Tue, Jan 19th 2:30am EST
By Dan Titus
Sources tell the Athletic and Stadium that Portland Trail Blazers G CJ McCollum fractured his left foot and is expected to be out an extended period of time. (Source: Shams Charania on Twitter )
Fantasy Impact: Oh boy. We knew McCollum was going to miss 2-3 weeks, but now that he’s dealing with a fracture in his left foot, fantasy managers are looking at a lengthy absence that could be months. The Trail Blazers lost Jusuf Nurkic for at least eight weeks, so this is a brutal blow for Portland. McCollum was one of the best guards early on this season, putting up a career-high 26.7 points per contest in his first 13 games. Rodney Hood and Gary Trent Jr should see most of McCollum’s minutes while he is out.
LeBron James (ankle) will start for the Lakers Monday night. (Source: Ryan Ward on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: James was listed as questionable but he will play and start in his usual role for Los Angeles. He will enjoy a soft matchup against a high-paced Golden State team.
Anthony Davis (back) will start in Monday night's game against Golden State. (Source: Ryan Ward on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Davis, who was originally listed as probable, will play and start in Monday's outing with the Warriors. We should expect a full allotment of minutes for the Lakers star Monday night.
Joe Ingles was ruled questionable for Tuesday's tilt against the Pelicans with an Achilles injury that has sidelined him since January 10th. (Source: Utah Jazz on Twitter )
Fantasy Impact: If Ingles remains sidelined, it will continue to lead to more playing time for Georges Niang off the bench. After playing more than 10 minutes in just three games leading up to the game Ingles was injured, Niang has played 13-plus minutes in three straight games, averaging 16 minutes per game in that span with close to 12 points and five rebounds per game.
Al Horford (personal) will remain out for Tuesday's game in Denver. (Source: Ryan Stiles on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Tuesday will mark Horford's third straight contest away from the team due to personal reasons. In his stead, Isaiah Roby has started in place of Horford, averaging 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists across 25 minutes per game. Mike Muscala has also benefited from Horford's absence, averaging 22.5 minutes per game.
Sterling Brown has been ruled out of the Rockets' contest against the Bulls due to a sore lower leg. (Source: Jonathan Feigen on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: With John Wall and Sterling Brown out, the Rockets will have to get creative with managing their back-court. Expect a combination of Eric Gordon, Victor Oladipo, and Mason Jones to fill the position and skill gaps. Although Jones had an incredible game against the Spurs, his performance was a significant outlier to his usual production. Ben McLemore has yet to show up consistently for the team this season. Still, he is having the best season of his career as he is averaging 21.7 minutes of playing time, 11.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 0.8 steals per game while shooting a career-high 46.3 percent from the floor and 51.7 percent from beyond the arc. Outside of Gordon, McClemore seems most suited to sustain a larger role in the rotation. Even with that said, McClemore brings a certain level of risk that is almost the same as Jones. Both are worth considering in DFS as cheap fliers, especially given the match-up.
Patrick Williams (hip) has been ruled out for Monday's game against the Rockets. (Source: Cayleigh Griffin on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Williams was deemed a game-time decision until he was ultimately ruled out. With Williams on the sidelines, Thaddeus Young and Garrett Temple are expected to see more court time.
Mon, Jan 18th 6:42pm EST
By Joel E. Ruffin Jr.
Tim Hardaway Jr. is available to play against the Raptors after nursing a left groin strain. (Source: Mavs PR on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: There is no indication of whether there will be an imposed minute restriction; however, if he is anywhere close to 100.0 percent, he could immediately see a healthy amount of minutes due to other key team members' unavailability. Hardaway is having the best season of his career statistically as he is averaging 31.2 minutes of playing time, 18.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game while shooting 46.5 percent from the floor and 42.4 percent from beyond the arc both of which being career highs. Having him back is seemingly invaluable to a Mavericks' team fighting to remain competitive in the Western Conference. Hardaway should be owned in all fantasy formats and is undoubtedly a viable play in DFS play.
Josh Richardson, who returned to Dallas after being quarantined in Denver for 10 days, remains without a timetable to return. (Source: Tim McMahon on Twitter )
Fantasy Impact: It sounds like Richardson is closer to returning to the court, but it is unknown when exactly he'll be ready to come back. Tim Hardaway Jr. has been the biggest beneficiary of the absence of Richardson, averaging over 25 points per game on close to 37 minutes played per game in the Mavericks first three games without Richardson before Hardaway missed Dallas's last game with a groin injury. Hardaway is expected to return Monday, however, which is huge for the Mavericks after they got blown out by Chicago on Sunday. This will move rookie Josh Green back to the bench.
Tyler Herro is out against the Pistons due to neck spasms. (Source: Ira Winderman on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Herro's absence will mark his second consecutive miss and will lead to more playing time for Goran Dragic, Kendrick Nunn, and rookie Gabe Vincent. Out of the three, Dragic's minutes are the most secure, making him the safest play in DFS as well. Although a rookie, Vincent seemingly has a better chance of seeing more time and opportunity in this game than Nunn. He only got 16.0 minutes last game, which was somewhat unexpected due to him averaging 35.5 minutes of playing time and 22.5 points across his previous two contests. Although he comes with some risk, Vincent is worth adding to your DFS player-pool as a viable value play given his potential upside and low-ownership.
Lonzo Ball (knee) practiced in full on Monday as he approaches a return to game action. (Source: Will Guillory on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: The news comes via head coach Stan Van Gundy along with the news that he will be reevaluated tomorrow. The expectation, coming from the point-guard himself, is that he'll suit up tomorrow versus Utah. That remains to be seen, pending the team's evaluation. Keep an eye on Lonzo as game-time looms.
Bulls SF Otto Porter Jr. (back) has been ruled out for Monday's game against the Rockets. (Source: Chicago Bulls on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: With Porter slotted to miss Monday's game, backup guard Denzel Valentine should see an uptick in minutes. The veteran guard is averaging 12.5 points and 6.7 rebounds across 23.5 minutes per game.
Nets star Kyrie Irving will not play in Monday's game against the Bucks. (Source: Adrian Wojnarowksi on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Irving is still ramping up his conditioning after more than a week away from the team. James Harden and Kevin Durant should carry the load against the Bucks and Irving should be considered questionable for Wednesday's game against the Cavaliers.
Blazers SG Rodney Hood will start in place of injured SG C.J. McCollum (foot) on Monday versus the Spurs. (Source: Travis Demers via Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: With Hood slotted to start in place of McCollum he will be a popular DFS option on Monday. So far this season Hood is averaging 1.6 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists across only 13.1 minutes per game this season.
Hawks forward Danilo Gallinari will not play in Monday's game against the Timberwolves. (Source: Davide Chinellato on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: This comes as little surprise as Gallinari was listed as doubtful heading into Monday. He's now missed two weeks with an ankle injury, though a return appears to be on the horizon. De'Andre Hunter should continue seeing heavy minutes at small forward in his absence.
Hawks guard Cam Reddish will not play in Monday's game against the Timberwolves due to a left knee contusion. (Source: Kelly Crull on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Reddish will miss his second consecutive game on Monday as he continues to deal with a left knee contusion. Kevin Huerter will once again draw the start in his absence against the Timberwolves.
Mon, Jan 18th 12:14pm EST
By Damian McCoade II
Jonas Valanciunas (health and safety protocols) has been ruled out for Monday's game against the Suns. (Source: Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: With Valanciunas forced into self-quarantine, Gorgui Dieng, Brandon Clarke, and Xavier Tillman will be expected to carry the bulk of frontcourt minutes for the Grizzlies.
Knicks C Mitchell Robinson (knee) will play and start on Monday vs. the Magic. (Source: Ian Begley on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: This game is at 12:00 PM EST, so make sure to get Robinson in your lineups prior to tip-off. He’ll face off against one of the league’s best big men in Nikola Vucevic.
Knicks G Alec Burks (ankle) is listed as doubtful for Monday's afternoon tipoff against the Magic. (Source: Knicks PR on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Burks has been limited to just three games this season, but he's averaging 20.7 points per game in those contests. He's a name to monitor once healthy.
JaKarr Sampson is out against the Clippers due to dealing with a back injury. (Source: Jeremiah Johnson on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: In place of Sampson, look for Bitadze to potentially step-into a larger role. However, with this being his first action since recovering from a right ankle sprain, it wouldn’t be wise to think that he would put up a line that would significantly if at all, bring a winning dynamic to your lineups. Instead, look for the Pacers to get creative in addressing the position and skill gap with Myles Turner and Sampson out. Trusted Doug McDermott and Justin Holiday have been viable options in the past and should continue tonight. Both Holiday and McDermott have produced nearly identical stats so far this season; however, Holiday has been more efficient and has a tad more production in multiple statistical categories. Both are worth taking a chance on as a cheap flier in DFS formats.
