DFS Alerts
Anthony Davis (eye), LeBron James (groin), and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (rib) will start Thursday
As expected, Davis, James, and Caldwell-Pope have been cleared to play and will suit up for Thursday’s restart opener against the Los Angeles Clippers after originally being listed on the Lakers’ injury report with their respective ailments. Head coach Frank Vogel has repeatedly said that none of the Lakers will be subject to a firm minute restriction in the team’s first seeding game, but he did relent that they plan to be as “intelligent and reasonable” as possible with players’ workloads. This combined with Vogel’s earlier statements that he plans to start out utilizing a 10 or 11 man rotation is pretty good indicator that Davis, James, and other members of the rotation won’t see their normal minute allocations this evening.
As reported by: Ryan Ward via Twitter Other tagged players: LeBron James, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Zion Williamson (re-conditioning) will play Thursday
Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports is reporting that Williamson has been cleared to play and will suit up for the Thursday’s restart opener against the Utah Jazz after being away from the team for a few weeks due to personal reasons. Pelicans’ head coach Alvin Gentry has made it clear that Williamson will still start despite not participating in all the Pelicans’ workouts and scrimmages during the ramp-up period. However, Williamson will only play in “short, quick bursts”, which means his minutes will likely end up being restricted to somewhere in the low-to-mid-20s this evening. It’s unclear how Gentry will handle the frontcourt minutes with one or both of Williamson and Derrick Favors off the floor, but Nico Melli and Jaxson Hayes could stand to benefit if Gentry opts to roll with multiple big men off the bench in tonight’s contest.
As reported by: Chris Haynes via Twitter Rudy Gobert (illness) officially out Wednesday
Following an apparent misunderstanding on the part of head coach Quin Snyder at his pregame presser, Gobert has officially been downgraded from questionable anyway and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to an illness, while Emmanuel Mudiay will also be unavailable with the same illness, though he’s been a DNP-CD in seven of the previous nine games. In his absence, Tony Bradley will receive the starting nod at the center position, but he may not necessarily step directly into a starters’ minute workload considering he logged between 22-25 minutes in previous contests Gobert has been unavailable this season.
As reported by: Andy Larsen via Twitter Other tagged players: Emmanuel Mudiay Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (illness) and Willie Cauley-Stein (illness) available to play Wednesday
As expected, Kidd-Gilchrist and Cauley-Stein have been upgraded from probable and will be available to play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks, while Kristaps Porzingis, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Seth Curry were already ruled out with their respective ailments, the latter slated to miss a third straight contest. In Porzingis’ absence, Maxi Kleber is the overwhelming candidate to join the starting lineup, and he’s managed to record between at least 28 minutes as a starter in the four previous games Porzingis has been sidelined for rest, culminating in a stellar fantasy performance in just over 33 minutes of action in last Monday’s loss. On top of that, Kleber and Luka Doncic both own a minimum of a +1.3% increase in usage rate and are averaging at least +0.10 more fantasy points per minute with Porzingis, Curry, Jalen Brunson, and Dwight Powell off the court this season.
As reported by: Mavs PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Willie Cauley-Stein Bruce Brown (ankle) out Wednesday
Brown has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers due to a sprained right ankle, while Brandon Knight was already cleared to play after missing one game with a strained right hamstring. In Knight’s absence, Brown actually ended up receiving the starting nod at point guard, and he was stellar for fantasy purposes in 37 minutes of action in Sunday’s loss, whereas Khyri Thomas handled the backup point guard duties and amassed just under 13 minutes off the bench.
As reported by: Rod Beard via Twitter Dorian Finney-Smith (hip) out Wednesday
Finney-Smith has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks due to a right hip injury, while Kristaps Porzingis and Seth Curry were already ruled out with their respective ailments. In Porzingis’ absence, Maxi Kleber is the overwhelming candidate to join the starting lineup, and he’s managed to record between at least 28 minutes as a starter in the four previous games Porzingis has been sidelined for rest, culminating in a stellar fantasy performance in just over 33 minutes of action in last Monday’s loss. On top of that, Kleber and Luka Doncic both own a minimum of a +1.3% increase in usage rate and are averaging at least +0.10 more fantasy points per minute with Porzingis, Curry, Jalen Brunson, and Dwight Powell off the court this season.
As reported by: Michael Mulford via Twitter Terry Rozier (illness) out Wednesday
Despite being listed as probable on the Hornets’ injury report, Rozier has officially been ruled out of Wednesday’s matchup against the Miami Heat due to an illness, while Malik Monk remains sidelined as he serves a league-mandated suspension and is still out indefinitely. Rozier is coming off of a phenomenal fantasy performance in just under 44 minutes in Monday’s double-overtime loss, whereas Devonte’ Graham was nearly as effective and easily outperformed his salary-based expectations in 46 minutes of action. In Rozier’s absence, Cody Martin will join the starting lineup alongside Graham in the backcourt, but other than Graham’s increased playmaking responsibilities with the first unit, Cody Zeller has actually benefitted the most with Rozier off the court, as he has a 24.0% usage rate, a 16.3% rebound rate, and is averaging 1.27 DraftKings and 1.29 FanDuel points per minute in a 301.8 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR via Twitter Dorian Finney-Smith (hip) listed questionable Wednesday
Finney-Smith has been added to the Mavericks’ injury report and is now listed as questionable for Wednesday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks due to a right hip injury, while Kristaps Porzingis and Seth Curry were already ruled out with their respective ailments. In Porzingis’ absence, Maxi Kleber is the overwhelming candidate to join the starting lineup, and he’s managed to record between at least 28 minutes as a starter in the four previous games Porzingis has been sidelined for rest, culminating in a stellar fantasy performance in just over 33 minutes of action in last Monday’s loss. On top of that, Kleber and Luka Doncic both own a minimum of a +1.3% increase in usage rate and are averaging at least +0.10 more fantasy points per minute with Porzingis, Curry, Jalen Brunson, and Dwight Powell off the court this season.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Kendrick Nunn (illness), Tyler Herro (ankle), and Jae Crowder (concussion) listed available Wednesday
Nunn, Herro, and Crowder have been upgraded from questionable on the latest Heat’s injury report and are available to play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets despite dealing with their respective ailments, while Jimmy Butler was listed out with a left big toe injury. In Butler’s absence, either Kelly Olynyk or Jae Crowder will be the leading candidates to join the starting lineup alongside Derrick Jones Jr. in the frontcourt, though even if Olynyk starts, Crowder will almost certainly see the most playing time of the two, especially with Herro returning from a lengthy injury layoff because of a sore left ankle. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Herro, but given the time that has elapsed, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him eased back into game action, which makes Goran Dragic the top player to target from this Heat squad with Butler unavailable since he has a 29.9% usage rate, a 29.7% assist rate, and is averaging 1.16 DraftKings and 1.07 FanDuel points per minute in a 245.6 minutes sample size since the traded deadline.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Tyler Herro, Jae Crowder Jimmy Butler (toe) listed out Wednesday
Butler has officially been downgraded from questionable on the latest Heat’s injury report and is listed out for Wednesday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets due to a left big toe injury, while Kendrick Nunn, Tyler Herro, and Jae Crowder are all listed as available to play despite dealing with their respective ailments. In Butler’s absence, either Kelly Olynyk or Jae Crowder will be the leading candidates to join the starting lineup alongside Derrick Jones Jr. in the frontcourt, though even if Olynyk starts, Crowder will almost certainly see the most playing time of the two, especially with Herro returning from a lengthy injury layoff because of a sore left ankle. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Herro, but given the length of his absence, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him eased back into game action, which makes Goran Dragic the top player to target from this Heat squad with Butler unavailable since he has a 29.9% usage rate, a 29.7% assist rate, and is averaging 1.16 DraftKings and 1.07 FanDuel points per minute in a 245.6 minutes sample size since the traded deadline.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Joel Embiid (shoulder) will play Wednesday
Embiid has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons after missing five games due to a sprained left shoulder, while Ben Simmons will remain sidelined for at least three more weeks with a nerve impingement in his lower back. In his absence, Mike Scott started alongside Al Horford in the frontcourt at the power forward position, and he was extremely serviceable for fantasy purposes while logging at least 25 minutes in every game over that span. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Embiid, so he should be fine to handle close to a usual minute workload in tonight’s contest, making him an intriguing tournament option on FanDuel specifically since he has a 36.5% usage rate, 23.2% assist rate, 23.1% rebound rate, and is averaging 1.63 DraftKings and 1.61 FanDuel points per minute with Simmons off the court this season.
As reported by: Jon Johnson via Twitter Denver Does Dallas
With Kristaps Porzingis being ruled out, Maxi Kleber has emerged as a great source of salary relief tonight. The last 2 games Porzingis missed, Kleber grabbed 30+ minutes each game. He has averaged 12 points and 6 rebounds in 15 games this season where Porzingis was absent
Terry Rozier (illness) probable Wednesday
Rozier has been added the Hornets’ injury report and is now probable for Wednesday’s matchup against the Miami Heat due to an illness, while Malik Monk remains sidelined as he serves a league-mandated suspension and is still out indefinitely. Rozier is coming off of a phenomenal fantasy performance in just under 44 minutes in Monday’s double-overtime loss, whereas Devonte’ Graham was nearly as effective and easily outperformed his salary-based expectations in 46 minutes of action. Rozier is still priced at a lower price point than Graham on daily fantasy sites, so he’ll remain a viable option in tournament formats on a six-game slate since he has a 23.9% usage rate, a 20.8% assist rate, and is averaging 0.93 DraftKings and 0.88 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR via Twitter Kristaps Porzingis (knee) and Seth Curry (ankle) listed out Wednesday
As expected, Porzingis has been listed out on the Mavericks’ initial injury report and won’t play in Wednesday’s second leg of a back-to-back set against the Dallas Mavericks due to injury recovery for his troublesome left knee, while Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Willie Cauley-Stein are listed as probable and Curry remains sidelined for a third consecutive game with a sprained left ankle. In Porzingis’ absence, Maxi Kleber is the overwhelming candidate to join the starting lineup, and he’s managed to record between at least 28 minutes as a starter in the four previous games Porzingis has been sidelined for rest, culminating in a stellar fantasy performance in just over 33 minutes of action in last Monday’s loss. On top of that, Kleber and Luka Doncic both own a minimum of a +1.3% increase in usage rate and are averaging at least +0.10 more fantasy points per minute with Porzingis, Curry, Jalen Brunson, and Dwight Powell off the court this season.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Seth Curry Searching for Value
Since returning from an injury four games ago, Cody Zeller has averaged nearly 24 minutes per game, and he has put up an average stat line of 10.3 points/6.3 boards/2 dimes in those contests. Zeller has hovered around a 20% usage rate in that time frame as well. We don’t have bonafide top value on this slate yet, so Zeller is some of the best salary relief we have thus far.