Aaron Gordon Injury Update Opens the Door for Nuggets' Buy-Low Candidates

The Nuggets await Aaron Gordon's return from a hamstring injury, making a couple of players more viable than usual.

Jan 30, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (32) in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The Denver Nuggets currently sit 3rd in the Western Conference. Much credit goes to them for doing this despite injuries to multiple key players. They recently re-signed Nikola Jokic and are currently awaiting Aaron Gordon. As the team awaits its star forward, so do fantasy basketball managers. Here is an injury update on Gordon.

Current Fantasy Basketball Impact

Gordon has played 23 games for the Nuggets this season. He plays to a 23% usage rate and in fantasy basketball, Gordon is 42nd in points per game among all power forwards. His recent time out has now led to increased roles for Cameron Johnson and Time Hardaway Jr.

The two split work and much of it goes further towards Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. Johnson has a 14% usage rate and Hardaway Jr. has a 18% usage rate. Meanwhile, Jokic has a 29% usage rate and Murray is at 27%.

In 2024-25, Murray played at a lower rate of 23%, while Jokic played at 29%. We can say that Gordon's absence led to Murray performing better than usual. The rest of the team is less affected. Gordon's return may slightly affect Murray.

Injury Update

Gordon strained his hamstring in late January. This prompted the team to list Gordon out for 4-6 weeks. This would put him in line for a late February return at the earliest, and a mid-March return at the latest. As no new reports have been released, Gordon still has time to go. We hope for further updates next week.

Buy or Sell?

Welcome back, Cam Johnson 🔥

A sweet triple in his first game back from injury! pic.twitter.com/LmPrGHSyCa

— NBA (@NBA) February 8, 2026

If you have Gordon, there is not much that you can do in fantasy basketball. His demand is very low at the moment. However, the fact that Gordon was playing at a 23% usage rate pre-injury is a very encouraging sign. That should provide optimism that he is a viable player once he returns. The best thing to do is hold on to Gordon.

If there are any under-the-radar Nuggets on the roster, it will be Cameron Johnson. He is a strong fit for the scheme to replace Gordon. Hardaway Jr. is more of a perimeter player, so Johnson can rise as he gets more familiar with being back in the lineup. He has also jumped Julian Strawther in the depth chart.

In 2024-25 with the Nets, Johnson played to a 23% usage rate. He had a 29% 3-point make rate. That is where his value lies most, although Johnson has no weaknesses in his game.