DFS Alerts
Star In Smash Spot
While the Clippers added Marcus Morris at the trade deadline and are on the rise, the Timberwolves remain on the decline having now lost 13 straight games. Paul George is coming off a game where he nearly dropped 50 fantasy points in just 25 minutes as he continues to work his way back from a hamstring injury. I have concerns about this game staying close, but even 25-30 minutes of PG may be enough for him to drop another hammer on this woeful Timberwolves team. At his price tag, I have no problem taking shots on him in all formats to capture both his floor and ceiling, especially with so much value opening up.
Injury Paving Way For Massive Minutes
Fred VanVleet sees a team high 2.9% usage increase when Kyle Lowry (who is listed doubtful) is off the court, averaging 1.17 fantasy points per minute. Pascal Siakam and Serge Ibaka also average 1.1-1.2 fantasy points per minute in this scenario. This is a spot where VanVleet has a clear path to massive minutes tonight, after playing 41 minutes last night. We know Toronto plays with a tight rotation and if this game stays close, VanVleet could push for another 38+ minutes.
Hassan Whiteside (leg) out Friday
Whiteside has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s second leg of a back-to-back set against the Utah Jazz due to a lower left leg contusion, while Nassir Little will miss a second straight game with a sprained left ankle. Whiteside has only been sidelined for four games this season, and on each previous occasion Anthony Tolliver ended up receiving the start at the center position. However, Tolliver is now a member of the Sacramento Kings, so either Wenyen Gabriel or Caleb Swanigan will likely draw the start and both big men will likely absorb additional frontcourt minutes with Whiteside unable to suit up this evening. Either way, Swanigan will have the more stable minute floor of the two, and he’ll be a viable tournament target on the late slate since he has a 22.1% rebound and is averaging 0.86 DraftKings and 0.79 FanDuel points per minute in 102.4 minutes as a Trail Blazer this season.
As reported by: Casey Holdahl via Twitter
Cameron Johnson (quad) listed available Friday; Ty Jerome (calf) listed out
As expected, Johnson has been upgraded from doubtful on the latest Suns’ injury report and will be available to play in Friday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets after missing 10 consecutive games due to a right thigh contusion, while Ty Jerome is listed out and will join Dario Saric and Tyler Johnson on the Suns’ inactive list. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Johnson, so now that he’s cleared to play, he should be fine to assume his usual mid-teens minute role off the bench in tonight’s contest. However, Johnson won’t be in serious consideration for any daily fantasy formats on tonight’s late slates, as he owns a minuscule 15.8% usage rate and is averaging just 0.75 DraftKings and 0.72 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Ty Jerome Jonas Valanciunas (ankle) will start Friday
Valanciunas has officially been upgraded from questionable and will start in Friday’s matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers despite dealing with a sore left ankle, while Grayson Allen remains sidelined with a left hip injury. Additionally, the Grizzlies announced that Justise Winslow, Dion Waiters, Gorgui Dieng, and Jordan Bell won’t be available in tonight’s contest, leaving them slightly shorthanded with Jae Crowder and Solomon Hill now members of the Miami Heat following Thursday’s traded deadline. Valanciunas was able to log almost 28 minutes in Wednesday’s win after originally being questionable, so barring some sort of in-game setback, he should be able to handle close to his normal minute workload this evening. If Valanciunas can get the playing time in the right matchup, he always has a massive upside for tournament formats since he has a 22.3% usage rate, a 20.7% rebound rate, and is averaging 1.29 DraftKings and 1.29 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: the Memphis Grizzlies via Twitter Trae Young (ankle) officially out Friday
As expected, Young has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics due to a right ankle contusion, while Bruno Fernando was already ruled out with a strained left calf. The absence of Young will allow Jeff Teague to draw the start at point guard, and he was stellar in the two most recent games he was allotted a starters’ minute workload. De’Andre Hunter ended up receiving the start at small forward in his return from a brief injury absence in Wednesday’s win, and he was relatively solid for fantasy purposes in just under 30 minutes of action. Atlanta still won’t have newly-acquired Clint Capela and Dewayne Dedmon available, so Damian Jones will likely remain in the starting lineup, and he continues to put up solid fantasy performances following his 25-minute outing in the previous game. Jones is still priced cheaply on daily fantasy sites, and he’ll be firmly in consideration for all formats since he is averaging 0.84 DraftKings and 0.88 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far,
As reported by: Chris Kirschner via Twitter Trae Young (ankle) doubtful Friday; Bruno Fernando (calf) officially out
Despite originally being listed as probable, Young has been downgraded to doubtful for Friday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics due to a right ankle contusion, while Fernando has officially been ruled out with a strained left calf. The absence of Young should allow Jeff Teague to draw the start at point guard, and he was stellar in the two most recent games he was allotted a starters’ minute workload. De’Andre Hunter ended up receiving the start at small forward in his return from a brief injury absence in Wednesday’s win, and he was relatively solid for fantasy purposes in just under 30 minutes of action. Atlanta still won’t have newly-acquired Clint Capela and Dewayne Dedmon available, so Damian Jones will likely remain in the starting lineup, and he continues to put up solid fantasy performances following his 25-minute outing in the previous game. Jones is still priced cheaply on daily fantasy sites, and he’ll be firmly in consideration for all formats since he is averaging 0.84 DraftKings and 0.88 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far,
As reported by: Brad Rowland via Twitter Other tagged players: Bruno Fernando T.J. Warren (concussion) out Friday; Victor Oladipo (rest) will play
Warren has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors due to a concussion that has now forced him to miss three games, while Oladipo will play in tonight’s contest, which means he’ll sit out Saturday’s second leg of a back-to-back set for rest purposes. In Warren’s absence, Oladipo received his first start at the shooting guard position in Wednesday’s loss, but he was still somewhat underwhelming for fantasy purposes in just over 25 minutes of action, whereas Aaron Holiday picked up a DNP-CD one game after receiving the start alongside Malcolm Brogdon in the backcourt.
As reported by: Scott Agness via Twitter Other tagged players: Victor Oladipo Josh Richardson (hamstring) will play Friday
Richardson has been upgraded from questionable and will play in Friday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies after missing six games due to a strained left hamstring. Meanwhile, newly-acquired Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III won’t be available to make their Sixers debuts following the trade that sent them from the Warriors on Thursday afternoon. With Richardson cleared to play, he’ll likely be eased back into game action to some extent, so Shake Milton should continue to have a sizable role in the wing rotation following several outstanding fantasy performances in an average of 28.1 minutes over the previous six games with Richardson sidelined. However, Milton is probably priced out of consideration daily fantasy sites even though he is averaging 0.84 DraftKings and 0.78 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: Jon Johnson via Twitter Kristaps Porzingis (nose) and Seth Curry (knee) will play Friday; J.J. Barea (ankle) available
Porzingis has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Friday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards despite dealing with a facial injury he sustained in the fourth quarter in Wednesday’s loss, while Curry and Barea will be available to play after missing the previous game with their respective ailments. In their absences, Jalen Brunson started at point guard once again, and he was more than serviceable for fantasy purposes in just under 33 minutes of action, whereas Delon Wright was limited to just 21 minutes given the blowout nature of the aforementioned contest. It comes as no surprise that Porzingis has thrived of late with Luka Doncic and Dwight Powell sidelined, and he has a 29.5% usage rate, a 17.9% rebound rate, and is averaging 1.45 DraftKings and 1.41 FanDuel points per minute in a 317.9 minutes sample size with them off the court this season.
As reported by: Mike Peasley via Twitter Other tagged players: Seth Curry, J.J. Barea Hassan Whiteside (leg) questionable Friday; Nassir Little (ankle) ruled out
Whiteside has officially been listed as questionable for Friday’s second leg of a back-to-back set against the Utah Jazz due to a lower left leg contusion, while Little will miss a second straight game with a sprained left ankle. Whiteside has only been sidelined for four games this season, and on each previous occasion Anthony Tolliver ended up receiving the start at the center position. However, Tolliver is now a member of the Sacramento Kings, so either Wenyen Gabriel or Caleb Swanigan would likely draw the start and both big men would likely absorb additional frontcourt minutes if Whiteside is unable to suit up this evening.
As reported by: Casey Holdahl via Twitter Other tagged players: Nassir Little Jimmy Butler (shoulder) officially out Friday
As expected, Butler has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Sacramento Kings due to a strained right shoulder that may keep him out for the remainder of the Heat’s current road trip, while Tyler Herro and Meyers Leonard were previously ruled out with their respective ailments. Head coach Erik Spoelstra already did confirm with reporters that he doesn’t expect Andre Iguodala, Jae Crowder, or Solomon Hill to play in tonight’s contest, which leaves Miami with 10 available players including Udonis Haslem, who has totaled less than 11 minutes over the entire season thus far. It comes as no surprise that there is almost no sample size with all the injured and departed Heat off the court, but the main core of Kendrick Nunn, Goran Dragic, Bam Adebayo, and Derrick Jones Jr. all should be firmly in consideration for all daily fantasy formats on tonight’s eight-game slate.
As reported by: Ira Winderman via Twitter Josh Richardson (hamstring) a game-time decision Friday
Richardson has been upgraded to questionable on the initial Sixers injury report and will be a game-time decision for Friday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies due to a strained left hamstring that has forced him to miss the last six games. Meanwhile, newly-acquired Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III won’t be available to make their Sixers debuts following the trade that sent them from the Warriors on Thursday afternoon. If Richardson is cleared to play, he’ll likely be eased back into game action to some extent, so Shake Milton should continue to have a sizable role in the wing rotation following several outstanding fantasy performances in an average of 28.1 minutes over the previous six games with Richardson sidelined. However, Milton is probably priced out of consideration daily fantasy sites even though he is averaging 0.84 DraftKings and 0.78 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: Serena Winters via Twitter Jaylen Brown (ankle) and Gordon Hayward (foot) out Friday
Brown and Hayward have officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks, while Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart will be available to play after each missed the last two games due to their respective ailments. Head coach Brad Stevens already disclosed to reporters during shootaround that Walker will be limited to approximately 30 minutes in his first game back, though it appears that Smart will be able to handle his usual allotment of playing time in tonight’s contest. In their absences, Romeo Langford and Javonte Green alternated spot starts, but they both were irrelevant for fantasy purposes and gave way to Brad Wanamaker and Grant Williams off the bench in each game. It comes as no surprise that Jayson Tatum benefits the most with Brown, Hayward, and Daniel Theis off the court, and he owns a 36.2% usage rate and is averaging 1.49 DraftKings and 1.44 FanDuel points per minute in a 295.8 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Tim Bontemps via Twitter Other tagged players: Gordon Hayward Kemba Walker (knee) and Marcus Smart (quad) will play Friday
Walker and Smart have officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Friday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks after each missed the last two games due to their respective ailments, while Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward were already ruled out following their original questionable designations on the injury report. Head coach Brad Stevens already disclosed to reporters during shootaround that Walker will be limited to approximately 30 minutes in his first game back, though it appears that Smart will be able to handle his usual allotment of playing time in tonight’s contest. In their absences, Romeo Langford and Javonte Green alternated spot starts, but they both were irrelevant for fantasy purposes and gave way to Brad Wanamaker and Grant Williams off the bench in each game. It comes as no surprise that Jayson Tatum benefits the most with Brown, Hayward, and Daniel Theis off the court, and he owns a 36.2% usage rate and is averaging 1.49 DraftKings and 1.44 FanDuel points per minute in a 295.8 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Tim Bontemps via Twitter Other tagged players: Marcus Smart