Another injury to Derrick Favors opens the door for Trey Lyles' fantasy emergence

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Here are the fantasy implications of Utah Jazz PF/C Derrick Favors being sidelined for an undisclosed amount of time:

This shouldn't come as too much of a surprise for Favors owners. Last year, back spasms caused him to miss 16 games, and his early-season knee concerns, which came about in early October, are officially a real problem. After knee soreness forced Favors to retire from both Saturday and Monday's contests, a recent MRI has now revealed a bone contusion on his left knee.

Without a specific timetable, it's difficult to speculate how impactful Favors' absence will be upon his owners. Assuming the Jazz play it safe with their big man, an absence of two to four weeks may be a logical timetable for fantasy owners to work around. Considering Favors entered the season with ADP around the 40 mark, he's too valuable to drop right now. For the time being, Favors should be stashed on the bench or in an IR-spot, if available.

At this early juncture of the season, there's no value in exploring the possibility of a trade as Favors' injury puts him into a sell-low window and one that most owners won't even be interested in buying into.

While Favors' season has started slowly (10.5 points on 46.9 percent shooting and 6.6 boards), the reason for the drop was a significant reduction in playing time - Favors was averaging just 24 minutes. In his three most recent games, however, Favors was averaging 33.3 minutes, 16.6 points and 11 rebounds - much more in line with what drafters had expected.

Make room for Trey Lyles

Lyles, a 21-year old NBA sophomore out of Kentucky, will now likely be forced into a starting gig and its associated workload. His fantasy value will jump accordingly, and he should be picked up by fantasy owners, especially Favors-owners, searching for boards and double-double potential.

Replacing Favors on Monday, Lyles finished with 18 points and five boards in 32 minutes. His career per 36 (comprised of just 92 games) indicates averages of 12.6 points and 7.6 rebounds. If Lyles can find his groove quickly, he can become an immediate fantasy contributor.

The fulcrum of Lyles' fantasy value going forward is just how long Favors will be out. With each passing game, week, or month that Favors misses, Lyles becomes increasingly valuable and a much stronger fantasy option in all formats, including daily.

The Daily Slant

Lyles will have immediate value in daily fantasy with Favors out. He's going to be underpriced relative to his workload and production for the next week or two. Astute daily fantasy players should capitalize before his salary adjusts.

While Lyles should provide strong daily fantasy value, it needs to be stated that he isn't the dominant force one might be hoping for. His ability to post a double-double or a coveted 20-and-10 stat line with consistency is still unproven. This lack of upside makes him best suited for cash game usage.

Favors' absence also opens the door for PF Boris Diaw to see a notable uptick in work. At 34-years-old, however, the ex-Spur offers little fantasy value. His minutes and production can be monitored in the short term to see if he could be used as a bargain play, but daily players shouldn't get their hopes up.

Waiver Wire Targets

For those looking to find an option outside of Lyles, here are a few players who may keep you afloat the PF/C position going forward.

Jon Leuer, Detroit Pistons

• Leuer, now a member of the Detroit Pistons, has worked himself into a fantastic role with his new team. The former Phoenix Sun is in the midst of a career season, as he's averaging 26 minutes, 10.7 points, and 6.9 rebounds. His shooting percentages won't let you down either. Leuer is shooting 51 percent from the floor and 86.7 percent from the line.

Mike Muscala, Atlanta Hawks

• Muscala has scored in double digits in seven of 11 games this season and offers a bit of 3-point appeal while also pulling down 4.6 boards per game. His fantasy value hinges on the current absence of Tiago Splitter, so fantasy owners will have to monitor the Atlanta injury situation with some vigor if they decide to target Muscala in the short term.

Cody Zeller, Charlotte Hornets

• Zeller continues to progress in his fourth year in the Association. He's now up to 10.6 points per game on 58 percent shooting. Zeller's rebounding prowess isn't too impressive, though. He's averaging just five boards per game and sports a total rebound rate of 11.6 percent. The Hornets do, however, play four games per week for each of the next four weeks.