Phoenix Suns DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Phoenix Suns guard/forward Grayson Allen (knee) is probable for Tuesday's matchup against Atlanta. Due to a knee injury, Allen played only 13 minutes against Charlotte on Sunday. Luckily, he escaped serious injury and has a chance to feature in Tuesday's contest. Allen's fantasy value has gone downhill this season after he was relegated to the bench. He has posted 20-plus points only once, and that was against the Hawks last week when Allen contributed 23 points with 5-for-6 shooting from three-point range in a 123-115 win. The Hawks give up the second-most three-point attempts in the league, so this is a favorable matchup for a sniper like Allen.

Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic (illness) has been ruled out for Tuesday's contest against Atlanta. He is currently away from the team after Nurkic tested positive for the flu. The Suns begin a five-game road trip with Tuesday's contest. Before catching the flu, Nurkic was out of the rotation. Thus, his absence does not impact the team. We might have seen the last of Nurkic in a Suns uniform, as the Bosnian big man has popped up in trade rumors. Mason Plumlee has taken over the starting job at center in Phoenix, with rookie Oso Ighodaro also seeing action at the five position.

Phoenix Suns forward Royce O'Neale (ankle) is expected to play on Sunday night against the Hornets. The veteran, who has averaged a career-high 10.5 points this season, missed the Suns' previous six games because of a sprained ankle. While O'Neale will likely get on the floor, he could have trouble doing anything meaningful for fantasy managers, considering Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal are healthy and active.

Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic (illness) won't play on Sunday night versus Charlotte. The veteran has been the subject of trade talks of late, with recent reports suggesting the Suns have had discussions with the Hornets about a potential swap. But for now, he remains in Phoenix, although he likely wouldn't have played even if he were available, considering he was kept off the floor during the Suns' previous two contests. At any rate, Mason Plumlee will remain in the middle. However, Plumlee can't be trusted to do anything outside of his contributions on the glass.

According to Evan Sidery of Forbes, the Suns and Hornets have had "preliminary" talks surrounding a trade involving center Jusuf Nurkic, with the deal involving Hornets center Nick Richards. The 30-year-old has had one of the worst seasons of his career, averaging 8.6 points and 9.2 rebounds. He's also missed 10 games this season while not getting on the floor in Phoenix's previous two contests. With that said, Nurkic could have a tough time getting consistent work in Charlotte, at least while Mark Williams remains healthy, which has been an issue for the former Duke Blue Devil over the years. But it doesn't appear Nurkic will find his way back into the Suns' rotation anytime soon, meaning Mason Plumlee and Oso Ighodaro should continue to handle things in the middle.