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NBA Injuries & Who Can Benefit for Week 21

RotoBaller has assembled NBA injury updates for Week 21, and lineups advice on various injury situations throughout the NBA to understand who stands to benefit instead.

We're here to help you prepare both your seasonal and daily fantasy league (DFS) lineups. Understanding the injury landscape, including who's out and who could benefit is a key skill in all forms of fantasy basketball.

Here we will focus on the important questions: Who is injured? When are they coming back? Should you stash an injured player on your roster? Who is getting an opportunity in the mean time? This injury analysis should assist in projecting how to respond to injuries in seasonal leagues, and who can you target with your DFS lineups. Consider this your one-stop overview of fantasy-relevant injuries in the NBA.

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NBA Injury Roundup For Week 21

Questionable to Play

Paul Millsap (F/C, ATL): Knee tightness. Millsap was a late scratch on Saturday with discomfort in his knee. Ersan Ilyasova started in his place and scored 23 points.

Giannis Antetokounmpo (PG/SG/SF/PG, MIL): Ankle. Giannis sat out the end of Friday's blowout. He has until Tuesday to rest, but if he misses time, Malcolm Brogdon and Matthew Dellavedova will see boosts as primary ball handlers.

DeMarcus Cousins (PF/C, NOP): Knee and ribs injuries. Boogie is expected to return Sunday. Dante Cunningham filled in for him on Friday and would start again if Cousins has a setback.

Kristaps Porzingis (PF/C, NYK): Hamstring injury. He expects to return on Monday, but if he sits, Lance Thomas would start again and Kyle O'Quinn would get another chance to put up the monster stats he does whenever he gets more than 15 minutes of playing time.

Trevor Booker (PF, BKN): Leg. Booker missed Friday, but is expected to be available on Sunday. Quincy Acy and Andrew Nicholson saw a boost in minutes in the front court with Booker out.

Wilson Chandler (SG/SF/PF, DEN) and Danilo Gallinari (SF/PF, DEN): Groin and knee, respectively. The Nuggets have run a tight rotation in their absence, with Juancho Hernangomez and Mason Plumlee seeing the biggest boosts in fantasy production filling in as starters, with Will Barton playing an out-sized scoring role off the bench.

 

Out Short Term

Isaiah Thomas (PG, BOS): Knee bruise. Thomas is expected to miss Sunday's game against Philadelphia, but hopeful to play Monday. Marcus Smart is starting, but Terry Rozier has seen the biggest boost in minutes and numbers.

Dion Waiters (SG/SF, MIA): Ankle sprain. Josh Richardson and Wayne Ellington will see a boost with Waiters island momentarily sunk.

Joe Harris (SG, BKN) and Sean Kilpatrick (PG/SG, BKN): Shoulder injury/concussion and hamstring, respectively. Randy Foye is the ineffective starter at SG, with K.J. McDaniels seeing some extra run in addition to the two backup point guards, Isaiah Whitehead and Spencer Dinwiddie.

Kyle Korver (SG/SF, CLE): Foot tendon inflammation. Korver has missed six straight games. J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert, and Richard Jefferson are splitting the minutes on the wing alongside King James.

Tyreke Evans (PG/SG/SF, SAC): Ankle injury. Evans has been starting and playing sporadically due to a nagging ankle injury. Buddy Hield and Garrett Temple look to remain starters on the wing, with Anthony Tolliver and Ben McLemore playing a decent roles off the bench.

 

 

No Timetable to Return

Josh McRoberts (F/C, MIA): Left foot. Luke Babbitt slides into the starting spot, but James Johnson has been the better fantasy producer even off the bench. McBob remains out indefinitely.

Quincy Pondexter (G/F, NOP): Knee Surgery. E’Twaun Moore, Tim Frazier and Solomon Hill have received starts, while Langston Galloway has carved out deep league value.

 

Out Multiple Weeks

Joakim Noah (F/C, NYK): Left knee surgery. Willy Hernangomez and Kyle O’Quinn (in that order) are worth a look.

Kevin Durant (F, GSW): MCL sprain, tibial bone bruise. Has progressed to taking shots. Andre Iguodala will probably eat up most of the perimeter minutes off the bench. Patrick McCaw and Matt Barnes will also see an increased role with KD out.

Dragan Bender (F, PHX): Ankle. Marqueese Chriss’ rest of season outlook gets a slight boost, but no significant increases elsewhere.

 

Likely Out for the Season

Dwyane Wade (SG, CHI): Fracture in elbow. Paul Zipser is filling in as starter, but Denzel Valentine is the bigger fantasy beneficiary.

Brandon Knight (PG/SG, PHO): Back injury. For what it's worth, Knight's been ruled out for the rest of the year. He was completely out of the rotation anyway, so it won't change a thing.

Andrew Bogut (C, CLE): Fractured left tibia. He played less than a minute for his new squad, so everything should remain unchanged in Cleveland.

Kyle Lowry (G, TOR): Wrist surgery. Cory Joseph will log most of the minutes at the one with Delon Wright and Fred VanVleet backing him up.

Joel Embiid (C, PHI): Knee. Jahlil Okafor will draw the starts, but Richaun Holmes is the more alluring fantasy option here.

Ben Simmons (F, PHI): Foot. T.J. McConnell will gladly take all the ballhandling duties with Sergio Rodriguez acting as the primary backup.

Jabari Parker (F, MIL): Torn left ACL. It could be a mix of Mirza Teletovic and Michael Beasley stepping up now that Parker will be out for 12 months.

Zach LaVine (G, MIN): Torn ACL. Shabazz Muhammed seeing a lot of run. Kris Dunn and Tyus Jones get an increased role in the lineup well.

Rudy Gay (F, SAC): Ruptured left Achilles. Garrett Temple is the most reliable option on the perimeter, but Matt Barnes could also so an increase in minutes.

Justise Winslow (F, MIA): Right Shoulder. James Johnson becomes essential to the Heat frontcourt, while Rodney McGruder and Wayne Ellington should see increased run.

Jerryd Bayless (G, PHI): Wrist surgery. T.J. McConnell has taken over the point guard duties in Philly.

Chris Bosh (F/C, MIA): Blood clot. James Johnson, Luke Babbitt and Willie Reed benefit from the extra frontcourt minutes.

Chris Andersen (C, CLE): Knee. He suffered an ACL tear in his right knee during practice. He’s been relegated to a deep bench role anyways.




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