DFS Alerts
Kelly Oubre (foot) will start Friday; Steph Curry (tailbone) officially out
Despite originally being listed as doubtful on the Warriors’ injury report with a right foot sprain, Oubre has now been upgraded from questionable and will start in Friday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies, while Curry has expectedly been ruled out because of a tailbone contusion. In Curry’s absence, Jordan Poole will move into the starting lineup at the point guard position, which will keep Nico Mannion and Brad Wanamaker on the bench to battle for backup minutes in the second unit and it remains possible one of them picks up a DNP-CD if head coach Steve Kerr opts to allocate more minutes to players like Damion Lee and Kent Bazemore at the wing positions. However, even at a slightly elevated price tag, Poole becomes one of, if not, the top value option across the daily fantasy industry this evening.
As reported by: Connor Letourneau via Twitter Other tagged players: Stephen Curry
Andre Iguodala (hip) ruled out Friday
Iguodala has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers due to a sore left hip that has now forced him to miss two games, while Avery Bradley was already ruled out with a strained left calf that’s kept him sidelined for a significant period of time. Maurice Harkless was excluded from the Heat’s injury report following a one-game absence, but he has been a DNP-CD in 12 of the last 13 games, so it’s unlikely he sees any significant playing time in tonight’s contest, especially with Trevor Ariza available to make his Heat debut following the completion of the trade made with Oklahoma City earlier in the week. However, even with Iguodala unavailable, it’s certainly in the realm of possibilities that neither Ariza nor Harkless see the court this evening.
As reported by: Anthony Chiang via Twitter Michael Carter-Williams (illness) and Terrence Ross (knee) ruled out Friday
Carter-Williams and Ross have officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets due to their respective ailments, while Evan Fournier will be available to play following his original probable designation on the Magic’s injury report with a strained left groin. Their absences will enable Chasson Randle to join the starting lineup once again, and he should have a relatively stable minute floor in the upper-20s with some combination of Fournier or Aaron Gordon likely to assume the backup point guard duties when he’s off the floor. As for Gordon, he logged over 30 minutes for the first time since returning from a near two-month absence following the All-Star break n Thursday’s loss, so it remains to be seen just how much playing time he’s allowed to see on the second night of a back-to-back set with the medical and coaching staffs clearly trying to manage his return from an ankle injury.
As reported by: Orlando Magic PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Terrence Ross Avery Bradley (calf) listed out Friday
Bradley has officially been downgraded from questionable and is now listed out for Friday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers due to a strained left calf that has already forced him to miss significant time, while Andre Iguodala remains listed as questionable with a sore left hip. Maurice Harkless was excluded from the Heat’s injury report following a one-game absence but has been a DNP-CD in 12 of the last 13 games, so it’s unlikely he sees any significant playing time in tonight’s contest, especially with Trevor Ariza available to make his Heat debut following the completion of the trade made with Oklahoma City earlier in the week. However, regardless of Iguodala’s status, it’s certainly in the realm of possibilities that neither Ariza nor Harkless see the court this evening.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report DeMar DeRozan (personal) will play Friday
Despite originally being listed out on the Spurs’ injury report, DeRozan has been upgraded to available and will play in Friday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers after missing four games dealing with a personal matter, while Keita Bates-Diop remains sidelined with a strained right hamstring. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for DeRozan, so he should be fine to assume his usual place in the starting lineup alongside Keldon Johnson at the forward positions, which will likely send Lonnie Walker back to the bench to resume a reserve role whereas Devin Vassell may see his playing time reduced in the second unit as well. Additionally, Derrick White is coming off a season-high 33 minutes in Wednesday’s win, but with one extra body available at head coach Gregg Popovich’s disposal on the front end of a back-to-back set, White’s minute floor is far from safe this evening.
As reported by: Shams Charania via Twitter Abdel Nader (knee) available to play Thursday
Nader has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Thursday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves after missing one game due to a sore right knee, while Cam Johnson will miss a fifth straight game as he remains in the NBA’s health and safety protocols and is still without a timetable for a return. Prior to Nader’s absence, he had seen at least 17 minutes off the bench in six consecutive contests, so his return to the rotation could have an impact on the minute floor of Jae Crowder, who will at least remain in the starting lineup at power forward. Additionally, Nader’s availability could also affect the playing time of Langston Galloway and Jevon Carter since it appears likely that at least one of them will be in line to pick up a DNP-CD this evening.
As reported by: the Phoenix Suns via Twitter Aaron Gordon (ankle) and Evan Fournier (groin) will start Thursday; Terrence Ross (knee) and Michael Carter-Williams (illness) ruled out
Gordon and Fournier have officially been upgraded from questionable and will start in Thursday’s matchup against the New York Knicks, while Ross will join Carter-Williams on the Magic’s inactive list for tonight’s contest after it was previously reported he would attempt to play. Their absences will enable Chasson Randle to join the starting lineup, and he should have a relatively stable minute floor in the upper-20s with some combination of Gordon and Fournier likely to assume the backup point guard duties when he’s off the floor. As for Gordon, he was limited to just 14 minutes in his return from a near two-month absence following the All-Star break, so it remains to be seen just how much playing time he’s allowed to see with the medical and coaching staffs clearly trying to manage his return from the aforementioned ankle injury.
As reported by: Dan Savage via Twitter Other tagged players: Evan Fournier, Terrence Ross, Michael Carter-Williams Alex Caruso (concussion) available to play Thursday
Despite originally being listed out on the Lakers’ injury report, Caruso has been upgraded to available for Thursday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets after clearing the NBA’s concussion protocol that had forced him to miss two games. There haven’t been any reports that Caruso will be subject to any kind of minute restriction in tonight’s contest, so he should assume his usual role in the second unit, which will likely put a damper on the originally projected minutes of Talen Horton-Tucker, who had been tremendous for fantasy purposes the last two games while logging at least 26 minutes off the bench on each occasion. Additionally, LeBron James and Markieff Morris continue to be listed as probable with their respective ailments but are fully expected to be active and be a part of the Lakers starting five this evening.
As reported by: Mike Trudell via Twitter Immanuel Quickley (ankle) and Elfrid Payton (hamstring) ruled out Thursday
Quickley and Payton have officially been downgraded on the Knicks’ injury report and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic due to their respective ailments, and they’ll join Derrick Rose and Austin Rivers, who both remain away from the team for different reasons, on the inactive list for tonight’s contest. This will leave New York extremely thin at the point guard position, which should allow Frank Ntilikina to see an increase in playing time, but it is still unlikely that he’ll be given full reign of the backcourt given the ability of Alec Burks and RJ Barrett to handle playmaking duties for extended stretches of games. Ntilikina is priced at or near minimum price on most daily fantasy sites across the industry, so while it may make him a cash game centerpiece, his poor per minute fantasy production and volatile minute floor likely makes him a viable fade in tournament formats this evening.
As reported by: NY_KnicksPR via Twitter Other tagged players: Elfrid Payton Jimmy Butler (ankle) will start Wednesday
Butler has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play and start in Wednesday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies despite dealing with a sprained left ankle, while Andre Iguodala, Avery Bradley, and Maurice Harkless were all previously ruled out because of their respective ailments. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Butler, so he should be fine to handle his usual minute allotment as a member of the starting lineup after logging just under 32 minutes in Tuesday’s win. Following Iguodala’s exit in the first half of that contest, Tyler Herro went on to see over 16 minutes in the second half, and he may become an intriguing tournament target at a relatively depressed price tag on tonight’s daily fantasy slates across the industry.
As reported by: Anthony Chiang via Twitter Serge Ibaka (back) ruled out Wednesday
Ibaka has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks due to lower back tightness that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. The Clippers will also be without Patrick Beverley for a third straight contest because of right knee soreness, so their absences will allow Reggie Jackson and Ivica Zubac to continue having starting roles in tonight’s contest, and Jackson, in particular, should have a substantial minute floor after logging at least 26 minutes as the starting point guard over the last two contest. As for Zubac, his playing time can volatile with head coach Tyronn Lue’s propensity to go small or even utilize Patrick Patterson as a stretch-five for portions of the game, but he’ll still be a viable tournament option on tonight’s slates across the daily fantasy industry.
As reported by: Tomer Azarly via Twitter Jeremy Lamb (knee) ruled out Wednesday
Lamb has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets due to a sore left knee that has now forced him to miss three consecutive games. In his absence, some combination of Edmond Sumner and Aaron Holiday should absorb the vacated wing minutes in the second unit off the bench as they combined for just over 31 minutes in Monday’s blowout loss. Caris LeVert also made his Pacers debut recently and has managed to accumulate at least 27 minutes in each game, so even with Lamb unavailable, there really isn’t any realistic route to substantial playing time for Sumner and Holiday barring an overwhelming blowout, which removes them from consideration in daily fantasy formats across the industry this evening.
As reported by: the Indiana Pacers via Twitter James Wiseman (protocols) and Eric Paschall (protocols) ruled out Wednesday
Wiseman and Paschall are late additions to the Warriors’ injury report and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets as they’ve entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols and may be required to self-isolate for a currently undetermined period of time pending the results of additional testing and contact tracing. Their absences won’t have any effect on the Golden State starting lineup, but it will open up additional opportunities for potentially multiple members of the second unit. It seems likely Juan Toscano-Anderson will step directly into Paschall’s vacated role as the backup power forward, but with how few minutes Kevon Looney can play on a nightly basis, there a number of ways head coach Stever Kerr can fill the void left behind by Wiseman in the frontcourt. The most logical solution would be Draymond Green spending most of his minutes as the small-ball five, which would slide Kelly Oubre down to the four and enable someone like Jordan Poole or Kent Bazemore to see extended run off the bench this evening.
As reported by: Shams Charania via Twitter Other tagged players: Eric Paschall Kyrie Irving (groin) ruled out Wednesday
Irving is a new addition to the Nets’ injury report and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers due to a sore right groin, while Blake Griffin remains unavailable to make his Nets debut because of left knee injury management. The previous two times Irving has been sidelined, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Tyler Johnson have alternated starts alongside James Harden in the backcourt, but only Johnson was able to put together a serviceable fantasy performance in just over 32 minutes of action whereas Luwawu-Cabarrot was limited to just 24 minutes in his spot start in a blowout loss. Unsurprisingly, Harden has seen a massive increase in usage and assists with both Irving and Keven Durant sidelined, and he now becomes the top spend-up option on daily fantasy sites across the industry this evening.
As reported by: Shams Charania via Twitter Ben McLemore (ankle) ruled out Tuesday
McLemore has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks due to a sprained left ankle, while Christian Wood and Danuel House Jr. were previously ruled out with their respective ailments. With McLemore unable to suit up, the Rockets have just eight healthy bodies and should lead to heavy minutes for every member of the starting lineup outside of possibly Justin Patton, who can always fall victim to the small-ball lineup combinations head coach Stephen Silas likes to deploy. However, players like Kevin Porter Jr., Sterling Brown, and Jae’Sean Tate should see all the minutes they can handle on the front end of a back-to-back set whereas Victor Oladipo figures to play a key role on the offensive end of the floor if Houston has any chance of keeping this contest competitive this evening.
As reported by: Cayleigh Griffin via Twitter