2016 Fantasy Basketball Injury Analysis: Ben Simmons goes down in training camp

The 76ers' rotten luck continues, as No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons goes down with a fractured foot. Chris Towers breaks down the Fantasy ramifications.

The 76ers just can't get anything to go their way.

They finally seem to be finding their way out of the woods after years defined more by lottery picks who didn't play for them than young talent on the floor, the franchise finally appears to be moving forward this season.

No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons is obviously supposed to be a big part of why the future looks a lot brighter and clearer for the 76ers, of course. That future will now have to wait a while, as the team confirmed Friday Simmons suffered a fractured fifth metatarsal, just days after the start of his first training camp.

The 76ers haven't announced a timetable for Simmons' injury, or even a path forward for his recovery. Whether they will allow the injury to heal on its own or opt for a surgical remedy will likely be announced in the coming days, but it's hard not to feel bad for the franchise at this point. Joel Embiid, their prized pick from the 2014 draft who has ironically yet to play an NBA game due to foot issues of his own, is finally set to play in Tuesday's preseason game, and just four days before that, Simmons, the franchise's other tent pole goes down.

We can't, at this point, say on how much time Simmons will miss, but it seems likely to stretch into the regular season. To name just one example, Blazers' guard C.J. McCollum suffered a fractured fifth metatarsal in his left foot around the same time in his rookie season, and was cleared to practice two months later. Brook Lopez, on the other hand, suffered a stress fracture in his fifth metatarsal, and was back on the floor in two months after surgery.

At this point, it's not entirely clear what the exact nature of Simmons' injury is, or how the 76ers will opt to handle his recovery, but we can at least look at some other examples. Of course, both players show the risk with this kind of issue, as both have had recurrences of their broken foot injuries. This is, sadly, not an uncommon occurrence with foot injuries:

On Simmons' foot: I did a study in 2014 and found 12 NBA bigs who had a broken foot. Seven subsequently had a second major foot injury.

— John Ezekowitz (@JohnEzekowitz) September 30, 2016

This is a worrisome injury, to be sure. But it is by no means a death sentence. Kevin Durant joins Lopez and McCollum among many others who have been able to play at an All-Star level after fractures in their foot. In the long run, this shouldn't dampen our collective enthusiasm for Simmons too much; it simply adds to the risk inherent in any young player.

In the short term, this certainly hurts Simmons' value for the upcoming season. We're excited about what Simmons can do in Philadelphia, obviously. His skill set is one-of-a-kind, and he is going to get the opportunity to run the show as the point guard for the 76ers whenever he is healthy enough to play. With his passing ability and athleticism, Simmons has Draymond Green-without-the-3-pointers potential as a rookie, which would make him hugely valuable for Fantasy purposes.

In fact, I had him ranked 21st at forward in Rotisserie scoring and 15th in H2H points, ahead of big names like Kevin Love, Derrick Favors and Andrew Wiggins among others. In light of this news, however, I have to move him down. Not only is there the lost time at the start of the season you have to account for -- an unknown quantity at this point, of course -- but you can't draft him without taking into account the risk of re-injury.

I moved him down to 27th at H2H points and 32nd in Roto as a result of this injury. That is a preliminary ranking, for what it's worth, and either good news -- say a six-week timetable -- or bad -- 3-4 months -- would dramatically alter my view. His ranking will likely change in the next few days, but for now, I still think Simmons is well worth drafting. However, instead of a fifth round pick, I'm more likely to take him in the eighth or ninth.

This will likely have further ramifications for the rest of the 76ers' roster, of course, as they are now left in the same situation they've been in for the past few years, at least to start; without a strong playmaker on the roster. This injury likely pushes Robert Covington back into the starting lineup, and makes him a very nice Roto option with his shooting and defense. Rookie Dario Saric could also be a candidate to step into the starting lineup, and his combination of shooting and heady passing could make him a Fantasy contributor if he takes the role. Keep Saric on your radar in the later rounds.

Sergio Rodriguez also gains some sleeper appeal as a result of this injury. Rodriguez didn't exactly shine in his last stint in the NBA, but he did average 8.0 assists per-36 minutes, and might be the only viable playmaker left on the roster. As long as Simmons is out, Rodriguez could have some Fantasy relevance, though he is probably a pretty low-upside option even in the best of times.

The 76ers are betting heavily on Simmons and Embiid carrying them into the next era of their franchise, and this injury doesn't really change that much. What it might do it push them to make a move, with Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor remaining prime trade candidates.

For now, the start of the season could be a rough one for the 76ers yet again. They just can't catch a break.