Welcome to our Fantasy Basketball News Today hub, where we’ll talk about what’s important and what’s hot in the NBA right now. Each week, we’ll cover NBA injuries, news, rumors, and who to look for on the waiver wire.
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Fantasy Basketball News Today: Tuesday, November 11th
The injury bug remained busy in Week 3 of the new season, as in addition to some of the injuries we spotlighted last week persisting, a new trio of big-name players were afflicted with multi-game absences.
Juan Carlos Blanco will fill you in on how some of these injured stars are affecting the DFS and betting landscape, and Justin Carlucci will run down some waiver wire pickups to target.
NBA Injuries: DFS and Betting Impact
Let’s talk about some of the absent stars and how to temporarily adjust.
Zion Williamson Injury News
Entering Week 4, Williamson has already missed three games due to a strained left hamstring, and he was out for Monday’s game against the Suns as well.
Jordan Poole, who’s now sidelined for up to 10 days in his own right because of a quad strain, posted a team-high 29.8% usage rate during the first game Williamson missed before the former was sidelined himself. Jeremiah Fears (29%), Derik Queen (27.8%), and Trey Murphy (22.9%) have been the next three biggest beneficiaries thus far.
Zion’s direct replacement in the starting five for the last two games has been veteran Saddiq Bey, who’s parlayed that opportunity into averages of 16.0 points (52% shooting, including 54.5% from 3-point range), 5.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists across 30 minutes per contest. Bey could well remain on the first unit Monday and in any future absences Zion logs.
Queen has come off the bench to help fill in the frontcourt in all three games and put up 12.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 2.3 steals across 23.0 minutes per contest. The rookie first-round pick has notably averaged four more shot attempts per game during that span – 9.7 – than he had in his first six career contests.
Meanwhile, the spike in Fears’ usage and overall production out of his starting point guard spot is noteworthy, without even factoring in Poole’s absence. In a comparison to his numbers when Zion is on the floor, Fears sees a 6.3% usage bump, while his shot attempts jump from 15.3 to 20.4 per 36 minutes.
Kawhi Leonard Injury News
Leonard unfortunately didn’t make it through even the first month of the season without a multi-game absence, as he’s already missed three contests with an ankle sprain and is expected to sit out “the next few games” as well, according to Saturday comments from head coach Tyronn Lue.
Among regulars in the Clippers’ rotation, Bradley Beal has been the biggest beneficiary of Leonard’s current absence thus far, although he’s played in only two of the three games. Beal is carrying a team-high 32.4% usage rate and per-36 averages of 15.7 points and 3.7 assists in that sample, with only atrocious 26.1% shooting causing that scoring average to be extremely light relative to usage (21.3 FGA per game).
James Harden unsurprisingly checks in second among the regulars with 27.1% usage over two games as well, although The Beard has also been plagued by inefficiency (34.4% shooting) and therefore averaged just 19.4 points per 36 minutes in that span.
Nevertheless, Harden led Los Angeles last season with a 33.0% usage rate with Kawhi off the floor and added 25.9 points, 8.0 assists, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per 36 in that split, so he should certainly be due for a boost in the coming games.
In terms of the first unit, Ivica Zubac is also benefitting, going from 21.4% usage when sharing the floor with Leonard to 23.6% in the last three games. His per-36 averages also see a corresponding increase, particularly in scoring, where he jumps from 17.3 to 21.1 points.
Zubac’s season-high 23 points came two games ago against the Suns in the second game of Leonard’s absence, and his second-highest rebounding tally of the campaign (15) came in the rematch with Phoenix in the following contest.
John Collins is also seeing a boost despite his bench role, as he’s averaged a starter-worthy 16.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals over 25.3 minutes per game during Kawhi’s current absence, shooting 58.1%, including 62.5% from 3-point range. His shot attempts have jumped 8.7 to 10.3 per game in that span, while his usage has risen from 20.6% with Leonard on the floor to 23.7% without in the current three-game sample.
Bam Adebayo Injury News
Adebayo was out for Monday’s game against the Cavaliers, which marked his third straight absence. The veteran big man was carrying a 26.4% usage rate and contributing 19.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.0 steals before going down, so his absence creates a sizable void.
Norman Powell and Nikola Jovic have been the top two players to help pick up that slack, posting 30.8 and 26.7% usage rates, respectively, to lead Miami in that category during the first two games of Adebayo’s absence. Powell’s shot attempts have rocketed from 15.0 to 22.5 per 36 minutes in that span, while his usage has jumped 5.8%.
Meanwhile, Jovic’s increase is even more drastic – with Adebayo alongside him on the floor this season, he’s posted an 18.8% usage rate, but that figure has been at 26.7% the last two games. The latter number is also a notable jump from the 21.4% Jovic sported without Adebayo on the court before Bam’s current absence. Jovic is also carrying per-36 averages of 27.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 3.6 steals and 1.4 blocks in the last two games.
In terms of a direct replacement on the first unit, Ke’lel Ware has stepped into the starting center role the last two games and provided relatively modest numbers when considering the expanded opportunity – 8.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 1.0 steals across 26.5 minutes per game while shooting only 33.3% from both the field and the line.
Other noteworthy injuries:
Lakers:
- LeBron James – OUT (back)
Hornets:
- LaMelo Ball – OUT (ankle)
- Brandon Miller – OUT (shoulder)
Mavericks:
- Anthony Davis – OUT (calf)
Thunder:
- Jalen Williams – OUT (wrist)
76ers:
- Paul George – OUT (knee)
Bulls:
- Coby White – OUT (calf)
Hawks:
- Jalen Johnson – OUT (quadriceps)
Pacers:
- Benedict Mathurin – OUT (toe)
Pistons:
- Tobias Harris – OUT (ankle)
Suns:
- Jalen Green – OUT (hamstring)
Wizards:
- Bilal Coulibaly – OUT (calf)
Pelicans:
Jordan Poole – OUT (quadriceps)
Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Advice
Let’s dive into some hot waiver wire pick-ups for this week.
Ajay Mitchell – Thunder
- 2025-26 Stats (11 games): 17.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.8 SPG in 28.0 MPG
- Last 3 Games: Started all 3, scored 18+ points each time
- Most Recent: 21 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl (Nov 9 vs MEM)
Derik Queen – Pelicans
- Minutes opportunity with Pelicans injuries
- NOP spent high draft capital on him; he has to be in plans regardless
- Last 3 games: 12.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 4.0 APG, 25.3 MPG
Zach Edey – Grizzlies
- Edey is listed out for Tuesday, but he should be back soon. If your fantasy league is sleeping on this giant, go scoop him up, as he should be a fixture in your rotation. He will add a boost to rebounding and FG%.
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