Fantasy Basketball Injury Updates for Week 13 - Desmond Bane, Ivica Zubac, Jaime Jacquez Jr.

January 17, 2024

Max Kulish's NBA injuries report for fantasy basketball in Week 13. He recommends NBA injury replacements to set optimal lineups for seasonal and DFS formats.

Welcome back, RotoBallers! I hope everyone had a great holiday season and New Year! I'm here to help you stay up to date on injury news, and how it impacts your teams.

This week we're doing a special Wednesday edition, so the information in this article is up to date as of Tuesday 1/16 at night. I'll just cover what has changed since last week.

Drop me a follow on Twitter/X (@Maxadelphia) for all things fantasy basketball and nightly NBA plays.

Short-Term Injuries for Fantasy Basketball

Ivica Zubac, C, LA Clippers - Calf

The Clippers announced on 1/16 that Zubac is expected to miss about four weeks with a right calf strain. The Clippers will likely look for more production from their stars, but someone will need to fill Zubac's role as the big man. Both Daniel Theis and Mason Plumlee should get extra opportunities, but I'd lean Theis when picking one or the other.

Jaime Jacquez Jr., SG/SF, Miami Heat - Groin

Jacquez missed Monday's game and was preemptively ruled out for Wednesday's game in Toronto. The official word from the team at this point was that he would definitively be missing these games, but nothing further. As we just saw with how the team handled Jimmy Butler, he may just keep being ruled out game-by-game until he's ready to return. With the Heat playing two more games this week, it's worth looking into Caleb Martin or Josh Richardson as streaming options.

Tyrese Haliburton, PG, Indiana Pacers - Hamstring

Pacers fans saw their season flash before their eyes on Monday night when Haliburton slipped on a wet spot and did a split. Initial reports came out that it was only a strain, and that he'll receive an MRI today (1/9), but after getting carried off the court by teammates, I can't imagine he'll be back for their next game on Wednesday.

Week 2: Haliburton won't be reevaluated until next week, but in the last two Pacers games they've seen Benedict Mathurin, Bruce Brown, and Aaron Nesmith all pick up injuries. None seem particularly major, but for at least the rest of this week, they're a team to target for your streaming needs.

Cade Cunningham, PG/SG, Detroit Pistons - Knee

Cunningham sprained his knee during Sunday's game in Denver. The only official word the team has put out so far is that "serious damage looks to be avoided", but that could still equate to a lengthy absence. We'll have more info by next Monday, but keep an eye on this situation for the Pistons.

Week 2: The Pistons announced last Tuesday (1/9) that Cunningham would be reevaluated in 7-10 days, but no other updates have been released since then.

Tari Eason, SF, Houston Rockets - Oblique

Rockets' coach Ime Udoka said Eason will miss "1-2 weeks" on 1/10, and as of now, this looks to be more on the two-week side of things.

Zach Collins, PF/C, San Antonio Spurs - Ankle

Coach Gregg Popovich announced on New Year's Eve that Collins is expected to miss anywhere from 2-4 weeks after leaving their 12/29 game in Portland early. While he's gone, look at Sandro Mamukelashvili to fill in as the Spurs' primary bench big man.

Dante Exum, PG/SF, Dallas Mavericks - Heel

Exum has missed the Mavs' last three games after reaggravating his heel injury on New Year's Day and has already been ruled out for Tuesday's game in Memphis. The Mavs haven't given him an official timetable to return, but for now, it looks like he's been treated as game-by-game.

Week 2: Exum has now missed eight straight games, and is without a timetable to return. If there's no update by next week, expect him to be moved to long-term.

Ben Simmons, PG/PF, Brooklyn Nets - Hip

Simmons will travel with the Nets for their road trip ending on 1/21 and is "hopeful" to return to action before then.

Long-Term Injuries for Fantasy Basketball

Desmond Bane, SG/SF - Ankle and Marcus Smart, PG/SG - Finger, Memphis Grizzlies

If the season-ending injury to Ja Morant didn't end the Grizzlies' season, surely this pair of injuries will. Bane and Smart suffered their injuries in back-to-back games, and both are expected to be reevaluated in six weeks, which puts their timeline at the end of February. I'd be shocked if the Grizzlies aren't thinking more about their lottery odds at that point, and am considering both of these essentially season-ending injuries in their own right.

Darius Garland, PG, Cleveland Cavaliers - Jaw

When it rains it pours, as the Cavs are finding out. On the same day the team announced Mobley's surgery, Garland fractured his jaw against the Celtics. He is expected to miss "a few weeks", which to me sounds like it will line up perfectly with the mini-break all teams get around New Year's Day. If you're desperate to fill his roster spot, Craig Porter should enter fantasy relevance, but won't be high on the pecking order without more injuries.

Update 1/16: Garland has been cleared to resume basketball activities, so it seems like he should be back before the end of January.

Ja Morant, PG, Memphis Grizzlies - Shoulder

This season came and went for Morant, who will only end up playing nine games this year. Morant tore a labral muscle in his right shoulder and is undergoing season-ending surgery. This season looks lost for the 13-23 Grizzlies, who are now officially on tank watch.

Chris Paul, PG, Golden State Warriors - Hand

The Warriors announced over the weekend that Paul will undergo surgery on his injured hand and miss 4-6 weeks. If I had to guess, he'll probably return after All-Star Weekend (Feb 16-18). Coach Steve Kerr has indicated Moses Moody will see additional minutes off the Warriors bench and is worth looking at for fantasy purposes.

Mitchell Robinson, C, New York Knicks - Ankle

One week after undergoing surgery, Robinson's recovery timeline has drastically changed. Initially only slated to miss around two months, an update on December 20 announced Robinson's 2023-24 campaign has ended due to this injury. Isaiah Hartenstein has taken over the starting role and with Jericho Sims scheduled to return at the beginning of 2024, Tom Thibodeau favorite Taj Gibson will be in the Knicks' rotation.

Gabe Vincent, PG/SG, Los Angeles Lakers - Knee

After missing nearly two months with a knee issue, Vincent returned to the Lakers' lineup for one whole game. He hurt the same left knee that's been bothering him all year, and the team announced he'll undergo surgery this week. He's expected to miss six to eight weeks minimum, but due to the recurring nature of this injury, I wouldn't be surprised if his absence is longer than that. It seems most likely that rookie Max Christie will rejoin the rotation in his wake.

Evan Mobley, C, Cleveland Cavaliers - Knee

Mobley was initially ruled day-by-day but on one of those days, the decision was made that arthroscopic surgery was the best course of action. Mobley underwent surgery on December 15 and is out for six to eight weeks as a result. The Cavs don't really have anyone else to replicate their twin towers lineup, but Dean Wade and Isaac Okoro are likely candidates to see increased minutes.

Update 1/16: Mobley is still on track for his 6-8 week timeline, which should see him return in early February.

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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