DFS Alerts
Ben Simmons (back) downgraded to questionable Thursday
Simmons has been added to the Sixers’ injury report and is now questionable for Thursday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets due to lower back tightness. There isn’t any further clarification on the severity of Simmons’ injury, but a decision on his status won’t be determined until he physically arrives at the arena for tonight’s contest. Philadelphia only has a one-game sample size utilizing their new-look starting lineup and rotation, so it’s a bit difficult to predict who would start at point guard if Simmons is unable to suit up, but either way, Alec Burks should step into an expanded role since he and Josh Richardson handled all of the ball-handling responsibilities when Simmons was on the bench in last Tuesday’s win. It comes as no surprise that Joel Embiid and Al Horford have benefitted the most with Simmons off the court, as they each own a minimum +4.3% increase in usage rate and are averaging at least +0.10 more fantasy points per minute over their normal season-long numbers.
As reported by: Keith Pompey via Twitter
Targeting the Highest Point Total Game on the Slate
The game with the highest over/under tonight is Houston at Golden State, with a 234 point total and Houston favored by 10 points. While blowout risk is a concern, with only a 10-point spread I’m inclined to assume all players will get a fairly normal amount of playing time. For Houston, I’ll be targeting Russell Westbrook, putting up averages of 34.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg, and 5.3 apg over four games in February, and Robert Covington, who still may be a bit underpriced for his new role in Houston where he has averaged 12.3 ppg and 6.3 rpg over four games. On the Golden State side, Jordan Poole should draw the start tonight and is underpriced having averaged 10.9 ppg and 2.2 apg as a starter on the season.
Other tagged players: Robert Covington, Jordan Poole
Brandon Ingram (ankle) out Thursday
Ingram has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to a sprained right ankle that has now forced him to miss three games, while Kenrich Williams and Darius Miller remain sidelined with their respective ailments and are still without firm timetables for a return. In Ingram’s absence, Josh Hart ended up receiving the starting nod at the small forward position for a second straight game, and he was extended a lengthy leash once again en route to a serviceable fantasy performance in just over 26 minutes of action in Tuesday’s blowout win. Since Williamson has only played nine games this season, there isn’t much sample size for this iteration of the Pelicans with Ingram off the court, but in a 108.7 minutes sample size, Williamson has a 35.6% usage rate, a 16.7% rebound rate, and is averaging 1.71 DraftKings and 1.66 FanDuel points per minute.
As reported by: Pelicans PR via Twitter Jaylen Brown (calf) out Thursday
Despite being listed as probable on the Celtics’ injury report, Brown has been ruled out and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers due to a left calf contusion, while Robert Williams III remains sidelined with bone edema in his left hip and is still without a firm timetable for a return. In Brown’s absence, Marcus Smart will almost certainly receive the starting nod alongside Kemba Walker in the backcourt, but Brad Wanamaker, Grant Williams, and Romeo Langford should see the largest boost in playing time with the second unit with Brown sidelined. It comes as no surprise that Jayson Tatum and Gordon Hayward benefit the most with Brown off the court this season, as they each see a minimum of +3.5% increase in usage rate and are averaging at least +0.12 more fantasy points per over their number season-long numbers.
As reported by: Jay King via Twitter Deandre Ayton (ankle) listed out Wednesday
As expected, Ayton has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors due to a sore left ankle that has now forced him to miss two games. In his absence, Cheick Diallo ended up receiving the starting nod at the center position, and he was relatively solid for fantasy purposes in 39 minutes of action as the lone center on the Suns’ active roster in Monday’s loss. However, Phoenix did just sign Jonah Bolden to a 10-day contract, so he should eat into some of that aforementioned playing time, even though Diallo appears to be locked into a typical starters minute workload at a minimum this evening. Ever since Ayton returned from a 25-game suspension and a lengthy injury absence, Kelly Oubre Jr. has benefitted the most with him off the court, as he has a 24.8% usage rate and is averaging 1.10 DraftKings and 1.08 FanDuel points per minute in a 219.4 minutes sample.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Terry Rozier (knee) out Wednesday
Rozier is an extremely late addition to the Hornets injury report and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to a sore left knee, while Cody Martin remains in the concussion protocol and won’t be available for tonight’s contest. In Rozier’s absence, Caleb Martin will receive the starting nod at the shooting guard position, and he’s managed to log at least 19 minutes off the bench in each of the previous two games. Head coach Steve Clifford has also opted to start Bismack Biyombo over Cody Zeller for a presently unknown reason, which has cast some doubt on Zeller’s potential availability, but neither Clifford or the team have yet to confirm Zeller’s status this evening.
As reported by: Rod Boone via Twitter Serge Ibaka (illness) will play Wednesday
Ibaka has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets after missing one game due to an illness, while Marc Gasol and Norman Powell remain sidelined with their respective ailments and are still without firm timetables for a return. In his absence, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson received the starting nod alongside Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby in the frontcourt, and he was phenomenal for fantasy purposes in just under 34 minutes of action in Monday’s win. Ibaka will reclaim his typical spot in the starting lineup for tonight’s contest, and if he isn’t subject to a minute restriction in his return, he’ll be an intriguing tournament option on an 11-game slate since he has a 25.3% usage rate, a 15.7% rebound rate, and is averaging 1.10 DraftKings and 1.06 FanDuel points per minute with Powell and Gasol off the court this season.
As reported by: Alex Schiffer via Twitter Karl-Anthony Towns (wrist) out Wednesday
Towns is a late addition to the Timberwolves injury report and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets due to a wrist injury, while Omari Spellman was assigned to Minnesota’s G-League affiliate earlier in the day, eliminating another body from the frontcourt rotation for tonight’s contest. There hasn’t been any confirmation from head coach Ryan Saunders or the team on who will replace Towns in the starting lineup, but Naz Reid figures to be the logical candidate to start at the center position even though he’s logged fewer than 14 minutes off the bench in each of the previous three games, making it possible there’s extended stretches of a small-ball lineups with James Johnson manning the five position. Given the makeover of this Timberwolves roster since the trade deadline, it’s difficult to pinpoint where the excess usage will be distributed with Towns off the court, but D’Angelo Russell figures to take the reigns of the offense and will be firmly in play for tournament formats on tonight’s 11-game main slate.
As reported by: Timberwolves PR via Twitter Kevin Love (Achilles) out Wednesday
Love has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks due to a sore right Achilles, while Ante Zizic remains sidelined with an illness and is still without a firm timetable for a return. Head coach John Beilein already confirmed with reporters at Cavaliers shootaround this morning that Larry Nance Jr. will receive the starting nod at the power forward position in Love’s absence, and both he and Tristan Thompson saw their playing time drastically decline in Andre Drummond’s debut in Sunday’s blowout loss.
As reported by: James Rapien via Twitter Mike Conley (illness) out Wednesday
Conley has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Miami Heat due to an illness, marking the second consecutive game he has missed for various reasons, while Ed Davis is doubtful because of back spasms, but he’s long been a non-factor in head coach Quin Snyder’s rotation. In his absence, Royce O’Neale ended up receiving the start alongside Joe Ingles on the wing, but he was dismal for fantasy purposes in 32 minutes as a starter, whereas Jordan Clarkson was phenomenal off the bench, dropping 25 real-life points in 31 minutes of action. Conley has only seen his playing time ramp-up over the last few games, so there isn’t really a major beneficiary with him off the court, but Clarkson does have a 25.0% usage rate and is averaging 0.96 DraftKings and 0.91 FanDuel points per minute since joining the Jazz in late-December.
As reported by: Tony Parks via Twitter Kevon Looney (hip) out Wednesday
Looney has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns due to a sore left hip. Even with the Warriors depleted roster following the NBA trade deadline, Looney has still been limited to fewer than 17 minutes in each of the previous two games, so his absence won’t have too much of an impact on head coach Steve Kerr’s frontcourt rotation. Looney has essentially been serving as the primary backup center behind Marquese Chriss, which may lead to a higher minute floor for Chriss and a potentially increased role in the second unit for either Eric Paschall or Alen Smailagic this evening. However, it still difficult to imagine either reserve player accumulating enough minutes to become viable for daily fantasy formats on an 11-game slate.
As reported by: Anthony Slater via Twitter Mohamed Bamba (illness) out Wednesday
Bamba is a new addition to the Magic injury report and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons due to flu-like symptoms, while D.J. Augustin remains sidelined with bone irritation in his left knee and is still without a firm timetable for a return. Despite his status as a high-profile draft prospect, Bamba continues to serve solely as the backup to Nikola Vucevic at the center position and typically is only allotted minutes in the low-to-mid-teens with the second unit on a nightly basis. His absence should enable Khem Birch to rejoin the rotation after accruing two straight DNP-CDs, but he obviously won’t be a viable option in daily fantasy formats on a massive 11-game slate given his projected playing time and unstable minute floor.
As reported by: Josh Robbins via Twitter Deandre Ayton (ankle) unlikely to play Wednesday
Ayton is still technically listed as questionable on the Suns’ injury report, but head coach Monty Williams disclosed to reporters at shootaround that Aytonprobable won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors due to a sore left ankle that has already forced him to miss one game. In his absence, Cheick Diallo ended up receiving the starting nod at the center position, and he was relatively solid for fantasy purposes in 39 minutes of action as the lone center on the Suns’ active roster in Monday’s loss. However, Phoenix did just sign Jonah Bolden to a 10-day contract, so he should eat into some of that aforementioned playing time, even though Diallo appears to be locked into a typical starters minute workload at a minimum this evening. Ever since Ayton returned from a 25-game suspension and a lengthy injury absence, Kelly Oubre Jr. has benefitted the most with him off the court, as he has a 24.8% usage rate and is averaging 1.10 DraftKings and 1.08 FanDuel points per minute in a 219.4 minutes sample.
As reported by: Duane Rankin via Twitter Derrick Rose (adductor) and Svi Mykhailiuk (hip) available to play Wednesday
As expected, Rose and Mykhailiuk have been upgraded from probable and will be available to play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic after each jointly missed the last four games due to their respective ailments, while Luke Kennard remains sidelined with bilateral patellar tendinitis and is still without a firm timetable for a return. There hasn’t been any indication if Rose will start or come off the bench, but either way, his return will almost assuredly cut into the playing time of Bruce Brown and Reggie Jackson, whereas Brandon Knight may find himself out of the rotation entirely following his 13-minute Pistons debut in Monday’s loss. Rose may be eased back into game action, but if he doesn’t have a hard minutes cap in tonight’s contest, he’ll be a viable option in tournament formats since he has a 30.6% usage rate, 37.5% assist rate, and is averaging 1.21 DraftKings and 1.18 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: Vincent Ellis via Twitter Other tagged players: Svi Mykhailiuk Target The Opportunity
In terms of basketball impact, we know by now that both Bledsoe and Middleton have massive upside whenever Giannis is out. CourtIQ shows that both have usage rates hovering around 33% in these circumstances. Ilyasova will also benefit with more playing time and opportunities for production, as he scores over a fantasy point per minute with Giannis off the floor. All three are elite options on sites where they have not been priced up appropriately (looking at you, FanDuel). In any case, getting some Milwaukee exposure is paramount on this slate.
Other tagged players: Khris Middleton, Ersan Ilyasova