Injuries shape the fantasy basketball landscape more than any other variable, and staying ahead of each team’s rotation changes can be the difference between winning and falling behind. Each week, we will be bringing you an Injury Impact Report, where we break down the most important injuries around the league and highlight the players most likely to benefit. Let’s get started!
NBA Fantasy Basketball Injury Impact Report
Three Key Injuries Across the League:
- Bennedict Mathurin (IND – Thumb Sprain): Day to Day
- Zach Edey (MEM – Left Ankle): Six Weeks
- Keegan Murray (SAC – Left Ankle Sprain): Week to Week
Bennedict Mathurin (Indiana Pacers) – Thumb Sprain – Day to Day
He suffered the injury back in early January and is getting close to a return. He got through a workout on Thursday but has yet to go through a full practice. The Pacers have three games this week, and we could see him back on the court by the week’s end. Until we get official news, there is still some value to be had in the Pacers’ lineup.
Who Benefits?
The biggest beneficiaries while Mathurin has been out have been Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, and Aaron Nesmith, but all three are nearly 100% rostered. Going deeper, Johnny Furphy is just 24% rostered and provides us with multi-position eligibility at forward and guard. He has been starting since late December, but has really picked it up over the last six games, averaging 7.8 points and 7.2 rebounds for 21.4 fantasy points per game.
Zach Edey (Memphis Grizzlies) – Left Ankle – Six Weeks
The injury dates back to early December, when Edey suffered a stress reaction to his left ankle. The original timeline was four weeks, but rehab has not brought him closer to a return, and he will be out at least six more weeks before being re-evaluated again.
Who Benefits?
From a bigs perspective, Jaren Jackson and Santi Aldama have been terrific in Edey’s absence, but are both over 95% rostered. Rookie Cedric Coward has taken a step forward, as well, but is also highly rostered at 80%. One player who is widely available is center Jock Landale. He didn’t enter the starting lineup right away when Edey went down, but he has been very consistent, averaging 25.5 fantasy points per game in that time. More good news, as he has also started six straight games for the Grizzlies. He is just 50% rostered across Fantrax leagues and makes a nice pickup if you are in need of a center.
Keegan Murray (Sacramento Kings) – Left Ankle Sprain – Week to Week
Murray has been out with a left ankle sprain since early January and is expected to be out another couple of weeks. It has been a struggle with injuries all season as Murray missed the first 15 games of the season recovering from thumb surgery in the offseason. When he plays, he is a 35+ minute and 19%-20% usage guy, leaving lots of opportunities for others to step up.
Who Benefits?
The Kings are a deep team in terms of fantasy ownership, with five players over 85% rostered and seven players over 75% rostered. That makes it tough to find value, but the good news is that four of those seven players are guards. We discussed Maxime Raynaud and Precious Achiuwa in our injury report when Sabonis was out, and I am still targeting them now.
Raynaud stepped into a starting role in early December with Sabonis out and in 21 games is averaging 26.1 fantasy points per game. He has been getting decent usage(17.5%) and has also been a major contributor on boards, averaging 8.2 rebounds per game over that time. He is still available in 39% of Fantrax leagues.
Achiuwa is much more widely available at just 33% rostered, but also brings more risk. He entered the starting lineup on December 18 and has seen very inconsistent minutes over those 15 games. The good news is that he is currently on a heater over his last four games, putting up 20 or more fantasy points in each, including a season-high 46.5 against the Knicks. If the minutes continue to be there, he is a great addition in any format.
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