Fantasy Basketball 2022: Streaming Options for Injured NBA Players for Week 6
The injury bug is never a welcome presence in the fantasy basketball world, but it's becoming even more of a nuisance than normal lately.
From LeBron James to LaMelo Ball, Ja Morant to Jimmy Butler, the NBA's injury report is starting to read more like an All-Star rotster.
It's a bummer for the entire basketball community, but fantasy basketball managers in particular must stay on top of these ailments, as well as the best way to cover them up. That's where we come in, as we've spotlighted three waiver-wire replacements—available in 50-plus percent of Yahoo leagues, per FantasyPros—to beef up any injury-riddled rosters.
Tyus Jones, PG, Memphis Grizzlies (44 Percent Rostered)
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With Morant drawing an ominous week-to-week timetable for his return from an ankle injury, and Desmond Bane battling a big toe injury, the Grizzlies' backcourt has a bounty of minutes, touches and offensive opportunities to go around.
The always steady (and sometimes spectacular) Tyus Jones is perfectly positioned to soak them up.
His floor is usually his best selling point, as he takes good shots and makes smart decisions with the basketball. These injuries, however, could help elevate his ceiling. He has made three starts this season, averaging 17.7 points, 7.0 assists and 1.7 steals in those contests.
And while he isn't the most obvious (or reliable) source of three-pointers, it's worth noting he's averaging career-highs in three-point makes (1.4) and attempts (3.8) while splashing an above-average 35.4 percent of his long-range looks.
Shake Milton, PG/SG, Philadelphia 76ers (29 Percent Rostered)
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The Sixers roster is stacked on paper, but injuries have trimmed down its top-level talent.
While MVP candidate Joel Embiid remains upright, the second and third options, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey, are both sidelined by foot injuries. Meanwhile, Tobias Harris, the fourth option, has missed the last two games with hip soreness.
Philly is suddenly scrambling for non-Embiid scoring, and Shake Milton can provide exactly that when he has it rolling. His inconsistency can be maddening over a long stretch, but if you can time the waiver-wire claim just right, there's real lightning-in-a-bottle potential here.
He hadn't topped 21 minutes prior to his last two games, but he's since been greenlit for 31-plus minutes in back-to-back contests. In those outings, he flashed his enormous fantasy potential, averaging 21 points on 59.3 percent shooting (44.4 from three), 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 three-pointers.
Caleb Martin, SF/PF, Miami Heat (16 Percent Rostered)
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The Heat are hurting. Literally.
They've gone nearly three weeks without having Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler on the floor together. On Friday night, they had just seven players available against the Washington Wizards, in a game that naturally stretched into overtime. Four different Heat players logged 42-plus minutes that night, including Caleb Martin, whose 47 minutes were second only to Kyle Lowry's 51.
That's, obviously, an extreme example of this, but Miami clearly trusts Martin. He has taken over P.J. Tucker's old post in the starting lineup and established a series of career-highs in the process. Among Martin's many personal-bests are 31.1 minutes, 9.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.2 threes and 1.2 steals.
Those numbers are trending up of late, as injuries mount in Miami. Over Martin's last four games, he's up to 14.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.5 threes and 2.3 combined steals and blocks over 39.2 minutes a night.
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