NBA Injury Roundup: 3-11-15

7:00 PM ET

Kings @ Hornets, Bulls @ 76ers

CHA

Injured: Cody Zeller (Out)

Beneficiary: PF Marvin Williams (DK: $3,400, FD: $3,900)

Cody Zeller being out will pave the way to more playing time for Marvin Williams. The former Tar Heel should see 25-plus minutes. In his last 10 games, his low for fantasy points at DraftKings in games where he's hit that minutes played threshold (six games) is 18.0. He's a reasonable punt play thanks to his thrifty price point.

CHI

Injured: Derrick Rose (Out), Jimmy Butler (Out), Taj Gibson (Out)

Beneficiaries: PG Aaron Brooks (DK: $4,800, FD: $4,800), PF Nikola Mirotic (DK: $6,200, FD: $5,700), C Joakim Noah (DK: $6,700, FD: $7,000)

Aaron Brooks will remain in the starting lineup at point guard with Derrick Rose out. He snapped a lousy run with a pair of solid outings scoring 28.0 and 26.5 fantasy points in DraftKings games in his last two. Facing a terrible 76ers squad gets Brooks in the cash games mix for me.

Nikola Mirotic is the most exciting option of the beneficiaries. He's averaging 35.0 fantasy points at DraftKings over the last 10 day (six games). In those six games he's gone over 35 points four times. He's been excellent when given extended playing time, and he'll get that tonight. Mirotic is an excellent option in all game types.

Joakim Noah's average fantasy scoring is nearly the same as Mirotic's in the last 10 days. He's averaged 33.8 fantasy points at DraftKings in that time frame. His scoring has been far more consistent, though, as he's bested 30 points in nine of his last 10 games.

7:30 PM ET

Grizzlies @ Celtics, Nets @ Heat

BOS

Injured: Isaiah Thomas (GTD), Avery Bradley (GTD)

Beneficiaries: PG Marcus Smart (DK: $5,000, FD: $5,100), PG (DK)/SG (FD) Evan Turner (DK: $5,500, FD: $5,700)

Isaiah Thomas is a game-time decision and Avery Bradley is targeting a return tonight. If both players are out, Marcus Smart and Evan Turner will both see a heavy workload. Both Smart and Turner played 27 minutes in the Celtics' last game, and that was with Thomas playing. If Thomas and Bradley both play, the potential squeeze on minutes for Smart and Turner will be too great to use them. As it stands, neither Smart nor Turner look like strong plays.

BKN

Injured: Alan Anderson (Doubtful), Markel Brown (Doubtful), Sergey Karasev (Out)

Beneficiaries: SG Bojan Bogdanovic (DK: $3,000, FD: $3,600)

Markel Brown is doubtful to play tonight, and Alan Anderson doubtful as well. Brown, the Nets starting shooting guard, has failed to reach 20 fantasy points in his last five games and isn't worth rostering even if he plays. Bojan Bogdanovic suddenly becomes an intriguing daily hoops option if Brown and Anderson fail to suit up.

MIA

Injured: Hassan Whiteside (Out), Udonis Haslem (GTD), Chris Andersen (GTD), SG Dwyane Wade (GTD)

Beneficiaries: SF Michael Beasley (DK: $4,100, FD: $4,200), $5,200), SG Tyler Johnson (DK: $3,600, FD: $4,600)

Hassan Whiteside isn't injured, but he is suspended for tonight's game. The frontcourt duo of Udonis Haslem and Chris Andersen are game-time decisions, as is Dwyane Wade. Wade missed the morning shootaround with an illness. Goran Dragic returns tonight, but if Wade is out, Tyler Johnson remains an intriguing play. The reserve guard has averaged 23.2 fantasy points per game in his last five games. His scoring has been erratic, though, so he's strictly a GPP option.

Michael Beasley is the guy who gains the most from the frontcourt mess. Beasley surpassed 30 minutes in his last two games played and totaled 32 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals and 1 block. In all, that amounted to 51.25 fantasy points at DraftKings. He's a nice punt play, even with his salary heading upward.

8:00 PM ET

Magic @ Bucks, Clippers @ Thunder

ORL

Injured: Willie Green (Questionable), Evan Fournier (Out)

Beneficiaries: PG Elfrid Payton (DK: $6,000, FD: $6,200), SG Victor Oladipo (DK: $8,400, FD: $8,000)

The 32 minutes played by Elfrid Payton and Victor Oladipo last night were largely the product of the Magic being blown out. In his last five games Oladipo has been exceptional averaging 39 minutes, 2.0 threes, 3.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.8 steals, 0.6 blocks and 25.2 points per game. He's on fire and a strong play in all game types.

In the shadow of Oladipo, Payton has averaged 30.1 fantasy points per game at DraftKings in his last five games. His per game averages in that time span are 4.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.4 blocks and 10.4 points. His low point scoring output caps his ceiling, but his ancillary production has been good. Ultimately, his price is a little steep for my liking.

MIL

Injured: O.J. Mayo (Questionable)

Beneficiary: SG (DK)/SF (FD) Khris Middleton (DK: $6,300, FD: $6,500)

Calling Khris Middleton a benificiary of O.J. Mayo's injury status is probably pushing it. Middleton is the unquestioned starter. That said, Mayo possibly being out removes one guard from the mix. The fourth-year guard has played 30 or more minutes in 11 straight games, and he's been a beast since the All-Star break. Since the All-Star break he's played 34.9 minutes per game and averaged 1.7 threes, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.2 blocks and 17.9 points per game. His price hasn't caught up to his production, use him with confidence in all game types at DraftKings and FanDuel.

LAC

Injured: Jamal Crawford (Out), Blake Griffin (Out)

Beneficiaries: SG J.J. Redick (DK: $5,700, FD: $5,600), C DeAndre Jordan (DK: $9,000, FD: $9,600)

The Clippers remain without Blake Griffin and Jamal Crawford. That's good news for J.J. Redick and DeAndre Jordan. Redick is on a roll with extended run scoring 22 or more fantasy points at FanDuel in eight of his last 10 games and his low fantasy point total at DraftKings in his last six games is 24.5 points. His price is right to provide a positive return, especially at FanDuel where he's cheaper and accounts for a smaller percentage of your salary cap.

Jordan has been from another planet since the All-Star break. He's played in 10 games in that time frame averaging 37.2 minutes, 18.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.5 blocks and 13.6 points per game. His price is high, so he's not a lock for daily rosters, but his steady and high scoring output puts him in the cash games mix.

OKC

Injured: Kevin Durant (Out)

Beneficiaries: PG Russell Westbrook (DK: $12,500, FD: $13,300)

Russell Westbrook has averaged a triple-double in nine games after the All-Star break. He's averaging 36.4 minutes, 1.2 threes, 10.2 rebounds, 11.4 assists, 1.9 steals, 0.2 blocks and 34.3 points per game in that time span. His price has reached astronomical status, but his otherworldly play makes it tough to fade him. I'll still be using him.

9:00 PM ET

Hawks @ Nuggets

DEN

Injured: Wilson Chandler (DTD), Jusuf Nurkic (Probable)

No beneficiaries to be seen here. Wilson Chandler's playing status is up in the air, and Jusuf Nurkic has been upgraded to probable in advance of tonight's game. The return of Nurkic will muddy the minutes in the Nuggets frontcourt. J.J. Hickson goes from a potential punt play to a non-factor when Nurkic returns. Kenneth Faried remains a viable option even if Nurkic gobbles up a bit of his playing time.

10:00 PM ET

Timberwolves @ Suns

PHO

Injured: Brandon Knight (Out)

Beneficiaries: SG (DK)/SF (FD) Gerald Green (DK: $3,000, SF: $3,500), SF T.J. Warren (DK: $3,000, FD: $3,600)

Brandon Knight's injury creates an opening in the starting lineup. Gerald Green isn't a lock to move into the starting lineup, but his minutes are essentially a lock to go up with Knight out. If he does start, his splits as a starter are quite nice for a minimum salary player. As a starter this season (four games) Green has averaged 26.8 minutes, 2.3 threes, 4.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.3 blocks and 12.3 points per game. Even in a reserve role, his minutes should approach the nearly 27 he's played in four starts this year. He should easily exceed the points threshold necessary to provide a positive return on such a minimal investment.

T.J. Warren is another reserve in line for more time. Since the All-Star break Warren is receiving steady, albeit limited, run. If he receives more minutes, it still isn't enough to convince me he's worth playing in daily games yet, especially with Green available at the same cost or cheaper.

10:30 PM ET

Pistons @ Warriors, Rockets @ Trail Blazers

POR

Injured: Wesley Matthews (Out)

Beneficiaries: SG Arron Afflalo (DK: $4,500, FD: $4,400)

The acquisition of Arron Afflalo by the Blazers was to add depth to their backcourt, but the season-ending injury Wesley Matthews suffered thrust the former Nugget into the starting lineup. Afflalo hasn't exactly thrived in seven games with the Trail Blazers, and his lack of ancillary statistics hurts his daily value. He's playable, but I'll pass on his services.

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