Only a five-game NBA slate on Thursday night but there is already a bunch of value available with the Raptors sitting Kyle Lowry and Kawhi Leonard against the Suns. See which players benefit from their absence in the What If Matrix.
This article will attempt to list all of the relevant injury situations to monitor for the day’s NBA slate and provide guidance on which players will benefit with either an increase in minutes or usage or both if that player is ruled out. I will also place a plus (+) by players that I think are worth DFS consideration if that player is ruled out. Players that have been out for at least five consecutive games I will not list as general playing time and usage patterns should be established.
This will NOT be an interactive article that is continually updated throughout the day as I hope to capture all of the potential relevant injury situations that could impact DFS lineups for the night and pre-determine what players benefit. Ideally, you monitor late-breaking news leading up to tipoff, find out a player is ruled out and come check the matrix below to see who the players are you should consider for your DFS lineups based on that news.
NBA What If – Thursday, January 17
| Team | Player | Status | If OUT |
| Bulls | Wendell Carter Jr. | Out | Bobby Portis (minutes/usage)+ Jabari Parker (minutes/usage)+ Robin Lopez (minutes) Zach LaVine (usage)+ |
| Hornets | None | ||
| Kings | None | ||
| Lakers | None | ||
| Nuggets | Gary Harris | Questionable | Malik Beasley (minutes/usage)+ Monte Morris (minutes/usage) Nikola Jokic (usage)+ |
| Pacers | None | ||
| Raptors | OG Anunoby | Out | Norman Powell (minutes)+ |
| Raptors | Kawhi Leonard | Out | Danny Green (minutes/usage)+ Norman Powell (minutes/usage)+ Pascal Siakam (minutes/usage)+ Serge Ibaka (usage)+ |
| Raptors | Kyle Lowry | Out | Fred VanVleet (minutes/usage)+ Delon Wright (minutes)+ Pascal Siakam (usage)+ |
| Raptors | CJ Miles | Questionable | Norman Powell (minutes)+ |
| Sixers | None | ||
| Suns | Jamal Crawford | Questionable | De’Anthony Melton (minutes) |
| Thunder | Nerlens Noel | Out | Jerami Grant (minutes)+ Patrick Patterson (minutes/usage) |
