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It’s loaded Wednesday slate in the association, and that comes with a loaded injury report. The nine-game slate features some intriguing matchups but none are bigger than the Nets and Bulls squaring off at the top of the East. After a quiet injury report Tuesday, Wednesday’s list features some of the game’s biggest starts. Here’s a look at the injury report for January 12.
NBA Injury Report: January 12
Boston Celtics vs. Indiana Pacers
Marcus Smart (thigh) OUT
Payton Pritchard (protocols) Available
Update — Smart is out and Pritchard will be back in the lineup tonight vs. the Pacers. Dennis Schroder, Pritchard and Josh Richardson are all under $5K on DraftKings. All three are OK value options but there will be better plays in better game environments. The Celtics are also top heavy. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will soak up a lot of the usage along with Robert Williams with Smart sidelined. Al Horford ($5,400) is interesting. He hasn’t been producing, but that’s dropped his price tag a significant amount.
Smart suffered the injury a few days ago but was considering returning to the game at the time. It turns out the injury was a bigger setback. Pritchard is questionable due to protocols. With Smart and Pritchard potentially out, look for Dennis Smith and Josh Richardson to be good value plays in fantasy and DFS lineups.
Malcolm Brogdon (Achilles) Left game
Caris LeVert (conditioning) Available
Chris Duarte (personal) OUT
Update - Brogdon left Wednesday’s game after seemingly aggravating his Achilles injury late in the contest. This will likely continue to linger for a few days for Indiana’s point guard.
Update - Duarte has been ruled out for personal reasons but both Brogdon and LeVert are good to go Wednesday. Both represent solid fantasy and DFS plays, although Brogdon has more value as the lead ball handler in the backcourt.
Brogdon and LeVert remain questionable, although the latter is more likely to clear the conditioning hurdle. Chris Duarte has been a strong value play all season and will likely see additional ball-handling duties in this game.
Charlotte Hornets vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Kelly Oubre (protocols) OUT
Update - It looks like Oubre won’t suit up Wednesday, so Bridges, Washington and Hayward will operate on the perimeter for Charlotte against the 76ers. Those are the best plays for this game from a Hornets standpoint.
Oubre was recently put in the league’s protocols, so he’s likely out. Miles Bridges, PJ Washington and Gordon Hayward will get more playing time to absorb Oubre’s minutes.
Seth Curry (ankle) Available
Shake Milton (back) OUT
Tobias Harris (elbow) Available
Update - Curry is available to play and is a good fit in most DFS lineups as a value play.
Update - The 76ers say Harris is dealing with tendonitis in his elbow, although he’s not expected to miss any playing time. The team has reportedly been looking to pari Harris with Ben Simmons in potential trade packages, so this is something to monitor going forward.
Milton is out, while Curry is questionable with an ankle injury. Tyrese Maxey is off the injury report, so the point guard is good to go and will be a value play. Guys like Georges Niang and Furkan Korkmaz will be the main beneficiaries if Curry is ruled out.
Orlando Magic vs. Washington Wizards
Mo Bamba (toe) OUT
Wendell Carter Jr. (hamstring) OUT
Update - Both Bamba and Carter Jr. have been ruled out, so look for Mo Wagner and Robin Lopez to get heavy minutes Wednesday. They’ll be good replacement options in fantasy and DFS contests.
The Magic could be down a few players in the frontcourt. If both Bamba and Carter Jr. are ruled out, fantasy and DFS players should look for Mo Wagner and Robin Lopez as fallback options.
Bradley Beal (protocols) OUT
Beal entered protocols Tuesday and is unlikely to test out for Wednesday’s game, even though the shooting guard is reportedly now vaccinated.
Miami Heat vs. Atlanta Hawks
Jimmy Butler (ankle) OUT
KZ Okpala (wrist) OUT
Butler and Okpala are both out, so that means Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson are once again the major plays in fantasy and DFS contests.
De’Andre Hunter (wrist) Available
Clint Capela (ankle) OUT
Cam Reddish (ankle) OUT
Jalen Johnson (ankle) OUT
Update - Hunter makes his return to the court and immediately becomes a consideration in fantasy and DFS lineups. With Capela, Reddish and Johnson out, Hunter and John Collins are direct beneficiaries with Huerter and Bogdanovic being secondary contributors who could see some uptick in production.
Update - So much for Johnson being a strong play. The Hawks have ruled out the rookie with an ankle injury. Huerter, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Danilo Gallinari will be the primary wing players for Atlanta in this one. Target them in fantasy lineups and DFS contests.
Update - Reddish has been downgraded to doubtful, while Hunter is a game-time decision. Atlanta’s wing players will be getting more minutes with Reddish out, so Jalen Johnson and Kevin Huerter will be strong plays Wednesday.
Hunter could return after a long absence and would get a nice boost if Reddish gets ruled out. Capela is unlikely to play, so John Collins is a strong play against a Heat team which is soft in the interior with Bam Adebayo out.
Dallas Mavericks vs. New York Knicks
Kristaps Porzingis (protocols) OUT
Update - Porzingis isn’t starting, so he’s likely not available. Kleber and Powell are starting in the frontcourt in his absence, and both are solid value pickups for Wednesday’s DFS slate.
Porzingis will relish the chance to go against his former team if he does clear protocols. If he’s out, Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell will be in line for more minutes.
Kemba Walker (knee) OUT
Nerlens Noel (protocols) Will Play
Evan Fournier (thigh) Available
Walker, Fournier and Noel represent a strong contingent of New York’s rotation. Of the three, Fournier is most likely to play after being able to suit up earlier in the week.
Houston Rockets vs. San Antonio Spurs
Alperen Sengun (ankle) OUT
Update - Sengun has been ruled out for Wednesday’s game. He wasn’t really a factor in Houston’s lineup as a value play for fantasy and DFS but this is more about the Rockets wanting to evaluate the rookie.
Sengun was going to re-evaluated this week, so the designation is a sign he could be close to returning. Christian Wood and Kevin Porter Jr. remain the best fantasy options on this Houston team.
Derrick White (protocols) OUT
Keldon Johnson (protocols) available
Devin Vassell (protocols) available
Update - White has been officially ruled out, while Vassell and Johnson are both available. The latter is likely going to cede minutes to Lonnie Walker but Vassell represents a nice niche play in DFS formats.
Update - Gregg Popovich says White is “likely out” due to protocols. Johnson and Vassell are still questionable.
Update - Big news for the Spurs. If all three players return another negative test, they’ll be game-time decisions based on conditioning levels. That means all three are close to clearing protocols and could be suiting up Wednesday.
With a handful of Spurs rotation players still in protocols, Dejounte Murray and Lonnie Walker continue to represent great value plays in fantasy and DFS lineups.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Utah Jazz
Rudy Gobert (protocols) OUT
Joe Ingles (conditioning) Available
Hassan Whiteside (protocols) OUT
Update - Ingles is good to play, so he likely eats into Clarkson’s minutes a bit.
Ingles is out of protocols and could play, while Gobert is probably still out. Bojan Bogdanovic, Donovan Mitchell and Jordan Clarkson remain the most reliable options on this team from a fantasy and DFS standpoint.
Brooklyn Nets vs. Chicago Bulls
James Harden (knee) Available
Kyrie Irving (ankle) Available
Nic Claxton (hamstring) OUT
Update - Harden and Irving are in for Wednesday’s game against the Bulls. Claxton is out, which means Griffin is a strong play. Cam Thomas and Patty Mills lose some fantasy value with the star backcourt playing.
Update - All three players above went through Wednesday’s shootaround. That hasn’t changed the official designations but it’s a good sign for all three in a big game for the Nets.
Harden and Irving are both questionable, which means Kevin Durant is likely going to have a big role in this game. Patty Mills and Cam Thomas are great backup options in case Harden and/or Irving cannot play. With Claxton’s status in doubt, look for Blake Griffin to be a strong value play.
Alex Caruso (protocols) OUT
Update - It looks like Caruso hasn’t tested out of the protocols yet. Dosunmu is the best play for DFS contests, while White is another option for those who want some more upside offensively.
Caruso is close to being cleared. Ayo Dosunmu has carved out a role for himself and remains a great play even if Caruso returns. Coby White is also a nice pickup, although he does have some inconsistencies and that can lead to underwhelming showings from time to time.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Sacramento Kings
LeBron James (abdominal) Available
Russell Westbrook (illness) Available
Carmelo Anthony (back) OUT
Update - James and Westbrook are in as expected. Trevor Ariza is starting and could be an option to replace Anthony in DFS contests but probably won’t see many shots in this one.
Update - Anthony has been officially ruled out for Wednesday’s game, so look for Malik Monk and Avery Bradley to absorb those minutes while James operates more in the frontcourt as a power forward.
Update - Anthony, one of LA’s stronger role players, has been ruled a game-time decision for Wednesday’s contest. The Lakers will likely lean on Avery Bradley and Talen Horton-Tucker more if Anthony does miss this game.
James being listed on the injury report is a formality. Westbrook is dealing with a non-COVID illness and did make the trip to Sacramento with the team, so he is expected to play. Outside of these two stars, Malik Monk and Carmelo Anthony are good fantasy/DFS options.