Many injuries are happening right now in the NBA and many role changes because of those injuries. In addition to scheduled benefits (which is truly one of the single most important aspects in head-to-head NBA fantasy), I'm going to dive into some of those right now and discuss some players that will be very useful to help you win for this week (and some for next week too). This will go into things that will happen and things you can rely on.
New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans Pelicans have four games from Tuesday to Sunday and are only team that has this. Getting players from the Pelicans could be particularly beneficial if you have a player on a team that only has two more games left this week. Instead of getting two games from them, you can get four from the Pelicans. I would be targeting Trey Murphy if you need threes and points and Larry Nance and Jonas Valanciunas if you need rebounds. They have been splitting minutes lately and even though the production for Jonas has been a bit less lately we still have enough that he has shown all season to be worthy and he can get back to getting more blocks.
Nance has the added benefit that he can provide plus steals for a big man as he averages 1 per game. Then there is Jose Alvarado. (aka Grand Theft Alvarado because he does those sneaky steals while hiding out in the corner) Alvarado will bring some extra steals while chipping in some ast. Due to the injury of Dyson Daniels, his Alvarado's has been secured over the last month. Alvarado averaged over 21 minutes per game and got over 1.2 steals per game and 2.7 assists per game. One more thing to mention regarding the Pelicans is the schedule for next week is quite ideal with three quality games on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Instead of carrying a player riding your bench on Wednesday and Friday, you could add one of these. So they will help you this week AND into next week. (Also if you add them now you don't run the risk of another team adding them before you). If you are sitting in a first-
round bye this is something to take advantage of, but do be aware that you need to check your team lineup first.
Injury Replacements and "Should I drop"
We have many injuries occurring right now in the NBA. It is important to know if you should hold an injured player or drop them. Sometimes it takes time (too long) for them to gain that IL-eligible status (Donavon Mitchell for instance). I typically preach patience with such a superstar like Mitchell, however, if you must "win now" then you have to make those tough drops. I dropped Mitchell last night because I'm in that first round. The updated news on him is it sounds like he likely misses this whole week and may even miss more after that. (Ask yourself if the Cavs need him to play in these games or do they want him healthy for playoffs? The answer to me is obvious that the NBA playoffs matter more) Playing fantasy with "maybe" and "hopes" does NOT win in this game. Having a focus on the facts and reliable numbers/games is what wins.
A very quality replacement for Mitchell is Caris Levert. Levert almost had a triple-double here on Monday! And if you look at his last 30 days he has averaged 7.7 assists and 1.4 steals. I do believe Levert will be "special" in this fantasy playoffs. If you recall my previous article you would know Cleveland Cavs have 4 games each week for the standard fantasy playoffs. Levert does have liability in FG% though so do be aware of that. Some other replacement options you want to look at need to have at least 3 games remaining for this week. Players like TJ McConnell, Kris Dunn, and Kyle Lowry are all some guard options that can replace those assists and steals numbers that Mitchell puts up. You could go the other route to replace his points and threes instead (depending on your matchup). Options for that would be Corey Kispert, Delano Banton, and Malik Beasley who all have 3 games rest of this week. (Beasley has those 3 quality games next week too)
Rudy Gobert
Rudy Gobert is good to drop so I say hold! Most importantly Gobert should gain IL-eligible status here if he is announced to miss Tuesday's game. You then can adapt and use a free add. Some replacement options which might do "similar" to what he does are players like Paul Reed, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Okongwu (although Hawks only have 2 games), Isiah Hartenstein (some were dropping him), Taylor Hendricks, Amen Thompson, Jock Landale.
Lamelo Ball
If you are still stashing Ball without him being in an IL spot and facing elimination this week you need to drop him. That said if you are in a first-round bye or playoffs start next week you still hold because Ball's upside is too high on the off chance he does suddenly return. To replace Ball's assists refer to some of the names I have already mentioned above or check your league sort by assists for who is available. (You should have traded him away numerous times throughout the year)
Other Players who are Injured
There are just so many players injured it would be exhausting to go through each of them. Feel free to ask me if you think you should drop or hold and what your exact IL situation is. It can be a case-by-case unique situation to break down.
More Players to Consider
Lou Dort if you need points, threes, and steals. He ranks as the 78th player over the last 30 days.
Matisse Thybulle if you need steals and blocks. He ranks 80th over the last 30 days. (But he did get hurt Monday)
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope if you need steals with some assists maybe some blocks. Ranks 89th over the last 30 days.
Keon Ellis if you need steals and blocks and threes. His minutes are very high lately and Kevin Huerter just got hurt.
John Konchar for rebs, steals, and blocks but Memphis only has 2 more games this week.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker will have increased usage and more minutes with all the Minnesota injuries.
Kyle Anderson for his assists and good FG%, some all-around utility. He could be very handy.
Isaac Okorro for his steals and blocks. He also has extra playing time with many injuries on the Cavs team.
Luke Kornet for the holy trinity of big men stats FG%, rebounds, and blocks, however, a better option is Trayce Jackson-Davis
Conclusion
Healthy players and quality players that produce are what you want both of right now. Sometimes holding onto a player and conserving your adds because a dude is still healthy (or has enough upside) is the right play, but it depends on your matchup data research (with what categories are projected to be close). This is the time of the year that many backups and unknown players will shine (due to injuries and tanking/resting). So be on the lookout for that in the upcoming weeks too! I have done quite well this year with 8 of my 11 leagues that are in the playoffs so I'm spending very much time managing my teams and finding the right players to fit for each particular matchup! Hopefully, this advice has helped you win now and into next week/beyond!
