The latest fantasy basketball news is dominated by the breaking NBA news of multi-week injuries to Victor Wembanyama and Ja Morant, fundamentally shaking the NBA injury report. This forced reshuffling of NBA depth charts and NBA lineups creates crucial waiver wire opportunities.
Managers must quickly execute a winning fantasy basketball draft strategy to scoop up NBA sleepers like Luke Kornet, Moses Moody, and Vince Williams Jr.
We analyze their projected NBA player stats and the stability of their new roles, offering guidance on whether these temporary additions deserve a spot on your roster and a boost in the fantasy basketball rankings.
Most-Added Fantasy Basketball Players Today
Luke Kornet, Spurs 
The Devastating News: Victor Wembanyama will miss multiple weeks with a strained calf, delivering a crushing blow to both the Spurs and fantasy managers who invested heavily in the franchise cornerstone. Given Wembanyama's importance to San Antonio's future, expect the organization to exercise maximum caution with his recovery timeline. This isn't a situation where the team will rush him back.
The Immediate Beneficiary: Luke Kornet should vault into the starting center role with significantly increased minutes. The opportunity is clear and substantial—someone has to fill Wembanyama's massive void in the frontcourt.
The Production Profile: Kornet has actually played quite well this season when given the chance. In the four games where he's logged 20+ minutes, he's averaged 14 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1.3 blocks. Those are solid, well-rounded numbers that translate to backend fantasy value in most formats.
The Statistical Expectations: Here's where the projection gets interesting. With Wembanyama off the floor, Kornet should see increased opportunities for rebounds and blocks—both categories where he'll have less competition for production. However, don't expect his scoring to spike. In fact, it might actually decrease slightly as the defense focuses more attention on him without Wemby drawing double teams and defensive attention.
The Minutes Projection: While Kornet is unlikely to consistently play 30+ minutes per game, he should approach that threshold regularly. Why? Look at the Spurs' backup center situation: Kelly Olynyk, Bismack Biyombo, and Jeremy Sochan (when playing small-ball center). That's not exactly a murderer's row of competition. Kornet is the clear best option for significant minutes at the five.
The Roster Decision: Kornet should be added in most formats, but with an important caveat—don't drop anyone with significant long-term value to make room for him. This is a multi-week injury fill-in, not a permanent roster transformation. If you've been streaming one or two roster spots throughout the season, Kornet is the perfect player to slot into that flexible space.
Recommendation: Add Kornet immediately in 12-team leagues and deeper. He's a solid play in 10-team formats as well, particularly if you need help in rebounds and blocks. His value should hold steady for at least 3-4 weeks, giving you a nice runway of consistent production. The combination of clear opportunity, demonstrated ability, and weak competition makes this one of the safer injury-replacement pickups you'll find.
Moses Moody, Warriors 
The Schedule Advantage: Moses Moody presents an attractive streaming opportunity with the Warriors playing a back-to-back tonight and tomorrow, followed by another game Friday. That's three games in four days—exactly the type of compressed schedule that makes streaming worthwhile.
The Starting Role: Moody has started the Warriors' past three games, which typically signals fantasy relevance. His most recent performance against the Pelicans was eye-popping: 32 points that had managers rushing to the waiver wire.
The Reality Check: Here's where we need to pump the brakes. Yes, Moody dropped 32 points—but it came against the Pelicans, who have been one of the league's worst defensive teams. His second-best scoring output this season? 28 points...against the Kings...when both Stephen Curry and Draymond Green were sidelined.
The Skepticism: Let's be blunt: there's significant reason to doubt Moody's consistency. He's a decent player, but his fantasy value is entirely dependent on two highly variable factors: whether his three-point shot is falling and whether head coach Steve Kerr decides to give him meaningful minutes that particular game.
The Kerr Factor: Steve Kerr's rotation decisions can be maddeningly unpredictable, especially with role players. Moody could play 28 minutes one night and 12 the next based on matchups, flow of the game, or seemingly arbitrary coaching preferences. This volatility makes Moody extremely difficult to trust in your starting lineup.
The Archetype: Moody is the definition of a volume three-point shooter who provides minimal peripheral stats. If he's not hitting threes and scoring efficiently, he's giving you virtually nothing in other categories. No assists, limited rebounds for his position, negligible defensive stats—just points and treys.
Recommendation: Moody is a decent stream for the Warriors' three games this week if you desperately need three-pointers and can afford to gamble on his shot falling. But keep expectations measured and don't confuse one 32-point outburst against a terrible defense for sustainable production. Add him for the compressed schedule, extract what value you can, and be ready to move on immediately afterward. This is not a hold in most standard leagues.
Vince Williams Jr., Grizzlies 
The Ja Morant Injury: Like Wembanyama, Ja Morant will miss multiple weeks with a strained calf. This creates a massive hole in Memphis' backcourt and fundamentally changes their offensive structure. The Grizzlies are suddenly without a true point guard, as Ty Jerome and Scotty Pippen Jr. are also dealing with injuries.
The Immediate Response: In the game where Morant got injured just six minutes in, Vince Williams Jr. stepped up and led the team with 5 assists while adding 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals. It wasn't a massive scoring outburst, but it demonstrated his ability to facilitate and contribute across multiple categories.
The Upside Flash: Williams has shown flashes throughout his career of being a legitimate stat-sheet stuffer—the type of player who can contribute in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks without dominating any single category. In fantasy basketball, this versatility is extremely valuable, especially in category leagues.
The Injury Concern: Here's a significant red flag: Williams himself has dealt with numerous injuries throughout his career. Adding an injury-prone player who's being thrust into expanded minutes is inherently risky. The last thing you want is to burn a roster spot on someone who immediately gets hurt.
The Minutes Question: If Williams can consistently see around 30 minutes per game, he's likely holdable in 12-team leagues and deeper. The problem is confidence in that playing time. Memphis has other options, and head coach Tuomas Iisalo might spread the minutes around rather than leaning heavily on Williams.
The Cam Spencer Factor: Don't sleep on Cam Spencer as a potential beneficiary of Morant's absence. Spencer could easily soak up minutes and usage that might otherwise go to Williams, creating a frustrating timeshare situation that caps both players' fantasy ceilings.
The Uncertainty: The core issue with Williams is that we don't have enough clarity about how Memphis will handle Morant's absence. Will Williams emerge as the primary ball-handler and facilitator? Will they go with a committee approach? Will Spencer or another player unexpectedly seize the opportunity? These questions make Williams a genuine gamble.
Recommendation: Williams is worth a speculative add if you have a streaming spot available, but go in with eyes wide open about the risk. He's the most uncertain of today's three pickups, with question marks around his health, his role, and his competition for minutes. Add him if you can afford the roster flexibility to drop him quickly if things don't materialize. In deeper leagues (14+ teams), he's worth the gamble given the dearth of available options. In shallower formats, you might be better served looking elsewhere unless you desperately need assists and defensive stats.
