The NBA is close to the halfway point of the season and it has been quite the rollercoaster ride to say the least. Teams who were supposed to be dominating are struggling; meanwhile teams who were supposed to be on the losing end are surprising the NBA universe.

Aside from teams struggling, there have been a few new injuries that will definitely change the outcome of certain teams. Of the most recent injuries, Jrue Holiday, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Kobe Bryant have the most effect.

Jrue Holiday has been recently diagnosed with a stress reaction in his right leg and will be out for 2-4 weeks. This puts a damper on the New Orleans Pelicans considering that they just got Eric Gordon back from injury and are fighting for a playoff spot in the tough Western Conference. Jrue Holiday is a great point guard who can play both ends of the court quite well. He has a knack for posting numbers all across the board and his services will surely be missed while he is gone.

Players that will benefit from his absence are Tyreke Evans and Eric Gordon mostly. Tyreke will likely handle the point guard services, while Eric Gordon will look to facilitate more on his end also. Look for both of these players to see a huge boost in productivity as they try to make do without their star point guard. If you have Eric Gordon lying around in your free agent pool, pick him up now before someone else does as he can definitely give you point guard statistics at the shooting guard position.

LaMarcus Aldridge is currently wearing a cast on his thumb and will wait for an MRI to confirm the severity of his injury. This is a huge blow to the Trailblazers as he is definitely one the main guys on the team. Though Aldridge is not the greatest defensively, he produces so much on the offensive end that he can help teams win in Fantasy basketball.

Players that will benefit are Chris Kaman, Thomas Robinson, Dorell Wright and Nicolas Batum. Considering that Portland is low on big men right now, Kaman and Robinson seem to have the best opportunity right now to help their team win and to produce stats for you Fantasy GMs. However, because Aldridge was such a vital piece to the team’s offense, Wright and Batum will also see a boost in production. Whether you’re playing daily leagues or season long leagues, make sure to pick up one of these guys for short-term production and wait for further news regarding Aldridge’s injury to decide what to do next.

Kobe Bryant has recently suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder and will fly back to receive an MRI to see how bad the tear is. Bryant was being rested quite often this season and the severity of his injury is not yet known. He has also stated that he’s played through a torn labrum before so it’s not too big of a deal. However, considering the position the Lakers are in, they may decide to shut him down for the season.

Players who will benefit from a long absence would be Wesley Johnson, Wayne Ellington, Nick Young and Jeremy Lin. The Lakers will be without their most prized possession so he leaves a huge hole to be filled. Wesley Johnson should continue to start while Wayne Ellington should be inserted into a starting role. It is difficult to predict which of these players will see a huge boost of production because quite frankly, none of these players have shown much potential this season. If I would have to pick one player to gamble on it would be Wesley Johnson. Johnson can quietly give you statistics all across the board, but his inconsistency may give you headaches. Johnson is only one of a very few group of players who can give you a 3-pointer with 1 steal and 1 block.

Feel free to take advantage of these situations in order to boost up your team or to win at daily fantasy.