For those who play in head-to-head fantasy leagues, the playoffs are most likely underway. For those in roto formats, we are less than a month away from the completion of the regular season.
Regardless of which format you play, it's important to maximize every one of your roster spots.
With that in mind, let's discuss some injured players who are all still rostered in at least 70 percent of Yahoo leagues, and discuss whether or not they deserve to be.
Damian Lillard and Jusuf Nurkic, Portland Trail Blazers
Technically, the Blazers are still very much in the hunt for the play-in tournament. In fact, they entered Tuesday just one game behind the Pelicans in the loss column for the 10th seed. However, they blew up their roster at the trade deadline, clearly with an eye towards the future. With that in mind, don't look for them to try and make a playoff push down the stretch.
With the expectation that the Blazers don't actually care about making the playoffs, it's unlikely that we see Lillard (abdomen) again. He is set to be re-evaluated in another week or two, at which point he could be officially ruled out for the season. He's someone still rostered in 86 percent of leagues, but unless you play in a keeper or dynasty format, he needs to be dropped.
Nurkic went down with a foot injury towards the end of February that was reportedly going to force him to miss at least four weeks. That means, best case scenario, he could return toward the end of March. At that point, the Blazers could be even further down the standings. It wouldn't be a surprise if Nurkic doesn't take the floor again this season, so it's time to cut him loose, as well.
In Nurkic's absence, both Trendon Watford and Drew Eubanks have become viable fantasy options. They are available in 52 percent and 83 percent of leagues, respectively. Watford is the most appealing of the two, posting 17.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.0 three-pointers across the last six games, while also shooting 49.4 percent from the field and 89.3 percent from the free-throw line.
Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
It's been nearly a month since we've seen Davis (foot) on the floor, and the Lakers are floundering without him. Over the last 10 games, they are an abysmal 2-8. If there is a glimmer of hope, it's that Davis has been cleared to return to some light on-court activities.
Given Davis's injury history, don't expect the Lakers to rush him back, even as their record continues to suffer. If you're playing in a head-to-head league in which the playoffs are already underway, there's no point in holding onto Davis. Even when he is cleared to return, he will probably be eased back into action.
For those playing in a roto league that run until the last day of the season, it makes more sense to hold Davis. However, if you're dealing with other injuries and need an open roster spot, it might be best to cut Davis and stream his roster spot. Best-case scenario, you might only get a week's worth of games with a possible minutes limit.
Lonzo Ball, Chicago Bulls
The Bulls are starting to get healthy. Alex Caruso made his return Saturday and Patrick Williams (wrist) is expected to return by the end of March. Those are two of their key defenders, so getting them both back before the playoffs is huge.
Unfortunately for the Bulls, the news isn't as good for Ball (knee). It was reported Monday that Ball is dealing with a bone bruise and is without a timetable to rejoin the team. He's not even running and moving laterally at full speed, which is not encouraging.
The Bulls are bound for the playoffs, so they want Ball to be healthy when it matters the most. They won't rush him back, especially with Caruso healthy and Ayo Dosunmu playing so well. He's a definite drop in head-to-head leagues in which the playoffs are underway, and it's probably best to move on from him in roto formats, as well.
Jarrett Allen, Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers have seemingly had one devastating injury after another. The latest to join the list is Allen, who has missed the last four games with a finger injury. The Cavaliers have said he might not be back before the end of the regular season, so it's a bit surprising that he's still rostered in 86 percent of leagues.
For those looking for a replacement for Allen, the aforementioned Watford and Eubanks should be towards the top of the list. While not as widely available, Marvin Bagley III (57 percent rostered) is also a viable option. Since joining the Pistons, he's provided 14.2 points and 7.2 rebounds over nine games, while shooting 54.2 percent from the field.
Gordon Hayward, Charlotte Hornets
The oft-injured Hayward (ankle) has been sidelined for over a month, leaving the Hornets without one of their more versatile players. He had been in a walking boot, but he's slowly been making progress, including taking some shots Sunday. However, coach James Borrego said that there is still no timetable for his return.
It's difficult to have much faith in Hayward given his injury history. Since he just resumed taking shots, he's still probably at least a couple of weeks away from game action, if not longer. With that in mind, there's no need to keep him on our roster.
Josh Giddey, Oklahoma City Thunder
The latest victim of the Thunder's tanking ways appears to be Giddey. The rookie was off to great start to his career, then the team said in early February that they wanted to start limiting his minutes. He only appeared in six games after that came out before suffering a hip injury. We haven't seen him since.
Head coach Mark Daigneault said that he wouldn't even have an update on Giddey for a "couple of weeks" when he spoke about him March 5. Since then, we've received no updates.
Keep in mind that just last season, the Thunder used an injury as an excuse to shut down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for their final 29 games. Giddey appears to be on a similar path, so I'd recommend cutting bait sooner rather than later.
Giddey's absence has created more opportunities for Tre Mann, who is currently available in 83 percent of leagues. Across his last 11 games, he's averaged 15.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.0 three-pointers.
