Injured Fantasy Basketball Players Returning Soon: Brandon Clarke, Onyeka Okongwu, Mitchell Robinson and Others

While some fantasy basketball owners out there are fighting for their playoff lives, others have such stacked teams that they can play with roster spots at the end of the bench. Regardless of which category you fall under, this article is for you.

I wanted to discuss several NBA players who are nearing a return to the court (after being injured for an extended period). These players could be massive fantasy assets over the last couple weeks of the season, and possibly help you win a fantasy title.

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Hawks

Atlanta has several players on the verge of returning. 

The biggest name of the bunch is Trae Young, who has been out since Feb. 23. He’s making progress, but with a pretty comfortable lead for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, the team can afford to play things carefully. 

There’s no return date set yet, but everyone knows the fantasy asset Young is on the court. If he’s available in your league and you can afford to stash him, he could play a couple games late in the regular season and lead you to fantasy glory.

Onyeka Okongwu is more widely available in fantasy leagues, and is getting very close to returning. He was originally listed as questionable for the team’s game on Wednesday, March 27 before being ruled out, meaning it shouldn’t be too long until he suits up again.

Okongwu averages 10.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.1 blocks and 0.5 steals per game, which is enough to at least consider him a streaming option in standard leagues. He definitely needs to be utilized in deeper leagues.

Cavaliers

Max Strus isn’t necessarily a fantasy star, but he’s capable of some big fantasy outings when he’s healthy. He’s questionable for the team’s game on Wednesday, so it’s only a matter of time until he’s back.

He averages over 30 minutes along with 12.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.5 blocks this season. That’s plenty to add him in deeper leagues, and consider him as a streaming option in standard leagues.

Grizzlies

Marcus Smart and Brandon Clarke both appear to be fairly close to returning for Memphis.

Smart has been out for several weeks with a finger injury, and while news has been sparse about his return, his initial timetable had him returning around this time. Keep an eye out for news on him, as averages of 14.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.1 steals and 0.3 blocks would be a nice addition to a fantasy team in any type of league.

Clarke has been out with an Achilles tear, having last played on March 3, 2023. He’s nearing a return and could carve out a decent role over the last couple weeks of the season. He averaged 10 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 blocks and 0.6 steals last season, which is enough fantasy production to play him in deeper leagues at least.

Knicks

Mitchell Robinson is questionable to play on Wednesday, and even if he doesn’t, he’ll be back on the court soon. He hasn’t played since Dec. 8, and was originally thought to be out for the season.

He might need to be eased into things, but he averaged 6.2 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 1.3 blocks and 0.7 assists per game this season, which is plenty to utilize him in deeper leagues. Robinson isn’t much of a scorer, but is a reliable rebounder, which is where his fantasy value lies.

Raptors

Scottie Barnes is surprisingly available in more leagues than I expected, and although his return is likely a week-plus out yet, adding Barnes for even a few games at the end of the season could be massive for your team’s title chances.

Barnes is averaging 19.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.3 steals per game. That’s fantastic all-around production, so if he’s available in your league and you have a roster spot you can stash him at without compromising your level of competition right now, I’d say absolutely go for it.

Other Options

I mentioned guys that were available in a decent amount of leagues, but there’s some bigger names out there on the cusp of returning as well, so check to see if any of these guys are available.

• Toronto’s RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley
• Portland’s Malcolm Brogdon and Jerami Grant
• Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid and Robert Covington
• Dallas’ Josh Green
• Boston’s Jrue Holiday