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Sadly, the injuries are already piling up around the NBA, and the stars certainly aren’t safe. On Tuesday, it was announced that Anthony Edwards will undergo an “arthroscopic procedure” on his right knee and miss up to two months. That announcement came less than 24 hours after he scored 47 points in a loss to the Cavaliers. The early pairing of Edwards and LaMelo Ball had been effective, but they’ll lose out on a ton of time to continue developing chemistry.
Minnesota will have to stay afloat without Edwards somehow, and Ayo Dosunmu will likely be the one that fills out the open spot in the starting unit. Dosunmu was excellent as a starter last season and should be worth rostering as long as he’s starting. However, this is going to be a group effort to try and replace Edwards’ production. Ball, Jaden McDaniels and Jonathan Kuminga will all have to step up as starters, while Terrence Shannon Jr. should replace Dosunmu as the team’s sixth man.
Here are 11 other injuries to keep an eye on, because, yes, there are already that many noteworthy injuries.
I was watching this one live, and you could tell by how quickly there was a towel thrown over his leg that it was a nasty one. Replay only confirmed that, and now Williams is set to undergo surgery after suffering a fractured fibula and dislocated left ankle. A timeline will be provided after the procedure, but with an injury like this one, Williams probably isn’t going to return to help your fantasy team. This is really unfortunate since his last season was also derailed by injuries.
OKC is dealing with a ton of injuries, some of which we’ll get into later. For now, this is going to open up minutes, usage and a starting spot for Ajay Mitchell. On Monday, Mitchell played 25 minutes as a starter and contributed an efficient 30 points to go with five assists. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will continue to be the primary source of offense, but Mitchell should be the No. 2 option. It is worth noting that Mitchell is questionable to play on Wednesday with an ankle injury, though that shouldn’t be a long-term injury.
Ajay Mitchell STARRED in OKC's victory!
— NBA (@NBA) October 27, 2026
30 PTS (career-high)
5 AST
10-16 FGM
The Thunder improve to 4-0 on the season 👏 pic.twitter.com/vOuhpDoddo
It’s been difficult to assess this Magic team over the last few seasons because they continue to have long-term injuries to their stars. Thankfully, this isn’t quite as severe as some of the other injuries this team has dealt with, but Banchero is set to miss four-to-six weeks with an ankle sprain.
Banchero was injured in Orlando’s second game, so we haven’t gotten much of a look at him under new head coach Sean Sweeney. However, he did have 35 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists in the opener, so it could still be a productive season for him when he returns. Until then, Tristan da Silva should take on most of Banchero’s minutes. Jase Richardson got the start in Banchero’s first absence, though he only played 17 minutes to da Silva’s 27. Also, don’t be surprised if Franz Wagner returns to playing at an All-Star level, as he did when Banchero missed time two years ago. He had 23 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists against the Knicks on Sunday.
Utah had two starters exit early from Monday’s game, but only one will be a lengthy absence. Lauri Markkanen suffered a right wrist sprain, though he is questionable for Wednesday’s game, so he shouldn’t miss much time, if any. Jackson wasn’t so lucky. He will miss six-to-eight weeks with a torn right MCL, though he won’t require surgery.
Jusuf Nurkić is still out with a toe injury, and the initial timeline would’ve had him out for at least another week. Jackson had been starting at center, with Jaxson Hayes coming off the bench since getting the opening nod in the season opener. Hayes missed Monday’s game with a shoulder injury, so it was Mo Bamba that stepped up after Jackson’s exit. Kyle Filipowski and Tony Bradley also saw a few minutes, though both players’ roles were limited.
Hayes is questionable to play on Wednesday, but when he returns, the likely scenario is that he and Bamba split most of the minutes at center, which would likely prevent either from being worth streaming in for a few games until Nurkić returns. However, the long-term impact is that Ace Bailey should continue to start until Jackson returns. He’s gotten off to a strong start this season and will get the opportunity to build off that.
Ace Bailey is off to a sizzling start in Q1 🔥
— NBA (@NBA) October 25, 2026
13 PTS (6-7 FGM)
7 REB pic.twitter.com/O7eyrXOvpM
After missing Sunday’s game, it has now been reported that Leonard will miss multiple weeks due to swelling in his left knee, though that timeline doesn’t give us much to go on. Ja’Kobe Walter started in place of Kawhi on Sunday and finished with 22 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals, one block and five three-pointers. Walter should be worth streaming until Leonard returns, though he won’t be the only player that benefits in the box score. Everyone should see some extra shots, and this will hopefully be the opportunity that Collin Murray-Boyles needs to get going.
Jalen Williams’ leg wasn’t the only major injury OKC suffered on Sunday. Wallace suffered a torn left labrum, which will require surgery. The Thunder didn’t provide a specific timeline, but this isn’t a quick injury to come back from. Alex Caruso injured his ankle, so OKC is getting thin defensively on the perimeter. Jared McCain started in place of Wallace on Monday, and while he isn’t the defender Wallace is, he’ll provide plenty of triples as a starter. Bennett Stirtz and Josh Dix also played significant roles off the bench on Monday, though neither is worth rostering in fantasy basketball at this point.
Suggs went down while attempting a fastbreak layup in Sunday’s win over the Knicks. A non-contact knee injury. However, it seems he has dodged a bullet, as he will be re-evaluated in two weeks. With Richardson already starting in place of Banchero, Anthony Black should slide in as a starter. He made his season debut on Sunday and finished with 18 points, three rebounds, five assists, two steals and five three-pointers. Black was fantastic as a starter for stretches of last season and should be productive until Suggs returns.
Anthony Black 18 PTS (6-11 FG, 5-7 3P), 5 AST, 3 REB, 2 STL, team-high +21 vs. Knicks pic.twitter.com/6f9r0KGt3N
— Role Player Performances (@BenchHighlights) October 26, 2026
It had been a decent start to the year for Zubac, but he is now dealing with a left ankle injury. Head coach Rick Carlisle didn’t specify a timeline for Zubac’s return, only that they won’t rush him back. Hopefully this isn’t a lengthy absence, but Jay Huff should be the starter until Zubac returns. He wasn’t great in his first start, contributing just six points and six rebounds in 23 minutes, though he was better in the previous game with 14 points, three blocks and two three-pointers in 21 minutes. Huff had some decent stretches as a starter last season and could be worth picking up.
It’s a good thing Duren got paid. He suffered a hamstring injury that kept him from playing in the Pistons’ last two games, and he will be re-evaluated in two weeks. Hamstring injuries can certainly linger, so they’ll likely be careful with how quickly they get him back on the court. Paul Reed had 19 points and 11 rebounds in the game that Duren exited early, and while his first start in place of Duren was quiet, Reed had 22 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals, one block and one three-pointer against the Knicks on Tuesday. Reed should be considered a must-roster player until Duren returns.
Missi is set to miss a second straight game on Wednesday with a bone bruise in his left knee. In his first absence, head coach Jamahl Mosley opted to start DeAndre Jordan, with Derik Queen filling out the backup center minutes. Jordan isn’t worth streaming, and Queen is likely rostered everywhere already. Queen should see a boost until Missi returns, though he only played 25 minutes after playing 29 minutes in the previous game.
Let’s keep an eye on this one. He missed the preseason with a quad injury, and then he ended up missing Monday’s game against the Suns with a knee issue. It was the second night of a back-to-back, so no big deal, right? Well, now he’s out again on Wednesday. Hopefully, this doesn’t end up being a bigger deal. At this point, it isn’t even fair to speculate that it could be a lengthy absence, especially with all the injuries OKC is dealing with. I wouldn’t be rushing to add Isaiah Hartenstein, Aday Mara or Jaylin Williams at this point, but I’m definitely keeping tabs on Thunder injury reports moving forward.
The No. 1 overall pick is officially questionable for Wednesday’s game against the Cavaliers and could make his NBA debut. If that happens, Bilal Coulibaly, who has been solid as a starter in place of Dybantsa will be pushed to the bench. If Dybantsa doesn’t play against the Cavs, Washington’s next game would be against the Hornets at home, which could be a great time for the top pick to debut in front of the Washington faithful.