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Welcome back RotoBallers. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving weekend! 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
Paul George, SF/PF - Hamstring & Kawhi Leonard, SG/SF - Ankle, LA Clippers
Both VIPs on the injury report, PG and Kawhi's injury provide massive streaming opportunities for the rest of the Clippers (especially when you factor in Luke Kennard's absence as well). The earliest either will return is Saturday, and knowing how the Clippers have treated Kawhi in the past, he might be the first to be twice downgraded to long-term injury. Only time will tell!
Kevin Love, PF/C - Hip & Jarrett Allen, C - Hip, Cleveland Cavaliers
Another situation where one guy being out is a ripple, but both being out is a wave. The Cavs are very undermanned in the front-court right now, to put it lightly. Cedi Osman is a high-upside streaming target this week while the two remain out.
Damian Lillard, PG/SG, Portland Trailblazers - Calf
Lillard is expected to miss 1-2 weeks minimum with a Grade 1 strain. For short-term streaming options, I would look at Shaedon Sharpe as a more straight-line replacement or Justise Winslow as a more outside-the-box option.
Long-Term Injuries for Fantasy Basketball
Gordon Hayward, SF/PF, Charlotte Hornets - Shoulder
No stranger to the injury list, Hayward is now slated to be out "indefinitely" after fracturing his left shoulder. I'll provide an update whenever one comes available, but based on the language, I wouldn't expect to see Hayward until 2023. Jalen McDaniels has picked up most of Hayward's minutes traditionally when the latter has been injured. If you're in a deeper league, Kai Jones is worth a potential dart throw.
Mike Conley, PG, Utah Jazz - Knee
Already ruled out for tonight's game, Conley isn't being evaluated until tomorrow. The Jazz are "hopeful he'll avoid an extended absence." Considering the injury happened Saturday, and that's the most positive statement issued, I'm going to guess this is a multi-week absence for Conley. If I'm wrong, I'll move this to the short-term, or remove it entirely and it'll be like this never happened. However, if I'm correct, you'll have the upper hand in picking up Nickeil Alexander-Walker on your waivers.
Week 2: The Jazz have still not provided any sort of timetable for Conley's return, and I'm starting to get the vibe this is going to end up as a multi-week absence. I will provide further updates when available but the outlook isn't great for the 35-year-old.
Tyrese Maxey, PG/SG, Philadelphia 76ers - Foot
Maxey and Embiid getting hurt on the same night is an absolutely brutal break. I already gave streaming advice when James Harden went down, so once again look at Shake Milton, and if you need to go deeper Danuel House Jr.
Desmond Bane, SG/SF, Memphis Grizzlies - Toe
Completely re-phrasing this to focus on Bane after Ja Morant's seemingly miraculous return last Tuesday night. Bane should be back in a couple of weeks (no further timetable update from the 2-3 weeks originally cited), so until then I still see value in holding John Konchar.
With Ja Morant (Grade 1 ankle sprain, week-to-week), and Desmond Bane (Grade 2 toe sprain, 2-3 weeks) both slated to miss extended time, the Grizzlies' backcourt is ripe for opportunity. If Tyus Jones is still unrostered in your league, (only rostered in 52% of leagues currently) stop reading this article for a moment and go get him. John Konchar is replacing Bane and is still available in roughly 70% of leagues.
Cade Cunningham, PG/SG, Detroit Pistons - Shin
Cunningham is our second convert from short-term to long-term. In the last 7 days, Cunningham's injury has gone from an innocuous discomfort to full-blown panic mode. Whenever the next update arrives, I'll be sure to write about it below. Killian Hayes and Cory Joseph should continue to replace him as the Pistons' PG.
Cameron Johnson, SF/PF, Phoenix Suns - Knee
Johnson tore his right meniscus in last Friday's game against the Trailblazers. Johnson is getting surgery done this week, and recovery time is typically four weeks minimum. I wouldn't expect to see Johnson until about mid-December.
James Harden, PG/SG, Philadelphia 76ers - Foot
Harden is out for at least a month after suffering a tendon strain. If your league is any type of competitive, De'Anthony Melton is already off the waiver wire. If you need to dig deep, Shake Milton is an option, but that's thin at best.
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.
Update 11/25: Williams expects to return around Christmas.
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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