Grayson

Allen

Beal didn’t make the initial injury report, but there is now a chance that he doesn’t play due to swelling in his right knee. The odds of him being added two hours before tipoff and still playing are low, which means there will be a starting spot open. Grayson Allen will likely fill the void, with Royce O’Neale also seeing extra minutes.

Saturday’s game will be the second Dunn has missed after injuring his ankle during Tuesday’s win over the Spurs. His absence has pushed Josh Okogie into the rotation, but Grayson Allen is a better streaming option due to Kevin Durant (ankle) also sitting out.

Durant missed seven straight from November 10 - November 20, and the Suns went 1-6 in his absence. It’s a stinging blow for a talented team that just can’t stay healthy. Durant’s absence frees up more minutes for Grayson Allen and Ryan Dunn, though it will take a committee effort to fill his large shoes.

Beal is officially probable, which isn’t surprising after Mike Budenholzer said that he looked “really good” as a partial practice participant on Monday. His expected return will push Grayson Allen back to the bench after he played 32 minutes on Sunday.

Mike Budenholzer said that Beal looked “really good” in the portions of practice that he did participate in, but he wasn’t able to do everything. If he is forced to miss a second straight game, Grayson Allen will likely get another start after logging 32 minutes on Saturday, though Budenholzer seems optimistic that Beal will be able to play on Tuesday against the Spurs.

Allen started Saturday’s game for the injured Bradley Beal and had one of his best games of the season. He’s scored 17 points or more in three of his last six games, and moving into the starting lineup boosts Allen’s fantasy value. If Beal remains sidelined for the start of Week 7, which begins on Tuesday against the Spurs, Allen will be worth a look for managers needing 3-pointers.

The Suns are without Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic, forcing two changes to the starting lineup. While Ryan Dunn has replaced Beal in the starting lineup in the past, Allen is the choice for Saturday night and offers a much higher fantasy upside. Plumlee replaces Nurkic and is worth a look for field-goal percentage and rebounds.

Allen has scored 15 or more points in his last three games, providing solid production off the bench. He’s been dealing with nagging injuries, most recently missing two games last week due to a sore hamstring. And even with the recent scoring run, Allen is ranked outside the top 200 in 9-cat formats over the past week. Outside of deep leagues in which his 3-point production is needed, there isn’t much reason to roster Allen.

Allen has seemingly rebounded from a two-game stretch last weekend in which he scored nine points on 3-of-17 shooting. In his last two outings, he’s scored 33 on 11-of-20 shooting from the field (8-of-16 3-pointers). Allen’s improved production comes at a good time, as the Suns are without Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant. He’ll have some fantasy value to begin Week 5, but the Suns will finish their two-game week on Wednesday.

While Nurkic played in Friday’s loss to Oklahoma City, Allen has missed Phoenix’s last two games. With Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant sidelined, the Suns can use Allen’s perimeter shooting ability. Nurkic being cleared to play will not change anything, as he was the starter in Oklahoma City.