Jalen Johnson's Ankle Keeps Him Questionable and Bettors Guessing

Jalen Johnson is officially listed as questionable for Wednesday with an ankle injury, which is basically the default setting for the Atlanta Hawks forward at this point. Underdog NBA dropped the update on Tuesday, sending fantasy managers and bettors into their usual state of panic.

Seeing Johnson on the injury report is like seeing a mattress store having a closing sale. You expect it, you know it is going to happen again, but it still forces you to rearrange your entire weekend.

When he actually stays on the floor, the guy is an absolute monster. He has been stuffing the stat sheet this season, averaging 21.7 points and 10 rebounds per game. Those are the kind of numbers that swing fantasy matchups and bust player prop unders before halftime.

The problem is keeping him in the lineup. A quick glance at his medical history looks like a WebMD drop-down menu. Just in the last year, he has missed time with shoulder, calf, thigh, and now multiple ankle issues.

For anyone looking at Wednesday's slate, this questionable tag is a massive headache. If Johnson sits, the entire Atlanta rotation shifts, meaning you have to scramble to figure out who absorbs his massive usage rate before locking in any wagers.

Keep an eye on the shootaround reports on Wednesday morning. If that right ankle is still barking, expect the Hawks to play it safe, leaving the rest of us to guess which backup is about to randomly drop 20 points.