DFS Alerts
Giannis Antetokounmpo (back) will start Friday
As expected, Antetokounmpo has officially been upgraded from probable and will start in Friday’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder despite dealing with a sore back, while Khris Middleton was already ruled out with neck soreness after briefly being listed as questionable on the Bucks injury report. With Middleton unable to suit up, Donte DiVincenzo will step into the starting lineup alongside Eric Bledsoe in the backcourt, and he managed to record at least 24 minutes in all seven games Middleton was sidelined in mid-November, keeping him in consideration for all daily fantasy formats on a 10-game slate, though there are definitely routes to a lower minute floor with Marvin Williams now in the rotation. However, Antetokounmpo becomes an even more elite option with Middleton off the court this season, as he owns a 38.3% usage rate, 37.8% assist rate, 21.0% rebound rate, and is averaging 1.92 DraftKings and 1.87 FanDuel points per minute in a 679.5 minutes sample size.
As reported by: the Milwaukee Bucks via Twitter
Luka Doncic (thumb) available to play Friday
As expected, Doncic has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Friday’s matchup against the Miami Heat despite dealing with a sprained left thumb, while Jalen Brunson remains sidelined with a sprained right shoulder and is still without a firm timetable for a return. Head coach Rick Carlisle disclosed during an interview with a Dallas radio station that Doncic will be wearing a brace on his ailing thumb, but Carlisle doesn’t expect it to be restrictive or limit his effectiveness on the court. Since Doncic won’t have a minute restriction, he will be an intriguing tournament option at likely depressed ownership after carrying an injury designation throughout the entire day, and he continues to lead the Mavericks with a 37.3% usage rate, 45.6% assist rate, 15.3% rebound rate, and is averaging 1.69 DraftKings and 1.60 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: Mavs PR via Twitter Khris Middleton (neck) out Friday
Middleton has quickly been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to neck soreness, while Giannis Antetokounmpo remains probable with a sore back after logging 38 minutes in Tuesday’s win. With Middleton unable to suit up, Donte DiVincenzo will more than likely step into the starting lineup alongside Eric Bledsoe in the backcourt, and he managed to record at least 24 minutes in all seven games Middleton was sidelined in mid-November, keeping him in consideration for tournament formats on a 10-game slate, though there are definitely routes to a lower minute floor with Marvin Williams now in the rotation. However, Antetokounmpo becomes an even more elite option with Middleton off the court this season, as he owns a 38.3% usage rate, 37.8% assist rate, 21.0% rebound rate, and is averaging 1.92 DraftKings and 1.87 FanDuel points per minute in a 679.5 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Eric Nehm via Twitter Khris Middleton (neck) listed questionable Friday
Middleton has been added to the Bucks’ injury report and is now questionable for Friday’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to neck soreness, while Giannis Antetokounmpo remains probable with a sore back after logging 38 minutes in Tuesday’s win. If Middleton is unable to suit up, Donte DiVincenzo would more than likely step into the starting lineup alongside Eric Bledsoe in the backcourt, and he managed to record at least 24 minutes in all seven games Middleton was sidelined in mid-November, keeping him in consideration for tournament formats on a 10-game slate if Middleton is unavailable. However, Antetokounmpo becomes an even more elite option with Middleton off the court this season, as he owns a 38.3% usage rate, 37.8% assist rate, 21.0% rebound rate, and is averaging 1.92 DraftKings and 1.87 FanDuel points per minute in a 679.5 minutes sample size.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Norman Powell (hand) and Patrick McCaw (illness) available to play Friday
Powell and McCaw have officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Friday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets after missing multiple games with their respective ailments, while Serge Ibaka and Fred VanVleet have already been ruled out of tonight’s contest. There hasn’t been any indication from the team or head coach Nick Nurse on who will join the starting lineup in Ibaka’s absence, but last time he was unavailable, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson received the start at power forward and was stellar for fantasy purposes in just under 34 minutes of action, whereas Chris Boucher was allotted just 13 minutes off the bench. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Powell following a month-long injury layoff, so he could be an intriguing tournament target as the starter alongside Kyle Lowry in the backcourt since he has a 21.2% usage rate and is averaging 1.00 DraftKings and 0.99 FanDuel points per minute with VanVleet off the court this season.
As reported by: Blake Murphy via Twitter Other tagged players: Patrick McCaw Serge Ibaka (knee) and Fred VanVleet (shoulder) listed out Friday
Ibaka and VanVleet have been listed out on the latest Raptors’ injury report and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets due to their respective ailments, while Norman Powell is now probable and Patrick McCaw will be available to play, the former having missed over a month with a fractured finger. There hasn’t been any indication from the team or head coach Nick Nurse on who will join the starting lineup in Ibaka’s absence, but last time he was unavailable, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson received the start at power forward and was stellar for fantasy purposes in just under 34 minutes of action, whereas Chris Boucher was allotted just 13 minutes off the bench. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Powell following a month-long injury layoff, so he could be an intriguing tournament target as the starter alongside Kyle Lowry in the backcourt since he has a 21.2% usage rate and is averaging 1.00 DraftKings and 0.99 FanDuel points per minute with VanVleet off the court this season.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Fred VanVleet Luka Doncic (thumb) expected to play Friday
Doncic is still technically listed as questionable, but head coach Rick Carlisle disclosed on a guest radio spot that he believes Doncic will play in Friday’s matchup against the Miami Heat despite dealing with a sprained left thumb, while Jalen Brunson remains sidelined with a sprained right shoulder and is still without a firm timetable for a return. Carlisle also added during the interview that Doncic will be wearing a brace on his ailing thumb if he plays, but Carlisle doesn’t expect it to be restrictive or limit his effectiveness on the court. Doncic will be an intriguing tournament option at likely depressed ownership after carrying an injury designation throughout the entire day, and he continues to lead the Mavericks with a 37.3% usage rate, 45.6% assist rate, 15.3% rebound rate, and is averaging 1.69 DraftKings and 1.60 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: Mike Peasley via Twitter De'Aaron Fox (abdominal) questionable Friday
Fox has officially been listed as questionable for Friday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies due to lower abdominal tightness that’s already forced him to miss one game, while Marvin Bagley III and Richaun Holmes remain sidelined with their respective ailments and are still without firm timetables for a return to the court. Fox did confirm with reporters following Thursday’s loss that he hopes to play in tonight’s contest, indicating the injury likely isn’t a long-term concern. However, if he’s still unable to suit up, Cory Joseph would more than likely receive the starting nod at point guard for a second straight night after a stellar fantasy performance relative to his price tag in just over 35 minutes of action yesterday evening.
As reported by: the Sacramento Kings via Twitter Danilo Gallinari (ankle) listed out Friday
As expected, Gallinari has been listed out on the Thunder’s initial injury report for Friday’s second leg of a back-to-back set against the Milwaukee Bucks due to a sore left ankle, while Darius Bazley remains sidelined with a bone bruise in his right knee and is still without a firm timetable for a return. Bazley has started every game Gallinari was sidelined, so both of their absences make it difficult to gauge who will receive the starting nod at power forward in tonight’s contest, though Mike Muscala, Hamidou Diallo, or Abdel Nader are the most realistic candidates to join the starting lineup. Nader is the only one of the aforementioned trio that sees consistent rotational minutes on a nightly basis, so the distribution of Gallinari’s vacated minutes could be spread around to several players and would make it nearly impossible to pinpoint the best option for daily fantasy formats this evening.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Trae Young (illness) and Damian Jones (illness) available to play Friday
Young and Jones have officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Friday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets despite dealing with an illness, while Dewayne Dedmon was already ruled out for a second straight game with right elbow pain. In his absence, Bruno Fernando received the start at the center position and was actually relatively effective for fantasy purposes in 22 minutes of action, but with Jones available off the bench and John Collins’ ability to play the five in smaller lineup combinations, Fernando never has a stable enough minute floor to be considered as anything other than tournament punt in daily fantasy formats. As for Young, there haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction, so he’ll be an intriguing option at likely decreased ownership since he has a 35.0% usage rate, a 42.0% assist rate, and is averaging 1.44 DraftKings and 1.35 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: Brad Rowland via Twitter Other tagged players: Damian Jones Andrew Wiggins (back) scratched Thursday
Wiggins is a surprisingly late addition to the Warriors’ injury report and has been scratched from the lineup for Thursday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers due to upper back spasms, while Draymond Green has already been cleared to return from a two-game absence because of a right pelvic contusion. Eric Paschall has started each of the previous two contests at power forward, but he was mostly underwhelming for fantasy purposes in an average of 33.5 minutes over this span. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Green, so he will almost certainly reclaim his usual spot in the starting lineup and should be fine to handle a normal minute allotment in tonight’s contest. Green’s playing time can be sporadic depending on game flow, but he’ll remain in consideration for tournament formats on a four-game slate since he has a 30.9% assist rate and is averaging 1.01 DraftKings and 1.02 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: Anthony Slater via Twitter Taj Gibson (back) questionable Thursday
Gibson has been added to the Knicks’ injury report and is now questionable for Thursday’s matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers due to back spasms, while Frank Ntilikina was already ruled out with bilateral groin soreness that has now forced him to miss three games. With Gibson ailing, the Knicks have already announced that Bobby Portis will receive the start at the center position, though it’s unlikely he sees a substantial boost in playing time with Mitchell Robinson available off the bench. Elfrid Payton returned from a two-game injury absence himself in Wednesday’s loss, but he was limited to just 27 minutes and was rather disappointing for fantasy purposes, whereas Dennis Smith Jr. handled all of the backup point guard duties, accruing 21 minutes of action off the bench. With how inconsistent interim head coach Mike Miller’s rotations can be, Knicks players are usually relegated to tournament-only options in daily fantasy formats, and Payton would be no different on tonight’s four-game since he has a 34.2% assist rate and is averaging 1.05 DraftKings and 1.07 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: NY_KnicksPR via Twitter Other tagged players: Bobby Portis De'Aaron Fox (abdominal) out Thursday
Fox has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to lower abdominal tightness, while Marvin Bagley III and Richaun Holmes remain sidelined with their respective ailments and are still without firm timetables for a return to the court. Fox briefly exited with an injury in the first quarter of Tuesday’s win, but he still went on to record 32 minutes of action in that contest, so it’s tough to gauge exactly how head coach Luke Walton will handle his backcourt rotation in Fox’s absence. However, with Fox sidelined, Cory Joseph will more than likely receive the starting nod at point guard, whereas Bogdan Bogdanovic, Buddy Hield, and possibly even Kent Bazemore would see increased usage and playmaking responsibilities this evening. In fact, Hield leads the way with a 30.6% usage rate, 24.8% assist rate, and is averaging 1.26 DraftKings and 1.18 FanDuel points per minute with Fox, Bagley, and Holmes off the court this season.
As reported by: Grant Napear via Twitter Draymond Green (pelvic) listed available Thursday
As expected, Green has been upgraded from probable on the latest Warriors’ injury report and is listed as available for Thursday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers after missing two games due to a right pelvic contusion. In his absence, Eric Paschall has started each of the previous two contests at power forward, but he was mostly underwhelming for fantasy purposes in an average of 33.5 minutes over this span. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Green, so he will almost certainly reclaim his usual spot in the starting lineup and should be fine to handle a normal minute allotment in tonight’s contest. Green’s playing time can be sporadic depending on game flow, but he’ll remain in consideration for tournament formats on a four-game slate since he has a 30.9% assist rate and is averaging 1.01 DraftKings and 1.02 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Frank Ntilikina (groin) officially out Thursday
As expected, Ntilikina has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Thursday’s second leg of a back-to-back against the Philadelphia 76ers due to bilateral groin soreness that has now forced him to miss three games, while Elfrid Payton wasn’t included on the injury report and will be available to play in tonight’s contest. Payton returned from a two-game injury absence himself in Wednesday’s loss, but he was limited to just 27 minutes and was rather disappointing for fantasy purposes, whereas Dennis Smith Jr. handled all of the backup point guard duties, accruing 21 minutes of action off the bench. With how inconsistent interim head coach Mike Miller’s rotations can be, Knicks players are usually relegated to tournament-only options in daily fantasy formats, and Payton would be no different on tonight’s four-game since he has a 34.2% assist rate and is averaging 1.05 DraftKings and 1.07 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: NY_KnicksPR via Twitter