Nikola Mirotic Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

Nikola Mirotic will take on a starting role against Boston, which should lead to a good amount of run if he can get hot from the three point line. Sterling Brown is potentially still available to play, but will do so coming off the bench with the second unit. This is a downgrade to Brown himself, who obviously we can't expect much from, and a massive upgrade for a very cost effective Mirotic.

Antetokounmpo has been listed as questionable on the most recent version of the Bucks' injury report for Wednesday's matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to a sprained right ankle that has already forced him to miss one game, while Mirotic and Hill have been listed out with their respective ailments, and Mirotic is expected to miss at least two-to-four weeks because of a fractured thumb. Ersan Ilyasova is listed as probable to return from a one-game hiatus due to an illness, so as long as he isn't limited, he or Tony Snell would be the leading candidates to draw the start alongside Antetokounmpo, if he's cleared, in the frontcourt. However, even with the Bucks shorthanded from Tuesday's win, Snell was limited to just 15 minutes of action as a starter, eliminating his viability on a nine-game slate that already has a plethora of better value options available.

Mirotic has officially been upgraded from probable and will be available to make his Bucks debut in Thursday's matchup against the Boston Celtics after missing 11 consecutive games for both Milwaukee and the New Orleans Pelicans due to a strained right calf, while Giannis Antetokounmpo remains listed as probable but is fully expected to play in tonight's contest. Mirotic is expected to initially compete for minutes with Ersan Ilyasova and D.J. Wilson, but he will be subject to a minute restriction in his return, likely allowing both Ilyasova and Wilson to have at least a nominal role in head coach Mike Budenholzer's frontcourt rotation for now.

Randle has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play off the bench in Wednesday's matchup against the Chicago Bulls after missing six consecutive games due to a sprained right ankle, while Nikola Mirotic will remain sidelined, as expected, with a strained right calf. The Pelicans are still without Anthony Davis, Elfrid Payton, and E’Twaun Moore, so Frank Jackson and Darius Miller will remain in the starting lineup for at least an additional game with Randle having his minutes monitored. This news will enable Kenrich Williams to continue starting alongside Miller in the frontcourt following a solid fantasy performance in 35 minutes of action in Wednesday’s win. In this scenario, Randle will be an intriguing tournament option if he isn’t too severely limited, as he owns a 30.8% usage rate (+3.3%) and is averaging 1.41 DraftKings and 1.36 FanDuel points per minute with Davis, Mirotic, Payton, and Moore off the court this season.

According to coach Alvin Gentry, Julius Randle is a game-time decision but is unlikely to play. If Randle sits it will be his third straight missed game a team without Anthony Davis and Nikola Mirotic would have to lean on Jahlil Okafor to man the middle against the Spurs. Jure Holiday will continue to carry the offensive load in the absence Randle, Davis, and Mirotic. If Randle sits, Holliday becomes a great cash game option on any slate including this game.

Mirotic has been added to the Pelicans' injury report and won't play in Thursday's matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to a strained right calf he sustained during Wednesday's loss, while Moore continues to be hampered by nagging minor injuries and will be rested on the second leg of a back-to-back set. The Pelicans are still without Anthony Davis as well, so head coach Alvin Gentry may need to turn to Cheick Diallo to absorb a portion of the second unit frontcourt minutes despite him being a healthy inactive of DNP-CD in six of the last seven games. In Moore's absence, Darius Miller will likely enter the starting lineup at small forward, and he averaged 33.3 minutes as a starter in the most recent two games Moore was sidelined. Outside of Miller and Julius Randle, it's actually been Jrue Holiday that's been the main beneficiary with Mirotic, Moore, and Davis off the court, as he owns a 30.2% usage rate (+4.1%) and is averaging 1.44 DraftKings and 1.43 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.

Mirotic has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers after missing 12 consecutive games with a right ankle injury, while Moore has been ruled out and will miss a second straight contest with a bruised left quad. Head coach Alvin Gentry did confirm in a recent interview that Mirotic was nearing a return, so it wasn't all that surprising that he’s available following an upgrade in status earlier in the day. Gentry did disclose to reporters that Mirotic will continue to come off the bench but will be limited to a maximum of 20 minutes in his first game back from an extended absence. Additionally, with Moore unavailable, Darius Miller, who was mediocre from a fantasy standpoint in 30 minutes of action in his first spot start, will likely receive the starting nod at small forward once again.