Injuries continue to devastate the NBA, which has caused some notable reshuffling in our fantasy basketball rest-of-season rankings.
On Monday, for instance, Stephen Curry suffered a stomach-churning right ankle injury that thankfully looked worse than it turned out to be. Regardless, he’s out at least for the next few weeks, according to ESPN.com’s Adrian Wojnarowski, which sends him slipping from No. 4 on our rest-of-season big board to No. 8.
On Tuesday, Devin Booker went down with a left adductor strain that rendered him unable to leave the court on his own power. We’re still awaiting word about the severity of the injury — and, more notably for fantasy purposes, how long it will sideline him — so for now, he remained steady in the top 40. If he’s forced to miss extended time, however, his rest-of-season fantasy stock will go tumbling as well.
With injuries ravaging so many big-name stars as of late, the best overall advice for fantasy owners is not to panic. Unless you’re already facing a nearly insurmountable hole — whether in a particular category for those in roto leagues or in total categories won for those in category formats — your best bet is often to stand pat with injured stars and ride it out while they’re sidelined, particularly if it’s only for a few weeks. Paul Millsap’s ownership in ESPN.com leagues has plunged by nearly 11 percentage points over the past seven days, which makes sense for those without IR spots, but those owners will grow to regret that decision come February.
Which other players are rising up or falling down fantasy leaderboards? Here’s a look at a fresh batch of rest-of-season rankings, with expanded thoughts below on some notable recent movers.
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Donovan Mitchell, SG, Utah Jazz: Mitchell made an appearance in the rest-of-season rankings three weeks ago, shortly after Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder moved him into the team’s starting lineup ahead of Rodney Hood, but he deserves a second mention here. Over his past 10 games, the sensational rookie has averaged 20.5 points on 45.2 percent shooting, 4.5 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 3.2 triples and 1.6 steals in 31.9 minutes, good for top-30 value on a per-game basis in nine-category leagues. The highlight of Mitchell’s recent surge was his 41-point tour de force against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, but he has scored 12 or more points while canning at least one triple in all but one of his past 14 outings. It’s time to consider Mitchell a fringe top-50 option moving forward.
Hassan Whiteside, C, Miami Heat: The Heat announced Nov. 30 that Whiteside will miss at least one to two weeks of action while he recovers from a left knee bone bruise, but he’s no lock to return by the end of that timetable. He told Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald that he wouldn’t play again “until it’s totally healed” and he’s “totally 100 percent,” which suggests he may be out for far longer than only a week or two. Fantasy owners should by no means drop Whiteside unless the Heat announce he’ll be sidelined for multiple months, but the big man can no longer be considered a top-20 option until his timetable for return becomes clearer.
Will Barton, SG/SF, Denver Nuggets: With injuries besieging the Nuggets as of late—Paul Millsap is out for multiple months with a wrist injury, while an ankle ailment is sidelining Nikola Jokic at the moment—Barton is helping to fill that offensive void. He erupted for a season-high 37 points in a one-point win over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday, and he combined for 39 points on 13-of-31 shooting, 14 rebounds, eight assists, five 3-pointers, four blocks and two steals over his ensuing two outings. Until the Nuggets get healthier, this Sixth Man of the Year candidate is a locked-and-loaded top-50 option, which begs the question of how he’s owned in only 65.1 percent of ESPN.com leagues.
Kyle Anderson, SF, San Antonio Spurs: With Kawhi Leonard still sidelined by a mysterious quadriceps injury, Anderson has been an early-season revelation for fantasy owners. In 23 starts, Slo Mo averaged a career-high 8.9 points on 51.3 percent shooting, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.8 blocks in 27.4 minutes, placing him as the 82nd-ranked player on a per-game basis in nine-category leagues. Unfortunately, he suffered a sprained MCL in his left knee Sunday that is expected to sideline him for the next two to three weeks, per ESPN.com’s Adrian Wojnarowski. With Leonard inching closer to a return, fantasy owners in 10- and 12-team leagues are safe to drop Anderson for a higher-upside rest-of-season option, as it’s difficult to imagine him returning top-100 value moving forward once he returns.
Courtney Lee, SG, New York Knicks: Lee made an appearance on our weekly waiver wire watch two Mondays ago, and since that time, his fantasy stock has gone gangbusters. Over his ensuing eight games, the 32-year-old has gone off for 15.8 points on 61.3 percent shooting, 3.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 triples in 31.3 minutes, putting him just outside of the top 20 over that span. Fantasy owners can’t expect him to continue shooting north of 60 percent overall, but with Tim Hardaway Jr. sidelined for at least the next two weeks, according to Al Iannazzone of Newsday, Lee is a short-term top-50 option who should be owned in far more than 40.8 percent of ESPN.com leagues.
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Carmelo Anthony, SF/PF, Oklahoma City Thunder: Anthony began his Oklahoma City career with 19 straight double-digit outings, but he’s hit a cold stretch within the past few days. Following back-to-back nine-point showings, he finished with 14 points on 6-of-19 shooting, eight rebounds, two steals, one block and one assist in the Thunder’s come-from-behind 100-94 victory over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday. With OKC struggling on offense, particularly in crunch time, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Melo begin taking a backseat to Russell Westbrook and Paul George in the pecking order. And if his scoring falls off, his route to top-50 relevance will likewise nosedive.
All ownership percentages via ESPN.com. All average draft position info via FantasyPros. All rankings via Basketball Monster are based on nine-category leagues and are current heading into Wednesday, Dec. 6.