DFS Alerts
Kelly Oubre Jr. (wrist) ruled out Thursday
Oubre was downgraded from doubtful with his wrist injury to out, and will miss the Warriors game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. With no Oubre, Kent Bazemore should be a great play; he played 35 minutes in his last game before sitting out due to protocols. Mychal Mulder had been starting with Oubre off the bench, but it should be Bazemore starting and making him a good play at cheap salary. This should be the Steph Curry show though, as it has been all year.
As reported by: Kerith Burke via Twitter
Lineup update: Armoni Brooks will likely start in place of Danuel House Thursday
It was expected that Brooks would get the start in place of Danuel House against the Milwaukee Bukcs. Brooks should play heavy minutes, and may continue to play even if the game blows out. With how much value there is on the slate, he’s tough to prioritize, but could still be a good play due to the Rockets dearth of healthy bodies.
As reported by: Cayleigh Griffin via Twitter Status update: Kristaps Porzingis and Josh Richardson won't be on a minutes restriction Thursday
In his pregame news conference, coach Carlisle mentioned that there would be no hard minutes restriction for KP or Richardson, but that he would use the “eye” test to determine if either player needed a breather. This means both players should be safe, which makes sense as both players only missed three games.
As reported by: Brad Townsend via Twitter Other tagged players: Josh Richardson Luka Doncic (elbow) and Dorian Finney-Smith (leg) ruled out Thursday; Kristaps Porzingis (ankle), JJ Reddick (heel), and Josh Richardson (hamstring) all available to play
The Mavericks had most of their designations specified during the injury report at 1 PM, and everyone was ruled in or out as expected ahead of the Mavs game against the Pistons. Luka nad Finney-Smith were both downgraded from doubtful to out, while Porzingis, Reddick, and Richardson were all upgraded from probable to available. With no Luka, we’ve seen Jalen Brunson step into the starting lineup often, and he’s likely to do so again and be a popular value on the slate. Trey Burke was ahead of him in the rotation last game and started, so it’ll be interesting to see if Burke gets into play. With no Finney-Smith, it’s likely that Tim Hardaway Jr. gets the start in his place. From a production standpoint, Brunson is the biggest winner, as is THJ. Brunson averages 1.03 FPM with Luka off the floor per CourtIQ, up from his average 0.92 FPM, while THJ averages 0.98 FPM, up from his 0.85 average. Porzingis surprisingly doesn’t show many boosts with Luka off the floor, so it looks the biggest winners will come from the backcourt.
As reported by: Brad Townsend via Twitter Other tagged players: Dorian Finney-Smith, Kristaps Porzingis, J.J. Redick, Josh Richardson Jeremy Lamb (knee) and Goga Bitadze (ankle) ruled out Thursday
The Pacers had listed Lamb and Goga as questionable, but both were ultimately downgraded to out and will miss the game against the Brooklyn Nets. It should be the same story that it has been the last few games; JaKarr Sampson will start at center, while Oshae Brissett will start at power forward and chip in with more minutes at center as well. As for Lamb, his absence will allow Justin Holiday and Edmond Sumner to play a few more minutes as well. The Nets don’t have a traditional center, so there’s hope that Sampson can play more minutes, but he’s had some brutal foul trouble since playing at center. Brissett has played 36 minutes in the last four games as a result, and should continue to put up good numbers. Malcolm Brogdon and Caris LeVert should continue to have increased usage as well.
As reported by: Scott Agness via Twitter Other tagged players: Jeremy Lamb Michael Porter Jr (ankle) listed probable Thursday
Porter Jr. was listed as probable ahead of the Nuggets game against the Toronto Raptors. It’s likely that this is just precautious on the back to back, but if he sits out, it’ll be more minutes for JaMychal Green and Shaquille Harrison.
As reported by: Katy Winge via Twitter Steven Adams (toe) ruled out Thursday
Adams hurt his toe in last night’s game, and was ruled out as the Pelicans prepare to play the OKC Thunder. This should make Willy Hernangomez a great value, as he should start and produce at good rates. Willy averages 1.07 FPM per CourtIQ with no Adams on the floor, and will likely play at least 24 minutes, with upside for more. Jaxson Hayes should back him up and is also a great option, but he doesn’t produce at the same rate as Willy, and may need more minutes to pay off his price. From a production standpoint, Lonzo Ball and Zion Williamson both show great boosts up; per CourtIQ, Lonzo FPM goes from 1.05 to 1.16, while Zion’s jumps from 1.29 to 1.38. Both players have an increased rebound percentage, and are great plays in a phenomenal matchup against the Thunder. If Hernangomez does get the start as expected, he should be one of the best value plays on the slate.
As reported by: Jim Eichenhofer via Twitter Danuel House (ankle) and Avery Bradley (leg) ruled out Thursday
House and Bradley were both downgraded from questionable to out, and will miss the game against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Rockets will be down to nine healthy bodies, and it’ll be huge minutes for certain players. The offense will start with the same three players that have been doing the heavy lifting lately; Kevin Porter Jr., Christian Wood, and Kelly Olynyk will all have to play big minutes and should be great plays. Armoni Brooks should jump into the starting lineup, and may have to play big minutes at a value salary as well. Jae’Sean Tate will start as well, and his splits are a bit worse with Olynyk and Wood on the floor, but the necessity of his minutes should keep him in consideration. The Rockets bench players don’t usually get much run, but Kenyon Martin and DJ Wilson will have to play some minutes. It’s mostly KPJ and Brooks that will win from this news, as the backcourt of the Rockets is decimated.
As reported by: the Official NBA Injury Report Other tagged players: Avery Bradley Fred VanVleet (rest) ruled out Thursday
VanVleet was listed out due to injury recovery, and will miss the Raptors game against the Denver Nuggets. The Raptors will continue to be without Chris Boucher and Gary Trent, so their offense should flow through Pascal Siakam, and Kyle Lowry, with Khem Birch and OG Anunoby getting heavy minutes as the other two starters. DeAndre Bembry will likely get the start in VanVleet’s place, but it could be Malachi Flynn. The bigger winners are certainly the Raptors regular stars; Siakam averages 1.42 FPM with FVV, Boucher, and Norman Powell off the floor per CourtIQ; this is up from his 1.12 average. Lowry should be the other big winner, but his splits in CourtIQ don’t boost him that much. Siakam should be one of the top pay-up options on the slate.
As reported by: the Official NBA Injury Report Luka Doncic (elbow) and Dorian Finney-Smith (leg) doubtful Thursday; Josh Richardson (hamstring), JJ Redick (heel), and Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) probable
The Mavs had five players listed as questionable, but now have none as they prepare to play the Detroit Pistons. Luka is the biggest name, as he was downgraded from questionable with an elbow injury to doubtful, and may miss the game and open a giant hole for the Mavs. Finney-Smith was also downgraded to doubtful with a leg injury. The Mavs should get Porzingis and Richardson up, as they were both upgraded to probable and should return after they both missed three games. With no Luka, we’ve seen Jalen Brunson step into the starting lineup often, and he’s likely to do so again and be a popular value on the slate. Trey Burke was ahead of him in the rotation last game and started, so it’ll be interesting to see how Burke gets into play. With DFS doubtful, it’s likely that Tim Hardaway Jr. gets the start in his place. From a production standpoint, Brunson is the biggest winner, as is THJ. Brunson averages 1.03 FPM with Luka off the floor per CourtIQ, up from his average 0.92 FPM, while THJ averages 0.98 FPM, up from his 0.85 average. Porzingis surprisingly doesn’t show many boosts with Luka off the floor, so it looks the winners will come from the backcourt.
As reported by: the Official NBA Injury Report Other tagged players: Dorian Finney-Smith, Kristaps Porzingis, J.J. Redick, Josh Richardson Kyrie Irving (groin) ruled out Thursday; Alize Johnson (protocols) available
Irving was ruled out due to right groin soreness, and will miss the Nets game against the Indiana Pacers. Alize Johnson has missed the last three games due to the health and safety protocols, but is available to make his return today. With no Irving, Tyler Johnson will likely start in his place, but Mike James could get the start as he’s getting more playing time after signing his 10 day contract. From a production standpoint, this should be a huge boost to Kevin Durant; he’s only played 102 minutes with no Kyrie and Harden (with no Levert and Allen as well), but he’s had a 37% usage with a 1.67 FPM average per CourtIQ, up from his 31% usage and 1.48 FPM average. Joe Harris and Landry Shamet also show a huge boost in usage and production; they’ll both likely start and have to put up plenty of shots. Mike James could be a sneaky value play, and if he gets the start he could be a top value on the slate. Still, Durant is certainly the biggest winner with no Kyrie.
As reported by: Billy Reinhardt via Twitter Other tagged players: Alize Johnson Status update: Gabriel Deck available to make Thunder debut Thursday
Deck signed with the Thunder a few weeks back, but has been unable to make his debut due to visa issues. Now he’s available to make his team debut against the New Orleans Pelicans. Deck is a forward who will likely only get a few minutes off the bench, but this could mean a few minutes less for Kenrich Williams.
As reported by: Andrew Schlecht via Twitter Lineup update: Jazz will start Ingles, Bogdanovic, O’Neale, Niang, and Gobert on Wednesday
Niang will get the start for the Jazz, and Clarkson will continue to come off the bench. Niang will likely play a few more minutes than originally expected, while Clarkson’s floor is a bit lower, but his ceiling is still high.
As reported by: James Ham via Twitter Lineup update: Kings will start Haliburton, Hield, Harkless, Metu, and Holmes Wednesday
Metu will get his first start of the year, and will do it at power forward in place of Harrison Barnes. It was expected to be Terence Davis, but he will have to play off the bench once again and his minutes floor is certainly lower. This should still be Haliburton’s team, with Holmes and Hield the next best options. Metu is now a viable punt as a result.
As reported by: Jason Anderson via Twitter Other tagged players: Terence Davis Lineup update: Torrey Craig will start for Jae Crowder Wednesday
Craig will get the start again in place of Crowder. Cam Johnson will continue to come off the bench, but should still be able to play the bulk of the minutes and hopefully close for the Suns.
As reported by: the Phoenix Suns via Twitter