DFS Alerts
Khris Middleton will play Wednesday
He may be a little limited from a minutes perspective, but we haven’t gotten any clarity on that yet. His return will eat slightly into the workloads of Jrue Holiday and Giannis, but also hurts the viability of guys like Grayson Allen and Pat Connaughton. Bobby Portis’ usage should also take a little hit, although with Brook Lopez still out, his playing time isn’t likely to be impacted much if at all.
Kevin Love will play Wednesday but will be on unspecified minutes restriction
Love will make his return to the floor tonight, nice timing considering the absences of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Despite his return, he won’t start and will likely be limited to no more than 20 minutes. Ed Davis will draw the start at C and despite that, isn’t a recommended DFS option given that he’s not likely to spend a whole lot of time on the floor. 14-16 minutes is probably a realistic expectation for Davis.
Other tagged players: Ed Davis No minutes restriction for Brandon Ingram
He’s played two games without issue and now will not be on any sort of minutes limit. Expect him to take on 34-36 if the game is close.
Chris Duarte ruled out Wednesday
Duarte will miss another game, which should lead to another start for Justin Holiday and create more opportunity for TJ McConnell, Kelan Martin and Jeremy Lamb. None of the four are recommended DFS targets on an 11-game slate.
Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry ruled out Wednesday; Jimmy Butler and Dewayne Dedmon both available to play
Jimmy Butler will make his return to the Heat lineup after missing a few games due to a sprained ankle, but Miami will be without both Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry. Bam also sat Monday which led to Dewayne Dedmon getting a start, and he figures to step back into the starting lineup as he is officially available to play after being iffy himself. With Lowry and Bam out, Butler should take on massive responsibility while he’s on the floor, both as a distributor and a scorer. Tyler Herro should benefit a little in terms of playing time, and we’ll likely see more of Gabe Vincent/Max Strus. Dedmon remains a viable value play as the projected starter, while Herro remains firmly on the radar in all formats. While Butler does carry some risk fresh off an ankle issue, he also has a massive ceiling in this spot with no Bam or Lowry.
Other tagged players: Jimmy Butler, Dewayne Dedmon, Kyle Lowry Robert Williams (knee) ruled out Wednesday
Williams has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks due to left knee tendinopathy. He’ll join Jaylen Brown, who is still recovering from a hamstring strain among the Celtics’ inactive players for tonight’s contest. So, with head coach Ime Udoka down two regular starters, Grant Williams will more than likely draw the start alongside Al Horford in the frontcourt, and the last time Robert Williams was unavailable, Grant Williams only managed to log 24 minutes in a loss to the Washington Wizards in double overtime. Josh Richardson likely has the highest minute upside and overall ceiling of the inexpensive Boston bench players, but on a massive 11-game slate, he could end up far down the list of potential value options by the time lock rolls around.
As reported by: the Boston Celtics via Twitter
Jalen Suggs (ankle) available to play Wednesday
Suggs was originally listed as questionable on the Magic’s injury report, but he’s already been cleared to play and will be available for Wednesday’s matchup against the New York Knicks after missing one game due to a sprained right ankle. His return to the starting lineup will send Gary Harris back to his usual reserve role coming off the bench, and despite logging 30 minutes of action in his spot start, he was still virtually irrelevant for daily fantasy contests across the industry. Cole Anthony still possesses massive upside on a nightly basis, but the presence of Suggs in the first unit over a non-factor like Harris is certainly a sizable knock to his projected fantasy value this evening.
As reported by: Orlando Magic PR via Twitter Gary Payton II (knee) will play Tuesday
As expected, Payton II has been cleared to play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets despite dealing with a left knee contusion. Payton has carved out an integral role in head coach Steve Kerr’s second unit of late, but until Kerr begins condensing his rotation on a nightly basis, none of the fringe Warriors role players like Payton, Damion Lee, and Otto Porter Jr. can’t realistically be considered in daily fantasy formats across the industry.
As reported by: Rusty Simmons via Twitter Damian Lillard (abdominal) will play Monday
Lillard has been upgraded from questionable and will play in Monday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors after missing one game due to abdominal tendinopathy. Based on head coach Chauncey Billups comments following Sunday’s blowout loss, the team had to force Lillard to take a game off, so the news of Lillard’s availability should come as no surprise since he believes that strongly that he can play through whatever ailment is hindering him now. However, this does mean Anfernee Simons will head back to the bench to resume a reserve role, though a potentially increased one with Billups hinting to reporters that he may opt to shake up the rotation or even starting lineup with how poorly the team has played to this point in the young season.
As reported by: Mike Richman via Twitter Darius Bazley (foot) listed available Monday
Bazley has been upgraded from questionable and is currently listed as available for Monday’s matchup against the Miami Heat despite dealing with plantar fasciitis in his right foot, while Derrick Favors will sit for rest purposes on the second leg of a back-to-back set. However, the Thunder will regain the services of Mike Muscala, who sat for rest in Sunday’s loss, so the absence of Favors shouldn’t alter the look of the frontcourt rotation from yesterday’s contest with Muscala stepping directly into his vacated minute allotment this evening.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Eric Gordon (groin) ruled out Monday
Gordon has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies due to right groin tightness. Houston will be playing their second game in as many days, so it was always safe to assume Gordon was more likely to be held out as a precaution than play both ends of a back-to-back set. In the previous two games Gordon has been sidelined, both Jalen Green and Jae’Sean Tate have seen a significant increase in their minute floors as members of the starting unit, but in those instances, Danuel House Jr. was also inactive and his availability tonight could hinder those increased value expectations from a projection standpoint.
As reported by: Cayleigh Griffin via Twitter Jarrett Allen (illness) officially out Monday
As expected, Allen has been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against Boston Celtics due to an illness. Cleveland is also already without Lauri Markkanen and Kevin Love, so with Allen inactive for tonight’s contest, head coach JB Bickerstaff could be forced to utilizing depth centers Ed Davis and Tacko Fall in some capacity, but the duo has combined to play fewer than fourteen garbage time minutes thus far on the year. Therefore, it appears more likely that rookie Evan Mobley will slide over to the five in most lineup combinations when he’s on the floor, which will allow Ricky Rubio to join the starting lineup and forwards and wing players like Cedi Osman, Dylan Windler, and Denzel Valentine to step into larger roles with Bickerstaff and the Cavs playing smaller than usual.
As reported by: Chris Fedor via Twitter Jarrett Allen (illness) downgraded to doubtful Monday
Allen is a late addition to the Cavaliers’ injury report and is now listed as doubtful for Monday’s matchup against Boston Celtics due to an illness. Cleveland is already without Lauri Markkanen and Kevin Love, so with Allen unlikely to play in tonight’s contest, head coach JB Bickerstaff could be forced to utilizing depth centers Ed Davis and Tacko Fall in some capacity, but the duo has combined to play fewer than fourteen garbage time minutes thus far on the year. Therefore, it appears more likely that rookie Evan Mobley will slide over to the five in most lineup combinations when he’s on the floor, which would allow forwards and wing players like Cedi Osman, Dylan Windler, and Denzel Valentine to step into larger roles with Bickerstaff and the Cavs playing smaller than usual.
Damian Lillard (abdominal) questionable Monday
As expected, Lillard has been included on the Trail Blazers’ initial injury report and is currently listed as questionable for Monday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors due to abdominal tendinopathy that already forced him to miss one game. However, based on head coach Chauncey Billups comments following Sunday’s blowout loss, the team had to force Lillard to take a game off, so it appears likely that Lillard is on the more probable side of questionable if he believes that strongly that he can play through whatever ailment is hindering him now. If Lillard does return to the lineup for tonight’s contest, Anfernee Simons will head back to the bench to resume a reserve role, though a potentially increased one with Billups hinting to reporters that he may opt to shake up the rotation or even starting lineup with how poorly the team has played to this point in the young season.
As reported by: Casey Holdahl via Twitter Eric Gordon (groin) questionable Monday
Gordon was included on the Rockets’ initial injury report and is listed as questionable for Monday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies due to right groin tightness. Houston will be playing their second game in as many days, so it’s safe to assume Gordon is more likely to be held out as a precaution than play both ends of a back-to-back set. In the previous two games Gordon has been sidelined, both Jalen Green and Jae’Sean Tate have seen a significant increase in their minute floors as members of the starting unit, but in those instances, Danuel House Jr. was also inactive and his availability tonight could hinder those increased value expectations from a projection standpoint.
As reported by: Adam Spolane via Twitter