Fantasy Basketball Injury Impacts: Success or Bust?

Throughout the season, many fantasy injured players were worthy of selecting during the mid-rounds on draft day and stashing on your bench.

These players had question marks next to their names in regards to when they would return to the court and if they would ever be 100 percent healthy to put up their normal averages. Some players became an instant success when returning to the floor and others turned into a total bust, only to miss more time than expected.

Fantasy owners that drafted players like Chris Kaman and Carlos Boozer (who missed 40+ games this season and are now nearly 100 percent healthy) are the ones who have the last laugh, especially with the playoffs starting after next week.

Below is a list of the injured fantasy players that missed significant time during this season and if they have given fantasy owners a success or a bust impact to their team.

Monta Ellis (PG/SG, GS)

Monta Monta Monta. What a pain this guy has been for fantasy owners this season. After a career year during the 07-08 season, Ellis got into a stupid moped accident, forcing him to miss nearly the entire first half of the 08-09 NBA season.

After returning in late January, Ellis played in 13 straight games before missing another seven games due to problems that were never really revealed to the public. It was said that his ankle had acted up on him again, but Ellis admitted that his ankle was just fine.

Ellis has returned to the court and has dropped 20+ points in his last three games, including tying a season-high of 29 points. Although Ellis's season has been a roller-coaster ride, he is now providing fantasy owners with what they have been waiting for all season long. He is now healthy and playing the best basketball of the season and will surely be a huge piece to any fantasy team going into the playoffs.

Monta Ellis: Success

Carlos Boozer (PF, UTA)

After playing in the first 12 games of the NBA season, Carlos Boozer went down with a knee injury and elected to get knee surgery, forcing him to miss 44 straight games.

Boozer was benched in all fantasy leagues for nearly three months, leaving fantasy owners in total agony before finally returning to the court. Since his comeback, Boozer has slowly turned into his normal double-double form and is putting up outstanding fantasy numbers across the board.

Even though he missed a bulk part of the NBA season, Boozer's fantastic fantasy numbers will continue to rise and can surely help every fantasy team that he is a part of going into the playoffs after next week. You can expect numbers between 20+ points and 12+ rebounds night and night out from the big power forward.

Carlos Boozer: Success

Manu Ginobili (SG, SA)- Ginobili missed the first 13 games to the start of the NBA season due to arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle.

After returning to the court, Ginobili went back to his old ways, averaging 16.13 PPG, 4.68 RPG, 3.50 APG and 1.53 SPG.

Just when fantasy owners finally thought they could loosen up on worrying about Ginobili's injuries, they were hit with another one: this time, a stress reaction in his right ankle.

Ginobili has now missed the last 15 games in a row and has lost all hope for fantasy owners this season. He does not look like he will return before fantasy playoff time and because of that, Ginboili remains a bust for the 08-09 fantasy nba season.

Manu Ginobili: Bust

Josh Howard (SF, DAL)

Howard enjoyed an excellent season last year, averaging career highs in PPG (19.9), RPG (7.0), and APG (2.16). This year he has now missed a total of 22 games due to various ankle injuries and wrist sprains.

In late November, Howard sat out for 11 straight games with an injured left ankle sprain. Upon returning, Howard posted mediocre numbers, only to re-injure his left wrist. This injury forced Howard to miss another four straight games.

Fantasy owners enjoyed a solid 22 straight games out of Howard from mid-January until early March. His ankle has continued to affect his game-play and has forced him to miss the past five games. It looks as if Howard will not be able to return to the court 100 percent this season (that's if he even returns to the court).

Howard has also had a roller-coaster-like season and because he will probably not be available during the fantasy playoffs, he remains a bust this year.

Josh Howard: Bust

Chris Kaman (C, LAC)

Coming into the 08-09 season, Chris Kaman was fresh of a  career high season in every statistical category. On November 26 of this season, Kaman went down with a foot injury later to discover that he had plantar fascists in his left foot (Whatever that is).

This foot injury forced the big goofy long haired fella to miss 48 straight games. (I have him on my fantasy team! What a horrible injury.)

Kaman has played in four games since his return and is improving his numbers slightly by each game. With the fantasy playoffs approaching very quickly, Kaman's value should increase and be able to help your team throughout the playoffs.

The big man is known for his outstanding rebounding and blocking skills and is a success because of his return to the court and his immediate fantasy impact.

Chris Kaman: Success

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