Fantasy Basketball 2021: Ranking Sleepers for NBA Week 6

Ja Morant's injury significantly affects how the Memphis Grizzlies are viewed from a fantasy perspective.

Dillon Brooks and Desmond Bane are the first players who have increased values because of their roles in the starting lineup. The impact does not stop with Brooks and Bane, however. It trickles down to bench players who are now expected to receive a good chunk of minutes in the coming weeks.

Tyus Jones was thrust into the starting point guard role and Brandon Clarke increased his shooting volume off the bench in Memphis' first game without Morant on Sunday.

Jones and Clarke should be two of the first names you consider as sleepers on the waiver wire as the new fantasy basketball week begins.

10. Garrison Matthews, SG/SF, Houston

9. Lauri Markkanen, PF/C, Cleveland

8. Deni Avdija, SG/SF, Washington

7. Isaiah Hartenstein, PF/C, Los Angeles Clippers

6. Nassir Little, SF, Portland

5. Willy Hernangomez, C, New Orleans

4. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, SF, Oklahoma City

3. Jae'Sean Tate, SF/PF, Houston

2. Brandon Clarke, SF/PF, Memphis

1. Tyus Jones, PG, Memphis

Memphis' rotation and shot production was significantly altered by Morant's injury.

Morant is expected to miss a few weeks with the knee sprain he suffered Friday night against the Atlanta Hawks, per ESPN.

Jones is the direct beneficiary of Morant's absence because he will be Memphis' starting point guard, but do not expect him to contribute a ton in the scoring column every night.

He is a viable waiver-wire pickup because of his distributing qualities. Jones had eight assists against the Sacramento Kings in the first game without Morant on Sunday and attempted eight field goals during his 24 minutes on the floor. He played more than 20 minutes once this season prior to Sunday, so he should take more shots as he gets adjusted to the new role.

Clarke is the better scoring option of the two waiver-wire candidates. He produced 15 points in 16 minutes off the bench Sunday. The Gonzaga product reached double figures in three of his past four games and should be asked to do more off the bench as head coach Taylor Jenkins looks for more scoring to replace Morant's output.

He also pulled down at least five rebounds in each of his past four games. If he is consistently close to 10 points every night, he will be a strong option to have for fantasy basketball depth.

Memphis plays three games in the next week, and it does not have a back-to-back set of contests until December 8 and 9. That should leave plenty of time for the new rotation to build chemistry in practice and translate that to in-game play.

Jae'Sean Tate had his fantasy basketball status changed by an injury as well in the past week.

Houston Rockets rookie Jalen Green is out for at least a week with a strained left hamstring, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon.

Tate produced 16 points, five assists and two rebounds in the wild 146-143 overtime win over the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday. Those numbers are what we should expect from him while Green is on the sidelines. Tate has the potential to be Houston's second- or third-best scorer on any night behind Christian Wood and Kevin Porter Jr.

He is averaging 11.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game and could provide some good depth at the forward positions with an increased scoring role in front of him.

Tate and the Rockets could be primed for a high-scoring week since they play the Oklahoma City Thunder twice and then face the Orlando Magic on Friday.