Fantasy Basketball Impact of the Jalen Johnson Injury | Should You Be Adding De'Andre Hunter, Zaccharie Risacher, Onyeka Okongwu, Vit Krejci and Others?

There hasn’t been a ton of season-ending injuries in the NBA this year, but maybe the biggest name just went down.

Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson is out for the season with a torn labrum.

Let’s discuss what that means for Johnson, the Hawks and your fantasy team.

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Johnson’s Season Numbers

The 23-year-old Johnson was emerging as one of the game's better players, so the timing of his injury is brutal.

In 36 games this season, Johnson averaged 18.9 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 1.6 steals and 1 block across 35.7 minutes. He shot 50% from the field, 31.2% from behind the 3-point line and was 74.6% from the free throw line.

The season-ending injury means you can drop Johnson in all redraft leagues. There’s no point in rostering him any longer.

Johnson should be held on to in keeper/dynasty leagues. He still has a very bright NBA future, but your team is definitely going to take a hit for the rest of the season.

Hopefully Johnson can buck the injury-prone trend he’s on in the 2025-26 season. He only played 56 games last season.

Other Hawks to Target

With Johnson out, several Atlanta forwards are going to take on larger roles. Players at any position could also be impacted if the Hawks decide to play bigger/smaller without Johnson around.

Trae Young and Dyson Daniels are two guards who are already rostered in 100% of fantasy leagues. They’ll continue to each play a ton of minutes, and are likely to see their fantasy outlooks increase a bit while picking up some of the slack in Johnson’s absence.

De'Andre Hunter is probably going to be the player that benefits most from Johnson being out. He’s rostered in 77% of leagues, and that number will surely increase in the next couple days.

He’s played in 33 games, but started just two. He’s averaging 19.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.1 blocks across 28.3 minutes a game. 

I’d expect Hunter to average at least 30 minutes a game for the rest of the season, and his averages should all increase as a result of more playing time, and without a high-level player like Johnson around.

Rookie Zaccharie Risacher is another guy who should get a big bump in his own percentage. He’s rostered in 21% of leagues right now.

He’s played 40 games and started 38 of those, but he’s averaged just 23.7 minutes. A little bump in playing time should help him improve on his other averages (10.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.5 blocks).

None of the team’s other forwards can really rebound as well as Johnson, so look for Onyeka Okongwu and Clint Capela to soak up a lot of the boards.

Okongwu is available in about 10% of leagues, while Capela is available in about 23%.

Okongwu is averaging 11.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.9 steals and blocks across 24.7 minutes in 40 games and six starts. Capela is at 9.4 points, 9 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.6 steals and 1 block across 22.4 minutes in 45 games and 41 starts.

I’d expect each big to play a couple more minutes a game, and for their fantasy numbers to improve a bit as a result. Okongwu has been starting over Capela of late, so I’d try to add him before Capela.

Forwards David Roddy, Larry Nance Jr. and Mouhamed Gueye could also take on larger roles with Johnson now out of the picture.

Roddy has appeared in 26 games, making three starts. He’s averaging 4.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.5 steals and 0.3 blocks across 13.2 minutes a game. He’s available in pretty much every fantasy league.

Nance has averaged 9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks across 19.5 minutes in 17 games and three starts. He was in trade talks earlier this season, so playing him could be a way to boost his trade value a bit.

Gueye has appeared in just four games, making one start. Across 13 minutes a game, Gueye is averaging 4.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 0.5 steals and 0.3 steals and blocks.

Vit Krejci has been a popular waiver wire name of late, and should continue to see his own percentage rise with a clearer path to playing time. He’s more of a guard, but could get some forward minutes now too.

Bogdan Bogdanovic is another player who could become a better fantasy asset with Johnson out. He’ll play the 2 and 3 positions when out there, and should get enough minutes even if he comes off the bench to be a decent fantasy asset.

Garrison Mathews is another 2 or 3 who could see an increased role now. He’s averaging just 18.5 minutes a game on the season, so a little bump could move him into a more favorable fantasy asset.

Keaton Wallace, Dominick Barlow and Daeqwon Plowden are a couple other players who could also factor in moving forward. Keep a close eye on the team’s box scores to see who is stepping up.

Final Thoughts

Losing Johnson is a huge blow to any fantasy team. You aren't going to find a similar fantasy asset sitting on the waiver wire, and it will probably take two or three players to match the fantasy value Johnson brought.

Those of you in redraft leagues will have an uphill battle, especially if you aren’t a top-end fantasy team right now. You’ll probably be scrambling to replace Johnson all season.

My bit of advice to those of you in redraft leagues where you are just an average-or-so fantasy team: I’d try to trade a top-end fantasy talent of mine for multiple fantasy players. Like I just said, replacing Johnson is going to take a couple players, so adding two mid-level options instead of a fantasy star could really help you out. 

Yes, you are losing out on two good fantasy players, but getting a couple guys in return is better than trying to play the waiver wire and mixing and matching the rest of the season.

A redraft fantasy team that’s sitting in a solid position should be able to get by without Johnson. You might have to stream players on and off for the rest of the season, but in that situation, I’d rather do that than make another trade to replenish some talent.

For those of you in keeper/dynasty leagues, losing Johnson is definitely a blow to your title chances this season. If you are contending, it’s going to be that much more difficult to get the job done now. 

You should have an IR spot to put Johnson in, and then you can use that roster spot to stream players for the rest of the season. You could decide to make a trade if you are contending and think a move takes you over the top. Just make sure you don’t mortgage your future too much.

If you are already rebuilding, losing Johnson doesn’t affect you too much. You could decide to sell off some of your veteran pieces in an effort to set yourself up better for the coming years. Hang on to Johnson though, because he’s still got a very bright career, and trading him now would be selling him low.