LeBron James Injury: Latest on King James' Ankle Injury and Fantasy Status

Just seven games into the season and the Miami Heat have some major issues.

Dwyane Wade missed Wednesday’s 118-83 win over the Indiana Pacers with a sore foot, and now it’s LeBron James that joins him on the injured list. The Heat star forward sprained his ankle in the third quarter, but was able to come back in the fourth. He is officially listed as questionable for Thursday night’s game against the Atlanta Hawks.

UPDATE Thursday, 7:15 PM EST

According to ESPN.com reporter Brian Windhorst it's official, no LeBron or D-Wade tonight for the Heat:

UPDATE Thursday, 6:15 PM EST

As LeBron attempts to warm up his ankle in Atlanta, it doesn't sound like it's healed enough to play according to Ira Winderman of the Miami Herald: 

James injured his ankle when he stepped on Paul George's foot and fell to the floor while driving to the basket. He stayed on the floor for several minutes before being able to walk to the bench. After the game, LeBron didn’t sound too concerned when the Miami Herald asked him about it:

"

When you have as many sprained ankles as I have in my career, you know exactly what happens as soon as it happens. So I’m glad I was able to finish the game and we were able to get a quality win. It’s always the next day. That’s the way you know how it’s going to be going forward. With this flight, it may swell a little bit on the plane.

"

It all depends on how the ankle feels during warm-ups. If the swelling has increased to the point where he struggles to put on his shoe, he should consider sitting out. At 6-1, there is no point in risking further damage to the best player in the NBA to win a meaningless game this early in the season. With the next game on Saturday against the lowly New Jersey Nets, why not let LeBron rest until next Tuesday against the Golden State Warriors?

Fantasy Impact:

It sounds like James is a game-time decision, which means fantasy owners better be ready to make a switch right before 8:00 EST tonight. If he plays, you can expect a similar performance to the one he put up without Wade on Wednesday: 33 points, 13 assists, eight rebounds and two steals.

It may be extremely early, but James is already making a strong case for MVP. He is averaging 29.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.4 assists, two steals and a block per game. What’s even more incredible is that he’s shooting a blistering 60 percent from the floor.

LBJ is clearly focused early this season, and fantasy owners better cross their fingers that this injury doesn’t keep him out for even one game.

Heat fans should be hoping he takes a seat and stays fresh for what will likely be the most grueling season of his career.