Dedmon rises as Aldridge's fantasy outlook plummets

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Here is the fantasy fallout from the breaking news that San Antonio Spurs PF/C LaMarcus Aldridge will miss an indefinite amount of time with a medical issue:

All you can do for now is cross your fingers and move Aldridge to an injured player slot when possible. It's one thing to have a common injury -- a sprained wrist, a torn ACL -- with a tried-and-true comeback timeline. With Aldridge, as was the case for Chris Bosh and his serious blood-clotting issues, team management will likely take a conservative approach to his recovery.

A number of players stand to benefit, chief among them Kawhi Leonard and Pau Gasol, who are universally unavailable at this point in the season. No one on the roster will be a direct replacement of Aldridge's 17.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, though two reserve big men could cement top-120 player status rest of season.

Dewayne Dedmon and David Lee have gotten some run when Aldridge and Gasol have missed games, so we've seen how both players have fared with increased workloads. Dedmon, the superior rim protector, figures to slide into the starting lineup, but both should settle into 24-to-30 minutes any given night.

On the 18 occasions this season when Dedmon's playing time has exceeded 20 minutes, he's averaged 8.3 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. His double-double upside makes him a fine streaming option, though roll with similar players with higher upside like the Knicks' Willy Hernangomez where available.

Lee has seen larger workloads on a game-to-game basis, partially because Gasol had been injured for a stretch. In the 24 games in which Lee has seen 20-plus minutes, he's averaged 9.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting 61.5% from the field. It's just hard to see Lee playing significant minutes alongside Gasol; that one-two punch in the frontcourt doesn't offer much back-line defense. He's more of a daily fantasy play at this point.

For Aldridge's owners, potential waiver wire pick-ups are hard to find. The Suns' PF/C Alan Williams has been on a torrid breakout, seeing his ownership levels rise about 50% on the back of six double-doubles in seven games. If you're lucky enough to pick him up, he's your man.

The aforementioned Hernangomez (that would be Willy, not Juancho) is a lock to start for New York down the stretch with Joakim Noah shut down for the season. At the very least, he seems to have found a stable role within a veteran-laden Knicks lineup.

If your team isn't struggling to collect rebounds, turn your attention to replacing Aldridge's scoring production. The Clippers' Jamal Crawford has scored 12 points with 1.9 assists, 1.8 3-pointers, 1.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals over the past 30 days.

That might not sound impressive, but with the Clippers playing a whopping nine games over the first two fantasy playoff rounds in head-to-head leagues, the sheer volume of games should allow him to post satisfactory totals.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)