DFS Alerts

LeBron James (knee) will play Sunday

LeBron James (knee) will play Sunday against the New Orleans Pelicans despite being listed as questionable earlier in the day. This seems like it will be the case for the rest of the season when it comes to LeBron, he will be listed on the injury report but more often than not he will end up playing (this has been the case in past years as well). LeBron will continue in his usual role as the primary offensive weapon for the Lakers, especially with Anthony Davis out for at least the next four weeks. As always, LeBron has the potential to break any slate and should be considered in DFS contests as a premiere spend up option.

Keon Johnson will start for Justise Winslow on Sunday

Keon Johnson will start for Justise Winslow on Sunday against the Denver Nuggets. Johnson will draw the start and should see increased run with Winslow out. Johnson comes in at the minimum on DK and will be worth consideration in most formats as a value option. This will hurt the value of players like Greg Brown and Ben McLemore who could have benefitted from increased run had they cracked the starting lineup.

Lineup Update: Warriors will start Curry, Payton II, Moody, Wiggins, Looney on Sunday. Moses Moody will draw the start for Klay Thompson who is out due to an illness. It’s tough to trust Moody’s minutes even as a member of the starting lineup and he is a poor FPM scorer regardless so he can still be avoided in DFS contests. Moody starting hurts the value of other more DFS relevant players like Jonathan Kuminga who could have benefited from the extra run as a starter.

Rockets will start Schroder, Green, Gordon, Tate, Wood on Sunday. As reported earlier, Dennis Schroder will enter the starting lineup in place of Kevin Porter Jr. Schroder instantly becomes one of the better plays on tonight’s slate and should be considered in most formats.

Nick Richards (foot) listed out Sunday

Nick Richards (foot) has been listed out for Sunday’s game against the Detroit Pistons. Richards was not expected to play a role tonight despite the Hornets being somewhat shorthanded. Mason Plumlee, PJ Washington, and Montrezl Harrel should see all of the big man minutes with Kai Jones also available if necessary.

Frank Jackson (back) listed out Sunday

Frank Jackson (back) has been listed out for Sunday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets. With Jackson out, the bench wings like Hamidou Diallo and Rodney McGruder will be forced to pick up most of Jackson’s minutes. For DFS purposes this will likely not matter as neither player will see a big enough bump to enter consideration for contests.

Frank Ntilikina (ankle), Trey Burke (shoulder), and Marquese Chriss (knee) ruled out Sunday

Frank Ntilikina (ankle), Trey Burke (shoulder), and Marquese Chriss (knee) have all been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Golden State Warriors. These players are all right on the fringe of cracking the rotation so their absences won’t impact much, especially with the return of Reggie Bullock a couple games ago. For now, it seems as though the Mavericks will continue to run a nine man rotation with the bench members being Spencer Dinwiddie, Maxi Kleber, Josh Green, and Davis Bertans.

Cody Martin (back) available to play Sunday

Cody Martin (back) has been upgraded to available to play Sunday after previously being listed as doubtful earlier in the day. Martin should serve as a rotational piece for the Hornets tonight and will limit some of the upside that the other Charlotte players could have seen had they been as shorthanded as originally expected. They will now have 11 available bodies rather than the 9 they were expected to have earlier (Kai Jones was called up from the G League).

Kevin Porter Jr. (ankle) ruled out Sunday, Dennis Schroder will start in his place

Kevin Porter Jr. (ankle) has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Dennis Schroder will start in his place. Schroder has played well in the past when filling in for KPJ and tonight looks like a good spot to use him again. Schroder is priced all the way down to 5.1K on DK and should see traditional starter run provided the game stays competitive. Schroder should be considered in most formats and is one of the better plays on the slate.

Greg Brown (illness) available to play Sunday; Justise Winslow (Achilles) ruled out

Greg Brown (illness) will be available to play Sunday against the Denver Nuggets, while Justise Winslow (Achilles) has been ruled out. With Winslow ruled out, the Trail Blazers could elect to have Ben McLemore enter the starting lineup where he would likely see increased run and could be considered as a value option. Another option would be to go bigger and Trendon Watford or Greg Brown enter the starting lineup where they would be in line to see increased minutes. Either option will lead to the Portland bench covering more minutes as they try to account for the loss of Winslow.

Celtics will start Smart, Brown, Tatum, Grant Williams, Robert Williams on Sunday. As reported earlier, Grant Williams will get the start over Al Horford today after HOrford played 37 minutes yesterday. Grant Williams should see increased run while Horford’s minutes are monitored making Williams a better play.

Pacers will start Haliburton, Brogdon, Hield, Brissett, Jackson on Sunday. This seems to be the Pacers starting five going forward as they have started each game when healthy.

Zeke Nnaji (knee) listed questionable Sunday

Zeke Nnaji (knee) has been listed questionable for Sunday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers. Nnaji has been questionable for every Denver game since the break and has missed each one. If this were to be the case again, JaMychal Green would remain in the rotation and pick up Nnaji’s minutes. From a DFS perspective Nnaji’s absence would not mean much as Green would not project to be DFS relevant at this time.

Chris Duarte (toe) will play Sunday; Lance Stephenson (ankle) ruled out

Chris Duarte (toe) will play Sunday against the Boston Celtics, while Lance Stephenson (ankle) has been ruled out. Duarte will likely serve as the 6th man for the Pacers and should see a considerable amount of run, likely minutes somewhere in the mid to high 20s. With Stephenson ruled out, Duane Washington will likely see more minutes as a bench guard. Both Duarte and Washington look to be priced fairly on the DK showdown slate for this game.

Al Horford will have his minutes managed Sunday, Grant Williams will start in his place

Al Horford will have his minutes managed Sunday after playing 37 minutes yesterday against the Detroit Pistons. Horford is still expected to play but Grant Williams will draw the start and should see a larger than usual run with Horford’s minutes being monitored. Williams becomes a better play and could potentially be considered for DFS contests if playing the showdown slate as a value option.