February 9, 2017

JT rounds up injuries across the fantasy basketball landscape for week 16 of the NBA season. NBA injury news and updates for DFS and seasonal fantasy leagues.

RotoBaller has assembled NBA injury updates for Week 16, 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.

NBA Injury Roundup For Week 16

Questionable to Play

Patrick Patterson (F/C, TOR): Knee. Pascal Siakam and Lucas Noguiera have seen extra minutes in the frontcourt with Patterson out.

Aaron Gordon (F, ORL): Right foot. Jeff Green should get most of the small forward minutes whether starting or coming off the bench.

Tyreke Evans (G/F, NOP): Ankle. Buddy Hield and E’Twaun Moore will probably trade off big nights while Evans is dealing with another low body injury.

Kris Dunn (G, MIN): Hand. Tyus Jones gets a nice long look at the primary backup point guard spot with Dunn out.

Dion Waiters (G, MIA): Ankle. Wayne Ellington should be able to contribute immediately with Waiters out.

Seth Curry (G, DAL): Shoulder. Devin Harris should see an increased role while Yogi Ferrell should get all he can handle in the backcourt.

Ed Davis (F/C, POR): Wrist. Noah Vonleh and Meyers Leonard should enjoy the extended run.

Thabo Sefolosha (G/F, ATL): Groin. Tim Hardaway Jr. will get the starts in Sefolosha’s absence and worth a look in most formats.

Cody Zeller (C, CHA): Quad contusion. Frank Kaminsky has stepped up in a big way in Zeller’s absence

Dwyane Wade (G, CHI): Illness. Michael Carter-Williams and Jerian Grant should be the biggest beneficiaries with the guard depth thin in Chicago.

Out Short Term

Ty Lawson (G, SAC): Left hamstring. Darren Collison will have unquestioned minutes as the lone point guard in Sacramento. Ben McLemore and Arron Afflalo will probably get a boost as well.

Zach Randolph (F/C, MEM): Left foot. JaMychal Green should get a good long look at power forward. Brandan Wright should also see some more court time if Randolph is out.

Kenneth Faried (F, DEN): Ankle. Wilson Chandler and Will Barton should get extra run in Malone’s smaller lineup with Darrell Arthur looking at an added boost as well.

Joakim Noah (F/C, NYK): Left hamstring. Willy Hernangomez is a must-own in deep formats, while Kyle O’Quinn should have some value as well.

Thaddeus Young (F, IND): Left wrist. Lavoy Allen has sucked up all the minutes at power forward, but remains a low usage player.

David West (F, GSW): Thumb. His bench duties will likely be shifted to Kevon Looney, but it’s irrelevant on the fantasy front. West has re-joined practice and should be back soon.

Danilo Gallinari (F, DEN): Groin. Will Barton and Wilson Chandler are standard league must-owns until Gallinari returns, which is estimated around one week.

Emmanuel Mudiay (G, DEN): Back. Jameer Nelson will continue to draw the starts and absorb most of the point guard minutes. Jamal Murray gets a boost as well.

Iman Shumpert (G/F, CLE): Ankle. Kyle Korver gets more value while DeAndre Liggins will likely start.

Jimmy Butler (G/F, CHI): Heel. Michael Carter-Williams has been solid in Butler’s absence and should continue to see increased run while he’s out.

Jeremy Lin (PG, BKN): Left hamstring. Spencer Dinwiddie has swapped starts with Isaiah Whitehead. The Nets have finally released that they are expecting another week or so for a return.

Rodney Hood (G/F, UTA): Hyperextended knee. Alec Burks likely gets more minutes with Joe Ingles looking to get the starts. Joe Johnson has gotten an increased role as well.

Danilo Gallinari (F, DEN): Left groin. Wilson Chandler likely gets the starts with Juan Hernangomez getting a boost in minutes.

Garrett Temple (G, SAC): Left hamstring. Matt Barnes could step back into a starting role and Arron Afflalo should see more guard minutes.

Joel Embiid (C, PHI): Knee. Jahlil Okafor has drawn the starts and most of the minutes while Embiid has been out. Nerlens Noel has resumed his primary backup role.

Zaza Pachulia (F/C, GSW): Right rotator cuff strain. Steve Kerr will go by committee in the week with JaVale McGee, Kevon Looney and Anderson Varejao all cancelling each other out.

Deron Williams (G, DAL): Toe. Seth Curry and Yogi Ferrell should get a big boost in minutes and touches.

Rodney Stuckey (G, IND): Hamstring. C.J. Miles and Monta Ellis take on a bigger bench role with Stuckey dealing with constant injuries this season.

Josh Richardson (G/F, MIA): Sprained left foot. Wayne Ellington also stands to benefit with J-Rich and Waiters out. Richardson hasn’t been able to go through full contact drills just yet.

Andrew Bogut (C, DAL): Knee. Dirk Nowitzki is getting the starts at center as Rick Carlisle opts to go small. Seth Curry gets inserted into the starting unit with Salah Mejri serving as bench depth.

No Timetable to Return

Josh McRoberts (F/C, MIA): Left foot. Luke Babbitt slides into the start 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.

Jodie Meeks (G, ORL): Dislocated thumb. A combination of D.J. Augustin and C.J. Watson should get more run.

Out Multiple Weeks

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

Evan Turner (G/F, POR): Right hand. A combination of Allen Crabbe, Maurice Harkless and Al-Farouq Aminu should benefit.

Avery Bradley (G, BOS): Achilles. Marcus Smart steps in standard format conversations and should start with Bradley out. The Celtics will probably have him play after the All-Star break.

Enes Kanter (F/C, OKC): Fractured right arm. It should be a combination of Domantas Sabonis and Jerami Grant filling in. Steven Adams will be relied upon heavily at center. Kanter is set to miss 6 -8 weeks.

Pau Gasol (F/C, SAS): Left hand. David Lee and Dewayne Dedmon have been sharing starts, but the former looks like to player to be owned here. Gasol is expected out for a month or so.

J.J. Barea (G, DAL): Left calf strain. Seth Curry and Yogi Ferrell will benefit from the extra guard minutes. Barea is aiming for a return sometime after the All-Star Break.

Omri Casspi (F, SAC): Right calf. Matt Barnes and Anthony Tolliver should see a few extra minutes each.  

Chris Paul (G, LAC): Thumb. Raymond Felton and Austin Rivers get a huge boost with their All-Star point guard out until March.

J.R. Smith (G/F, CLE): Thumb. Iman Shumpert has taken over starting duties and should be considered in deep leagues. The Cavs have projected Smith to return by April.

Ben Simmons (F, PHI): Foot. Ersan Ilyasova looks to be starting for the next few months with Dario Saric getting the bench minutes. It’s not a sure bet that he’s going to play this season.

Likely Out for the Season

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. Brandon Rush has gotten most of the minutes so far, but Shabazz Muhammad looks like the better option. Kris Dunn and Tyus Jones get an increased role in the lineup as 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.

Brandan Wright (P/C, MEM): Ankle surgery. Wright has struggled with injuries his entire career and hasn’t played this season yet.

Jerryd Bayless (G, PHI): Wrist surgery. Spanish Chocolate and T.J. McConnell will go back to their roles they started the season with.

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.