Luka Doncic Out for a Month | Fantasy Basketball Outlooks for Kyrie Irving, P.J. Washington, Klay Thompson, Quentin Grimes, Spencer Dinwiddie and More

After a surprise run to the NBA Finals this summer, the Dallas Mavericks had high hopes for the 2024-25 season.

A lot of those hopes are because of star player Luka Doncic. He’s battled injuries all season, and is now expected to miss at least a month with a left calf strain.

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Doncic’s Season Numbers

Doncic is one of the top players in the game, both in real life and in fantasy. He was sitting third on the FantasySP Trade Value Chart before the injury occurred. 

He’s averaging 28.1 points, 7.8 assists, 8.3 rebounds, 2 steals and 0.4 blocks across 35.3 minutes per game. Doncic has played in 22 of the team’s 30 games, and now will likely be ineligible for any postseason awards because he won’t reach 65 games played.

The only thing the Mavericks care about now is getting their star player healthy. It’s a massive blow to the fantasy teams that rostered Doncic. There’s no way to replace a player like that, and the teams who didn’t draft well around Doncic are going to have an uphill climb the remainder of the season.

Owners could look to possibly move Doncic for a player who is going to help them out now, but you aren’t going to get great value back, so you’re better off trying to tread water until Doncic returns. Stream players as best you can, or package a couple of your depth pieces for a bigger star.

Having to let Doncic sit on your bench (if you don’t have an IR spot) is also tough for those fantasy owners. You can’t drop a player like Doncic, so you’ll have to get creative to remain competitive. 

Other Mavs’ Fantasy Outlooks

The injury to Doncic is going to boost the fantasy value of Kyrie Irving. He sits 31st on the trade chart, and might be a player the Doncic owners target in a trade.

Irving is averaging 24 points, 5.1 assists, 4.6 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 0.3 blocks across 34.8 minutes a game. He should see slight bumps to his scoring and assist numbers with Doncic out. Irving could be a player to potentially sell high on if he gets hot over the next couple games.

P.J. Washington has enjoyed a solid season so far, and should be a better fantasy asset over the next month with Doncic out. He’s averaging 12.4 points, 2.2 assists, 7.9 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks across 32.4 minutes.

He’s a fairly consistent fantasy player already, and might be a bit more inconsistent with Doncic out, but his fantasy value should increase by at least a little bit for the next month.

Klay Thompson has been pretty good in his first season with the Mavs. He’s averaging 14.3 points, 1.8 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 1 steal and 0.4 blocks across 26.7 minutes.

Expect him to get some more shot attempts with Doncic out, and that should lead to a boost in his scoring. He’s available in a few leagues, and should be rostered in all of them until Doncic returns, just like Irving and Washington should be.

Daniel Gafford is a big man for Dallas, but his numbers should also get a boost without Doncic around. He’s averaging 12 points, 1.3 assists, 6.1 rebounds, 0.4 steals and 1.2 blocks across 19.6 minutes.

His fantasy value is capped by playing less than 20 minutes most nights. He could be asked to play a couple more minutes now, so he’s a player to keep a close eye on. Gafford is available in about 20% of leagues, and should see that number decrease a touch over the next month.

Dereck Lively II is another big man for the Mavs. He’s averaging 8.7 points, 2.5 assists, 7.8 rebounds, 0.6 steals and 1.6 blocks across 23.8 minutes. 

Lively is available in about 22% of leagues at this time, but should get a little boost in his averages and own percentage over the next month. He’s already been playing a bit more of late, so he’s a player I’d like to add with Doncic now out.

Naji Marshall is averaging 11.2 points, 2.2 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 0.1 blocks across 23 minutes a contest. 

Marshall is only rostered in 14% of fantasy leagues, and will be one of the more-added Mavs after the injury to Doncic. In deeper leagues especially, Marshall is a player to either add, or keep a close eye on, over the next month.

Quentin Grimes is another player who should get some waiver wire love after the Doncic injury. He’s averaging 9.1 points, 1.6 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 0.7 steals and 0.2 blocks across 20.3 minutes.

I expect Grimes to play a bit more going forward, and that will boost his averages and fantasy value overall. He’s rostered in 31% of leagues, a number that’s been on the rise since Christmas. If you want a piece of Grimes, you better make the move now in deeper leagues.

Spencer Dinwiddie is another player whose own percentage is on the rise. He’s averaging 8.1 points, 3.3 assists, 1.9 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 0.3 blocks across 21.3 minutes.

He should get a boost to his playing time, and that will help him be a better fantasy asset. Like Grimes and Marshall, Dinwiddie is likely going to top out as a deep-league option only, but in the absence of Doncic, he’s at least a player to add or consider rostering for the next month.

Other Players to Keep an Eye On

Jaden Hardy, Dwight Powell, Maxi Kleber and Olivier-Maxence Prosper are four other Mavericks to keep an eye on during the next month. 

Hardy has fallen out of the rotation, but had a few promising games in October and November. He could slide back into the rotation, and maybe carve out a decent role with some better play.

Powell is part of the rotation now, but his minutes have been pretty sporadic. There’s a chance that he gets a little more run now, even though he’s a big man. I’d need to see a couple good fantasy outings before considering Powell though.

Kleber already has a pretty sizable role for the Mavericks, averaging 16.5 minutes per game. His other averages of 1.8 points, 0.6 assists, 2.7 rebounds, 0.2 steals and 0.4 blocks leave a lot to be desired, but without Doncic’s production, there’s a chance Kleber can offer up a little fantasy value. 

Prosper has been a bigger part of the rotation of late, with double-digit minutes in each of his past six appearances. The Mavs might take the Doncic absence as a chance to see what they have in the 22-year-old Prosper, so definitely keep an eye on him.

There’s a chance another player steps up over the next month, but nobody else who has played for the Mavericks look like good options at this point. Keep watching the team’s box scores and top waiver wire pickups to see who might be worth an add.