NBA injuries to monitor ahead of Saturday’s slate on April 24th

fWe’ve got eight games on the schedule for Saturday, April 24th, and there are plenty of big names on the injury report. Here we’ll be monitoring all the latest injury news with some analysis and how to approach the injury for DFS and fantasy basketball.

NBA Injury Report: Saturday, April 24th

Anthony Davis, PF, Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers are listing AD as probable to play in Saturday’s rematch with the Dallas Mavericks. AD returned to the lineup for the first time in two months on Thursday, playing 17 minutes. He’s expected to play around the same on Saturday night, so for now, Davis isn’t really viable in fantasy basketball. He’s still priced too high at $9,400 on DraftKings for the main slate.

Kristaps Porzingis, PF/C, Dallas Mavericks

The Mavs are listing Porzingis as questionable to play Saturday vs. the Lakers due to an ankle injury. Porzingis injured the ankle on Thursday and was unable to return. Maxi Kleber (back) is also questionable, so if both bigs are sidelined, the Mavericks will need to lean on Dorian Finney-Smith ($5,400) and Dwight Powell ($3,300).

Joel Embiid, C, Philadelphia 76ers

Update: Embiid has been scratched from the lineup.

The Sixers take on the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday afternoon, so they’re off the main slate. Embiid (shoulder) and Furkan Korkmaz (ankle) are both questionable and could be held out. Ben Simmons (illness) is expected to remain sidelined. Tobias Harris is a trendy option in the Showdown contest and all day slate. If Korkmaz is out, Shake Milton ($4,500) and Seth Curry ($4,100) aren’t bad value plays.

Miami Heat injury report

The Heat are listing both PG Goran Dragic (rest) and SG Tyler Herro (foot) as out for Saturday’s game vs. the Chicago Bulls. This upgrades the value of both Kendrick Nunn ($5,300) and Duncan Robinson ($5,200) in what should be a good matchup.

Will Barton, SG/SF, Denver Nuggets

Barton (hamstring) is expected to miss a couple of games, so there’s a chance for a few Nuggets wings to take on bigger roles. Facundo Campazzo ($4,500) was thrust into the spotlight when Monte Morris got hurt. Now PJ Dozier ($4,100) and Austin Rivers ($4,300) could see more time on the wing. Dozier will likely get more playing time, but Rivers has a higher ceiling because of his ability to get hot as a scorer.

Christian Wood, PF/C, Houston Rockets

Wood has been ruled out with an ankle injury, and Houston doesn’t have many reliable fill-ins for the big man. Kelly Olynyk ($6,700) has scored more than 20 points in four of his last six games and will likely be chalk on the main slate. D.J. Wilson ($3,100) could be an interesting value play in a blowout, but he hasn’t shown much potential since joining the Rockets.

Indiana Pacers injury report

While Doug McDermott ($3,800) (ankle) is active for Saturday’s game against the Detroit Pistons, two other Pacers have been ruled out. Jeremy Lamb (knee) and Goga Bitadze (ankle) are inactive, so multiple Indiana value plays could return sky-high value. Oshae Brissett ($4,200) scored 23 points and grabbed 12 boards en route to 51.25 DKFP in his last game and will likely end up being one of the most popular plays under $5K. He and JaKarr Sampson ($3,000) should benefit from being the only viable bigs available.

Dallas Mavericks injury report

Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) and Josh Richardson (hamstring) have been ruled out of Saturday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers. Tim Hardaway Jr. ($4,200) and Jalen Brunson ($4,900) are the players most likely to get a boost in fantasy production in the backcourt. Dallas’s center rotation can be difficult to predict, but Willie Cauley-Stein ($3,100) tallied 28.5 DKFP in 31 minutes against the Lakers on April 22nd.