Evan Mobley Sidelined: What His Absence Means for Fantasy Basketball

NBA players missing games isn't uncommon - it's actually bigger news when an NBA player doesn't miss time over the course of the regular season. While players miss occasional games, it's the extended absences that play the biggest role, both in real life and for fantasy basketball.

Today, I wanted to talk about the injury suffered by Evan Mobley, and what it means for the Cavaliers, and for fantasy basketball owners. 

Let's get right to it!

Check out fantasy basketball injury news all season on FantasySP.

Mobley's Injury and Season Numbers

Mobley is reportedly going to miss a little time with a left calf strain. He's expected to be re-evaluated in 1-3 weeks.

That might not sound like a ton of time, but that could equate to 10+ games, which is a good chunk of the season.

Mobley is a big part of the Cavaliers' success, so his absence will be big.

In 42 games (40 starts) this season, Mobley is averaging 17.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks and 0.9 steals over 33.4 minutes a night. He is shooting 51.2% overall and he's 30.4% from 3-point land.

Cavaliers' Outlook Without Mobley

Mobley is the Cavaliers' regular starting power forward, and at that amount of minutes per night, he's going to be missed for however long he is out.

That will put more on the plate of Donovan Mitchell, along with Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen. Jaylon Tyson, De'Andre Hunter, Dean Wade and Sam Merrill are other Cleveland players with 15 or more starts this season. 

Whoever is in the starting lineup will be tasked with helping replace Mobley. And of course, over the course of a game, Mobley impacted the game in several areas, so there's a chance for several Cavaliers to step up in his absence.

Hunter is probably the power forward who would benefit the most with Mobley out. Hunter is day-to-day with a knee injury himself, so Wade could slide to the 4 position and help fill Mobley's starting spot, while Tyson and Merrill help fill the 3 spot a bit more.

Guys like Lonzo Ball, Craig Porter Jr., Nae'Qwan Tomlin, Larry Nance Jr., Tyrese Proctor and Thomas Bryant are others who could be asked to help fill some of Mobley's production as well.

The news of the injury is very fresh, and no Cavaliers are on the waiver wire page right now. That's a link to keep checking too, in case a couple Cavaliers get heavily added after the Mobley injury news.

If I had to predict and tell you who to pick up, I'd say that Tyson, Hunter and Merrill are the best pickup options. Tyson is the only healthy player in the bunch, so I'd scoop him up if he was available in my league.

Tomlin and Nance are deeper fantasy assets that could make some sense to add after the Mobley injury.

The best thing to do to identify the best pickups would be to watch the team's gamelogs coming up. The Cavs have games on Wednesday and Sunday yet this week.

How to Approach Mobley

Mobley isn't expected to miss a ton of time at this point, so I'd urge his fantasy owners to just hold on to him and ride out his absence.

If you have an IR spot to put him in, then that's where Mobley should go. No matter what, he is not a player to drop, in any league type.

Some of you might not be able to stash Mobley during his injury and still be competitive, so some might be forced to look into trading him. Of course, you would be selling Mobley low if you traded him away now. 

If you do end up trading him, make sure you get a decent player in return. You'll probably have to look at players ranked closer to 50th on the trade value chart, as Mobley's value is lower now that he's banged up. Mobley is ranked 27th right now.

He's not expected to miss much time either, so it's not like his trade value is drastically altered right now. If anything, it will mark a good time to try and acquire him for a bit cheaper, which means your return should be pretty solid.

Again, I'd do my best to hold on to Mobley if my roster wasn't going to be decimated by his absence. It really means that you will need to assess your roster and see if you can handle missing Mobley.

I'd go into things expecting him to miss at least three weeks, so you are prepared for the worst-case scenario. If he comes back sooner, then great, but nearly a month without a player can really alter a fantasy team's outlook.