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Max Kulish's NBA injuries report for fantasy basketball in Week 2. He recommends NBA injury replacements to set optimal lineups for seasonal and DFS formats.
Welcome back to another season, RotoBallers! It might be early days, but there are still impactful injuries all across the fantasy basketball landscape. I'm here to help you stay up to date on injury news, and how it impacts your teams.
I'm writing this on Monday for release Tuesday morning, so any news that drops late Monday night won't be covered. I'll just cover what has changed since last week.
Drop me a follow on Twitter (@Maxadelphia) for all things fantasy basketball and nightly NBA plays.
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Short-Term Injuries for Fantasy Basketball
Devin Booker, PG/SG, Phoenix Suns - Foot
Booker has already been ruled out for Tuesday's game against the Spurs, and with 3 more games this week the Suns are shaping up as a prime streaming destination for this week, thanks to not only Booker but also....
Bradley Beal, PG/SG, Phoenix Suns - Concussion
Still yet to make his Suns debut, Beal's tenure in Phoenix is off to a less-than-ideal start. If Jordan Goodwin is still available in your league, he's an A+ streaming option while these two remain out, and will still hold a little value until they both return.
De'Aaron Fox, PG, Sacramento Kings - Ankle
Fox suffered a "moderate" ankle sprain during the Kings' OT victory against the Lakers on Sunday. There's been no official timeline announced by the team, but I'm hoping that no news is good news. Be warned though, ankle sprains are tricky to get a firm timeline on, and I wouldn't be surprised if this turns into a multi-week absence.
Darius Garland, PG/SG, Cleveland Cavaliers - Hamstring
Garland picked up a hamstring injury in the Cavs' opener against the Nets last Wednesday, and he's been sidelined since then as a result. Donovan Mitchell has also been dealing with a minor hamstring injury of his own, which caused him to miss Saturday's game against the Pacers, and he's currently listed as Questionable for Tuesday's game against the Knicks. The Cavs have some big names down injured early, so there are some streaming options available, even if none of them are particularly sexy.
Jarrett Allen, C, Cleveland Cavaliers - Ankle
Another big (no pun intended) injury the Cavs are dealing with is their starting Center. Allen has yet to play a game this season, but he did finally practice on Monday. There's a chance that by the time you're reading this, he's been cleared to return, but in case he continues to miss time it's worth noting the Cavs did not play another Center in their last game and opted to go for a lineup that featured 3 forwards and 2 guards.
Jarred Vanderbilt, SF/PF, Los Angeles Lakers - Ankle
Vanderbilt has been sidelined to start the year, and the Lakers announced his next medical update won't come for two more weeks. I'd lean towards him returning at that point, but until then, Taurean Prince has started every game for the Lakers so far.
Nic Claxton, C, Brooklyn Nets - Ankle
Claxton sprained his ankle last Wednesday in the Nets' season opener and has been sidelined since. If you're in a deeper league, with not as many streamer options, you could find worse than Day'Ron Sharpe to fill a spot in your lineup.
Long-Term Injuries for Fantasy Basketball
Anfernee Simons, PG/SG, Portland Trailblazers
Simons tore his right UCL ligament only 27 minutes into the season. His diagnosis is a 4-6 week recovery period, which means the Blazers' young backcourt will only get younger.
Steven Adams, C, Memphis Grizzlies - Knee
One of the league's best rebounders, and best personalities, Adams and the Grizzlies announced on 10/22 that his knee injury from last season never properly healed on its own, and he'd be missing the season to get surgery and recover. This news came on the same day the team announced Brandon Clarke was still without a timetable for his return as well. The Grizzlies are getting thin fast in the frontcourt, and are in a situation to monitor with no other proven bigs besides Jaren Jackson.
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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