Fantasy Basketball Injury Updates for Week 6 - Kristaps Porzingis, Jimmy Butler, Lauri Markkanen

November 28, 2023

Max Kulish's NBA injuries report for fantasy basketball in Week 6. 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.

Short-Term Injuries for Fantasy Basketball

Kristaps Porzingis, C, Boston Celtics - Calf

Porzingis injured his calf during Friday's loss in Orlando and was subsequently sidelined for Sunday's game in Atlanta. Prior to the Hawks game, Celtics' coach Joe Mazzulla said Porzingis would be reevaluated in "about a week". Until then, I like Sam Hauser to fill the spacing void Porzingis has left.

Jimmy Butler, SF, Miami Heat - Ankle

Butler missed Saturday's game and was subsequently absent from practice on Monday. Jaime Jacquez has been pretty good this year when Butler has missed time, so I would expect the Heat to continue to be cautious with their main man. This injury might not linger, but so far it hasn't trended in the right direction.

Lauri Markkanen, PF, Utah Jazz - Hamstring

Markkanen picked up a hamstring injury somewhere along the way during the Jazz's ugly loss in Portland last Wednesday. He was ruled out early for Monday's game in New Orleans, and there's been no official word on the severity of the injury so far. In his absence, Ochai Agbaji has seen additional opportunities and is worth taking a look at for streaming purposes.

Bradley Beal, SG, Phoenix Suns - Back

With Beal going back onto the injury report, the debut of the Suns' new big 3 will continue to be delayed. Beal missed time to start the year to deal with a "sore back", but it appears that injury has flared back up to the point it's now being treated as a strain. Beal will be reevaluated in three weeks from 11/17 according to the team. Both Grayson Allen and Eric Gordon have seen increased production thanks to their extra minutes, and both are worth priority on waivers as long as Beal is sidelined.

Jamal Murray, PG/SG, Denver Nuggets - Hamstring

Murray left Saturday's game against the Bulls after only 10 minutes with a hamstring issue. There's a belief Murray could miss extended time (per Altitude Sports), but for now, coach Michael Malone said he's out for at least one week. Reggie Jackson figures to start at PG for the reigning champs for now.

Update 11/27: Murray is expected to return by the end of the week.

Kelly Oubre, SF, Philadelphia 76ers - Ribs

In one of the crazier injury stories you'll see, Oubre was struck by a car while walking as a pedestrian in Philly on November 11. It initially seemed like Oubre was in danger of missing significant time, but the Sixers' latest update is that he'll be reevaluated in a week.

Update 11/27: Oubre participated in the Sixers' shootaround today, and is expected to return to practice in the coming days.

Ben Simmons, PG/PF - Hip and Cam Thomas, SG - Ankle - Brooklyn Nets

Simmons has been sidelined since suffering a hip contusion on November 6 against the Bucks, and has been listed as day-to-day since. On the other hand, Thomas sprained his ankle on November 8 against the Clippers, and got a solid timeline to return after two weeks. I wrote these two up together because it seems like they'll be returning around the same time. While they miss time, Lonnie Walker IV and Dennis Smith seem to have their starting roles on lock.

Update 11/27: Simmons will be reevaluated later this week, and the team expects him to return in early December. Thomas was upgraded to "doubtful" for tonight's game against the Raptors, which indicates he's nearing a return. I would expect this to be the last full week the two of them miss.

Long-Term Injuries for Fantasy Basketball

Marcus Smart, PG/SG, Memphis Grizzlies - Foot

Smart suffered a foot sprain last week and is expected to miss three to five weeks. That would put him in a position to return right around the holidays. Given Smart's history of returning from injury, I would be surprised if he missed a full five weeks.

Tyler Herro, PG/SG, Miami Heat - Ankle

Herro suffered a Grade 2 ankle sprain last Wednesday night, and won't be reevaluated for "a few weeks". While that's not exactly a helpful timeline, I can't imagine we see Herro playing again for at least a month, given how the Heat typically handle injuries. With Caleb Martin continuing to miss time, Josh Richardson and Duncan Robinson are worthy candidates for a roster spot on your fantasy team.

Update 11/20: The Heat announced Herro is no longer in a walking boot, which would indicate he's progressing well. My guess is that he'll be reevaluated at the end of November, which would put him in line for that "few weeks" timetable.

CJ McCollum, PG/SG, New Orleans Pelicans - Lung

The Pelicans announced on November 5 that McCollum suffered a "small collapse" in his right lung. It was also announced he'd be re-evaluated on Tuesday and further updates would be provided. It's possible that he doesn't miss much time, but it's worth noting he suffered a collapsed lung in the 2021-22 season and missed six weeks. If I were a McCollum owner in fantasy I would prepare for the worst just in case. If you're looking to stay in-team to replace McCollum, Dyson Daniels seems to be the most likely candidate.

Update 11/27: McCollum is expected to return to the Pelicans' lineup in one of their next two games.

Nic Claxton, C, Brooklyn Nets - Ankle

If you guessed that Claxton would be the first player moved from the short-term to the long-term section this year, cash that ticket! Claxton sprained his ankle on October 25 in the Nets' season opener and has been sidelined since. It was officially diagnosed as a "high ankle sprain", with an estimated six-to-eight-week recovery period, which would slate him to return in mid-late December.

Amen Thompson, PG, Houston Rockets - Ankle

This year's fourth-overall pick is scheduled to miss two to four weeks thanks to a Grade 2 ankle sprain he picked up on November 1 against the Hornets. This is a tough break for the rookie who already finds himself in a crowded backcourt.

Anfernee Simons, PG/SG, Portland Trailblazers - Thumb

Simons tore his right UCL ligament only 27 minutes into the season. His diagnosis is a four-to-six-week recovery period, which means the Blazers' young backcourt will only get younger.

Update 11/19: Simons conducted on-court drills with no appendages on his finger. His timeline is progressing as expected, and the team hopes to have him back in two to three weeks.

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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