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UPDATE: Feb. 23, 2:13 p.m. — Simmons has been ruled out for Monday vs. the Atlanta Hawks and will go for more testing after being evaluated on Sunday, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
After lower back injury on Saturday, Ben Simmons underwent initial evaluation in Philadelphia today and will undergo further testing tomorrow, league sources tell ESPN. He will be out for Monday's game vs. Atlanta.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 23, 2020
At this point, I can’t tell if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. For now, Simmons is likely day-to-day and we’ll have to wait and see if they give us a further timeline on his return. The best thing to do if you own Ben Simmons in season-long fantasy basketball is a contingency plan. Prepare to go long-term without him. As far as players who could replace him, Glenn Robinson III started against the Bucks on Saturday. Alec Burks, Shake Milton and Furkan Korkmaz are all going to need to step up if Simmons misses extended time. I’d lean on the new additions in Burks and Robinson.
UPDATE: Simmons will go for an MRI on his back after exiting Saturday’s game vs. the Bucks, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Philadelphia's Ben Simmons will undergo an MRI on his lower back on Sunday, league source tells ESPN. He was definitely in some pain tonight after game vs. Bucks.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 23, 2020
UPDATE: Feb. 22, 12:40 p.m. — Simmons is available to play vs. the Bucks.
Ben Simmons is available for tonight’s game #Sixers
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) February 22, 2020
UPDATE: Feb. 21, 1:01 p.m. — Simmons is being listed as probable for Saturday’s game vs. the Milwaukee Bucks.
Ben Simmons is listed as probable for tomorrow’s game. He went through an individualized workout and he responded well. #Sixers
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) February 21, 2020
This is a big game for both sides. Philly will look for some revenge after losing to the Bucks before the All-Star Break on the road. With Simmons out Thursday night, Raul Neto started and played 28 minutes. Tobias Harris, Joel Embiid and Josh Richardson all played heavy minutes as well, so that should change a bit.
UPDATE: Feb. 20, 5:37 p.m. — Simmons has been ruled out vs. the Nets due to back tightness. With Simmons out, Embiid and pretty much every Sixers starter becomes an appealing option on DraftKings. Richardson and Horford are very cheap, Harris and Embiid are good GPP plays.
Ben Simmons (lower back tightness) is out tonight. He reported discomfort at practice Wednesday. #Sixers
— Tom Moore (@TomMoorePhilly) February 20, 2020
Philadelphia 76ers G/F Ben Simmons is questionable to play Thursday night vs. the Brooklyn Nets. Simmons’ final status will be determined closer to pre-game, so he’s essentially a game-time decision. This is a bit weird considering the Sixers are just coming off the All-Star Break, though Simmons did participate in the All-Star Game last Sunday.
#Sixers PG Ben Simmons is now questionable with lower back tightness. His final status for tonight’s game will be determined pregame at the arena.
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) February 20, 2020
Fantasy basketball analysis: Sixers G/F Ben Simmons
Simmons ($9,500) is among the highest priced players on the DFS slate on DraftKings. He’s also one of the bigger names questionable, so his status will have a trickle effect. If Simmons is out, Embiid becomes more appealing at $9,000 in a good matchup. We’d likely see Alec Burks start at PG in place of Simmons and would be a great value play at $3,600. Also give a nice boost to Josh Richardson ($4,200), Al Horford ($5,000) and Tobias Harris ($6,400), who are all pretty underpriced tonight.