Fantasy Basketball Injury Report – Week 3

I don’t want to talk about it. At the risk of jinxing things, let’s just let it be. In a perfect world, this would be an empty article. No new injuries are welcome here. Of course, we aren’t going to be so lucky, and we know that’s not going to be the case. However, after the storms that were the first few weeks of the season, this past week was relatively calm. While we look at new injuries each week, we’ll also go through some existing injuries and provide fantasy-relevant updates. Now, it’s time for this week’s fantasy basketball injury report.

Fantasy Basketball Injury Report

Chet Holmgren, C, Oklahoma City Thunder

Maybe this will be it for the Thunder. After what they’ve been through to start the season, the hope is that Holmgren’s knee injury is going to be the last straw. Injuries have been an unfortunate theme of Holmgren’s career, and this year is no different. The big man is likely going to be out for the next three months following a biological treatment for a patellar tendon tear.

Now, who’s left to step up and make a fantasy basketball impact?

While we’ve seen Kenrich Williams step up from a starting lineup perspective, he’s not the one I’m targeting. That would be first-round pick Aday Mara. Now, with Jaylin Williams also injured, the rookie stepped into the starting lineup on Wednesday. Prior to that, he was averaging 6.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game. It’s very important to note, though, that it’s coming in just 18 minutes.

In each of the last two games, Mara had nine rebounds in 20 minutes, and he also picked up his first double-double (11 points and 10 rebounds) a few nights ago. Things should only go up from here as Mara has seemingly carved out a long-term role with the Thunder. Who cares if it’s by default?

Kawhi Leonard,  F, Toronto Raptors

There’s no reason why the Raptors shouldn’t be taking things slowly with Leonard. After all, it’s still the first week of November and the playoffs don’t begin until April. Fantasy managers, though, don’t care about that.

Leonard’s treatment on his knee has concluded, and that’s a good sign. Now, we have to wait another week until the next evaluation for the forward, but the good news is that things appear to be progressing without incident. His injury has resulted in more work for the leaders of Toronto’s offense with Ja’Kobe Walter moving into the starting lineup. Walter has performed with mixed results, but his 11.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 2.4 three-pointers per game shouldn’t be ignored depending on the format.

I wouldn’t expect Leonard to be back for another few weeks, and that means Walter should maintain fantasy relevance.

Tyrese Haliburton, G, Indiana Pacers

After Haliburton missed all of last season, it’s not ideal that he’s dealing with a hamstring injury. However, hamstring injuries aren’t easy, and it makes sense for things to progress slowly. While he’s sidelined, we’ve been seeing Andrew Nembhard truly step up.

Last season, he averaged 16.9 points and 7.7 assists per game, but he was expected to take a step back upon Haliburton’s return. Instead, he’s taken another step forward and is averaging 18.5 points per game. Regardless of Haliburton’s status, Nembhard deserves our attention. However, we should also ride this wave of offensive production.

Ja Morant, G, Portland Trail Blazers

A fresh start seemingly was going to work for everyone. With 15.5 points and 5.5 assists through his first four games, that appeared to be the case for Morant. Instead, a hamstring injury struck, and now he’s going to be out for a month. The initial thought was that Scoot Henderson was going to step up and take advantage of the situation, but that hasn’t been the case.

Last season, Henderson averaged a career-high 14.2 points, but he also shot just 41.8% from the field. That’s been the knock on Henderson throughout his career, but by default, the Trail Blazers have always relied on him. With the presence of Morant, Damian Lillard, and Jrue Holliday, though, the pause button was pressed on that notion.

The problem with Henderson is that he’s only shooting 34% from the field and failing to take advantage of his situation. That brings us to Holliday, who is averaging 13.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game this season. He had 17 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds off the bench on Monday, and he appears to be in line for additional playing time.

Ivica Zubac, C, Indiana Pacers

We can exhale on this one as Zubac returned to action on Wednesday after missing five games with an ankle injury. That means Jay Huff returns to the bench as the pause button is pushed on his fantasy relevance. Zubac, on the other hand, should be good for his customary double-double.

Kristaps Porzingis, C, Golden State Warriors

When healthy, Porzingis was filled with potential, and it’s hard not to think about what could have been. That’s not to say his career was a failure, as Porzingis had a six-year stretch in which he averaged at least 20 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Now, he continues to be away from the Warriors while dealing with an illness, and Golden State is no longer excusing his absence. That means they have stopped paying him, and there’s a very strong possibility that his NBA career is over.

Peyton Watson, F, Cleveland Cavaliers

Watson has had a solid start to the season with 10.8 points, four rebounds, and three assists per game. He’s also filling the stat sheet with steals and blocked shots, but there’s nothing that truly stands out just yet. From a streaming perspective, he’ll likely have value in category-specific leagues this season, but for now he’s dealing with a hamstring injury. It doesn’t appear to be too serious, but we’re also getting a look at what Maleek Thomas can do.

Through four games, the second-round pick is averaging 14 points per game with 2.5 three-pointers. As Cleveland gets healthier, he likely won’t have a consistent role, but this should also be an ongoing battle on the wings for Cleveland as multiple options fight for playing time.

Jaylon Tyson, F, Cleveland Cavaliers

Tyson hasn’t gotten going this season, but that might be coming after his return from an early-season ankle injury. When healthy, Tyson averaged 21 points per game. He’s back to doing on-court activity as he works through an ankle injury, so he should be back soon.

Egor Demin, G, Brooklyn Nets

Big things are expected from him, but a leg contusion forced us to press pause on that. With just 7.8 points in his first four games to begin the season, Demin should be able to get back on track in about a week after a slow start. The bright side of his injury has been the emergence of Nolan Traore, who’s showing off his offensive upside with a minimum of 15 points in four of his last five games.