I view the fantasy hoops season like the drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. The beginning is full of vigor … for about 70 miles or one-fourth of the way. Then Interstate 215 merges with Interstate 15, the sprawling suburb becomes a speck in the rearview mirror, and the highway inclines up, down and side to side as it traverses through the mountains, finally emerging into a landscape of waterless sand. But Victorville appears to break the monotony before the halfway point of Barstow emerges from the plumes of heat rising from the floor of the Mojave Desert. This is where we are in the fantasy season, as every team has played over 41 games. Fill up the tank. Go to the restroom. Grab some snacks. Recharge for the rest of the journey.
For you Roto players, there is still half the season left. The percentage categories may be tough to influence, but there are plenty of games for moves up or down in the counting stats.
For Head-to-Head leagues, our focus is on the California-Nevada border, where Primm is located, 43.6 miles before Las Vegas. Because of playoffs and the silly season, most leagues will conclude the regular season in late February or early March. That leaves around four weeks left, so it’s time to channel your inner Cobra Kai, show no mercy, sweep the leg and put the pedal to the metal.
Here’s what caught my eye last week.
Injuries schminjuries
The injury gods have started using AI in their operations, as efficiency and volume have increased dramatically!
Golden State’s Jimmy Butler is done for the season after tearing his right ACL while grabbing a rebound. In the first game without Butler, Brandin Podziemski received the start and played 22 minutes. The game was a blowout, so that won’t be the New World Order. Podz struggled shooting, but is 40% from downtown for the season. The interesting development was Jonathan Kuminga receiving 21 minutes after logging 16 straight DNPs. He played well, and there is an opportunity for him, but I’m still hesitant. The little red devil on my left shoulder is telling me that Kuminga did not play at all in the first quarter and received 5 minutes to start the second quarter. He didn’t start the third quarter with the Warriors down by 20 points, finally entering the game with 6:12 left and the deficit at 28 points. The little white angel on my right shoulder is whispering the sweet nothings of 20 points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal. If Kuminga is available, I’d scoop him to see what happens, but I’d also mute expectations.
Jalen Williams injured his right hamstring and will be out for at least a few weeks. In the Thunder’s first game without Williams, Jaylin Williams and Aaron Wiggins entered the starting lineup. Both are now injured, so Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell filled in. Then, on Wednesday, Mitchell suffered an injury. If Mitchell is out, then Isaiah Joe would be the likely beneficiary. With Jaylin out, Kenrich Williams becomes an interesting player, at least until Isaiah Hartenstein returns.
Kawhi Leonard has been dealing with ankle and knee issues recently, causing him to miss three games. Anytime the words “injury” and “Kawhi” are in the same sentence, it’s no laughing matter. Initially, I was concerned when the Clippers sent Kawhi home from the road trip for re-evaluation, but it turned out to be just a knee contusion, and Kawhi has been upgraded to questionable for Thursday’s contest. Kawhi is fantasy’s No. 2 player on a per-game basis, though he’s only played 30 games.
Steven Adams sprained his ankle and is out indefinitely. Adams is second in the league with 4.7 offensive rebounds per game. The Rockets lead the league with 16.1 offensive rebounds per game, so the huck-and-pluck offense will need to be tailored. With Adams out of the lineup, Clint Capela received 12 minutes off the bench. He will likely only get give-Sengun-a-breather minutes, but Tari Eason is very interesting. Eason only played 20 minutes in the last game, but that was his first since missing five games due to an ankle injury. Before that, he started eight straight and averaged 26.1 minutes. Eason averages a healthy 1.06 fantasy points per minute and can stuff the stat sheet. I’d add him where available.
Kevin Porter strained his oblique and is out indefinitely. NOOOOOOO! When the coach named Doc says, “He’s not gonna play anytime soon,” that ain’t good. Prior to the injury, KPJ was moved to the bench, which I thought could be good because he would garner a high usage rate as the second-unit leader. Nope. The usage rate was 17%, and he played 28 minutes. Ryan Rollins had a usage rate in the high-teens with both KPJ and Giannis Antetokounmpo in the starting lineup. With KPJ out of the starting lineup, Rollins had a usage rate in the low-20s, so he benefits. That said, I wouldn’t expect a repeat of the heater Rollins was on earlier in the season when Antetokounmpo was out; Rollins posted a usage rate well above 30% at that time. Cole Anthony played 24 minutes in the last game, but in a blowout. He could see breather minutes, but I wouldn’t expect him to be fantasy relevant.
Returning players
Austin Reaves has missed 13 games due to a calf injury, but J. J. Redick said the fan favorite will return during the road trip. The Lakers are currently on an eight-game road trip that ends on February 3. I’d expect Reaves to play low-20s minutes for a few games before ramping back up. With Reaves off the court this season, LeBron James has seen a 2% increase in usage rate. Reaves had a 27% usage rate before succumbing to injury, so I’d expect James to be the most adversely affected by the return of Reaves.
Jalen Green missed 33 games due to a hamstring injury. In his return on Tuesday, Green played 20 minutes off the bench. The Suns are deep in the backcourt with Devin Booker, Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin and Grayson Allen. I also like Jamaree Bouyea, but he’s down in the G League right now. Green will likely slowly ramp up, but I don’t think this will be a Jaden Ivey situation in which Green is limited to only 20 minutes a night. Gillespie will be most affected when Green returns to the starting lineup. I have Gillespie in a few leagues, and I’m not dropping him. He will likely still play in mid-20s minutes and would be excellent in spot starts if either Booker or Green needs a rest or gets injured.
Son’s brain dump
Jaylon Tyson has been good all season, as the Cavaliers have dealt with a plethora of injuries. Four games ago, he was inserted into the starting lineup alongside Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. This looks to be the New World Order. Over the past four games, Tyson averaged 20.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.3 treys in 31.9 minutes per game. The usage rate has been above 25% in two of those contests, and now Garland is out for another week with a toe injury.
Egor Dёmin continues to start for Brooklyn, but his playing time has dissipated. From late December to mid-January, Dёmin was averaging 29.2 minutes per game. Over the past three games, he’s received 20.7 minutes. Coach Jordi Fernández even sat Dёmin in crunch time against the Bulls, replacing him with Nolan Traoré, who has averaged 22.3 minutes over the past 12 games. Neither player is fantasy relevant right now.
Nailing down the power forward spot for the Boston Celtics has been nearly impossible. Josh Minott. Jordan Walsh. Hugo González. Alas, we are back to old reliable, Sam Hauser. The Hauseritzer has averaged 29.9 minutes, 16.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 4.4 treys over the past seven starts. He’s only rostered in 17% of Yahoo leagues (and 9.3% of ESPN, 50% of Fantrax and 41% of NFBKC leagues).
Dylan Cardwell went undrafted in the 2025 draft, but he’s provided rays of light for a Kings team that has not lit the beam often this season. Cardwell has good size and has provided an interior presence on defense for Sacramento. He’s averaged 8.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 20.7 minutes over his past 15 games played. In two of the past three games, he received at least 25 minutes. If you need rebounds and blocks, Cardwell is a viable option.
Moussa Cissé is another big-man option. With Anthony Davis and Daniel Gafford injured, Cissé averaged 11.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in 21.3 minutes for the Mavericks.
Indiana’s Jarace Walker is shooting 48% from downtown over the past seven games with averages of 11.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.6 blocks and 2.3 treys. He’s shooting 35% on the season, so regression is likely. That said, he’s only 22 years old in his third NBA season and worked out with Pascal Siakam in the offseason, so there’s a chance he’s becoming more comfortable. Walker will never win a week, but he’s been able to contribute a little something in every category.
Julian Champagnie won’t contribute much in the defensive categories, but can provide points, treys and rebounds. Over the past 10 games, the Spurs forward has averaged 32.2 minutes, 15.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.3 treys — good for top-100 production on a per-game basis.