Thompson could see heavy minutes early in his rookie season, thanks to Curry's tender ankle. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Suspensions and injuries will play the roles of spoilers for some fantasy owners at the outset of the 2011-12 NBA season. To that end, below is a quick list of players who will start the season serving suspensions or injured, and the players who stand to benefit because of those unfortunate circumstances.

You can read the full post on DimeMag.com.

Andrew Bynum (suspended for the first five games of the season for his cheap shot on J.J. Barea): Josh McRoberts, Troy Murphy

Charlie Villanueva (suspended for the first five games of the season for a scuffle with Ryan Hollins): Jonas Jerebko, Austin Daye, Tayshaun Prince

Jarrett Jack (suspended for the first game of the season for a reckless-driving violation): n/a

Jeff Green (heart surgery, out for the season): Marquis Daniels, Sasha Pavlovic

Tyrus Thomas (ankle): D.J. White

Ty Lawson (ankle): Andre Miller

Stephen Curry (ankle): Klay Thompson, Brandon Rush

Kobe Bryant (torn ligament in his right wrist): n/a

Darrell Arthur (torn Achilles, out for the season): Zach Randolph, free agent signing

Mike Miller (hernia): Shane Battier

Stephen Jackson (back): Carlos Delfino, Mike Dunleavy

Baron Davis (back): Toney Douglas

Marcin Gortat (non-displaced fracture on the top of his right thumb): Robin Lopez

Grant Hill (knee): Josh Childress

Marcus Camby (knees): Kurt Thomas

Gary Neal (appendectomy): James Anderson

Marcus Thornton (kidney stone): Francisco Garcia, Jimmer Fredette

Chuck Hayes (heart condition, since cleared to play basketball): J.J. Hickson, Jason Thompson

Paul Millsap (quad): Derrick Favors

Linas Kleiza (knee): James Johnson

Jan Vesely (hip): Maurice Evans, Chris Singleton

Jeff Teague (ankle): Jannero Pargo

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  Love will have to lift less weight off the ground when grabbing 'bounds this season. (Flickr/Keith Allison)

  Kevin Love is reportedly “25 pounds lighter than when he left following last season.” This bodes well for his ability to maintain, if not exceed, his stellar fantasy value from last season. I can’t see any reason why Love would fall out of the top five spots in any fantasy basketball draft this season.

• Vince Carter is expected to be waived by the Phoenix Suns, which opens up the door (as expected) for Jared Dudley to step in and start. In 15 starts last season, Dudley averaged 51.8% FG, 77% FT, 1.7 3PTM, 16.3 Pts, 5.9 Reb, 2.2 Ast, 2.1 Stl, 0.5 Blk, 1.2 TO. In the 65 games he played (15 of which he started, 50 of which he came off the bench) from Dec. 2, 2010, through the end of last season, Dudley put up top 80 value. Call him a sleeper if you want, but Dudley should’ve already been on your radars. He’ll be a bargain if he falls into the last quarter of your draft. Carter, meanwhile, could land on a team in need of a SG, but don’t be fooled — his days of being a reliably productive fantasy asset are over.

• Andrew Bynum appears to have improved his game and strengthened his body during the extended offseason: “He lost 10 pounds to take a load off his knees while losing more body fat than Kevin Durant even carries. He strengthened his core and the muscles all around his knees, so critical for him to improve his base and make powerful moves when so weak in those knees. He ditched all the insecurities over sub-par conditioning and poor lateral movement that led him to rush things and get out of sync with his team. He focused on developing quicker moves (drop steps, spin moves, one-dribble jump hooks, even the Dream Shake) and locked in on free throws, too.” Don’t drink the whole cup of Kool-Aid, but this is much better than where he was at the start of last season. (Also, remember that Bynum is suspended for the first five games of the season, thanks to his cheap shot on J.J. Barea in the Lakers’ disgraceful exit from the playoffs last season.)

• Chris Bosh is “bulkier” and more open to playing center for the Miami Heat this season. He sounds ready to bang the boards more and said “there shouldn’t be a season where I don’t average 10 rebounds.” This sounds great, but I’ll believe it when I see it. Regardless, Bosh remains a helpful fantasy player.

• This is yet another reminder not to draft Wilson Chandler, J.R. Smith, Kenyon Martin, Patty Mills or Aaron Brooks this season, unless circumstances change. They’re stuck in China — but they’re trying to get out.

• Roy Hibbert put on 15 pounds of muscle and worked with Tim Duncan during the offseason. Maybe Duncan is the next Hakeem Olajuwon, maybe he’s not. Regardless, this is good news for Hibbert’s fantasy prospects in 2011-12. He started last season strong then faded into maddening inconsistency, but maybe the extra meat on his bones and lessons learned will help him with that. It’s also comforting to know making cameos on “Parks and Recreation” wasn’t the only thing on Hibbert’s offseason to-do list.

• Andray Blatche‘s shoulder still isn’t 100 percent. “Shoulder is about 75, 80 percent. It’s still getting better,” according to Blatche. This is bad news — probably not dire, but definitely not heartening.

• Paul George added 8 pounds of muscle, is focused on defense and was ready to go “at a moment’s notice whenever the lockout ended.” His sleeper status is even more appropriate now.

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  Lawson's fantasy value is safe this season. (Flickr/GAMEFACE-PHOTOS)

  Denver Nuggets coach George Karl said Ty Lawson is “ready to be a 30-35 minute player.” In 31 starts last season, Lawson averaged 50.9% FG, 85.1% FT, 1.2 3PTM, 14.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.1 turnovers in 32:06 per game. Fears about Andre Miller‘s impact on Lawson’s potential stud status should be set aside. Karl said he’ll deploy both point guards on the court together at times, so Miller should retain some value.

• Ed Davis gained about 18 pounds of muscle and could find himself playing center for the Raptors this season. James Johnson improved his jumper and is focused on defense. Both players could be huge bargains near the end of your drafts.

• Despite declaring himself 100 percent, Anderson Vaerjao‘s foot still gets sore after a tough workout. He’s still a sleeper, but expect a lot of rust, especially early on.

• For updates on free agents, check out what ESPN and NBA.com have to offer.

On Friday, Yao Ming decided to have major surgery on his left foot, which most likely signals the premature end of the 2009-10 NBA season.  The surgery is similar to the one Zydrunas Ilgauskas had a while back.  Yao is slated to go under the knife next week.

This shouldn’t be much of a surprise since this was the expected outcome for a while now.  There is speculation that the injury-plagued Yao, 28, may be planning an early retirement from professional basketball, especially after the purchase of his former basketball club, the Shanghai Sharks.  However, he insists that he will return to the NBA when he can.

From a fantasy perspective, this is big news.  Yao, when healthy, is easily the most valuable pure center in the league, fantasy-wise.  With centers already a rarity, fantasy leagues will likely see more reaching for centers than usual in this year’s draft.

For the Houston Rockets this news spells big trouble.  When you look at their current roster, it looks like the 6-foot-6 power forward Chuck Hayes will likely have to step in and command some major minutes in the center position, where he’ll be vastly undersized.  The 6-foot-7 Carl Landry and the 6-foot-9 Luis Scola, both forwards, will have to help out as well.

The Rockets, in anticipation of Yao’s absence, acquired the rights to Australian big man David Andersen on Wednesday.  Andersen, 29, will be helpful if only because he’s 6-foot-11.  He averaged 11.1 points and 4.1 rebounds with Regal FC Barcelona during the 2008-09 season.  Those aren’t stunning numbers, and Andersen probably won’t see huge minutes right away, but at least the Rockets have someone tall to stick in at center from time to time.

Fantasy impact:

• Hayes will see way more minutes than the 12:05 he averaged per game last season, so his production will benefit from Yao’s absence.  He’s a tough player who will get rebounds, but his small size will work against him on many nights.  Don’t lean on him too heavily.
• Landry will see more minutes than the 21:18 he saw per game last year, so expect his numbers to increase slightly.  He’s an active player who isn’t afraid to mix it up inside and has shown that he can produce in limited playing time, but he’ll also be challenged by playing against bigger players more often.
• Scola will see more minutes than the 30:18 per game he averaged last season and he’ll likely benefit by seeing many more touches in the post.  He also becomes the most skilled of the big men on the Rockets, which means that defenses will hone in on him a lot harder.  His value may be stagnant.  His points will likely increase, but so will his turnovers.  Also expect his field goal percentage to take a hit.
• Andersen remains a mystery.  Give him about three to four weeks before you judge his value.  His value may rise as the season progresses.
• Brian Cook may see more playing time as a result of Yao’s absence, but his value remains minimal at best.  He’s a shooter who won’t replace Yao’s post presence.  Still, keep an eye on his minutes and production.
• Joey Dorsey, the second-year power forward, will see more minutes.  He averaged 0.7 points and 0.3 rebounds in 2:06 per game last season.  However, during five games in this year’s Summer League, Dorsey has averaged 9.8 points on 56.5 percent shooting and 14.8 rebounds per game.  Those numbers can’t be ignored, especially with Yao now out for an extended period of time.  Feel free to place Dorsey’s name on your list of sleepers this year.
• Trevor Ariza‘s value now becomes a lot more of a mystery.  Yes, he’ll see plenty more minutes and shots now, but without a post player to demand attention and open up lanes and looks, Ariza appears to be a prime target for defenses to focus on.  His shooting percentages will likely be weighed down by Yao’s absence.
• Shane Battier, who is at his offensive best when he spots up for open three-pointers, will see fewer of these opportunities with Yao gone.  Expect his offensive value, already negligible, to take a hit.
• Rookie Chase Budinger, 6-foot-7, could see more playing time than expected this season, but should not be counted on for anything meaningful.