Notable Fantasy Basketball Injuries to Monitor Before the 2026-27 Season

The NBA regular season will be here in a couple weeks, but there's already some notable injuries to discuss.

Let's talk about some injured players here and what it means for fantasy basketball purposes.

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Warriors

Golden State's Jimmy Butler III and Moses Moody are two players working back from injuries as the season ramps up.

Butler is recovering from a torn ACL, while Moody had a torn patellar tendon. Butler is expected to return in February, so he's expected to miss most of the season. Moody is expected to miss the first half of the season, so he'll be back before Butler likely, but still will miss a big chunk of the season.

Butler's ADP is still at 104.61, although that's been steadily dropping during the preseason. He's just a stash option, as he won't help out a ton this regular season. Moody isn't on the ADP list, but he's one to possibly add as he nears a return, especially in deeper leagues.

Clippers

Jordan Miller and Max Strus are two Los Angeles players on the mend.

Miller had surgery to repair a torn left rotator cuff, while Strus has a partial tear of his plantar fascia. Miller is expected to miss the first half of the season, at least. Strus is expected to miss four weeks, so a couple of regular season weeks.

Neither are huge fantasy assets, but they can be deep-league assets, so be watching for their returns and possibly adding them down the line.

Brandon Ingram is a big-time fantasy player who is also missing time right now. He has a partially torn Achilles tendon that will cost him regular season time. His outlook is murky as we don't know his status, but his ADP is at pick 68 right now and has been steadily dropping.

Timberwolves

Minnesota's Donte DiVincenzo is still recovering from a torn right Achilles from last season.

He is expected to miss most of the upcoming season, but a return late in the regular season is a possibility.

He's on the ADP list around pick 100 as well, but he's just a stash option, and probably one to only stash in deeper leagues since he's unlikely to play too long this coming season. He's one to add as he nears a return, and that could go for all league types.

Suns

Mark Williams has a shoulder injury that will keep him on the bench for the start of the 2026-27 season.

He's expected to be out until maybe February, so again, that doesn't leave much time to help out fantasy owners. 

Williams is another injured player going near pick 100 on the ADP list, so he's another stash option. He's not a high-end player though, so don't make it a necessity to draft-and-stash him. He'll probably be available in a good amount of leagues as he nears a return, so he could be added at that point.

Trail Blazers

Shaedon Sharpe is a bigger name who is on the injury report.

He has a torn meniscus and will miss several months of the upcoming regular season. Sharpe is expected to be out for most of the first half of the season, maybe returning in late February or early March.

His ADP is around pick 100 as well. Sharpe is another draft-and-stash option, and with some fantasy value, I like doing just that with him, especially if your team is looking good around that time of the draft.

Jazz

Jusuf Nurkic is dealing with a partial plantar plate tear in his foot and will miss regular season time. 

He's out at least the next four weeks, so he might only miss a couple regular season weeks. 

That knocks his fantasy value down a bit, but if he can stay pretty healthy after that, Nurkic could be a solid fantasy asset in 2026-27. His ADP is near pick 115, and he's one I'd love to draft later on.

Other Injuries to Monitor

Charlotte's Coby White injured his left calf and the strain will keep him out during the preseason. He figures to be a big part of the Hornets' plans in 2026-27, so the early injury is a downgrade for his fantasy outlook. His ADP is at pick 71 right now, but is dropping due to his current injury.

Charlotte's Kon Knueppel has a hamstring injury, and his regular season debut could be delayed a bit. His ADP is 60 right now, so that's still a very fair spot to grab a good fantasy asset, even if he's a bit banged up.

Chicago's Nicolas Claxton has a hamstring injury that he's working through. He's set to be re-evaluated later this month, so he could miss time at the start of the regular season. His ADP is near pick 110, and it's dropping a bit, and could more if he's set to miss regular season time.

Philadelphia's LeBron James has chronic arthritis in his left foot that's putting the start of the regular season in question. His ADP has been dropping as well, and it's near pick 26 right now. He's likely to have his playing time managed all season, so I'd be very skeptical of taking him that early in fantasy drafts this year.

San Antonio's Tobias Harris has a strained left calf that will keep him out of the preseason. His ADP isn't until pick 115 though, which could make him a good value pick if he can stay relatively healthy during the regular season, but this ailment is something to watch right now.

Dallas' Kyrie Irving is working his way back from a torn ACL yet. He also had a Grade 2 calf strain during his recovery, which kept him from returning last year. His ADP is pick 62 right now, and he could be managed all season, so keep that in mind if you draft him.