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RotoBaller has assembled NBA injury updates for Week 19, 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 19
Questionable to Play
Rodney Hood (G/F, UTA): Knee. Joe Ingles and Joe Johnson will fill-in most of the minutes at the two guard while Hood sits out.
Tony Parker (G, SAS): Quad. Dejounte Murray will step into the starting gig, but has little fantasy value outside of dyntasy leagues.
Gerald Henderson (G/F, PHI): Hip. Nik Stauskas will likely jump into the starting role and provide three-point value in deep leagues.
Victor Oladipo (G, OKC): Back. Alex Abrines got a start with Oladipo out, but holds value in only deep leagues.
Willy Hernangomez (C, NYK): Ankle. Kyle O’Quinn becomes a must-own as the only legit healthy center option in New York right now.
Rodney McGruder (G/F, MIA): Left quad contusion. Josh Richardson and Wayne Ellington likely see a bump in minutes with more perimeter minutes freed up.
Jameer Nelson (G, DEN): Illness. Emmanuel Mudiay will see the floor in a backup role with Jamal Murray taking most of the point guard minutes.
Wes Matthews (G/F, DAL): Hip. Dorian Finney-Smith will jump into a starting role, but will have minimal impact on the fantasy front.
Out Short Term
Michael Beasley (F, MIL): Hyperextended left knee. Khris Middleton will be leaned on more heavily with the rotation a little thin in Milwaukee.
Kenneth Faried (F, DEN): Back. Wilson Chandler will continue his strong play in a starting role with Faried sidelined until the middle of March.
J.J. Barea (G, DAL): Left calf strain. Seth Curry and Yogi Ferrell will benefit from the extra guard minutes. Barea will miss at least one more week.
Garrett Temple (G, SAC): Left hamstring. It looks like Ben McLemore will take most of the guard duties while Temple is out. Arron Afflalo has seen more minutes as well.
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.
Jodie Meeks (G, ORL): Thumb surgery. A combination of D.J. Augustin and C.J. Watson should get more run.
Out Multiple Weeks
Joakim Noah (F/C, NYK): Left knee surgery. Willy Hernangomez and Kyle O’Quinn (in that order) are worth a look in most formats.
Kevin Durant (F, GSW): MCL sprain, tibial bone bruise. Newly signed Matt Barnes may see a proper role immediately with Andre Iguodala probably eating up most of the perimeter minutes off the bench. Patrick McCaw will also get a proper look with KD out.
Kevin Love (F/C, CLE): Knee. Channing Frye and Richard Jefferson are swapping starts between each other as coach Tyronn Lue will go based on matchup. Love probably won’t see to many games in March.
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. He’s expected back around the middle of March.
Omri Casspi (F, SAC): Right calf. Matt Barnes and Anthony Tolliver should see a few extra minutes each.
J.R. Smith (G/F, CLE): Thumb. Iman Shumpert has taken over starting duties and should be considered in deep leagues. Kyle Korver gets a bump as well. Smith was seen getting shots up ahead of Wednesday’s game, but still maintains he’s a couple weeks away.
Likely Out for the Season
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. 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.
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. 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.
