Trae

Young

Shams notes that, “Hawks star Trae Young, who sustained a sprained MCL on Oct. 29, is optimistic about returning to action this month. The Hawks have gone 12-8 without Young in the lineup, and they believe his fit with a rising core in Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Zaccharie Risacher and Onyeka Okongwu will elevate the team.” It’s an encouraging update, but there is still no clear timeline for Young’s return. Fantasy managers should continue monitoring his status.

Young is dealing with an MCL sprain in his right knee. It was reported that he’d be re-evaluated in four weeks at the beginning of the month, but now it’ll be another two weeks before there’s an update on the 27-year-old point guard’s health. While Young was able to avoid an ACL injury and any structural damage to his knee, he’s set to miss a solid portion of the season.

While Alexander-Walker has done more scoring since moving into the starting lineup for the injured Trae Young, the production in other categories has been solid. Since Halloween, he has provided eight-round value in nine-cat formats. That’s good enough to justify rostering Alexander-Walker in some 12-team leagues, but Jalen Johnson has been a bigger beneficiary of Young’s absence. The Hawks open a four-game Week 5 on Tuesday against the Pistons.

Young injured his right knee during Wednesday’s win over the Nets, as a teammate fell into the side of his right leg after being pushed by a Nets player. While he did avoid an ACL injury or any significant structural damage, Young did suffer a sprained MCL and will miss at least four weeks. Nickeil Alexander-Walker has replaced him in the starting lineup and should be rostered wherever he’s available. Luke Kennard may get more opportunities to contribute off the bench, but he’s only worth targeting where there’s a need for points and three-pointers.

Young will miss a second straight game since injuring his right knee during Wednesday’s win over the Nets. The Hawks still have not provided an update on the severity of the injury or how much time Young will miss, but he won’t be available on Sunday. The game against the Cavaliers is the last of the Hawks’ current road trip, so the team may be waiting until they return to Atlanta to provide an official timeline. Nickeil Alexander-Walker will replace Young in the starting lineup and is worth adding in standard leagues.

The Hawks are without Trae Young (knee) for the foreseeable future, and Alexander-Walker replaced him in the starting lineup on Friday. NAW played well against the Pacers, shooting over 50 percent from the field and finishing a blocked shot shy of a complete stat line. With Young unavailable, Dyson Daniels and Jalen Johnson had the ball in their hands more as playmakers, meaning that Alexander-Walker missed out on a potential boost to his assists. However, the performance was good enough to justify rostering him for as long as Young is out.

Young was due to undergo an MRI on Thursday after spraining his right knee during Wednesday’s win over the Nets, but those results have not been made public. At a minimum, he will miss Friday’s game against the Pacers, likely resulting in Nickeil Alexander-Walker moving into the starting lineup. NAW is worth adding not only for Friday, but to account for Young potentially missing multiple games. Luke Kennard and Keaton Wallace may also take on expanded roles against Indiana.

Hawks head coach Quin Snyder said after Wednesday’s win over the Nets that Young doesn’t have an issue with the ACL in his right knee, but an MRI will determine the severity of his injury. Young was injured during the second quarter when a teammate fell into the outside of his right leg. While he tried to remain in the game, Young eventually headed to the locker room and did not return. Nickeil Alexander-Walker started the third quarter and will likely move into the starting five if Young misses time. In this scenario, he and Luke Kennard are worth a look in deeper leagues.

Young exited Wednesday’s game during the second quarter when teammate Mouhamed Gueye fell into the point guard’s leg after being pushed by a Nets player who was attempting to cut during an inbounds play. While Young remained in the game, he would exit shortly thereafter and head to the locker room immediately. The Hawks’ initial diagnosis is a sprained right knee, but fantasy managers must watch for any imaging updates later in the week. Nickeil Alexander-Walker will be worth adding if Young misses time, and Keaton Wallace will enter the rotation.

After recording his first double-double of the season in Atlanta’s last game, Young was finally able to have the type of performance that made fantasy managers want to draft him early. The expected inefficient shooting was there, and he only made one of his 10 attempts from beyond the arc. However, he only turned it over only once. His 17 dimes were the most that he has had in a game while turning it over one or fewer times. They’ll head to Brooklyn on Wednesday, which will be a good opportunity for Young to build on this performance.