5 injury risk players to stay away from in early rounds of NBA fantasy drafts
Most fantasy basketball drafts are either complete or right around the corner with the NBA season set to tipoff on Tuesday. Typically, draft participants prefer to wait until the last moment possible to make their selections in case of any trades, injuries, or roster changes before opening night.
The very top of the draft, usually meaning the first and second rounds, hardly includes players that are common injury risks. Players who are consistently healthy and productive will always populate the majority of the top spots in fantasy NBA basketball.
However, there are always those risky names somewhere between the late second to fourth rounds who may produce at a first-round level. If they remain healthy, then your fantasy team ends up in great shape, but the risk is often not worth the potential reward.
Here are five players who are likely to be early-round selections in the NBA fantasy drafts that you may want to stay away from for injury concerns.
#5 Michael Porter Jr.
Michael Porter Jr. is a tricky case for fantasy NBA basketball. His history of back injuries from high school and college is well documented, and he also sat out his entire first season in the NBA with the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets are obviously comfortable in that regard as shown by their willingness to ink in a five-year $172-million max rookie extension this offseason.
Still, back injuries are no joke for NBA athletes, and they should not simply be ignored now that Porter has been healthy for roughly two seasons. Notably, without Jamal Murray for a large portion of the year, most expect Porter's offensive responsibility to jump in the 2021-22 NBA season.
Finding high-round selections was a difficult task for this list, and I understand feeling willing to take the risk on Porter Jr in the second or third rounds of fantasy drafts. Still, his history of concerning back injuries cannot just be ignored.
#4 Jaren Jackson Jr.
When healthy, Jaren Jackson Jr. is a fantasy NBA basketball beast. His 2019-20 averages of 17.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, and 2.5 threes made per game make for a killer fantasy statline.
At just 22-years-old Jackson also has plenty of room to grow, and while the Memphis Grizzlies are surely attempting to win every game possible, their primary focus seems to be developing their young talent.
At the moment, Jackson projects to be the number two option for franchise cornerstone Ja Morant. The big caveat is what was mentioned at the top, when healthy.
Jaren Jackson Jr. played just 11 of 72 possible games in the 2021-22 NBA season. His defensive potential has yet to be actualized, and his inability to stay on the floor has not done him any favors in that regard.
The Memphis Grizzlies seems fairly confident in his health moving forward, none of the injuries have been repeated, and just signed him to a four-year, $105-million extension. He may pay off in NBA fantasy, but be aware of the risks that come with selecting him early on.