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Welcome back RotoBallers! It might be early in the season, 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 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
Damian Lillard, PG, Portland Trailblazers - Calf
Lillard left a recent game against the Heat early after suffering a calf strain. The Blazers announced he'll be out 1-2 weeks, but Lillard has said that he would be playing through this ailment if this happened during playoff time. Anfernee Simons broke onto the NBA scene in relief of Lillard last year and figures to see the biggest increase in volume. If you need to dig deeper, Shaedon Sharpe is your guy.
Kawhi Leonard, SF/PF, LA Clippers - Knee
This could be moved to the "Long-Term" section eventually due to Kawhi's injury history, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. For now, Kawhi has been ruled out for all the Clippers' games this week at the very least. I would expect Norman Powell to continue starting and Marcus Morris to make a solid contribution off the bench.
Orlando Magic Backcourt
Recent injuries have sidelined Jalen Suggs and Gary Harris, seeing them join Markelle Fultz on the inactive list. This is a very unique situation though, as all three of them project to return at the same time in about a week. In the meantime, Terrence Ross looks like he's guaranteed to get shots, and RJ Hampton is there as well.
Week 2: There have been precisely zero updates from Orlando regarding their injuries, which is always concerning. Since this article last week, Cole Anthony has also joined the injured legion of Magic guards. The Magic have preferred bigger line-ups, but until at least one of these guys returns from injury, there's just so much opportunity available for anyone still standing.
Deandre Ayton, C, Phoenix Suns - Ankle
Ayton tweaked his ankle early on in the Suns' recent game against the Pelicans. Bismack Biyombo stepped into the vacated role and posted a solid 11-point, 13-rebound double-double, which seems to mirror what happened when Ayton got hurt towards the end of last regular season. However, in their last game, Biyombo was clearly outplayed by Jock Landale.
Charlotte Hornets Backcourt
I probably should have written about this last week with LaMelo Ball already confirmed to be out, but initially, Terry Rozier's injury wasn't supposed to be anything severe. Well, turns out an NBA team isn't being totally forthcoming about injury details (shocker!). In the meantime, Dennis Smith is the top dog in the Charlotte backcourt, and no one else besides James Bouknight should even be in streaming consideration.
Long-Term Injuries for Fantasy Basketball
Robert Williams III, C, Boston Celtics - Knee
Williams' surgery caused the biggest pre-season shakeup from a fantasy impact. Currently scheduled out until January, Williams has already faced complications in rehab and it's always possible he's shut down for the year. For now, Grant Williams is a solid option from the Celtics frontcourt, and if the C's sign any more size that might be fantasy relevant I'll be sure to update that here.
Bruno Fernando, C, Houston Rockets - Knee
After an update earlier today said Fernando will be out "a while" – something you never want to hear about a big man's knees – Alperen Sengun is probably already rostered in your league, but Usman Garaba is another name to keep an eye on.
Update: Fernando's timetable to return has been clarified to roughly 2-3 weeks (as of 10/27).
Lonzo Ball, PG/SG, Chicago Bulls - Knee
Until Ball returns (which doesn't seem like it will be in 2022) Ayo Dosunmu is the starting PG for the Bulls. Dosunmu is off to a hot start, and he's definitely worth looking to acquire if you can find a good deal.
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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