DFS Alerts
Eric Bledsoe (knee) listed out Monday
As expected, Bledsoe has been listed out and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets due to a right knee effusion, while George Hill will sit on the second leg of a back-to-back set because of a right adductor contusion that recently forced him to miss two games. In Bledsoe and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s absences, head coach Mike Budenholzer has opted to roll with a peculiar starting lineup that consists of Sterling Brown, Pat Connaughton, Wesley Matthews, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, and Robin Lopez, but Kris Middleton, Donte DiVincenzo, and Brook Lopez are all still listed as available to play, making it nearly impossible to know if they’ll actually get playing time off the bench, and consequentially project all of the Bucks’ spot starters in tonight’s contest.
As reported by: Matt Velazquez via Twitter
Fred VanVleet (shoulder) and Marc Gasol (hamstring) listed out Monday
As expected, VanVleet has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz due to a sore left shoulder that has now forced him to miss six consecutive games, while Gasol will sit on the second leg of a back-to-back set for injury management of his troublesome left hamstring. Gasol was able to log just under 16 minutes of action in his return from a lengthy injury layoff in Sunday’s win, whereas Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was limited to just six minutes off the bench and Chris Boucher was a DNP-CD, making one or both of them the likeliest candidates to assume that minute void in the Raptors’ rotation. With VanVleet still sidelined, Norman Powell will continue to start alongside Kyle Lowry in the backcourt, and he’s been phenomenal for fantasy purposes with VanVleet off the court this season, as he owns a 22.4% usage rate and is averaging 1.00 DraftKings and 0.99 FanDuel points per minute in a 720.1 minutes sample size.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Marc Gasol Eric Bledsoe (knee) listed doubtful Monday; George Hill (groin) listed out
Bledsoe has been listed as doubtful on the initial Bucks’ injury report for Monday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets due to a right knee effusion, while Hill will sit on the second leg of a back-to-back set because of a right adductor contusion that recently forced him to miss two games. There hasn’t been any confirmation on who will replace Bledsoe in the starting lineup if he’s unable to suit up, but Donte DiVincenzo has typically started at point guard whenever Bledsoe has been unavailable this season. Even though DiVincenzo didn’t see a substantial increase in playing time in those contests, the absence of Hill and any other true point guard on the roster outside of G-Leaguer Frank Mason should do nothing but increase his minute floor this evening. There isn’t a huge sample size with Bledsoe, Hill, and Giannis Antetokounmpo off the court at once this season, but other than Khris Middleton’s likely massive usage increase, DiVincenzo owns a 23.8% usage rate, a 20.7% assist rate, and is averaging 1.10 DraftKings and 1.05 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: George Hill Young Legs on a B2B
It’s pure speculation but I think there could be some extra minutes to pass around between the likes of Donte DiVincenzo, Pat Connaughton, et al tonight. This is the second game of a back-to-back for Milwaukee and veterans George Hill and Kyle Korver have been struggling with injuries which may result in limited action for the duo. Hill and Korver combined for just 30 minutes yesterday but even if you pass just a handful of those to DiVincenzo specifically, he would become an extremely strong option at a minutes projection north of 30. Wesley Matthews could eat the bulk of those minutes (he played just 17 minutes yesterday) and is another potentially low-owned contrarian option that wouldn’t necessarily project well but could provide you with a path to a unique lineup construction.
Other tagged players: Wesley Matthews
Low Owned Value Play
I didn’t expect Washington to be lower owned on a three-game slate, but that looks to be the case today. He’s one of my favorite plays on this slate. This is a big pace up game for Charlotte, and like I said above, Atlanta is a terrible defensive team. Washington has played at least 30 minutes in six straight games, and has at least 27 fantasy points in four straight games.
Fred VanVleet (shoulder) out Sunday; Marc Gasol (hamstring) will play
VanVleet has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Sacramento Kings due to a sore left shoulder that has now forced him to miss five consecutive games, while Gasol has been cleared to return from over a month-long absence because of left hamstring tightness. Head coach Nick Nurse already confirmed at his pregame media availability that Gasol will come off the bench in his return and will be subject to an unspecified minute restriction, which enables Serge Ibaka to remain in the starting lineup for the time being after logging just under 30 minutes in Friday’s win. With VanVleet still sidelined, Norman Powell will continue to start alongside Kyle Lowry in the backcourt, and he’s been phenomenal for fantasy purposes with VanVleet off the court this season, as he owns a 22.2% usage rate and is averaging 0.99 DraftKings and 0.98 FanDuel points per minute in a 677.3 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Eric Smith via Twitter Other tagged players: Marc Gasol Brandon Knight (hamstring) will play off the bench Sunday
Knight has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play off the bench in Sunday’s matchup against the New York Knicks despite dealing a strained right hamstring, while Derrick Rose and Luke Kennard remain sidelined with their respective ailments and are still without a timetable for a return. The Pistons are on the second leg of a back-to-back set, so head coach Dwane Casey confirmed with reporters at his pregame media availability that Knight will only play limited minutes with the second unit, which will allow Bruce Brown to rejoin the starting lineup, and he was able to log just under 25 minutes in Saturday’s loss, his first game back from an injury layoff due to a sprained right thumb. There isn’t a clear beneficiary from this new-look Pistons squad with Rose off the court since the trade deadline, but Christian Wood does lead the way with a 28.7% usage rate and is averaging 1.21 DraftKings and 1.14 FanDuel points per minute in a 186.4 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Keith Langlois via Twitter Jerome Robinson (Achilles) out Sunday
Robinson has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Miami Heat due to left Achilles soreness, while Anzejs Pasecniks was already ruled out with neck stiffness, though he’s firmly been a non-factor in the Wizards frontcourt rotation for several games. In Robinson’s absence, head coach Scott Brooks already confirmed that Isaac Bonga will receive the starting nod at small forward, but his minutes have been sporadic of late and as a starter, in general, this season, and he’s logged as low as 10 and as many as 28 minutes in just the previous three games. Since Bonga was essentially serving as a second unit ballhandler while Ish Smith is sidelined, it’s possible Gary Payton receives his first meaningful minutes in quite some time after appearing off the bench in just four of the Wizards’ nine contests since the conclusion of the All-Star break.
As reported by: the Washington Wizards via Twitter Markelle Fultz (calf) will start Sunday
Fultz has quickly been upgraded from questionable and will start in Sunday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets despite dealing with right calf tightness, while Evan Fournier will miss a second consecutive game with a UCL sprain in his right elbow and his timetable for recovery has still yet to be determined. In Fournier’s absence, Wes Iwundu ended up receiving the start at the shooting guard position, but he was still irrelevant for fantasy purposes in just under 23 minutes of action, whereas Terrence Ross was able to amass 34 minutes of the bench and continues to consistently see a starters’ workload in a sixth-man role. On top of that, Ross and Fultz have clearly benefitted the most with Fournier and Jonathan Isaac off the court, as they each own a minimum of a +3.9% increase in usage rate and are averaging at least +0.14 more fantasy points per minute over their normal season-long numbers.
As reported by: Orlando Magic PR via Twitter Andre Drummond (calf) will start Sunday
As expected, Drummond has officially been upgraded from probable and will start in Sunday’s matchup against the San Antonio Spurs after missing three consecutive games due to a strained left calf, while Darius Garland will miss a fourth straight contest with a strained left groin. In his absence, Tristan Thompson returned to the Cavaliers starting lineup and was not limited in the slightest by the injury that kept him sidelined for three games, accruing just under 38 minutes in Saturday’s win, whereas all the other starters except for Matthew Dellavedova also logged at least 37 minutes of action in head coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s depleted seven-man rotation. Collin Sexton and Kevin Love each own a minimum of a +2.1% increase in usage rate and are averaging at least +0.09 more fantasy points per minute with all of the injured Cavaliers off the court since the conclusion of the NBA trade deadline.
As reported by: Spencer Davies via Twitter Victor Oladipo (knee) and T.J. Warren (leg) available to play Sunday; Doug McDermott (toe) ruled out
Oladipo and Warren have officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Sunday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks despite dealing with their respective ailments, while McDermott has been ruled out and will miss a second straight game a sore right big toe. In Warren’s absence, Brian Bowen II ended up receiving the starting nod at the small forward position, though he was essentially used as a placeholder to keep the Pacers’ second unit intact as much as possible and totaled fewer than 15 minutes in Friday’s win. Instead, Edmond Sumner was allotted 24 minutes off the bench by head coach Nate McMillan, but he could find himself on the outskirts of the rotation with no reports of Warren being limited by the training staff in his return from a brief one-game absence. Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis surprisingly benefit the most with Malcolm Brogdon and Jeremy Lamb off the court, as they each own a minimum of a +2.1% increase in usage rate and are averaging at least +0.13 more fantasy points per minute over their season-long numbers.
As reported by: J. Michael via Twitter Other tagged players: TJ Warren, Doug McDermott Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (illness) available to play Sunday; Dorian Finney-Smith (hip) ruled out
Porzingis and Hardaway Jr. have officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Sunday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers, while Finney-Smith will join Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Seth Curry, and Jalen Brunson on the Mavericks’ inactive list for tonight’s contest. In Hardaway and Finney-Smith’s recent absences, Curry and Courtney Lee ended up receiving the start at the wing positions, and Lee was actually relatively productive for fantasy purposes in just over 29 minutes in Friday’s blowout win, whereas Curry was forced to exit in the closing moments of the first half because of a sprained left ankle. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Hardaway, so he could be an intriguing tournament target on an eight-game slate since he has a 25.2% usage rate and is averaging 0.99 DraftKings and 0.93 FanDuel points per minute with Finney-Smith, Curry, and Jalen Brunson off the court this season.
As reported by: Mike Peasley via Twitter Other tagged players: Tim Hardaway Jr., Dorian Finney-Smith George Hill (groin) available to play Sunday
Hill has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Sunday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns after missing two games due to a groin contusion, while Giannis Antetokounmpo was diagnosed with a minor joint capsule sprain in his left knee and has been ruled out of tonight’s contest. Antetokounmpo will also miss the final game of the Bucks current road trip, so it’ll be interesting to see how head coach Mike Budenholzer decides to handle the power forward position in his absence, as Marvin Williams has clearly passed Ersan Ilyasova in the rotational pecking order and makes Ilyasova a much more volatile fantasy option even though he will start this evening. It’s no secret that Eric Bledsoe and Khris Middleton dramatically benefit from Antetokounmpo being off the court, as they each own a minimum of a +7.5% increase in usage rate and are averaging at least +0.21 more fantasy points per minute over their normal season-long numbers.
As reported by: Eric Nehm via Twitter Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (hip) out Sunday
Gilgeous-Alexander has quickly been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics due to a right hip contusion, while Darius Bazley remains sidelined with a right knee bone bruise and is still without a firm timetable for a return. This is the first game Gilgeous-Alexander has missed all season, so it’s bit unclear who head coach Billy Donovan will insert into the starting lineup in his place, but even if Dennis Schroder receives the start alongside Chris Paul in the backcourt, Luguentz Dort, Hamidou Diallo, and Terrance Ferguson will all have the potential to step into increased roles in both the first and second units this evening. Unsurprisingly, Paul has benefitted the most with Gilgeous-Alexander off the court this season, and he owns a 23.8% usage rate, a 39.3% assist rate, and is averaging 1,24 DraftKings and 1.21 FanDuel points per minute in a 577.1 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Erik Horne via Twitter Gordon Hayward (knee) will play Sunday
As expected, Hayward has officially been upgraded from probable and will play in Sunday’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder after missing two games due to a right knee contusion, while Jaylen Brown remains sidelined with a strained right hamstring and is still without a firm timetable for a return. Head coach Brad Stevens already confirmed with reporters at his pregame media availability that Hayward won’t have a minute restriction in his return, so he’ll almost certainly reclaim his normal starting forward spot from Semi Ojeleye, who was a bit underwhelming for fantasy purposes in just under 34 minutes of action in Friday’s loss. Since Hayward won’t be limited, he’ll be an intriguing tournament target on an eight-game slate along with Jayson Tatum, as they each own a minimum of a +3.4% increase in usage rate and are averaging at least +0.12 more fantasy points per minute over their normal season-long numbers.
As reported by: Brian Robb via Twitter