Loss of Jabari Parker devastating to Bucks but manageable for fantasy owners

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Here are the fantasy implications following the news Milwaukee Bucks SF/PF Jabari Parker will miss the next 12 months due to a torn ACL:

It's okay to be floored right now, both for your fantasy team and for Parker himself, who had previously worked his way back from a torn ACL in the same knee back in his rookie season. By all accounts, Parker is one of 2016-17's breakout fantasy players. Losing him will have a profound impact on the fantasy production of his teammates.

The biggest change is PG/SG/SF Giannis Antetokounmpo, already swarmed by defenses on every possession, will now see blanket coverage, akin to a football team with no quarterback, no receivers and just one bell-cow running back, driving headfirst into the defense on every play.

Giannis and Parker were both taking roughly 16 shots per game this season; expect most of those looks to be reallocated to Antetokounmpo. Either Antetokounmpo begins to score 30 points per game with exceptional shooting splits, or sees a modest bump in scoring production accompanied by a drop in efficiency -- the product of a higher quantity but lower quality of shots.

You can also expect a drop in his assists. The Greek Freak had averaged 1.4 of his 5.4 assists per game to Parker. The next two most-assisted players from Antetokounmpo are SG Tony Snell (0.8 per game) and C John Henson (0.6), neither of which are players head coach Jason Kidd will be excited to run set plays for. Expect a lot more scoring chances coming from isolation-heavy plays.

From a practical standpoint, rookie PF/C Thon Maker could see some time at power forward in lineups alongside Henson. SF/PF Mirza Teletovic could also see a bump in usage as a small-ball four but neither will see enough opportunity to merit a waiver claim at this point.

Ironically, Milwaukee saw the long-awaited season debut of SF Khris Middleton (hamstring) in the very same game Parker's future was thrown into flux. Middleton led the team with 18.2 points per game in 2015-16 but is decidedly more perimeter-oriented than Parker, a career 34.1 percent 3-point shooter.

Now, instead of calling on Middleton to be a 3-and-D supporting player as he eases himself back, he'll have to take on much of Parker's duties as a secondary play-maker, rebounder and scorer. Don't expect a return to the 18-4-4 lines he put up last season, but he could still settle in at 12-4-4 with potential to help in steals. He'll be a top-120 player from now to the end of the year.

This much is certain: Antetokounmpo will continue being an all-star presence for a young team, and scrappy role-players like PG/SG Matthew Dellavedova, PG/SG Malcolm Brogdon, Snell and Henson will try to fill in the cracks as best they can. Shifting from a Giannis-Jabari nucleus to Giannis-Middleton isn't optimal, and the 22-29 Bucks may opt to make a move ahead of the trade deadline

Waiver Targets

• SF/PF Terrence Jones, Pelicans: Like Parker, Jones plays in the shadow of a superstar. He's averaging close to 15 points and seven rebounds over his past 14 games but has found himself out of the rotation at times this year. He's still available in nearly 50% of leagues.

• PG/SG/SF Austin Rivers, Clippers: The Clippers' guard is already filling in for PG Chris Paul, and he can do the same for your fantasy team. Rivers is averaging 15.3 points per game over the past month with a handful of assists and rebounds. He's not a perfect fit position-wise, but he can account for some of the lost scoring production.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)