With his ability to play either forward position while scoring efficiently and making plays for himself and others, few players are as well-suited for the ongoing leaguewide positional revolution as Danilo Gallinari. He has been playing some of his best ball ever this season, averaging 19.5 points per game on a bunch of 3-pointers and trips to the free-throw line, and has generally proven that he is fully past the knee injuries that seemed to derail his career.
Unfortunately, another injury appears to have derailed Gallinari's season, as he has been ruled out at least through the end of the team's seven-game homestand as a result of an ankle injury suffered this weekend. Gallinari will likely end up missing three-to-four weeks as a result of this injury, which makes it sound more serious than your typical sprain. We should see him back at some point this season, but the Nuggets have no pressure to rush him back, which means you should expect the longer end of any timetable to come true.
As disappointing as it is, you can probably drop Gallinari right now. He might be able to help you down the stretch, and if you are locked into a playoff spot -- or have an IR spot available -- he is well worth stashing. However, if you are scratching and clawing for a playoff spot, Gallo taking up an empty roster spot isn't going to help you; might as well drop him for someone like Mirza Teletovic, who can.
The natural replacement for Gallinari is, of course, Will Barton, but he is already 97 percent owned in CBSSports.com leagues, so that doesn't really help you Gallinari owners. Still, Barton should prove helpful for those of you who already have him, based on what he managed to do in Gallinari's absence from a six-game stretch in December. Despite coming off the bench in each game, he averaged 22.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists in 34.3 minutes per game, and should have a large role yet again.
The bigger question will be whether anyone else can step up. The Nuggets have a glut of options in the frontcourt, and Gallinari's absence may give them an excuse to play big more regularly. That could mean more minutes for Nikola Jokic, Kenneth Faried, Jusuf Nurkic and Joffrey Lauvergne, though the last two have been too inconsistent to trust site unseen. If Mike Malone shows a willingness to ride Lauvergne or Nurkic for 25-plus minutes in multiple games, both could be worth a pick up.
Week 19 Injury Report
Anthony Davis (Toe)
Toe injuries are notoriously tricky, and Davis is notoriously incapable of playing through injuries, so there is no promise this will be resolved quickly. Davis is a game-time decision for Tuesday against the Rockets, and coach Alvin Gentry did tell reporters he expects Davis to play after injuring his toe during warmups Saturday. The Pelicans have no reason to push him to play, so we might not see Davis until later in the week. If I was desperate for a win, I still might start Davis, because his upside is still too high to risk leaving on the bench, but I would also bump Ryan Anderson up in my expectations just in case Davis sits out. He is worth starting in all formats either way.
Jimmy Butler (Knee)
This is great news for those of you who have been trying to just tread water without Butler. You have to assume his minutes will be limited at first, so he shouldn't be on your radar for a Week 19 start if you don't have daily lineup locks. However, this is certainly promising news, because Week 20 certainly seems to be in play.
Derrick Rose (Hamstring)
Rose is a game-time decision for Tuesday's against the Heat, though he did make it through at least some of practice Monday. Rose has missed the team's past three games, and obviously carries a ton of inherent injury risk even when things are going well. This injury comes at a bad time for Rose, who was stepping up for Fantasy players in Butler's absence. Given how deep the guard position is, you hopefully have a safer option to go with than Rose, who could also see a smaller role if Butler returns.
Rajon Rondo (Finger)
Rondo missed Friday's game as a result of ongoing issues with his right thumb, but was able to participate in some of Sunday's practice, so it's hard to say he risky he is. The fact that the Kings play four times this week helps his case, because Rondo is productive enough that he can still be worth starting even if he does have to miss one game. Let's just hope that's all it is, if he does sit out Monday.
Rudy Gay (Shoulder)
Gay is questionable for Monday's game, though it isn't exactly clear when he suffered the injury or how serious it is. At this point, it doesn't sound like an issue that will linger more than a few days, which means it might be worth taking a chance on Gay, with the Kings set to play four times this week. Even if Gay sits out Monday, he could still be a viable starter with three games.
Evan Fournier (Wrist)
Fournier is day to day with a sore right wrist, an injury that allowed Mario Hezonja to step into the starting lineup against the 76ers Sunday. Fournier's status for the week is in doubt, which makes it hard to trust him for Week 19. With just three games on the schedule this week, I probably wouldn't risk it.
Kobe Bryant (Shoulder)
Byron Scott told reporters he thinks Bryant should be available for the team's upcoming back-to-back Tuesday and Wednesday, so keep that in mind. He was averaging 22.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in nine before his shoulder injury, and remains a viable starting option for H2H Fantasy scoring leagues, even given his shoulder issues. He might only play one of those two games, of course, so consider him more of a low-end starting option, with plenty of risk.
Stanley Johnson (Shoulder)
Johnson could return sometime this week, and should slide right back into his 20-ish MPG role he had before the injury. Stan Van Gundy hasn't been comfortable relying on his bench at all this season, so we'll likely still see Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Marcus Morris and Tobias Harris logging minutes in the high-30's, making Johnson a definite cut candidate in Fantasy.
Rotation notes
- We'll have to see what the Heat r0tation looks like after a few more games, but it looked like what anyone should have reasonably expected in their first game with Joe Johnson on Sunday. The Heat handled the Knicks easily Sunday, with Johnson stepping right into the starting lineup at small forward. The place where his impact was felt the most was with Luol Deng, who played just 30 minutes Sunday, his first game under 34 since the All-Star break. Still, the Heat don't have a ton of depth even with the Johnson addition, and will likely use an eight- or nine-man rotation most nights, with Deng, Johnson, Dwyane Wade, Justise Winslow, Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside likely looking at 30-plus minutes every night.
- Brandon Jennings still has a chance to take over as the Magic's primary point guard, but he certainly hasn't done it yet, averaging just 17.2 minutes per game since his trade from Detroit. His ability to shoot and create could very well earn him a 25-plus MPG role at some point, but Scott Skiles clearly isn't willing to just hand him the role, even given Elfrid Payton's limitations.
- D'Angelo Russell isn't exactly taking the world by storm, but it's hard to argue with his averages over the last five games: 15.2 points, 4.8 assists, 3.0 rebounds per game. Add in solid percentages across the board, and we're starting to see why this guy was the No. 2 pick in this year's draft. He has played 26-plus minutes in each game since the All-Star break as well, and seems to have finally earned Byron Scott's trust enough that we can stop yelling quite so loud about it.
- The Suns have some reasons for optimism, in the form of a solid core of young players with upside who have already shown flashes of star potential this season. That core is made of Devin Booker and Alex Len, primarily, with Archie Goodwin hanging out on the periphery. That trio of players still has a lot to learn about the NBA, but they also represent by far the most intriguing options on the roster, which is why it has been frustrating to watch them be somewhat marginalized at times. Even in a lost season, there is value in playing veterans who can provide stability, but it's just hard to get excited about players like Ronnie Price and Phil Pressey for Fantasy purposes. Mirza Teletovic is someone who definitely should be added in most Fantasy leagues, as he is averaging 20.0 points per game over the last five with sterling shooting numbers. Booker and Len are also worth owning in nearly all leagues, even with their minutes somewhat in flux; Len is averaging 18.0 points and 10.8 rebounds per game over the last five, and is a seeming lock to play close to 25 at least if he can stay out of foul trouble. Goodwin is the more questionable one, but given his upside, I'm still stashing him.
- That Sam Mitchell continues to alternate starts between Zach LaVine and Tayshaun Prince is the most infuriating rotational subplot in the league now that Scott has come to his senses. Still, the Timberwolves aren't exactly having trouble finding playing time for LaVine, who has played 30-plus in each of his last five, and finished the month of February averaging 14.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game with solid percentages. He is a must-own player down the stretch.
- Given how tough it has been for David Lee to find playing time over the last two seasons, expectations weren't high when he signed with the Mavericks for the remainder of the season. With Dirk Nowitzki and Zaza Pachulia holding down the frontcourt, it just didn't seem like there was much room for Lee to break into the rotation. However, he logged 20-plus minutes Friday and Sunday, and nearly recorded a double-double in those two games, averaging 13.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. I have a hard time seeing Lee maintaining either his current per-minute production or role in Dallas, but the Mavs have shown a willingness lately to limit Pachulia's minutes to keep him fresh, so maybe Lee can settle into a 25+ MPG role. There isn't a ton of upside -- Lee doesn't bring much to the table beyond scoring and rebounding -- but he is worth a look in deeper leagues for the time being.