Amir Johnson Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

Bolden has officially been downgraded from questionable and won't play in Tuesday's matchup against the Orlando Magic due to sinusitis, while Johnson has been cleared to return from a one-game absence stemming from a tight upper back. The Sixers are still without Joel Embiid and Boban Marjanovic, so Johnson can be pretty safely projected for a decent workload as the starting center in tonight's contest, though Mike Scott and Ben Simmons will also certainly see their fair share of minutes at the five in smaller lineup combinations and an appearance from Justin Patton, who's yet to play a minute in the NBA this year, is possible as well. Scott was extremely valuable from a fantasy perspective in 32 minutes of action as the sixth-man in Saturday's loss, and he'll likely be needed to handle a similar minute allotment in a matchup with a lengthy Magic frontcourt that consists of Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, and Jonathan Isaac, keeping him firmly in consideration for tournament formats this evening.

Johnson is a surprise late addition to the Sixers' injury report and won't play in Saturday's matchup against the Golden State Warriors due to a tight upper back, and he'll join Joel Embiid and Boban Marjanovic among Philadelphia's ailing big men on the inactive list. Johnson only logged 14 minutes in Thursday's win, but his absence will still leave the Sixers dangerously thin at the center position and are essentially left with only Justin Patton, who's yet to appear in an NBA game, as a true reserve center. This should lead to more small-ball lineup combinations with either Ben Simmons or Mike Scott at five-spot, and it's certainly in the realm of possibility Scott approaches the 30-minute mark off the bench, something he's done in two of the previous three games.

Embiid has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won't play in Sunday's matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers due to a sore left knee. In his absence, Amir Johnson will enter the starting lineup at center, but he's largely been out of the rotation of late and saw just 16 minutes as a starter the last time Embiid was sidelined. Instead, it was Mike Muscala who provided the most fantasy value off the bench, smashing his salary-based expectations in 30 minutes of action in that contest. Meanwhile, Jimmy Butler has thrived in his brief time with the Sixers without Embiid on the court, as he owns a 34.3% usage rate (+9.9%) and is averaging 1.43 DraftKings and 1.46 FanDuel points per minute in a decent 222.8 minutes sample size, making him an elite option for all formats on an abbreviated five-game slate.

Embiid was ruled out in advance of Friday’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons due to rest purposes. Embiid has struggled of late, and with two days off before their next game, head coach Brett Brown expressed that it became clear the time was now to rest him for the first time this season. In his absence, Amir Johnson will replace him in the starting lineup at center, but Mike Muscala has logged at least 23 minutes off the bench in five of the last six games, making him the preferred target of the two in daily fantasy formats regardless of role. Given how much usage Embiid absorbs on the offensive end of the floor, there’s obviously a ton of opportunity available for additional fantasy production from the remaining Sixers starters. However, Jimmy Butler has been the primary beneficiary with Embiid off the court thus far, as he leads the team with a 34.8% usage rate (+10.7%) and is averaging 1.45 DraftKings and 1.46 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.

Johnson is set to return from a one-game absence due to flu-like symptoms and will start in Friday's matchup with the Atlanta Hawks, replacing the injured Joel Embiid, who is scheduled to undergo surgery on the left orbital fracture he sustained during Wednesday's win in the coming days. There's yet to be an official timetable for his return provided by the Philadelphia 76ers medical staff, but he appears on track to be sidelined for at least a couple weeks, at best, which will enable Johnson and Richaun Holmes to absorb a majority of the available center minutes. Head coach Brett Brown is also liable to utilize Dario Saric at center in certain small-ball lineup combinations, further adding to his appeal since Saric has been the clear beneficiary with Embiid off the court this season, owning a +5.7% usage rate differential while averaging 1.13 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.07 on FanDuel in this scenario.

Embiid had been ruled out in advance of last night's contest for tonight's game against the Boston Celtics due to rest and load management concerns, and he'll join T.J. McConnell among the Philadelphia 76ers' new additions to the inactives list for Thursday's game. In Embiid's absence, Amir Johnson will draw a spot start once again and has typically seen between 20-22 minutes of playing time in the previous games Embiid was rested, keeping him in consideration for tournaments in a revenge spot on an abbreviated five-game slate. That said, the clear beneficiary of Embiid's unavailability is Ben Simmons, as the rookie "point guard" owns a +6.2% usage rate differential and leads the Sixers with a rate of 1.29 fantasy points per minute with Embiid off the court this season.