Stephen Curry suffered an injury to his left labrum in Wednesday’s loss to the Pacers, and he’ll be re-evaluated in two weeks. The good news is that he doesn’t need surgery, but this is still a major blow to fantasy managers who will be missing a top-3 fantasy player. With Curry set to miss extended time, what can fantasy managers expect from the rest of the Warriors, and which players are worth an add off the waiver wire?
Warriors' Stephen Curry has a labrum injury in his left shoulder that is not expected to require surgery, sources say. Details on @TheRally: pic.twitter.com/6ox6W2UiN5
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 15, 2022
No doubt about it, fantasy managers. We’re here for the Poole party! No player stands to benefit more from Curry’s injury than Poole, so those who held onto him through his early-season struggles are about to be handsomely rewarded. Take a look at the huge difference in Poole’s games played with Steph Curry and those played without him over the last two seasons:
Stats with Curry:16.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.4 triples in 28.3 minutes
Stats without Curry: 25.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 4.0 triples in 34.9 minutes
Jordan Poole with a floater that literally disappears from the screen lmao pic.twitter.com/gG0LoYgGlK
— Joe Viray (@JoeVirayNBA) December 8, 2022
Those are some eye-popping numbers, and it wouldn’t be shocking if Poole posted early-to-mid round value for the duration of Curry’s absence.
The returns have been better for Donte over the last week, as “The Big Ragu” has quietly posted top-100 fantasy numbers in that span and top-120 numbers over the last two weeks overall. His stats without Curry are worth highlighting as well, and even though we’ve only got a two-game sample size, the numbers are encouraging
Stats with Curry: 6.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 steals in 18.8 minutes
Stats without Curry: 3.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 2.5 steals in 23.7 minutes
This is the most locked in of a defensive possession I've seen from the Warriors' second unit this season. Special props to Donte DiVincenzo for sublime screen navigation and making it hard for Brogdon. pic.twitter.com/1m8wIOT3QD
— Joe Viray (@JoeVirayNBA) December 11, 2022
DiVincenzo provided top-100 value and more for long stretches in his final healthy season with the Bucks, so there’s certainly a chance that history repeats itself. He’s an above-average rebounder for a guard and can rack up useful assist and steal numbers. We won’t be counting on early-round value even with the increased opportunities, but DiVincenzo will be a viable fantasy starter for as long as Steph is out. He’ll be even more valuable with Andrew Wiggins already out Friday and Draymond Green questionable.
Kuminga’s minutes have gotten a boost over the last week, and in 24.4 per game, he’s averaged 14.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 triples, 0.7 blocks and 0.7 steals. He ranked outside the top-175 in that span, but there’s optimism that his production can increase with Curry out of action. Kuminga is a luxury stash in 12-team leagues that have a deep bench, but otherwise, he’s best suited for deeper leagues.
Jonathan Kuminga keeps playing at a consistent level. Especially on the defense end, he's growing into his role.
— Ersin Demir (@EDemirNBA) December 15, 2022
Of course, filling Draymond's place are big shoes to fill, but I think he has the potential to make an impact like he did.
Last night:
9 points
8 rebounds
2 blocks pic.twitter.com/u826OU0TTM
Moody should see a few extra minutes with Steph out, but there’s not many reasons to get excited. He makes sense in super deep leagues, but he’s not worth adding in most formats.
Priority adds: Walker Kessler, Jalen Duren, Larry Nance Jr.
Other adds: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Bismack Biyombo, Torrey Craig, Will Barton, Killian Hayes, Onyeka Okongwu, Terance Mann, Josh Okogie