Welcome to week 16 of the complaining-about-injuries fantasy game. This week we have injuries to some of the best basketball players in the world. And some average ones. We’ll also take a look at an old friend returning from injury and another one not returning from injury. Scroll down, read the thing, think about it, make the moves in your league, dominate. 💪
Fantasy Basketball Injury Round-Up
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
Injury: Right heel contusion
Projected Return Date: Day-to-day
Luke went up for a wild dunk attempt over Jonas Valanciunas but instead of a sweet highlight came down with a right heel contusion. After attempting to play the next play, he left the game limping. The severity of the injury and Luka’s participation in the upcoming games is not yet known. Should he miss the next games, Spencer Dinwiddie becomes the alpha dog of the team – the last two games Doncic missed, Dinwiddie had 35 and 36 points with 8 and 9 assists. Also – players like Tim Hardaway Jr. and Josh Green could be in line for increased playing time.
Recommendation: Keep an eye on Dinwiddie, Hardaway, and Green.
Aaron Gordon, Denver Nuggets
Injury: Left ankle sprain
Projected Return Date: Day-to-day
Air Gordon missed Thursday’s game against the Warriors due to an ankle sprain. Adding insult to injury, he was also left out of the Western Conference All-Star team. Vlatko Cancar got the start against the Warriors and scored 17 points with 3 threes and 2 steals in 32 minutes. Nikola Jokic likes to spread it around more-or-less evenly among his guys so whoever starts can rely on a decent amount of shots.
Recommendation: If Gordon misses more time, Cancar is worth a look at in standard leagues.
Alex Caruso, Chicago Bulls
Injury: Right foot sprain
Projected Return Date: Day-to-day
Alex Caruso, who is a totally different player from Austin Reaves, landed awkwardly after going up for a rebound and had to leave Thursday’s game against the Hornets early. Coby White received the bulk of Caruso’s minutes and scored his personal season-high of 20 points. Caruso averages 4.3 field goal attempts a game and his main fantasy value comes from steals so it’s not immediately obvious that a replacement can replicate that. Any extra points someone like White can score while Caruso is out would come from DeRozan’s and LaVine’s points total. Regardless, if Caruso won’t play in the upcoming games, White could be a solid pick-up in most leagues. Caruso could also be traded before the trade deadline, which adds to the long-term value of Coby White.
Recommendation: Coby White is the pickup.
Danny Green, Memphis Grizzlies
Injury: Left knee
Projected Return Date: Right now
Remember Danny Green? Well, he’s back. In case you forgot, he’s a prototypical 3-and-d guy, who’s had a handful of top 100 fantasy seasons and even a top 30 one in 2014-15. But it’s not 2014-15, it’s 2022-23, and Danny is a 35-year-old coming off knee surgery. Point being – unless you’re in a very deep league, leave him be.
Recommendation: A wide berth
Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves
Injury: Right groin soreness
Projected Return Date: Day-to-day
Gobert is listed as questionable for Friday’s matchup against the Magic. He missed the game on Wednesday and four more a couple of weeks ago with the same groin injury so this is a bit more serious than regular rest/injury management. The Gobert replacement for the Wolves has been Naz Reid, who scored 24 points and grabbed 13 boards on Wednesday. Reid is definitely worth picking up for the single game on Friday but also long-term in case Gobert misses more time. Even more so when Karl-Anthony Towns is still out injured indefinitely.
Recommendation: Naz Reid
Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
Injury: Right calf strain
Projected Return Date: Unknown
Towns has been out injured since late November and still doesn’t seem to have a timeline for a return. The initially projected four-to-six weeks have come and gone. He is, obviously, far too good to drop but collecting goose eggs on the IR ain’t that hot either. Does he have any trade value? I don’t know – check with fellow players in your league. Is he a buy-low? A sell-low? A lot of questions.
Recommendation: None