Aaron Gordon Out 4–6 Weeks: Fantasy Basketball Fallout for the Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets have dealt with a multitude of injuries over the course of the season, and were just dealt another blow on Thursday.

This time, it was Aaron Gordon who was injured. He's out 4-6 weeks with a right hamstring strain.

Let's break down the injury, how the Nuggets can replace Gordon and other real and fantasy world implications from the news.

Check out fantasy basketball injury news all season on FantasySP.

Gordon's Injury and Stats

Denver is third in the Western Conference despite all the injuries. The Nuggets are 31-16 overall.

Gordon has appeared in just 23 games (20 starts) this season, so you can see he's already missed a bunch of time this year. He also had a hamstring strain in late November, so a reaggravation is definitely not great for his long-term outlook.

In his time on the court, Gordon is averaging 17.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.2 blocks over 27.9 minutes a game. He's shooting 50.9% overall and 40% from 3-point land.

Gordon has scored in double figures in all but four games this season. He's gone over 20 points in eight games, including a season-high 50-point outburst in the team's first game.

Gordon has five or more rebounds in 18 games. He doesn't offer much for assists, having five or more on just four occasions. Gordon has a steal in 11 games and a block in only three.

His value on the Nuggets is huge, even if his numbers don't look super great. He will be missed, and several Denver players will need to step up in his absence. 

Outlook for the Nuggets

Denver has been decimated by injuries all season.

Along with Gordon's couple bouts with hamstring strains, Nikola Jokic, Jonas Valanciunas, Cameron Johnson and Christian Braun have all missed extended time. It's really wild that Denver is as good as it is with all those injuries. 

Right now, Braun, Johnson and Jokic are all still out, with Valanciunas day-to-day with a calf issue. 

Spencer Jones is the guy most likely to start at power forward with Gordon out of the picture again. More will be on the plate of Peyton Watson too, and Tim Hardaway Jr. should help pick up some more slack. Zeke Nnaji is another big man who could help out more.

Of course, with Jokic out, it's been Jamal Murray carrying the Nuggets. He will especially do that now, at least until some injured teammates are back in the mix.

If you were wondering how things have looked with Gordon out, let's check out StatMuse numbers. 

Murray, Jokic and Johnson led the team in minutes per game, with Watson after that, then Hardaway. Jones and Braun were next in minutes, with Bruce Brown and DaRon Holmes II also over 20 minutes a night without Gordon around.

Pickett and Valanciunas were the other two players over 14 minutes without Gordon around.

Again, it's going to take a team effort to help replace Gordon, especially with so many others out or dealing with ailments right now. The injury news is still pretty fresh, but Brown and Valanciunas are the two Nuggets on the waiver wire list today. 

With so many players injured, it'll be a game-by-game thing to see who the best fantasy options are. Like now, so many Denver players are out, but the top contributors might change over the weeks before Gordon returns as Jokic and others return to the mix.

Be watching the Denver injury report and be willing to add and drop players who aren't locked-in fantasy assets. Jokic, Murray and Watson are the players to keep holding no matter what.

Guys like Johnson, Valanciunas, Braun, Hardaway, Brown and others are the ones to consider adding in the meantime.

How to Approach Gordon

Those who have rostered Gordon all year have to be pretty fed up with things by now. Gordon has been a good fantasy asset when healthy, but with so many missed games now, it's frustrating to roster Gordon.

You may have already dealt with this issue once, so recall how things went as you consider how to proceed.

If your team struggled to compete/win without Gordon, you might have to look into dropping him, if you don't have an IR spot to stash him in, that is. I'd first look to trade him away - yes, it will be selling low on Gordon, but you probably will get a better player back than you could find on the waiver wire.

If you weathered the storm without Gordon earlier this season, I think you could do the same thing this time around, as long as you aren't dealing with way more injuries. Some might try to buy low on Gordon, and you could definitely entertain those offers.

Gordon will be back with a decent amount of the regular season left, but it's also close enough to fantasy playoff time that you really need to weigh your options with Gordon.

It will sting to drop or part ways with him, but if that's what it takes, then make that decision and don't look back. Just don't wait too long to make a decision and then regret it down the road.

Gordon is a helpful fantasy asset, and will be when he's back on the court, but he's going to be out a while, so determine if he's worth holding for several more weeks.