, SF/PF, Washington Wizards - Ankle
Kuzma reportedly suffered a mild ankle sprain during Saturday's loss to the Kings, and ankle injuries are notorious for lingering. This is the last week of the fantasy regular season, so we're looking for every short-term edge we can find. If Kuzma does miss time, I'd take my chances with Corey Kispert as a direct replacement option.
Week 3: Kuzma has still not returned to action, and I think it's fair to assume we've seen the last of him this year as the Wizards have been eliminated.
Long-Term Injuries for Fantasy Basketball
Naz Reid, PF/C, Minnesota Timberwolves - Wrist
Reid has had the best year of his career for the Wolves, largely in part to his impact during the 50+ games Karl Anthony-Towns missed. Reid suffered a fracture to his left wrist, and his recovery time is listed at 6-8 weeks. This means that unless the Wolves go on a deep run, Reid is done for the year.
Paul George, SF/PF, LA Clippers - Knee
Clippers fans saw their season flash before their eyes when George went down with a scary-looking knee injury last Tuesday night in OKC. Thankfully, it was only deemed a sprain, and it looks like George should be able to return before the end of the first round of the playoffs, should the Clippers maintain their current #6 seed and not have to worry about the play-in games.
Colin Sexton, PG/SG, Utah Jazz - Hamstring
The Jazz announced Monday (2/27) that Sexton will be re-evaluated in another week. He was missing time pre-ASB and has continued to sit. I guess I'm technically cheating by putting him in short-term considering he's already missed multiple weeks, but from this moment his injury is short-term, so cut me some slack, okay?
Update 3/26: The Jazz are STILL ruling out Sexton on a game-by-game basis, which is equal parts absurd and hilarious. I guess they want to bring him back at some point since they're still in the thick of things for a play-in spot, but who knows if/when that will happen.
The Tank Corner
The Tank Corner makes its debut, FINALLY!
Unfortunately, it's an underwhelming debut, as we don't even have full shutdowns of players yet. At this point in time, it certainly seems that the San Antonio Spurs are going to cross the finish line first. They might not have the worst record, but when you're pulling starters and going 11 men deep against fellow tankers in the Houston Rockets, it's not exactly hard to read between the lines. No doubt, Gregg Popovich knows what he's doing. The Spurs have lacked a true star since Kawhi Leonard left for Toronto, and getting one would give Pop one last run toward another title.
The next addition to the Tank Corner makes too much sense. The Detroit Pistons currently hold the worst record in the NBA (as of 3/13/23) and look to be the first team to see meaningful contributors go out with injuries that just keep them out through the regular season. After losing franchise cornerstone Cade Cunningham earlier this year, the Pistons have had a season to forget. As of the night of writing this (3/13/23), the Pistons currently have six players who see meaningful minutes listed as out, with two of them recently diagnosed with four-week injuries (Isaiah Stewart and Hamidou Diallo). I expect the Pistons to continue to stink it up in hopes of a top-two pick to pair with Cunningham.
The Portland Trailblazers have had it rough this year, no doubt about it. Among the leaders in the NBA in total games missed by key players, the Blazers season finally ran out of gas when they shut down Damian Lillard. It looks like this could be the end of the road in Portland for Lillard, with the Blazers 0pting to run with their young guns to ride out this forgettable season.
A name that I definitely was not expecting to write in the Tank Corner this year was the Dallas Mavericks. In need of a legitimate miracle over their next three games, it's almost a certainty that the Mavs will not even make the play-in games(!!!!!), imagine writing or reading that when they traded for Kyrie Irving. The Mavs lose their pick to the Knicks if it falls outside the top 10, and there was a report yesterday from Shams that the Mavs are "seriously considering" doing so.
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