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The Charlotte Hornets saw star point guard LaMelo Ball suffer a Grade 2 ankle sprain in the team’s preseason game against the Washington Wizards. According to Shams Charania, Ball is expected to miss time to begin the regular season. A Grade 2 sprain could sideline a player anywhere from 4-6 weeks and given how important Ball is to the Hornets, the team could hold him out a bit longer than needed. How does that timeline impact Ball’s value in fantasy basketball drafts ahead of the season?
Fantasy Basketball Outlook: Hornets PG LaMelo Ball
In the current DK Nation fantasy rankings, Ball is slotted in as the sixth point guard and 18th overall player. With him being out for potentially a month, he’ll likely be moved down a bit. De’Aaron Fox, Kyrie Irving and Tyrese Haliburton likely slide ahead of him in any updated rankings. Given how deep point guard is, you can wait on drafting Ball if you can snag a currently healthy player earlier.
However, this is only an ankle sprain and Ball will be back. If you really want him on your team due to his all-around production, you can draft him at his current spot. Be willing to add Terry Rozier and James Bouknight, as both will get more run at point guard while Ball recovers.