Fantasy Basketball Impact of Joel Embiid Injury: Which 76ers Should You Add Now?
Discussing the fantasy basketball impact of the injury to Joel Embiid and what 76ers can be added with Embiid out.
It’s official - Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is set to miss at least the next four weeks of action after a left meniscus procedure.
Let’s discuss what the injury means from a fantasy basketball perspective.
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Embiid’s Season
Embiid has been one of the top individual players in the league for several years already, but he was enjoying his best season ever this year.
Through 34 games played, Embiid averaged 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.1 steals across 34 minutes played. He was shooting 53.3% overall, 36.6% from 3-point land and 88.3% from the free-throw line.
He only failed to reach 20 points in one game, and that was the last contest he played in (and got hurt for good in). He’s gone over 30 points on 28 occasions, including nine games over 40 points and three over 50 points. He scored 70 points in late January (which was just three games ago for Embiid).
Embiid has posted 27 double-doubles and stuffed the stat sheet in plenty of other ways all season. He was the favorite to win MVP (if he could have reached the new 65-game threshold the NBA set). Obviously, he won’t reach that now, but there’s hope he can play again this season.
Even after missing several games of late, Embiid sits seventh on our trade value chart. He was in the top four for most of the season.
76ers Fantasy Outlook
With Embiid out for the extended future, fantasy owners should act now to land Philly players that will take on expanded roles with Embiid out. We’ve covered several guys in daily takeaway stories, but we’ll go over everyone again here.
Tyrese Maxey, who is already 43rd on the trade value chart, will take on even more responsibility with Embiid out.
Maxey averages 25.9 points, 6.4 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 1 steal and 0.5 blocks over 37.3 minutes played per contest. He should get plenty of extra field goal attempts with Embiid no longer in the picture, but he might not be as efficient with more defensive focus on him. I still like Maxey to score a bit better than his season average until Embiid is back. His assist numbers might actually go up as well, as with more focus on him, he’ll need to get others involved more often. He’s not much of a rebounder, but those are available too without Embiid there.
Tobias Harris, ranked 68th on our chart, averages 17.9 points, 6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1 steal and 0.5 blocks across 34 minutes played this season. He too should be afforded some more field goal attempts, which should bump his scoring average up until Embiid is back. He’s been rebounding better since Embiid has been out, and his assist numbers have also improved a touch already.
Kelly Oubre Jr., owned in 81% of leagues now, has enjoyed a good amount of success since Embiid has been out. He’s gotten up at least 14 field goal attempts in six straight games, and has scored at least 15 points in all those games. He’s a decent rebounder and also chips in some steals, assists and blocks from time to time. With Embiid out for an extended period, Oubre needs to be added, at least until he cools off from the floor.
Patrick Beverley and De'Anthony Melton are the next two Sixers on the trade value chart.
Beverley is a guard, but has gotten at least 18 minutes in his past seven games played. He’s a better fantasy asset when Maxey is out, but he usually provides around 10 points and enough rebounds and assists on a nightly basis to at least be a deep league option. He’s a standard league streaming option with Maxey out.
Melton has been out since mid-January with a back injury. He’s nearing a return, so he’s a player to keep in mind. Melton has averaged 11.8 points, 4 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game this season, and those could all increase with some extra playing time.
Paul Reed and Mo Bamba are the last two guys I want to mention.
Reed has started the past three games with Embiid out. He’s struggled from the floor, going just 5-for-20 overall, but he has 20 combined rebounds and three blocks over that span. Some consistent minutes could lead to Reed being a decent fantasy asset. For the time being, he’s probably only worth rostering in deeper leagues. Keep a close eye on him and add him as soon as he has a big game or two.
Bamba is going to get extended minutes with Embiid out. He’s played between 15-20 minutes the past three games, going 6-for-18 from the floor. He’s been a great rebounder, with 25 boards combined over that span. If Reed can’t get things going offensively, the team might roll with Bamba instead because of his rebounding ability. Keep an eye on him.
What to do with Embiid
As for how to approach Embiid, I suggested fantasy owners deal him away before he went down for good. He just wasn’t playing enough and I suggested cashing in high on him.
Now fantasy owners are likely stuck with Embiid. Maybe you could flip him in a trade package that includes another injured player.
His trade value is definitely lower now, and with an uncertain return date, you might not get nearly enough value back in return for him. If you are contending for a fantasy title, I still like the idea of moving Embiid for pieces that can help you now. If your team is stacked and you can somehow get by without him, then that’s the only scenario in which I’d want to hold on to him.
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