X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

NBA Injuries and Who Can Benefit Instead (Week 8)

The injury bug has been real this season, and it's like a plague that continues to spread across the league. Understanding the injury landscape is key in all forms of fantasy basketball.

Unfortunately, injuries will happen more often than not. It is just the nature of the game. However, in order to stay ahead of your opponents, you need to stay a top of these injury-related news. One significant add to the waiver wire could potentially make or break your season.

Consider this your one-stop overview of fantasy-relevant injuries around the NBA. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter @RotoBaller @RotoBallerNBA and @fungo24!

Upgrade To VIP: Win more with our NBA and DFS Premium Pass, get expert tools and advice from proven winners! Jamie Calandro and Dan Palyo lead the RotoBaller team in 2024-25 with exclusive DFS picks, Prop picks and more. Gain VIP access to our Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, DFS Cheat Sheets and VIP Chat Rooms. Go Premium, Win More!

 

Notable Injury Updates Around The NBA

Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (ankle) will miss up to two weeks with a bad ankle sprain. The MRI results were negative and came back clean, so that's great news. Patrick McCaw got hit in the nose on Monday against the Pelicans and will enter the NBA concussion protocol. He did not play Wednesday against the Hornets and could be out a couple more games. It's a shame because he was worth a pick-up in most leagues after the Curry news. However, he could still have nice short-term value next week. We'll keep you updated on his status going forward. Guard Quinn Cook made the start Wednesday but isn't worth adding. Forward Draymond Green also missed Wednesday's contest due to shoulder soreness. He is considered day-to-day. Anytime Green misses time, rookie Jordan Bell is a near must-start player due to his upside in blocks and steals. Obviously, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson will post monster lines with Curry sidelined. Center Zaza Pachulia (shoulder) re aggravated his shoulder and did not return. Bell could continue to start even if Draymond Green is able to play Friday against the Pistons.

New Orleans power forward Anthony Davis (groin) avoided a disaster after Tuesday's MRI results. It came back clean and he is considered day-to-day. He was in a lot of pain and had to be carried off the court, so owners were probably sweating it out. The Pelicans will not rush him back, so DeMarcus Cousins will go off where his usage goes up by nearly four percent without Davis on the floor. Cousins went off for 40 points and pulled down 22 boards in a win over the Nuggets. Guards like Jrue Holiday, E'Twaun Moore, and Rajon Rondo gets a nice bump as well. Forward Dante Cunningham is a decent deep-league add.

Phoenix Suns shooting guard Devin Booker (groin strain) will miss the next 2-3 weeks to recover from his groin injury which he suffered on Tuesday. It's unfortunate for Booker, who was having a great season. The Suns will let his heal 100 percent before they think about bringing him back, as they want more lottery balls anyways. Rookie Josh Jackson will likely be injected into the starting lineup where TJ Warren gets a nice boost as long as Booker is out. Josh Jackson does have some upside, but he could really mess you up with turnovers and awful percentages. Point guard Tyler Ulis can get a chance and run the offense, so owners who need assists can give him a look. I'm not fully sold on anyone other than Warren on the Suns though.  They're a complete mess.

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (ankle) went down last Thursday and is expected to miss a couple more games. He will travel with the Nuggets on their road-trip, so the injury isn't considered serious. Meanwhile, Kenneth Faried has filled in nicely and is worth a standard league add until Jokic is back. Mason Plumlee has started for Jokic but is best suited for deeper leagues.

Orlando Magic forward Evan Fournier (ankle) sprained his ankle late in the game of Wednesday's contest against the Hawks and was limping pretty bad. He was in a lot in a pain and had to be assisted off the court. He looks like he's going to miss some time. It's not clear who will get the bulk of his minutes. X-rays showed no fracture, according to head coach Frank Vogel. It's worth noting Jonathan Isaac (ankle) is close to a return and could be the main beneficiary of this news. D.J. Augustine is also worth a look in deeper leagues as he subbed in for Fournier late to close the game with the starters.

New York Knicks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (lower leg stress injury) has begun a treatment and rehabilitation plan and he will be re-evaluated in two weeks. The Knicks did receive positive news as Kristaps Porzingis (ankle/illness) was able to come back for Wednesday's contest. Lance Thomas started for Hardaway Jr. on Wednesday against the Grizzlies, but coach Jeff Hornacek said to the media the nightly starter will depend on match-ups with Doug McDermott and Damyean Dotson in consideration. It seems like a timeshare we'd like to avoid, so there are no real standard league adds here.

Charlotte Hornets center Cody Zeller (knee) and Frank Kaminsky (ankle) both left Wedneday's game vs. the Warriors and did not return. Both players were canceling out each other's value and production. With this news, Dwight Howard will play more minutes while Marvin Williams, Jeremy Lamb and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist all get a slight boost.

Sacramento Kings center Willie Cauley-Stein (lower back) tweaked his back last Saturday and did not travel with the team on their two-game road trip, which means he's out at least a couple of games. I'm not sure the Kings know what they're really doing, having sent Skal Labissiere to the G-League following the Cauley-Stein injury. There's no real winners besides perhaps Zach Randolph, who had a great game against Cleveland with 18 points, 10 boards, and six assists to go along with three steals. Jakarr Sampson started and joined the fun with six boards and a team-high 16 rebounds. He can be viewed as a deep league add, but don't expect this type of performance. Cauley-Stein should be considered day-to-day.

Atlanta Hawks center John Collins (shoulder) will miss the next 2-3 weeks following a shoulder injury. The Hawks are desperately thin more now than ever, with Miles Plumlee (disclosed injury) heading into the locker room against the Magic. He did not come out at half time and Tyler Cavanaugh started the 2nd-half for the Hawks on Wednesday. Ersan Ilyasova should be picked up in most leagues due to upside and the minutes he'll be asked to play. Not a great add, but you can certainly do worse.

San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard (quad) is getting close to a return. The Spurs was originally going to play him Monday, but held him out and want to make sure their franchise star is 100 percent before game action. He's been a full participant in practices and we could see him as early as this weekend. Kyle Anderson (MCL sprain) will miss 2-3 weeks and can be dropped in most leagues now that Leonard is close. This is your LAST chance to buy low on Leonard. Don't underestimate "The Claw", he's that good.

Los Angeles Clippers point guard Milos Teodosic (foot) is close to a return. He is projected to be the starting point guard for the Clippers when he comes back, and is worth grabbing in most formats right now. There's a real chance he could average close to 12 points and seven assists per game. He's capable of shooting the 3-pointer as well, as he shot over 38 percent in his career over in Europe.

Chicago Bulls guard Zachary LaVine (knee) continues to progress well and but reports states he will not return January instead of December. There are rumors saying the Bulls will not rush him back and risk winning more games, since they're in full tank mode already. His return will likely send either Justin Holiday or Denzel Valentine to the bench. I suspect the Bulls to roll out a lineup of Robin Lopez, Lauri Markkanen, Justin Holiday , Zach LaVine, and Kris Dunn in 2018. Holiday will not be this good with LaVine back in the lineup. If you want to sell high on Justin Holiday, go for it. Forward Nikola Mirotic should be back sometime this weekend, if not next week for the Bulls. With Markkanen and Portis playing well, it's probably wise to monitor the minutes rotation when he's back before making a move.

Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Isaiah Thomas (hip) has progressed to on court drills, where his next step will be taking contact in practices. He will be brought along slowly to ensure his hip doesn't flare up. However, he seems to be ahead of schedule for a mid-to-late December return and all signs points to him being the player he was. If you are sitting comfortably on top of your standings in your league and have an IR spot, it wouldn't hurt to send an offer out to see if you can get him now.

Brooklyn Nets guard D'Angelo Russell (knee) continues to be sidelined after an arthroscopic surgery last month to remove loose bodies. There is still currently no timetable for his return, but Spencer Dinwiddie continues to fill the void nicely as he's become an early-round player on the year. Guys like Allen Crabbe, Rondae Hollis Jefferson will continue to have increased usage. Trevor Booker deserves a look in most leagues, but I don't fully trust him.

Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside (knee) will miss another week or so for to rest his ailing sore knee. He has said to the media he will not return unless he feels 100 percent right, so he could be held out longer. Goran Dragic will continue to do the heavy lifting on offense. Josh Richardson has picked up his play lately and deserves a look in all leagues if he was dropped. Kelly Olynyk is also a nice short-term standard league add. 

Washington Wizards point guard John Wall (knee) is going to be out for another week or so with knee soreness. He received platelet-rich plasma and viscosupplementation injections to reduce the inflammation in his left knee. Bradley Beal and Otto Porter will eat up most of his usage while Kelly Oubre Jr. will look at more minutes. Tim Frazier has not played well filling in for the injured Wall, as backup point guard Tomas Satoransky has played well and deserves a look in deeper leagues.

 

More Fantasy Basketball Analysis

 

NBA DFS Premium Subscription

Get a free trial of our powerful NBA Premium Tools. Our famous DFS Cheat Sheets, and NBA Lineup Optimizer & Generator with daily matchup projections.

Win more. Try the most advanced lineup optimizer in daily fantasy basketball.

Sign Up Now!




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jayden Reed

Undergoes Clavicle and Foot Surgeries, Out for Foreseeable Future
Bo Bichette

to Miss Rest of Regular Season
Zach Neto

Placed on 10-Day Injured List With Hand Injury
Yordan Alvarez

Out on Tuesday, Dealing With "Significant" Ankle Sprain
Aaron Jones Sr.

Vikings Place Aaron Jones Sr. on Injured Reserve With Hamstring Injury
CFB

Diego Pavia Refutes Report of Seeking Seventh Collegiate Season
Christian Kirk

Expected to Return in Week 3
CFB

Diego Pavia Seeking Another Year of Eligibility
Tarik Skubal

on Track to Start Thursday
CFB

Kevorian Barnes Questionable Against SMU
Bo Bichette

has Short-Term Knee Injury, Could Return for Postseason
Tosan Evbuomwan

Joins Knicks
NBA

Kai Jones Links Up With EuroLeague Team
Bismack Biyombo

Returns to Spurs
Bones Hyland

Rejoins Timberwolves
Kobe Bufkin

Moves to Brooklyn
Trey Yesavage

Sets Franchise Strikeout Record On Monday
Yordan Alvarez

To Receive MRI For Sprained Left Ankle On Tuesday
Willson Contreras

Exits Early Monday With Right-Biceps Tightness
Yordan Alvarez

Exits With Ankle Sprain
Brock Bowers

Officially Active on Monday Night
Jauan Jennings

Day-to-Day With Ankle Injury
Logan O'Hoppe

Activated Off Seven-Day Injured List
CBJ

Denton Mateychuk Dealing With Groin Issue
Bo Horvat

Fine for Training Camp
Kirby Dach

on Track to Be Ready for Opening Night
Jose Altuve

Returns Against Rangers
J.J. McCarthy

Expected to Miss 2-4 Weeks With High-Ankle Sprain
J.J. McCarthy

Likely Out for Week 3 With High-Ankle Sprain
Jean Silva

Gets Finished For The First Time In His Career
Aaron Jones Sr.

Unlikely to Play in Week 3 Due to Hamstring Injury
Diego Lopes

Returns To The Win Column
Jayden Daniels

' Week 3 Status in Doubt
Rob Font

Outclassed In The Noche UFC 3 Co-Main Event
David Martinez

Wins His Second UFC Fight
Jared Gordon

Suffers Brutal TKO Loss At Noche UFC 3
Rafa Garcia

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Brian Thomas Jr.

Dealing with Wrist Injury
Dustin Stoltzfus

Drops A Decision At Noche UFC 3
Kelvin Gastelum

Gets Back In The Win Column
Diego Ferreira

Suffers Second-Round TKO
Alexander Hernandez

Extends His Win Streak With A Brutal TKO
Quang Le

Suffers First-Round Knockout
Santiago Luna

Shines In His UFC Debut
Christopher Bell

Earns his First Bristol Cup Series Victory
Alex Bowman

Falls Short of Advancing Through Cup Series Playoffs
Chase Briscoe

Collects his Third Top-10 Finish at Bristol
Ryan Blaney

Strong Top-Five Bristol Performance Advances him to the Playoffs
Corey Heim

Earns his First Career Cup Series Top-10 Finish at Bristol
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Leads Greece to Bronze Medal
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Drops 28 Points in EuroBasket Finals
CFB

Indiana's Lee Beebe Jr. Out for Season with Knee Injury
Dennis Schröder

Dennis Schroder Named EuroBasket MVP
Bryce Eldridge

Giants to Promote Bryce Eldridge
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Progressing in Recovery
Jonathan Kuminga

Receives New Offer From Warriors
Kenneth Walker III

Bounces Back with Big Week 2 Performance
Bijan Robinson

Rushes for 143 Yards in Week 2
Justin Fields

Currently in Concussion Protocol
Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals Calling Around to Available Free-Agent Quarterbacks
Joe Burrow

to Undergo Surgery, Out at Least Three Months
Emil Heineman

Aiming to Take the "Next Step" This Season
Braeden Cootes

Good to Go for Camp
Ivan Fedotov

Blue Jackets Acquire Ivan Fedotov From Flyers
Aaron Jones Sr.

Injures Hamstring During Sunday Night Football
Darren Waller

Not Expected to Play in Week 3
Garrett Crochet

Punches Out 12 in Win
Cole Ragans

to Return on Wednesday
Jameson Williams

Records Long Touchdown in Week 2, Still Limited to Downfield Role?
George Kirby

Strikes Out 14 in Win
Jayden Daniels

Considered "Day-to-Day" with Knee Injury
Carlos Estévez

Carlos Estevez Exits with Back Tightness
Jonathan Taylor

Tops 200 Yards From Scrimmage in Week 2 Win
Joe Burrow

Could Miss Three Months if he Requires Toe Surgery
Quentin Grimes

Still Not Close to a New Contract Agreement
Joel Embiid

"Looking Slender, Spry and in Positive Spirits"
Ty Gibbs

Has Arguably his Best Career Drive, but Only Finishes 10th
Chase Elliott

Despite Crashing Out at Bristol, Chase Elliott Advances to Round of 12
Austin Dillon

Misses Round of 12 After Extremely Mediocre Bristol Run
Shane Van Gisbergen

Shane van Gisbergen Fails to Advance to Round of 12
Josh Berry

Finishes Last in All Three Round of 16 Races to Fail to Advance
Luis Arraez

Takes a Seat on Sunday With Head Injury
Adolis García

Adolis Garcia Activated, Starting on Sunday
CFB

Ryan Williams Explodes In Return To Field
CFB

Drew Allar Plays Mediocre Game In Blowout Win
CFB

LaNorris Sellers Exits Game In Blowout Loss
CFB

DJ Lagway Tosses Five Interceptions In Loss
CFB

Garrett Nussmeier Plays Game Manager in Saturday's Win
CFB

CJ Carr Remains Poised In Narrow Loss
CFB

John Mateer Leads Oklahoma In Rout
CFB

Arch Manning Struggles Against UTEP
CFB

Jeremiah Smith Impresses In Win
Bryan Woo

Records Career-High 13 Strikeouts
Max Muncy

Exits Early on Saturday
CFB

Sam Leavitt Shines As Arizona State Rebounds From Week 2 Loss
Salvador Perez

Reaches 300 Home Runs, 1,000 RBI
Ivan Demidov

Turning Heads in Rookie Camp
NHL

Calvin de Haan Signs With Swedish Team
Samuel Girard

Skates With Non-Contact Jersey
Mackenzie Blackwood

Dealing With Injury Ahead of Training Camp
Spencer Knight

Signs Three-Year Extension With Blackhawks
Chris Buescher

May have Another Solid Run at Bristol
Corey Perry

Out 6-8 Weeks Following Surgery
Kyle Busch

Should DFS Managers Roster Kyle Busch at Bristol?
Ricky Stenhouse Jr

Is Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Too Risky to Consider Rostering at Bristol?
Michael McDowell

Could be A Solid Value Option For Bristol DFS Lineups
Chase Elliott

Probably Won't Factor in for Bristol Win
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Not as Strong at Bristol as Other Short Tracks
Alex Bowman

Needs to Win to Make Round of 12
Ross Chastain

has Never Led at Bristol but Has Been Pretty Consistent
Austin Dillon

Richmond Speed Unlikely to Carry Over to Bristol
Josh Berry

Might Run Well at Bristol, but Almost Certainly Won't Win to Advance
Justin Haley

Bristol One of Justin Haley's Few Recent Bright Spots
CFB

Austin Simmons Listed As Game-Time Decision Against Arkansas
CFB

Nico Iamaleava Struggles In Fourth Straight Loss
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Dealing With a "Tweak"
BUF

Alexandar Georgiev Joins Sabres on One-Year Deal
Corey Perry

Injured During Pre-Camp Skate
CFB

Antonio Williams Out Against Georgia Tech
CFB

CJ Bailey Flashes Again in Win Over Wake Forest
CFB

Jaxson Moi a Game-Time Decision for Tennessee on Saturday
Jean Silva

A Favorite At Noche UFC 3
Diego Lopes

Set For Noche UFC 3 Main Event
Rob Font

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
David Martinez

Set For Noche UFC 3 Co-Main Event
Rafa Garcia

An Underdog At Noche UFC 3
Jared Gordon

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Dustin Stoltzfus

Looks To Return To The Win Column
Kelvin Gastelum

In Dire Need Of Victory
Diego Ferreira

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Malcolm Brogdon

Heading to Knicks on One-Year Deal
CFB

David Sanders Jr. Won't Play Against Georgia
Landry Shamet

Staying with the Knicks
CFB

Dylan Edwards Slated to Return on Friday
Adam Lowry

Aims for Early-Season Return
P.J. Washington

Officially Signs Contract Extension
Lauri Markkanen

Big at Both Ends as Finland Books Place in EuroBasket Semis
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Notches 39 Points in Losing Effort
NBA

Cam Reddish Expected to Move to Europe
NBA

Trey Lyles Joins Real Madrid
Charles Bassey

Signs Exhibit 10 Deal With Hawks
Sacramento Kings

Terence Davis Waived by Kings