Fantasy basketball managers, brace yourselves — this one’s a gut punch.
Victor Wembanyama, the fantasy cheat code and consensus top-three fantasy player for the 2024-25 season, has been shut down for the rest of the regular season due to a blood clot in his shoulder. The Spurs are reportedly optimistic that this is an isolated case, but this is catastrophic news for fantasy players at the most critical point of the season.
I wish Wemby the best because I can’t help but think about how blood clots impacted Chris Bosh’s career.
Wemby’s unique stat lines nightly, which include elite scoring, rebounding, 3s, stocks and assists for a big man, have made him an unrivaled multi-category juggernaut. His absence creates a sizeable hole in fantasy lineups, especially for managers fighting to secure playoff spots.
Who Can Step Up for Fantasy Managers?
The bad news? There’s no true “Wemby-lite” replacement sitting on the waiver wire.
Jeremy Sochan becomes a must-add player. The versatile forward will be needed to hold down the frontcourt duties, and I’d expect him to see heightened usage, specifically with a spike in rebounds, assists and defensive stats. Charles Bassey is dealing with a knee injury (he’s already ruled out for Thursday’s contest), but he’s another widely available player who will see an uptick in minutes and opportunity, making him a worthy stash (I’ve already done it). Chris Paul and Julian Champagnie should see a boost as well. However, Sandro Mamukelashvili is the guy to stream Thursday if you are playing DFS or looking for a short-term option.
Back to Bassey. Without Wemby in the lineup this year, Bassey’s minutes jumped from 8 per game to 22, and the production followed. He averaged 7 points, 8 boards and 2.5 blocks per game in six contests without Wemby.
The Ripple Effects
For the Spurs, losing Wembanyama downgrades their unit as a whole. However, De’Aaron Fox is set to go off even more than he has and this also opens up more offensive potential for fellow starters Devin Vassell and Paul. I believe Stephon Castle will push to join the starting unit, but he’s the top reserve who benefits, and he should be rostered in all leagues. Even Harrison Barnes gets some streaming appeal in deep leagues because Wemby’s 30+ usage will have to go somewhere. Keldon Johnson and Julian Champagnie’s minutes went up with Wemby off the floor, too, but I’m less interested in picking them up now.
While Wemby managers are left dealing with pressing roster questions, you’ve got to roll with the punches. It’s time to hit that waiver wire hard, look for high-upside plays and play the matchups.
Losing a top-three player? That stings. But fantasy basketball is all about adapting.
