The unfortunate news regarding Joel Embiid that many anticipated was announced on Friday afternoon, as he has been ruled out for the remainder of the 2024-25 season with a left knee injury. Having struggled with the knee for quite some time, the decision was made to shut down the 2023 NBA MVP after Embiid and the 76ers consulted with multiple doctors regarding potential treatment options. For now, the focus will be on “treatment and rehabilitation,” and an exact plan will be determined later.
Given Embiid’s gravity when at full health, this is an immense loss for the 76ers. However, the persistent knee issues limited him to 19 appearances this season. Therefore, fantasy managers will have a reasonable idea of approaching the news that Embiid will not play again this season. Guerschon Yabusele, who missed Philadelphia’s February 26 loss to the Knicks with a right eye abrasion, has been the most valuable fantasy option when Embiid has been out of the lineup.
In 54 appearances, the 2016 first-round pick out of France has averaged 10.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.5 three-pointers in 26.2 minutes. And in the 28 games he has started, Yabusele has contributed 11.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.3 three-pointers in 30.1 minutes, shooting 49.1 percent from the field and 73.2 percent from the foul line. Providing 12th-round per-game value in nine-cat formats this season, he’s rostered in 18 percent of Yahoo! leagues.
Veteran center Andre Drummond, who started against the Knicks, is another relevant option for fantasy managers. However, he has not been the “safety net” many hoped he would be before the season began. While it certainly made sense to use a late-round pick on Drummond to account for Embiid’s injury woes, he’s ranked outside the top 250 in eight- and nine-cat formats. Limited to 34 games due to his health issues, Drummond is averaging 6.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 1.1 steals in 18.3 minutes. He remains a liability at the foul line, but his 60.5 percent mark is the highest for him since the 2017-18 season.
Drummond has started 17 games this season, accounting for 8.0 points, 9.4 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.5 steals in 24.2 minutes. He can still provide value in the field goal percentage, rebound and steals categories. Still, Drummond has not been reliable enough to merit being rostered outside of deep leagues (12 percent rostered in Yahoo! leagues).
Yabusele and Drummond are the names to focus on in the immediate future. However, rookie Adem Bona is worth adding to watchlists if Philadelphia decides to pull the plug this season. Wednesday’s defeat was the team’s ninth straight, dropping their record to 20-38. While the door remains open for potentially sneaking into the play-in, the 76ers may be better served to focus on getting its other stars (Tyrese Maxey and Paul George) healthy and improving the team’s draft lottery odds. If Philadelphia lands outside the top six, the pick goes to Oklahoma City.
For managers seeking value from 76ers who are not center-eligible, Kelly Oubre Jr. (68 percent) and Quentin Grimes (22 percent) are still lurking on waiver wires, with the latter being easier to find. And similar to Bona, fellow rookie Justin Edwards (one percent) is worth adding to watchlists now, just in case the 76ers decide to shut things down.
