Minnesota Timberwolves DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

The New York Knicks announced on Thursday that forward Julius Randle (shoulder) will be re-evaluated some time between the next two and three weeks. This falls in line with the initial expectation that Randle's absence will be measured in weeks and not months after he dislocated his right shoulder on an awkward landing late in Saturday's victory over the Miami Heat. Fantasy managers can now expect to be without the points-league superstar until after the All-Star break, and it's a buzzkill to the scorching-hot Knicks. After achieving his first career triple-double during Tuesday's win over the Utah Jazz, Josh Hart needs to be rostered across the board for his ability to stuff the stat sheet. Precious Achiuwa has started consecutive outings for New York and is worth a look in deeper formats, but he is more than likely just filling in for OG Anunoby (elbow).

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley (hamstring) was getting some shots up at Wednesday morning's shootaround. Conley has missed four of the team's past five games and is still officially listed as questionable with soreness in his left hamstring for Wednesday's contest versus the Dallas Mavericks, but his presence at shootaround is a positive sign. If the 36-year-old veteran floor general continues to sit out on Wednesday, look for the versatile Nickeil Alexander-Walker to once again shift over to point guard in Minnesota's starting lineup. In five games without Conley this season, Alexander-Walker is averaging a decent 12.4 points, 4.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds, 2.6 threes, and 1.2 steals for the T-Wolves.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley (hamstring) will miss his second consecutive game with left hamstring soreness after he was downgraded from questionable to out on Monday. The veteran point guard has been quite healthy this year, which comes as a pleasant surprise given his injury history throughout his career. With hamstring soreness, the team seems to always take a cautious stance because that can turn into a lengthy absence very quickly. While he's out, Nickeil Alexander-Walker should move into the starting lineup again and could be a solid streaming option in deeper leagues. It could be an uphill battle against a very good Oklahoma City Thunder team, so he's not recommended in smaller leagues.

As testing continues on New York Knicks forward Julius Randle (shoulder), indications are optimistic that his absence will be measured in weeks and not months. Randle was doubled over after dislocating his right shoulder on an awkward fall late in Saturday's win over the Miami Heat, heading straight to the locker room in visible pain. While the 29-year-old All-Star's multi-week absence is a big blow to one of the hottest teams in basketball the Knicks are 12-2 since the calendar flipped to 2024 New York has to be relieved that it's not a worst-case scenario. Fellow All-Star Jalen Brunson will lead the offense in the Big Apple for however long his running mate is down. Josh Hart should be added in most fantasy leagues as the most likely candidate to replace Randle in the starting lineup until the All-Star Break or so, and Precious Achiuwa as well as Quentin Grimes should see more minutes off the bench.

Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley (hamstring) is questionable for Monday's matchup against the Thunder. The veteran is having trouble with a tight hamstring and could be unavailable for the fourth time in five games. Nickeil Alexander-Walker has done a good job as Conley's replacement in the starting unit and should be on fantasy managers' radars. He's averaged 11.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 4.7 assists in the three recent games Conley has missed.