NBA Injury Report & Waiver Wire Ahead of Week 5 Games: Domantas Sabonis, Tari Eason

Heading into the fifth week of the fantasy basketball season, there are some game-changing waiver wire pickups available and some injuries that need monitoring. We are going to see the return of Damian Lillard this week and Tari Eason is still available in over 50% of Yahoo! Fantasy leagues, so without further ado, let’s dive into both the NBA Fantasy Basketball waiver wire and injury report for Week 5 of the fantasy basketball season.
Fantasy Basketball Week 5 Injury Report
Domantas Sabonis Injury Update - Back
We saw Sabonis miss a game over the weekend due to a back injury, but keep in mind it was the second leg of a back-to-back. It’s being reported as lower back tightness, but if Sabonis pops up on the injury report on Monday, it could be a concern in weekly roster lock leagues. The Kings only have three games this week and if he’s only available for two, a different direction could be an option.
DeMar DeRozan Injury Update - Back
Much like Sabonis before him, DeMar DeRozan is dealing with a back injury, but DeRozan has missed back-to-back games after leaving and not returning before that. Again, the Kings only have three games this week and DeRozan is a tough roster if he’s unable to play on Monday.
Damian Lillard Injury Update - Concussion
He’s missed three consecutive games, but it seemed like Damian Lillard was progressing through concussion protocol. This would be a great week to get Lillard back as a fantasy owner considering the Bucks play four times from Monday to Saturday. He’s officially listed as probable heading into Monday’s game.
Bradley Beal Injury Update - Calf
Head coach Mike Budenholzer ruled out Bradley Beal for two more games on Sunday – including Sunday – and Monday and then he’ll be reevaluated. Beal is impossible to start in weekly roster locks with only two games on the schedule and he’s confirmed out for one of them.
CJ McCollum Injury Update - Adductor
CJ McCollum is ramping to play, from the man’s mouth himself. He has a great opportunity to return this week. The Pelicans could use him with how many injuries they’ve had.
Nic Claxton Injury Update - Back
The Nets will be without their starting center for at least a week as he has a strained lower back. After the week, the Nets plan to evaluate him and whether he’s going to be able to return. He’s missed three straight games (including Sunday) and if he’s able to return within that timeframe, the Nets game on Friday or next Sunday are the most likely.
Ausar Thompson Injury Update - Illness
We’re nearing a return for one of the promising young talents in the league as Ausar Thompson is fully practicing after returning from blood clots he sustained in March. His role on the Pistons isn’t defined, but it’s likely he’s coming off the bench as Tobias Harris is starting at power-forward and Tim Hardaway starts at small-forward as the Pistons’ best space creator.
Fantasy Basketball Week 5 Waiver Wire
Tari Eason, Houston Rockets - 47% owned on Yahoo! Fantasy
At this point, any league that Tari Eason’s a free agent in should be shut down packed up, and sent on a vacation somewhere. Kidding..sort of. Eason’s an amazing fantasy producer as he’s averaging 29 FP/game, which is more than Lauri Markkanen, Draymond Green, and Kyle Kuzma. Eason’s seriously cut into Jabari Smith. playing time and that won’t change anytime soon if Eason continues to be such a menace on both ends of the floor.
Shaedon Sharpe, Portland Trail Blazers - 32% owned on Yahoo! Fantasy
It’s really hard to ignore Shaedon Sharpe’s fantasy upside moving forward, especially when you consider his implementation into the starting lineup. In each of his last two starts, Sharpe’s popped off offensively scoring 17 and 33 points, and has been an extremely ball-dominant player leading the Trail Blazers in usage. Sharpe’s ability to score, facilitate, and be a sneaky steals guy makes him extremely value in fantasy moving forward.
Caris LeVert, Cleveland Cavaliers - 34% owned on Yahoo! Fantasy
Yes he’s coming off the bench and yes eventually Max Strus will be back, but there’s no telling when that’s going to be and LeVert has been great off the bench. LeVert’s averaged 26.9 fantasy points per game off the bench and is doing a little bit of everything early and often for the Cavs. Mid-20s minutes is the floor nightly for Casris LeVert and he has a 30-plus minute ceiling.
Jaden McDaniels, Minnesota Timberwolves - 22% owned on Yahoo! Fantasy
This is one to keep your eye on if you’re just not there yet with Jaden McDaniels. I understand the hesitation because this production really came out of nowhere, but man has he had a pretty good stretch of games. A lot of it has to do with staying on the floor and out of foul trouble and he’s largely been able to do that. McDaniels has had multi-steal games in six of seven games and has had six or more rebounds in four straight heading into Sunday’s game against the Suns. The scoring, that is still inconsistent, has been better too.
Vince Williams, Memphis Grizzlies - 11% owned on Yahoo! Fantasy
It took Vince Williams one game for me to start pondering..thinking..with a pipe..in a comfort chair..reading a newspaper..stroking my nonexistent beard..how serious are the minutes? He played 24 in his first game of the year, coming off a serious injury. He’s someone who can stuff a box score and that was on full display in the first game, so again, I ask..how serious are the minutes? He’s someone I’m taking a flier on in deep leagues and someone I’m monitoring heavily in shallow formats.
Player News
Buddy Hield had 15 points (5-of-14 FGs), three rebounds, one assist, one steal and four three-pointers against the Timberwolves in Game 2 on Thursday.
Hield moved into the Warriors’ starting lineup in the first round and the team became somewhat reliant on his scoring. With Stephen Curry (hamstring) out in Game 2, Hield started and played 29 minutes. The 32-year-old shooting guard led the Warriors in field goal attempts, though no one in a Golden State uniform was able to reach 20 points. The Warriors weren’t able to overcome a double-digit first half deficit. Despite the four made three-pointers, they’re going to need more from Hield as the series shifts to Golden State, especially if Curry remains out.
Jimmy Butler had 17 points (6-of-13 FGs), seven rebounds, four assists, one steal and two three-pointers against the Timberwolves in Game 2 on Thursday.
Butler couldn’t get it done without Stephen Curry (hamstring) on the road in Game 2. The Warriors fell behind by double-digits early and never recovered. Butler had 17 points on 13 shots, which wasn’t far off from the 20 points he had in Game 1. Still, the Warriors have to regroup as they head home for Games 3 and 4 as they try to figure out a way to keep this series close until Curry can return to the court.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 20 points (7-of-13 FGs), two rebounds, three assists, one block and four three-pointers in Game 2 against the Warriors on Thursday.
Alexander-Walker was a key scorer off the bench in Game 2. He, Naz Reid and Donte DiVencenzo combined for 10 made three-pointers off the bench. In a game where the Warriors were desperate for scoring without Stephen Curry (hamstring), those bench points were too much to overcome as the Timberwolves won by 24 points.
Julius Randle had 24 points (10-of-17 FGs), seven rebounds, 11 assists and one three-pointer in Game 2 against the Warriors on Thursday.
Randle led the Timberwolves in scoring in the Game 2 victory. The 30-year-old power forward was just three rebounds away from a triple-double. He was a steadying presence in his 33 minutes as Anthony Edwards dealt with an ankle injury towards the end of the first half. Edwards recovered from his injury to play 34 minutes, but Randle is still the next most important player in this series for the Timberwolves.
Anthony Edwards had 20 points (6-of-13 FGs), nine rebounds, five assists, three steals, one block and two three-pointers in the Timberwolves’ 117-93 victory over the Warriors in Game 2 on Thursday.
Edwards appeared to suffer a sprained left ankle towards the end of the second quarter as the Warriors’ Trayce Jackson-Davis landed on his foot. Edwards turned the same ankle in the first round against the Lakers and appeared to re-aggravate the injury. The 23-year-old shooting guard would go on to start the second half and play a team-high 34 minutes in the Game 2 victory. Edwards will only have one full day off before the series resumes in Golden State for Game 3 on Saturday.
Warriors will start Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Quinten Post in Game 2 against the Timberwolves on Thursday.
No surprise here as Curry was always a long shot to make it back for Game 2 after leaving Game 1 with hamstring injury. While there has been a report that the 37-year-old point guard is expected to miss a week, there is no firm timetable for his return. The Warriors will go big with their starting lineup for Game 2 with center Quinten Post entering the lineup in Curry’s absence.