Hopefully, teams will not be down to just 10 rotation players like yesterday’s NBA Injury Report after the Milwaukee Bucks played extremely short-handed. Maybe there will be some competitive games since two were blowouts. With this article, the work of the other staff members and the amazing NBA DFS projections , those scenarios can be handled much more easily. That allows for pivoting at the drop of a hat, and the NBA Starting Lineup page is an extremely important tool as well. Today is a larger-sized NBA DFS slate with 10 games.
NBA Injury Report & Starting Lineups Today | Oct. 22
Remember to always place players from the later games in guard, forward, and utility slots on DraftKings. Allow maximum flexibility to react to the news that comes out after lock, which will happen in NBA. Additionally, take advantage of the wealth of Awesemo NBA content to get ready for these slates.
New York Knicks at Orlando Magic
Knicks – Nerlens Noel – Out
Taj Gibson – Questionable
UPDATE – Gibson is out for this game and that makes me slightly more interested in Obi Toppin, but would stop short of saying he’d be a main target.
The Knicks run their starters like very few teams, even in double overtime. If Gibson makes it back, he will serve as the backup for Mitchell Robinson. That role is not likely to bear a lot of fantasy fruit and it would not appear that injuries will have a major effect on New York tonight.
Magic – Gary Harris, Chuma Okeke – Out
Michael Carter-Williams – IR
*Note – Moving forward in the NBA Injury Report, players that are expected to be out for a long period will be labeled IR.
The Harris injury is an important one because the original Magic starting lineup did not have Jalen Suggs starting. He was thrust into that role late since Harris was scratched. The production was not spectacular, but the rookie played 30 minutes and shot just 3-for-14. If he gets those kinds of minutes with shot attempts again, he would be well in play and is still very affordable. Mo Bamba could also benefit if Okeke were to miss, as he logged 28 minutes compared to just 18 for Wendell Carter Jr. Bamba even hit some 3-pointers in the first game, going 3-for-4 from 3-point distance.
Charlotte Hornets at Cleveland Cavaliers
Hornets – Terry Rozier – Questionable
This is a significant piece of news because it opens up more usage on the Hornets. Gamers will go right back to LaMelo Ball after he scored 50-plus DraftKings points. Ball is a great young player, but he still played under 30 minutes which is just baffling. Ball was over 27% in usage rate without Rozier and other players who have moved to different teams last year. The lack of minutes does remain a concern to some extent. Kelly Oubre entered the starting lineup in place of Rozier and played 35 minutes, so he should play the same role. Oubre took 17 shots and even though he did not shoot well, the minutes and usage appear solid for the salary.
Cavaliers – Darius Garland – Questionable
Garland was able to finish the game against the Grizzlies. If he sits out, that could push a little more playing time towards Ricky Rubio. He played 25 minutes as it was and had a double-double with 10 assists. Rubio also had 72 touches in the first game, and for context, that was the number Ja Morant averaged last season. It is a viable role with Garland based on the first game and would only grow without Garland.
Indiana Pacers at Washington Wizards
Pacers – Caris LeVert, Kelan Martin – Out
Justin Holiday, Torrey Craig, Jeremy Lamb – Questionable
T.J. Warren – IR
It was a spectacular first game for rookie Chris Duarte as he started and played 33 minutes. He also shot 9-for-15 from the field including 6-for-9 from 3-point distance. The salary shot up to a major degree as well which can turn into a trap in the next game. What is surprising to see is Domantas Sabonis’ salary went down by $800 and Malcolm Brogdon’s did not move at all. Both players were over 1.15 fantasy points per minute last year without their teammates and both exceeded a 25.5% usage rate. Washington played at a top-five pace in their first game, which is in line with how they have played for years. The Pacers only played 10 players in their first game and T.J. McConnell could be in line for a big bump if they miss any more than they did that game.
Wizards – Rui Hachimura – Out
Thomas Bryant – IR
The largest beneficiary for Hachimura still missing appears to be Kyle Kuzma. He played 3 minutes in the first game with Hachimura out and he continued to rebound the ball with 15. His shot was not going at just 4-for-13 but he can be streaky but in this style of high-paced game, Kuzma’s minutes are appealing.
Montrezl Harrell and Daniel Gafford split the center minutes with 22 going to Gafford and 25 going to Harrell while they wait for Bryant to come back. Both are going to be needed in this game since Indiana has Sabonis and Myles Turner. Harrell flirted with a double-double in his first game with his new team while Gafford was more passive in his time on the court with just three shots. It was interesting to see Harrell play a lot of his minutes without Bradley Beal or Kuzma until the fourth quarter. That opens a little more of an offensive role if those rotations stick.
Brooklyn Nets at Philadelphia 76ers
Nets – Kyrie Irving – Out
Irving is not expected back anytime soon so this absence does not change anything. The only note is that Coach Steve Nash mentioned he could be shaking up the rotation based on matchups and how the game goes. Be careful past the main cogs of Kevin Durant, James Harden, Joe Harris, and probably Patty Mills.
76ers – Ben Simmons, Shake Milton – Out
It is a rinse and repeat spot for the 76ers in the NBA Injury Report. Simmons and Milton will not be back soon by all reports. That means more good things for Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, and Tyrese Maxey. As far as Embiid and Harris go, keep in mind they did not touch the floor in the fourth quarter in the last game. Last year, they both had a usage over 27% and Embiid was a monster at 42.4% and the fantasy points per minute was spiked at 1.97. Harris was at 1.23 fantasy points per minute and both of their salaries went down from the last game. As for Maxey, he was second in age rate behind Embiid at 28.5%. His price did come up but is likely still a bit too low for being the primary point guard.
Toronto Raptors at Boston Celtics
Raptors – Pascal Siakam – IR
After getting rolled over by the Wizards, Fred VanVleet saw his salary dip under $7,000 and has a usage rate over 30%. It is not like he is going to shoot 5-for-20 from the field all that often. The Raptors played at a fast pace and VanVleet logged 35 minutes even in a blowout scenario. Scottie Barnes was also blowout-proof with 32 minutes and even though he is not quite the value he was, the price is very palatable. O.G. Anunoby is never likely to have a strong usage rate but last season he did have a 25.3% rate with 0.86 fantasy points per minute. Minutes equal money for fantasy and these three seem very safe as far as that metric goes.
Celtics – Marcus Smart, Al Horford, Josh Richardson – Questionable
Horford and Richardson missed the previous game, but Horford is the one who will have the more relevant role. He is the starting power forward for Boston and even though Grant Williams played well in the first game, Horford should start. Williams did not play a minute in the overtime periods. The matchup with the Raptors interior would be appealing as well for Horford and Robert Williams if that is the starting duo. If Smart were to miss, Aaron Nesmith or Richardson could pick up some slack.
Oklahoma City Thunder at Houston Rockets
Thunder – None
As of this writing, the Thunder have all hands on deck for this contest against the Rockets.
Rockets – John Wall – Out
Wall is not going to play for the Rockets this year unless something changes so the is not relevant to the NBA Injury Report. It is an interesting note that up until the Rockets emptied the bench in the blowout, they had a nine-man rotation. Christian Wood, Jalen Green, and Kevin Porter led in minutes and that would fit with their rebuilding of the franchise.
New Orleans Pelicans at Chicago Bulls
Pelicans – Zion Williamson – Out
Josh Hart – Out
Hart was forced out of the game after only 10 minutes on Wednesday so he would seem to be truly questionable. The Pelicans used a combination of Trey Murphy, Naji Marshall, and Garrett Temple to soak up those minutes. Marshall was the immediate substitution when Hart left the game and did see the most minutes out of the group, but he capped out at 20 minutes. The starters for New Orleans all played at least 29 minutes and only Brandon Ingram played more than a handful of minutes in the fourth quarter.
UPDATE – Hart is officially out for this game and that’s not a large surprise. As I mentioned above, I’m curious to see who enters the starting lineup because there was not a clear cut favorite in the rotation in the first game.
Bulls – Coby White – IR
The Bulls are not dealing with any significant injuries for tonight as things stand now.
San Antonio Spurs at Denver Nuggets
Spurs – None
San Antonio is fully healthy as they head into Denver.
Nuggets – Jamal Murray – IR
Murray is not expected back for a couple of months, so Denver is as healthy as they will get until he returns.
Utah Jazz at Sacramento Kings
Jazz – Rudy Gay – Out
Gay is not likely to be a high-impact player for the Jazz, so this absence is not a fantasy-relevant one.
Kings – None
Phoenix Suns at Los Angeles Lakers
Suns – None
The Suns are another team that is in the clear for NBA Injury Report. They have a full complement of players but the same cannot be said for their opponent.
Lakers – Kendrick Nunn, Wayne Ellington, Trevor Ariza, Talen Horton-Tucker – Out
The Lakers are down multiple role players and that means more time for Kent Bazemore and Carmelo Anthony. Bazemore was the one who drew the start and he played 30 minutes while Anthony played 26 minutes off the bench. Anthony had an interesting role because when he was on the floor, one of the big three for the Lakers was off. If LeBron James, Anthony Davis, or Russell Westbrook are off the floor, that opens up a role for Anthony and he can still shoot. Both Malik Monk and Rajon Rondo were under 20 minutes and that should not change all that much tonight.
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