The Houston Rockets announced on Monday that Fred VanVleet will potentially miss all of the 2025-26 season with a torn ACL. The injury has significant fantasy basketball implications. With the guard now being undraftable, there are new opportunities for other Rockets to have tremendous value.
Fantasy Basketball Injury Report: Impacts of VanVleet’s ACL Tear
Amen Thompson Will Step Up In VanVleet’s Place
The biggest beneficiary of VanVleet’s absence is Amen Thompson. He’ll likely shift to point guard and be tasked with more playmaking responsibilities. Even if he stays at the two, he’ll still carry a large workload as a starter. The 22-year-old has repeatedly proved his ability to step up in the past, and he’s provided excellent value in that role.
Across 42 games with the first unit last season, Thompson averaged 16.0 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 4.9 APG, 1.7 SPG, 1.6 BPG and 56.0 FG%. He’s an excellent two-way player who thrives most on the defensive end. The third year’s offensive abilities are still developing, but VanVleet’s injury forces him to get more involved.
Thompson was already projected to be a high pick, but his stock just skyrocketed. Managers should feel comfortable drafting him as high as the second round.
Reed Sheppard Gets His Chance
Reed Sheppard is an enticing young player who dazzled in Summer League. Although, he spent his rookie year buried in Houston’s depth chart, preventing him from having fantasy relevance. Now, he’ll get his chance to prove himself.
The team has a few options to explore with their starting lineup. One is to keep Thompson at shooting guard and have Sheppard start at point. That would be the best case for the sophomore, who would be a must-draft guy. In two games in Vegas this offseason, he compiled 23.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.5 APG, 4.0 SPG, 1.5 BPG. That’s not a large sample, but it still illustrates he’s a great three-level scorer and playmaker with some defensive chops. While he does lack size and is turnover-prone, a chance of starting raises his ceiling.
Another possibility is that Sheppard remains a backup point guard. Still, the absence of a high usage player opens up plenty of opportunities for him. His minutes will undoubtedly increase as the team looks to develop him. That makes Sheppard worthy of a draft pick.
Kevin Durant Commands The Offence
Managers knew when he was traded there that Kevin Durant would be the leading scorer for the Rockets. Not much changes for the 15-time All-Star with VanVleet’s absence, except he could return to averaging 30 PPG.
VanVleet’s never been a flashy scorer. His 14.1 PPG last season was his lowest average since 2018-19, and his 37.8 FG% was his second-lowest mark. Considering his high ADP and low finish in 2024-25, he was a bust. Still, he was an excellent playmaker, and Thompson and Sheppard will need to help Durant fill that hole.
The Last Word
Thompson is in for a huge year and should be on every manager’s draft target list. Sheppard also stands to benefit a lot in his absence, regardless of whether he starts or comes off the bench. Aaron Holiday is another name to watch as he could be in line for more usage.
Featured image: Erik Williams-Imagn Images
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