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.