Inevitably, injuries are going to strike every fantasy roster.
Some are calculated risks, such as selecting injured All-Star Derrick Rose, to stash on the bench and hope he can provide an impact once the fantasy playoffs begin.
Others, such as the knee injury to Amar’e Stoudemire, or a foot injury to Kobe Bryant, may have come after the draft and have forced fantasy owners into finding a suitable replacement until he can make his season debut.
Only four days remain until the 2012-13 season tips off and as teams are whittling down their rosters, there are still players available for fantasy owners to round out their teams.
Here are 10 players, two at every position on the floor, that are widely available and can serve as place holders on fantasy basketball rosters.
Point Guard
Eric Bledsoe- Los Angeles Clippers
Available in 95% of Yahoo! Fantasy Leagues
The Clippers will have to find a way to carve out more minutes for Bledsoe. As the team sat Chris Paul for its pre-season finale, Bledsoe took the reigns in Los Angeles and submitted one of the finest performances of the pre-season. In a showdown against the Lakers, Bledsoe played 44 minutes, nearly posting a triple-double with 22 points, 11 assists and nine steals during a 97-91 victory.
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A.J. Price- Washington Wizards
Available in 96% of Yahoo! Fantasy Leagues
The Wizards need someone to fill in for John Wall as he recovers from knee surgery and Price has thrived in his absence. In a pre-season game against Brooklyn, he started a conflict with Nets point guard Deron Williams while averaging 9.6 points, 3.9 assists and 2.8 rebounds.
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Shooting Guard
Gerald Henderson- Charlotte Bobcats
Available in 68% of Yahoo! Fantasy Leagues
While there are some obvious holes in his game, such as his 23.4 percent shooting from 3-point last season, Henderson proved to be a viable scorer (15.1 points) rebounder (4.1) and was the Bobcats leader in minutes played.
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Wes Johnson- Phoenix Suns
Available in 97% of Yahoo! Fantasy Leagues
Maybe a change of scenery was all Johnson needed. After two miserable seasons in Minnesota, Johnson has thrived with the Suns. Johnson has been knocking down shots from long range in pre-season and finished last season connecting on 40.1 percent of his 3-point attempts after the All-Star break. While he was brought in to be the backup small forward, he has the potential to become the starting shooting guard in Phoenix.
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Small Forward
Carl Landry- Golden State Warriors
Available in 93% of Yahoo! Fantasy Leagues
While Landry isn’t a typical small forward, fantasy owners have the luxury of starting him at either forward position as Golden State sorts out its rotation with Andrew Bogut recovering from ankle injury. While Landry might not be a starter, he has proved worthy of consistent playing time because of his rebounding ability.
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Nick Young- Philadelphia 76ers
Available in 59% of Yahoo! Fantasy Leagues
No player more embodies the fantasy spirit more than Young. He is a gunner capable of sparking a dramatic playoff comeback. Young is going to take plenty of ill advised shots, as evidenced by his 40.3 percent shooting from the field, but on the nights his attempts from the field are falling, he will be a valuable fantasy contributor.
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Power Forward
Lavoy Allen- Philadelphia 76ers
Available in 99% of Yahoo! Fantasy Leagues
The uncertainty surrounding Andrew Bynum’s right knee has Philadelphia turning to Allen, the 50th pick of the 2011 NBA Draft and a player ranked 500th by ESPN’s player rankings a year ago. A solid playoff performance along with impressive play in the pre-season (8.0 rebounds per game) makes him a viable option for players in need of rebound help.
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Andre Drummond- Detroit Pistons
Available in 81% of Yahoo! Fantasy Leagues
The Pistons selected Drummond with the ninth overall pick in the 2012 and he has established himself as a dominant low post player. Drummond led the team, averaging 1.4 blocks per game, along with 9.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and he has shot 62.3 percent from the field. Detroit is trying to temper expectations on the rookie, but performances such as his 13 point, 10 rebound effort in 19 minutes against Atlanta has it difficult to believe the Pistons won’t make him apart of their rotation.
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Center
Byron Mullens- Charlotte Bobcats
Available in 75% of Yahoo! Fantasy Leagues
Although he is listed as the backup to Brendan Haywood at center, Mullens proved to a valuable contributor in pre-season play, averaging a team-high 15 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. In the last contest before the regular season opener on Nov. 2, Mullens carried Charlotte to its first pre-season victory with a 16 point, 19 rebound, two assist and two steal effort against Dallas.
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Nikola Vucevic- Orlando Magic
Available in 55% of Yahoo! Fantasy Leagues
The starting center position in Orlando seemed to belong to Gustavo Ayon, but an impressive pre-season form Vucevic has him in position to take the job. Despite averaging just 20.5 minutes per game, Vucevic tied David Lee and Kosta Koufos for fifth in total rebounding, averaging 8.7 per game.
