Zion Williamson ruled out Thursday vs. Heat [UPDATE]

UPDATE: Williamson and Redick have been ruled out Thursday vs. the Heat. Zion was considered doubtful and Redick was questionable. I highlighted a few plays below and where to pivot with Zion sidelined. The Heat have Butler in the lineup and Adebayo is out.

New Orleans Pelicans All-Star PF Zion Williamson was added to the injury report late Thursday as doubtful to play against the Miami Heat. Williamson was named to his first All-Star Game, which will take place on Sunday in Atlanta. So this could just be a way of getting Williamson additional rest before the break begins on Friday.

The Heat also have a few big injuries in Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, who are both dealing with knee injuries. So the first thing to consider is if those two All-Stars sit, this game could be missing a lot of scoring. The first bet I went to place after hearing the Zion news was Brandon Ingram’s prop for Pts + Rebs + Asts, set at 34.5. The line is currently down on that game. The Pelicans had been favored by 2.5 points. It’s a tough line to gauge without news from the Heat side.

As for the DFS side, if Zion is the only one out for the Pelicans (JJ Redick is also questionable), then Brandon Ingram ($8,300) is going to be a popular play. Ingram made the All-Star Game last season but has taken a backseat to Zion this year. He’ll be a trendy all-around play. Steven Adams ($5,300) becomes an OK chalk value play if the game isn’t lopsided. He should get more rebounds and some more looks down low as one of the only bigs. Willy Hernangomez ($4,300) could be the one who starts for Williamson and would be a decent GPP value.