DFS Alerts
Meyers Leonard will start ahead of Maurice Harkless on Friday
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has opted to start big with Meyers Leonard and Bam Adebayo manning the frontcourt in Friday’s Christmas Day matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans, which will send Maurice Harkless to the bench to assume a reserve role. The power forward position was always poised to be a revolving door in Spoelstra’s rotation, so even though Leonard will receive the starting nod this time out, there’s no guarantee he’ll see anywhere close to typical starting minutes with the likes of Harkless, Andre Iguodala, Kelly Olynyk, and Precious Achiuwa all vying for minutes at both forward spots. Leonard may be worth a look in tournament formats on the five-game slates across the industry, but it’s still difficult to envision him producing a relevant output for large-field contests this afternoon.
As reported by: Tim Reynolds via Twitter
Jimmy Butler (ankle) will play Friday
Head coach Erik Spoelstra confirmed with reporters during his media availability that Butler has been cleared to play in Friday’s Christmas Day matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans after previously being listed as questionable on the Heat’s injury report with a sprained ankle. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Butler, so he’ll likely be a full-go following a middling fantasy performance in nearly 36 minutes of action in Wednesday’s loss to the Orlando Magic.
As reported by: Tim Reynolds via Twitter D'Angelo Russell (COVID protocols) will play off the bench Wednesday; Ricky Rubio will start
Russell was late to shootaround because of some type of delay in his daily COVID-19 testing, so head coach Ryan Saunders has opted to bring him off the bench in Wednesday’s season opener against the Detroit Pistons, and will instead go with Ricky Rubio as the starting point guard in tonight’s contest. All reports suggest Russell will still play and assume something similar to his normal role, so as long this disciplinary measure isn’t overly extreme, he should still remain in consideration for tournament formats at potentially depressed ownership given the uncertainty surrounding this news.
As reported by: Jace Frederck via Twitter Other tagged players: Ricky Rubio Deni Avdija will start for Rui Hachimura (illness) on Wednesday
Head coach Scott Brooks confirmed with reporters during his pregame media availability that Avdija will draw the start at the small forward position in Wednesday’s season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers in place of Rui Hachimura, who is sidelined with conjunctivitis. This means that Isaac Bonga will slide down to the power forward spot, and with Davis Bertans on a minute restriction of 18-20 minutes, there will certainly be a surplus of playing time available for the likes of Bonga, Avdija, and Troy Brown Jr., even if Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook dominate usage in this offense, as expected.
As reported by: Fred Katz via Twitter Rockets-Thunder officially postponed Wednesday
The NBA declared that James Harden would be unavailable to play in Wednesday’s season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to a violation of the health and safety protocols, putting the Rockets’ below the required eight players needed to avoid postponing tonight’s contest. It remains unclear how long Harden will be required to isolate or if he’ll face further disciplinary actions like a fine or a suspension, but he joins John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Jae’Sean Tate, Ben McLemore, and Kenyon Martin Jr. on the list of Houston players that are currently ineligible to play for COVID-19 related reasons or protocols.
As reported by: Shams Charania via Twitter TJ Warren (foot) will play Wednesday
Warren was unable to suit up the entire preseason because of plantar fasciitis, but he’s officially been cleared to play in Wednesday’s season opener against the New York Knicks after originally being listed as questionable on the Pacers’ injury report. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Warren, but given the shortened training camp and quick ramp-up to the regular season, it would be far from surprising if head coach Nate Bjorkgren and his staff opt to ease Warren back into action and may even bring him off the bench to begin the year.
As reported by: Tony East via Twitter Norman Powell (COVID protocols) available to play Wednesday
Powell was included on the Raptors’ initial report as he was self-isolating away from the team, but he’s apparently cleared the necessary league protocols and will be available to play in Wednesday’s season opener against the New Orleans Pelicans following his original questionable designation. There has yet to be any reports of a potential minute restriction for Powell, but he did participate in portions of training camp and preseason games, so he’ll likely be able to handle his usual complement of minutes off the bench as Toronto’s sixth-man in tonight’s contest.
As reported by: Blake Murphy via Twitter Clint Capela (Achilles) officially out Wednesday
Capela was originally listed as doubtful on the Hawks’ injury report and won’t be available to play in Wednesday’s season opener against the Chicago Bulls due to left Achilles soreness. In his absence, head coach Lloyd Pierce will likely deploy a smaller starting lineup with John Collins at the center position and likely two of De’Andre Hunter, Cam Reddish, or Danilo Gallinari at the forward positions. The Hawks are also with rookie Onyeka Okongwu, who was slated to be the backup center, so Bruno Fernando figures to step into those available reserve minutes, but unfortunately, his only route to becoming fantasy relevant on a 13-game slate is if he receives extended run alongside Collins, which seems unlikely given Atlanta’s surplus of forwards and wings.
As reported by: Mike Conti via Twitter Jae’Sean Tate (contact tracing) not expected to available Wednesday
Tate is another member of the Rockets’ team that’s been sent home from the team facility after being identified as having close contact with Kenyon Martin Jr., who is the latest second Houston player to test positive for COVID-19 this week. This obviously makes Martin ineligible to play in Wednesday’s season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder, while Tate is also expected to be unavailable as he goes through the necessary health and safety protocols. As for the game itself, James Harden is still currently available to play in tonight’s contest despite being under investigation by the NBA for his most recent participation in extracurricular activities off the court, and if that status remains, he’ll become one of the top options on the 13-game main slate given his expected usage. In John Wall’s absence, Eric Gordon will be forced to take on an expanded role in the offense, even if someone like Sterling Brown or David Nwaba ends up drawing the start to keep the normal rotations somewhat intact.
As reported by: Tim MacMahon via Twitter John Wall (contact tracing) and DeMarcus Cousins (contact tracing) ruled out Wednesday
Shams Charania of The Athletic is reporting that Wall and Cousins and potentially more Rockets will miss Wednesday’s season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to COVID-19 contact tracing. It was later reported by another media source that these close contacts didn’t stem from Ben McLemore’s positive test from earlier in the week, so it appears there’s at least one other member of the Houston organization that has recently tested positive. As for the game itself, James Harden is still currently available to play in tonight’s contest despite being under investigation by the NBA for his most recent participation in extracurricular activities, and if that status remains, he’ll become one of the top options on the slate given his expected usage. In Wall’s absence, Eric Gordon will be forced to take on an expanded role in the offense, even if someone like Sterling Brown or David Nwaba ends up drawing the start to keep the normal rotations somewhat intact.
As reported by: Shams Charania via Twitter Other tagged players: DeMarcus Cousins D.J. Augustin (calf) officially out Wednesday
Augustin was originally listed as doubtful on the Bucks’ injury report and won’t be available to play in Wednesday’s season opener against the Boston Celtics due to a strained left calf. Given the playmaking ability of Giannis Antetolounmpo, the Bucks don’t exactly have a plethora of distributors off the bench, so with Augustin unavailable to run the second unit, some combination of Bryn Forbes, Jaylen Adams, or possibly even Donte DiVincenzo should be expected to take on more playmaking responsibilities in tonight’s contest. It’s unlikely Forbes or Adams see enough playing time to be relevant on a 13-game slate, but DiVincenzo could be an intriguing tournament target with the potential for additional opportunities with Antetokoumpo and Jrue Holiday off the court this evening.
As reported by: Eric Woodyard via Twitter James Wiseman (COVID-19) will play in "shorter spurts" Tuesday
While speaking with reporters during his pregame media availability, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr confirmed that Wiseman would start at center in Tuesday’s season opener against the Brooklyn Nets, but he also did reiterate that he plans to have the rookie big man to play in “short spurts” since he’s only been able to participate in three practices since the start of training camp due to COVID-19 protocols. Wiseman will make his NBA debut alongside Eric Paschall in the frontcourt since Draymond Green is still sidelined with a sore right foot, but even though Paschall should have the higher minute floor of the two, Wiseman could be a potentially interesting tournament pivot given his likely higher efficiency and the decent probability of still cracking the 20-minute mark this evening.
As reported by: Malika Andrews via Twitter Davis providing consistent floor with upside
Davis has been doing as he should against Houston’s brand of small ball. Despite different scripts throughout the series, AD has posted a double-double in each contest while scoring at least 25 points every game. At this price, he’s the safest play on the board and still carries 70-point upside. Don’t hesitate to play AD in this plus-matchup on Saturday.
Serge Ibaka (ankle) will play Wednesday
Ibaka has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Wednesday’s Game 6 matchup against the Boston Celtics despite dealing with a sprained ankle. Head coach Nick Nurse already confirmed with beat reporters on his Zoom conference call that Ibaka won’t be subject to a minute restriction, though he was only on pace to barely eclipse the 20-minute mark even prior to leaving Monday’s contest with an injury. However, Ibaka has largely been playing more minutes than Marc Gasol throughout the entire playoffs, so it’s certainly possible he sees a resurgence in his playing time this evening.
As reported by: Josh Lewenberg via Twitter Danuel House Jr. (personal) out Tuesday
House Jr. is a late addition to the Rockets’ injury report, and according to head coach Mike D’Antoni, he won’t play in Tuesday’s Game 3 matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers due to personal reasons that aren’t related to COVID-19. His absence will be a significant loss for Houston since House has logged at least 20 minutes off the bench in each of the first two games of this second-round series, so in his place, expect D’Antoni to distribute more playing time to Jeff Green, Ben McLemore, and Austin Rivers in the second unit instead of expanding his rotation.
As reported by: Kelly Iko via Twitter