Guard for the Dallas Mavericks, Kyrie Irving has yet to play a game this season due to an injury. Back in March of last season, Irving suffered a torn ACL in a game against the Sacramento Kings. Here is the latest on Irving’s injury.
Kyrie Irving Injury Update
Irving is still in the midst of recovering from his ACL tear, and the Mavericks have been rather quiet on the front of providing a timeline. NBA insider Tim MacMahon, who covers the Mavericks, weighed in on Irving’s injury. He said something along the lines that Irving is still a part of Dallas’ plans, but with where they are at right now in regards to their standings, he believes it would be smart for him to hold out of playing this season.
Dallas in the Western Conference standings currently sits in 12th place with a record of 19-35. This places them seventh in the lottery standings for the number one pick in the draft. With less than 30 games left, turning this season around is not realistic. If the Mavericks are following the advice of MacMahon, they can not really be blamed. Irving, being at the latter part of his career, at 35, likely also could play a factor in them being careful in bringing him back.
Fantasy Impact of Kyrie Irving’s Injury
Irving is 11 months removed from the time since he initially had his ACL tear. The average length of time for NBA players to return from this type of injury falls in the 10-12 month timeline. So it is certainly possible that Irving could return, although it feels unlikely for the reasons mentioned above. In the instance Irving does end up coming back, here are the two major players it would affect on the Mavericks roster when it comes to fantasy basketball.
Naji Marshall
Jan 17, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall (13) looks to move the ball past Utah Jazz guard Isaiah Collier (8) during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Forward for Dallas Naji Marshall is having a career year scoring statistically. This season, he is averaging 15.1 PPG (career-high). That is a result of him being relied on as the Mavericks’ second scoring option behind rookie Cooper Flagg. When Irving comes bak Marshal’s scoring average should take a hit with him being bumped down to the team’s likely third option. Fantasy managers who have Marshall if news breaks regarding Irving’s return should look to see if they can sell him for any player that matches his current production levels.
Daniel Gafford
Jan 8, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Daniel Gafford (21) looks to pass against the Utah Jazz during the second half at Delta Center. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images
Unlike Marshall, center Daniel Gafford is having a down season, and that can be tied directly to Irving being out. Gafford is averaging 8.0 PPG, significantly lower than his average a season ago, when he was averaging 12.3 PPG. This is also the lowest PPG average he has had since the 2020-2021 season. If Irving comes back, Gafford becomes more of an offensive threat, with all the pick-and-roll actions they run together.
The Mavericks have a couple of guards they play a good chunk of minutes on their roster–Tyus Jones and Brandon Williams–but neither is near the caliber of player that Irving is. If Irving were announced to come back, fantasy managers in need of a center should go after acquiring Gafford. But for now, in fantasy, he should be held out of fantasy lineups until he proves he can get back to some of the notable production he had last season.
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