Week 5 of the fantasy basketball season brings some good news on the injury front: Damian Lillard is nearing a return. Sidelined for three games due to the league’s concussion protocols, he is considered probable for Monday’s game against the Rockets. Filling the void left by a player providing top-20 per-game value in 8- and 9-cat formats is never easy, especially when his team lacks solid streaming options. In the three games Lillard missed, the Bucks started Ryan Rollins (who is out with a shoulder injury) once and Delon Wright twice.
In games against the Pistons and Hornets, Wright shot 3-of-14 from the field and produced seven points, seven rebounds, 14 assists, three steals, and three blocked shots. He enters Week 5 listed in one percent of Yahoo leagues, and that’s down a percentage point over the last 24 hours (at press time). If anything, managers looking to account for Lillard’s absence had to look to other rosters to find a replacement. The good news is that said fantasy nightmare is nearing its end. Here are some more critical injuries/player absences that will affect how Week 5 is approached in fantasy basketball.
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Due to personal reasons, the Nuggets were without their three-time MVP for the last two games, road losses in New Orleans and Memphis. Dario Saric (1% listed) moved into the starting lineup, contributing 19 points, 18 rebounds, eight assists, three steals, and three 3-pointers. He finished Sunday’s loss against the Grizzlies with his first double-double of the season and has been a top-100 player for the last week (Denver has only played twice). The Nuggets wrap up their current road trip in Memphis on Tuesday, so it’s fair to wonder if they’ll wait until Friday’s home game against Dallas for Jokic’s return. If so, this could be a two-game week for the reigning MVP.
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
Doncic sat out Sunday’s win over the Thunder with a right knee contusion that led to Quentin Grimes (2%) moving into the starting lineup. Grimes played 21 minutes, finishing with 10 points, three rebounds, two assists, and two 3-pointers. More affected by Doncic’s absence was PJ Washington (67%), who returned to the starting lineup in his second game back from a knee injury. With more freedom to score, he went for 27 points, 17 rebounds, two assists, one block, and three 3-pointers in the win, playing 28 minutes. Dallas hosts New Orleans on Tuesday and then doesn’t play again until Friday in Denver. Grimes is likely only looking at the deepest fantasy leagues if Doncic is sidelined, while Washington’s value in shallow leagues would increase.
Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks
Towns was back on the court Sunday night after sitting out Friday’s win over the Nets with a bruised left knee. While productive, he also landed hard on his back during the third quarter of Sunday’s 114-104 win. Cities stayed in the game then but took control with 7:20 to go in the fourth and didn’t come back (the Knicks were in control at that point). While he looked good after Sunday’s game, how Towns’ body responds on Monday will be something to watch as the Knicks host the Wizards that night. Jericho Sims (< 1%) and Ariel Hukporti (< 1%) handled the center responsibilities on Friday, the latter being more productive, but neither sparking much excitement from a fantasy standpoint. New York plays three games in Week 5, ending with road games against the Suns (Wednesday) and Jazz (Saturday).
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Curry, who missed three games in late October with an ankle injury, is questionable for Monday’s game against the Clippers with left knee bursitis. The Warriors used different options to fill the void in the three games he missed. Buddy Hield (64%) made one start, as did Lindy Waters III (< 1%), while Brandin Podziemski (60%) made three. Waters and De'Anthony Melton are currently sidelined with knee injuries, so they won't be among Steve Kerr's options if Curry can't play on Monday. Podziemski, who seemed to be coming off as a standard league option, is back on the radar, while Hield should be the preferred option if available on your league's waiver wire.
Jimmy Butler and Jaime Jaquez Jr., Miami Heat
Butler has missed Miami’s last four games since spraining his right ankle in a Nov. 8 loss to the Nuggets. Jaquez, one of the players asked to fill the void, injured his left ankle during Sunday’s loss to the Pacers. Haywood Highsmith (4%) started all four games Butler missed, posting averages of 7.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 2.3 steals, 0.5 blocks, and 1.0 3-pointers in 29.0 minutes. The steal production was phenomenal, but there wasn’t much else to write home about. Sunday’s game was the first of a back-to-back, and Butler was initially questionable before being ruled out. After Monday’s game against Philadelphia, the Heat won’t play again until Sunday against Dallas. No matter what happens with Butler when one of his former teams arrives in Miami, there aren’t any worthy streamers in the Heat’s two-game week.
Deandre Ayton, Portland Trail Blazers
Ayton has been sidelined for Portland’s last three games with a sprained right index finger. Rookie Donovan Clingan (29%) started all three, averaging 9.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 0.7 steals, and 4.0 blocks in 24.8 minutes. The rebounds, blocks and percentages (57.9% FG, 100% FT) stand out from the rookie’s stint as a starter, and Clingan will have added value later in the season. Also, Robert Williams (26%) played well against the Timberwolves (November 12) and Hawks (November 17), sitting out the November 13 rematch with Minnesota for injury management reasons. While Clingan is by no means restricted, Week 5 will likely be a two-game week for the Time Lord due to Portland hosting Houston on Friday and Saturday.
Walker Kessler, Utah Jazz
Due to right hip bursitis, Kessler missed Utah’s last four games. John Collins (90%) moved into the starting lineup, and a good start to the season got even better for the eighth-year forward. In those starts, he averaged 21.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.5 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 1.0 3-pointers in 33.3 minutes, shooting 56.9% from the field and 100% from the foul line. Drew Eubanks (1%) has played 16 or 17 minutes in Utah’s last three games but hasn’t been productive enough to merit stream consideration. The Jazz play three games in Week 5, starting with the Lakers on Tuesday. It’s worth noting that, according to Cleaning the Glass, Kessler and Collins have only shared the court for 110 possessions this season. Therefore, sustaining his recent level of production may be difficult once the 7-footer is cleared to return.
Jrue Holiday, Boston Celtics
Holiday sat out Saturday’s overtime win over the Raptors with a knee problem, where his absence coincides with Al Horford’s return. As a result, the Celtics went big, keeping Neemias Queta (3%) in the starting five. In two starts (one for Horford and one for Holiday), Queta produced 20 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and two blocked shots, shooting 10-of-12 from the field. Although he gave the Celtics good minutes in that role, this remains a place where fantasy managers would be better served to look for Payton Pritchard (45%) on their waiver wires. Boston has three games on the Week 5 schedule, starting with the undefeated Cavaliers on Tuesday.
Nic Claxton, Brooklyn Nets
On Friday, it was announced that Claxton will receive an epidural to treat a lower back strain and will not play for at least a week. Ben Simmons (28%) returned to the starting lineup and tallied four points, 11 rebounds, 13 assists, one steal, and one blocked shot in two losses to the Knicks. We’ve gone down this road with Simmons before, and that doesn’t even touch on his availability concerns. Dorian Finney-Smith (15%), who played well in both games against the Knicks, would be a better gamble to take while Claxton sits. The Nets play three games this week, which ends with a Sunday/Monday road back-to-back against the Kings and Warriors.
Bilal Coulibaly, Washington Wizards
Coulibaly took an elbow to the face during Sunday’s loss to the Pistons, leaving during the fourth quarter. After the game, Wizards coach Brian Keefe said the second-year wing was checked out as a precaution, so fantasy managers should expect Coulibaly to be questionable for Monday’s game against the Knicks. Malcolm Brogdon (20%) played 22 minutes off the bench in his season debut, while rookie Kyshawn George (16%) and Corey Kispert (7%) are other players capable of filling the void if Coulibaly misses time. After Monday, the Wizards don’t play again until Friday night against the Celtics, and they finish Week 5 on Sunday against the Pacers.
Rui Hachimura and Cam Reddish, Los Angeles Lakers
Hachimura has missed the Lakers’ last two games with a sprained right ankle, while the Reds sat out Saturday’s win over the Pelicans with a right fibular strain. Max Christie (< 1%) started for the Reds on Saturday, but he's not the player fantasy managers and Lakers fantasy fans are talking about right now. That would be rookie Dalton Knecht (19%), who has scored 14 points or more in three straight games (starting the last two for Hachimura). Saturday's performance was outstanding, with Knecht recording 27 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals, and five 3-pointers in 37 minutes. Clearly, the Lakers believe in him, and Knecht's returned the faith. He may be worth keeping even after Hachimura is cleared to return because of the offensive production the rookie provides. The Lakers play three home games in Week 5, starting with the Jazz on Tuesday.
Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies rookie sprained his left ankle during Sunday’s win over the Nuggets, the second occasion ending his night in the third quarter. Edey has come off the bench in Memphis’ last five games, with Brandon Clarke (2%) making four starts and Jay Huff (10%) one. Is it worth the risk as a streamer? Huff has reached double figures in four of his last six games, but he’s only reached 20 minutes once in that stretch. Memphis will play three games in Week 5, starting with a Tuesday/Wednesday home back-to-back against the Nuggets and 76ers.
