Fantasy basketball rest-of-season rankings: Week 11
While injuries continue to litter the NBA landscape, fantasy basketball owners have received some positive news on that front as of late.
Two notable early-round picks made their return Tuesday night from injuries that had sidelined them over the past few weeks (Devin Booker and Hassan Whiteside), while another (Blake Griffin) may not be far away. That’s the good news.
The bad news? Nikola Vucevic’s fantasy owners need a new nightly double-double threat for the next six to eight weeks.
How do these latest injury shakeups affect rest-of-season rankings? Take a look at rankings for nine-category head-to-head leagues moving forward, and hop below the rankings for a deeper dive into notable risers and fallers from this past week.
2017 Fantasy Basketball Rankings powered by FantasyProsECR ™ – Expert Consensus Rankings
Kyle Kuzma, PF, Los Angeles Lakers: Kyle Kuzma has already been one of the year’s biggest draft-day bargains, both in real life and fantasy basketball, but what he’s done lately defies all explanation. Over his past eight games, the Utah product has erupted for 23.8 points on 51.9 percent shooting, 8.0 rebounds, 3.3 triples, 2.4 assists and 0.9 blocks in 36.4 minutes, good for top-20 value on a per-game basis in nine-category leagues during that span. With Brook Lopez sidelined for at least another two weeks, Kuzma is taking advantage of his absence by cementing his permanent place in the Lakers’ starting lineup. At this point, he deserves to be considered a top-75 rest-of-season option at minimum.
Nikola Vucevic, C, Orlando Magic: That sound you heard Saturday was Vucevic’s fantasy owners crying out into the night after the big man went down with a broken left index finger. Said injury is expected to sideline him for the next 6-8 weeks, according to ESPN.com’s Adrian Wojnarowski, which is terrible news for fantasy owners who were counting on the big man to help guide them into the playoffs. Vucevic has been a fantasy All-Star to date, returning top-15 value on a per-game basis in nine-category leagues through Tuesday, but his upcoming absence bumps him significantly down the rest-of-season rankings. He now falls outside the top 50, although owners in strong playoff position should angle to buy low on him if possible.
Devin Booker, SG, Phoenix Suns: Devin Booker missed eight games due to a strained left adductor, but it didn’t take him long to round back into form after returning Tuesday against the Memphis Grizzlies. In 34 minutes, the third-year guard poured in a game-high 32 points on 9-of-21 shooting, six assists, five rebounds, three 3-pointers and a steal, helping guide Phoenix to a victory over the backsliding Grizzlies. Fantasy owners should be most encouraged by Booker’s hefty playing time in his first game back from injury, as it appears as though the Suns have no intention of easing him back into action. He vaults right back into top-40 rest-of-season territory, especially given his potential to explode during the fantasy playoffs.
Goran Dragic, PG, Miami Heat: Things you never want to hear coming from one of the players on your fantasy roster: “I talked to the doc and the pain is there. It is what it is.” That’s what Dragic told Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel in reference to the elbow injury that caused him to miss three games last week, which could help explain his dismal shooting percentages as of late. Dragic has topped the 50 percent mark just once in his past eight games, including a 5-of-15 outing against the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday and a 6-of-18 showing against the Orlando Magic on Tuesday. Dragic is now sitting outside of the top 125 on a per-game basis in nine-category leagues — a far cry from his average draft position of 45.0 — and given how irksome elbow injuries can be, fantasy owners would be wise to keep their short-term expectations for him in check.
Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers: Griffin’s owners received two unexpected bits of great news in quick succession over the past few days. On Friday, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reported the Clippers believed “he’ll be back within a couple of weeks” from the MCL sprain that has sidelined him since late November. Four days later, Brad Turner of the L.A. Times reported Griffin “could return to play…by [the] end of December, the Clippers are hoping.” Even if he doesn’t make his way back into the lineup this week, it’s clear that he’s on the early end of his “up to two months” timetable, which makes the next few days your final chance to buy low on Griffin before his owners catch wind of his imminent return. He’ll jump up to a rest-of-season top-50 value immediately.
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De’Aaron Fox, PG, Sacramento Kings: Unless you’re in a dynasty league, owners in 10- or 12-team leagues should no longer consider Fox a must-own player. On Friday, the Kings announced the rookie point guard would miss at least the next two weeks with a partial tear in his right quadriceps muscle, although there’s no guarantee he returns right at the end of that two-week timetable. With George Hill suddenly finding his long-overdue groove, Fox’s rest-of-season upside is looking far less sunny, although he still has the potential to ignite once the fantasy playoffs roll around since the Kings are likely to embrace a full-scale youth movement by then.
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. 27.