X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

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
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Three-Man Weave: Fantasy Basketball's The Replacements

Injuries are a part of sports the same way excess showers down on Hollywood. In the NBA, 82 games over five months, back-to-backs and players flying through the air with reckless abandoned will lead to its fair share of sidelined stars. When those guys go down--for however how long it may be--lesser known players can step in and either keep the ship afloat, or take it to unknown heights. Those players can also help you fantasy basketball team a great deal as well.  When do you pounce? When do you sit and wait? The code can be difficult to crack.

For most of those who excel, they have given glimpses of their respective talent. In this new age of analytics and per 100 stats, you can get a good idea on the efficiency of a player and how they will perform with more minutes.  A player like Tim Frazier stepped in when Jrue Holiday was hurt to make considerable contributions as an assists beacon in years past with New Orleans. The signs were there. Other times, they just appear out of thin air: Jeremy Lin.

Here are three players who fit the mold of "The Replacements." Those players who have stepped in to contribute for injured top-100 fantasy players and have actually performed equally well--or in some cases--even better.

Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers received five total writing awards and 13 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association, tops in the industry! Congrats to all the award winners and nominees including NBA Writer of the Year, Best NFL Series, MLB Series, PGA Writer and Player Notes writer of the year. Be sure to follow their analysis, rankings and advice all year long, and win big with RotoBaller! Read More!

 

The Injury Replacements

Kyle Kuzma

Before the regular season started, most who follow the NBA would have pegged Lonzo Ball as the rookie who would make the biggest impact through the season's first two months. While Ball has been excellent as a pro--averaging 14.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 9.9 assists per 100 possessions--it  has been Kuzma that has excited most Laker fans.

To think, coming into the regular season were it not for Larry Nance, Jr. breaking his hand in the first couple of weeks, no one would have known how good Kuzma would play.

Kuzma is averaging 17.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game as the team's fourth offensive option. He is scoring more with the Lakers than he did in any of his three years at Utah. The biggest surprise is how the former Ute went from a 30 percent college three point shooter to a 39.4 percent shooter from the NBA's distance.

Maybe he was just shooting too close?

In any event, Laker Nation is salivating at multiple seasons of Ball and Kuzma or as they have been calling themselves, "The Light-Skinned Connection."

 
 

Spencer Dinwiddie

The Nets certainly didn't see Dinwiddie becoming a point guard Brooklyn could build a team around. During the 2017 NBA Draft, the Nets traded Brook Lopez and the 27th pick (Kyle Kuzma--ouch!) for Tim Mozgov and D'Angelo Russell. Brooklyn also signed Allen Crabbe as a combo guard, expecting Crabbe to come off the bench to spell Russell and Jeremy Lin.

Then Lin got hurt on opening night. Russell would have arthroscopic knee surgery a month later. All of a sudden the Nets were hurting--literally-at guard and Dinwiddie was one of the few remaining. Over the last month, Dinwiddie has averaged 13.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 2.2 threes per game. He is a top-80 fantasy performer.

This from the Step Back:

"Per 100 possessions, Dinwiddie is averaging more than 11 assists (11.5) and under three turnovers (2.5). That would only be the 24th time since turnovers were first recorded (1973-74) that any player managed to do this — and the last time was a full decade ago by a 26-year-old Jose Calderon."

A year ago, this man was on the G-League and now he is flirting with uncharted territory. Only concern for fantasy owners is what will the Nets do once Russell returns from injury in the new year. Dinwiddie has proven his worth on the court, and at only 24 years old he is a valuable asset.

 
 

Trey Lyles

While there are more Replacements who have stepped up in a season marred by injuries, Lyles' ascension the last few weeks has been fantasy basketball gold.

When Paul Millsap went down with a wrist injury in late November, there was treasure to be had for whoever could fill his shoes. The Nuggets are in the top-10 for offensive efficiency averaging over 107 points per 100 possessions. Head Coach Michael Malone tinkered with his rotation for a few weeks, then starting center Nikola Jokic went down and Malone had no choice but to give Lyles the green light.

Over the last two weeks, Lyles is averaging 16.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.3 threes while shooting 54 percent from the field, 73 percent from the line and 52 percent from three! He has been a top-40 monster.

Even with Jokic returning, Lyles has continued to produce coming off the bench. Still draining threes, too.

That's the thing about "The Replacements." Give them an inch, and they'll take a mile.

 

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
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Nick Senzel3 hours ago

Expected To Miss 3-4 Weeks
Jon Gray3 hours ago

To Start On Sunday
Justin Steele3 hours ago

Likely To Go On Injured List
Anfernee Simons5 hours ago

Out Against The Heat
Max Kepler6 hours ago

X-Rays Come Back Negative On Max Kepler
Keldon Johnson6 hours ago

Questionable For Friday
Justin Steele6 hours ago

Has Left-Hamstring Tightness
Matisse Thybulle6 hours ago

Questionable For Friday
Davis Bertans6 hours ago

Listed As Probable For Friday
Jusuf Nurkic6 hours ago

Questionable Against Oklahoma City
Dario Saric6 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Friday
Noah Clowney6 hours ago

Probable For Nets Friday
Jonathan Kuminga6 hours ago

Questionable For Warriors Friday
Jerami Grant6 hours ago

Considered Doubtful For Friday
Dennis Smith6 hours ago

Jr. Probable For Friday
Lauri Markkanen6 hours ago

Questionable Against Houston
Toumani Camara6 hours ago

Will Not Play Friday
Justin Steele7 hours ago

Exits Thursday's Start
Richaun Holmes7 hours ago

Out Versus Pistons
Cameron Johnson7 hours ago

Out Against Chicago On Friday
Luka Doncic7 hours ago

On The Injury Report For Friday
David Bednar7 hours ago

Still Dealing With Lat Injury
Deandre Ayton7 hours ago

Is Questionable For Friday
Rudy Gobert7 hours ago

Might Miss Friday's Game
Tyus Jones7 hours ago

Unavailable For Friday
Zeke Nnaji7 hours ago

Ruled Out Against Minnesota
Jaden Ivey7 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Friday
Rhys McKee7 hours ago

Searching For First UFC Win
Anthony Edwards7 hours ago

Uncertain For Friday Night
Chidi Njokuani7 hours ago

Drops Back Down To Welterweight At UFC Atlantic City
Kyle Nelson7 hours ago

An Underdog Again At UFC Atlantic City
Bill Algeo7 hours ago

Eyes Sixth UFC Win
Joaquin Buckley7 hours ago

Gets Ranked Opponent At UFC Atlantic City
Vicente Luque7 hours ago

Gets Short-Notice Opponent At UFC Atlantic City
Eduardo Rodriguez8 hours ago

Could Throw Off Mound In 5-7 Days
Max Kepler8 hours ago

Leaves On Opening Day With Injury
Nick Senzel9 hours ago

Suffers Broken Thumb
Jason Foley9 hours ago

Earns The Save For Tigers
Tarik Skubal9 hours ago

Tosses Six Scoreless Innings On Opening Day
Corbin Burnes10 hours ago

Pitches A Gem On Opening Day
Royce Lewis10 hours ago

Exits With Quad Injury
Max Scherzer11 hours ago

Throws Bullpen Session
Clayton Kershaw12 hours ago

"Ahead Of Things" Timetable-Wise
Walker Buehler12 hours ago

Ahead Of Schedule
Corey Seager12 hours ago

Active On Opening Day
Oneil Cruz12 hours ago

Batting Sixth On Opening Day
Bryan Reynolds14 hours ago

In Opening Day Lineup
Jordan Romano15 hours ago

Not Expected To Be Out Long
Aaron Ekblad16 hours ago

Returning To Panthers Lineup Thursday
Nikita Kucherov17 hours ago

Establishes New Career High With 42nd Goal
Shane Pinto17 hours ago

Collects Career-High Four Points
Valeri Nichushkin17 hours ago

Nursing A Lower-Body Injury
Samuel Girard17 hours ago

Battling An Illness
J.K. Dobbins17 hours ago

Visiting With Chargers On Thursday
Oskar Sundqvist17 hours ago

To Miss Rest Of Season With Torn ACL
Ethan Bear17 hours ago

Enters Player Assistance Program
Mark Hubbard1 day ago

Coming Off A Career Performance
Davis Thompson1 day ago

Looking To Pay Off A Stellar Run Of Ball-Striking
Akshay Bhatia1 day ago

Coming Into Houston With Confidence
Thorbjorn Olesen1 day ago

Still Trying To Find Footing On U.S. Soil
Patrick Rodgers1 day ago

Fighting Inconsistencies Heading Into Houston
Malik Nabers1 day ago

Shines At Pro Day
Carolina Panthers1 day ago

Jadeveon Clowney Signing Two-Year Deal With Panthers
Wyndham Clark2 days ago

Battling Back Injury Ahead of Houston Open
San Francisco 49ers2 days ago

Talanoa Hufanga Expected To Return At Training Camp
Jayden Daniels2 days ago

Raiders To Meet With Jayden Daniels
Tank Bigsby2 days ago

Jaguars Want Tank Bigsby More Involved
Josh Reynolds2 days ago

Signs Two-Year Deal With Broncos
Doug Ghim2 days ago

Looks To Bounce Back At Houston Open
PGA2 days ago

Cameron Davis Seeking Consistency Ahead Of Houston Open
Thomas Detry2 days ago

A Gamble At Houston Open
Ryan Fox2 days ago

Lacks Upside Heading Into Houston Open
Andrew Novak2 days ago

Will Be Chalk At Houston Open
Josh Doan2 days ago

Scores Twice In His NHL Debut
Filip Forsberg2 days ago

Makes History In Big Comeback Win
Jamie Benn2 days ago

Scores In Fifth Consecutive Game
Sidney Crosby2 days ago

Collects Three Points Versus Carolina
Artemi Panarin2 days ago

Continues Scoring Tear With Three Assists
Joey Daccord2 days ago

Shuts Out Ducks
Sahith Theegala2 days ago

Showing Consistency This Season
Wyndham Clark2 days ago

Working Toward Star Status
Scottie Scheffler2 days ago

Heads To Houston At His Best
Sam Ryder2 days ago

Putting The Lights Out Of Late
Joel Dahmen2 days ago

All Systems Go For Joel Dahmen In Houston
Kurt Kitayama2 days ago

Ready For Houston Debut
Ben Griffin2 days ago

Finding Form Heading To Houston
Taylor Moore2 days ago

Continues Made-Cut Streak Heading To Houston
Adam Svensson2 days ago

Hoping For Consistency In Houston
Taylor Montgomery2 days ago

Looks To Bounce Back In Houston
Amon-Ra St. Brown2 days ago

Discussing Extension With Lions
Jared Goff2 days ago

Lions Discussing New Deal
J.K. Dobbins2 days ago

Cleared For Football Activities
Los Angeles Rams2 days ago

Tre'Davious White To Join Rams
PIT2 days ago

Sam Poulin Recalled From AHL
Jack Quinn2 days ago

Could Return Wednesday
Scott Mayfield2 days ago

Undergoes Season-Ending Surgery
TOR2 days ago

Mitch Marner Skates On His Own Tuesday
Trevor Zegras2 days ago

To Return Tuesday
Justus Annunen2 days ago

Inks Two-Year Extension
Nick Chubb2 days ago

Expected To Start Load Running Next Month
D'Andre Swift2 days ago

Bears View D'Andre Swift As Receiving Weapon
Cordarrelle Patterson2 days ago

Signing With Steelers
Sam Howell2 days ago

Seahawks Believe Sam Howell Can Be A Full-Time Starter
Tennessee Titans3 days ago

L'Jarius Sneed Agrees On Four-Year Contract With Titans
Dak Prescott3 days ago

No Indication A Deal Is Coming For Dak Prescott
Calvin Ridley3 days ago

To Have Big Role In Tennessee
Josh Jacobs3 days ago

To Be Used More In Passing Game
Brandon Saad3 days ago

Gets Another Goal In Monday's Loss
Logan Thompson3 days ago

Stretches Winning Streak To Three Games
Pittsburgh Steelers3 days ago

Cameron Heyward Expected To Be Healthy For Training Camp
Zach Wilson3 days ago

Jets Could End Up Keeping Zach Wilson
Amanda Ribas3 days ago

Takes Decision Loss
Rose Namajunas3 days ago

Snaps Losing Streak
Edmen Shahbazyan4 days ago

Scores Vicious Comeback Knockout
AJ Dobson4 days ago

Knocked Out In The First Round At UFC Vegas 89
Fernando Padilla4 days ago

Gets Back On Track With Submission Win
Luis Pajuelo4 days ago

Submitted In UFC Debut
William Byron4 days ago

Dominates For Victory At COTA
Ty Gibbs4 days ago

Grabs Another Solid Finish At COTA
Chris Buescher4 days ago

Texas Native Chris Buescher Finishes Eighth At COTA
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Kyle Busch Confronts Christopher Bell Following A Top-10 Finish At COTA
Justin Haley4 days ago

Disqualified After Strong COTA Run
Martin Truex Jr4 days ago

. Rounds Out Top Ten At COTA
NASCAR4 days ago

A.J. Allmendinger Worms Way Up To Sixth At COTA
Shane Van Gisbergen4 days ago

Shane van Gisbergen Comes Down to Earth After Mediocre COTA Run
Ross Chastain4 days ago

Ran Well at COTA as Usual Despite Late-Race Fade
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Furious Charge Falls Just Short at COTA
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

Scores Strong Finish of Fifth at COTA
Chase Elliott4 days ago

Finishes 16th at COTA After Lackluster Performance
Billy Quarantillo5 days ago

Suffers Submission Loss At UFC Vegas 89
Youssef Zalal5 days ago

Gets Submission Win In Return To The UFC
Cameron Saaiman5 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Vegas 89
Payton Talbott5 days ago

Scores KO Win At UFC Vegas 89
Justin Tafa5 days ago

Drops To .500 In The UFC
Karl Williams5 days ago

Remains Undefeated In The UFC
Kyle Larson5 days ago

Is One Of The Optimal DFS Options For COTA
Denny Hamlin5 days ago

Should Denny Hamlin Be Rostered For DFS Lineups At COTA?
Kaz Grala5 days ago

Is A Serviceable DFS Play For COTA
Shane Van Gisbergen5 days ago

Will Start 12th In First COTA Cup Start
Todd Gilliland5 days ago

Is A Sneaky DFS Play With Upside For COTA
William Byron5 days ago

Is One Of The Top Favorites To Win At COTA
Christopher Bell5 days ago

Is A Comfortable DFS Play For COTA
Tyler Reddick5 days ago

the Favorite to Win at COTA
Ty Gibbs5 days ago

Looking for First Career Win at COTA
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF