DFS Alerts
Tony Bradley (knee) out Thursday
Bradley has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Thursday’s against the Denver Nuggets due to a sprained right knee, while Mike Conley was already ruled out for injury management of his ailing right knee. Conley has appeared in just six games since returning from a lengthy injury layoff, but he’s seen his playing time ramp up over the last few contests and has logged at least 21 minutes in each of the Jazz’s previous two games. This should allow Emmanuel Mudiay to rejoin the backcourt rotation in at least some capacity, even if it’s a limited role, but Jordan Clarkson should easily be the primary beneficiary of additional usage in the second unit. Since Conley has been sidelined for such a large portion of the season, no individual Jazz player sees a significant bump in usage or production with him off the court, but Joe Ingles does see his assist rate increase to 25.0% and is averaging 0.90 DraftKings and 0.86 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: the Utah Jazz via Twitter
Ben Simmons (illness) will start Thursday
As expected, Simmons will start in Thursday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks despite dealing with an illness, while Al Horford was already ruled out with a sore left knee. There hasn’t been any confirmation on who will replace Horford in the starting lineup, but head coach Brett Brown is likely to revert to the starting unit he utilized in Saturday’s win with Embiid in place of Horford, which means Shake Milton and Matisse Thybulle would receive the starts at the wing positions. Embiid made his return from a nine-game injury absence in Tuesday’s win, but he was limited to just over 26 minutes with the outcome mostly decided when he checked out midway through the fourth quarter. Somewhat surprisingly, Simmons has benefitted the most with Horford and Josh Richardson off the court in games Embiid is active, as he owns a 22.3% usage rate, a 44.0% assist rate, and is averaging 1.34 DraftKings and 1.31 FanDuel points per minute in a 111.3 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Serena Winters via Twitter Gary Harris (personal) listed out Thursday
Harris is a late addition to the Nuggets’ injury report and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz due to personal reasons, while Paul Millsap, Mason Plumlee, and Jamal Murray all remain sidelined with their respective ailments and are still without a clear timetable for a return. Harris returned from an extended injury layoff three games ago, and in those contests, Will Barton ended up receiving the start at point guard on each occasion, but with Harris now unavailable, Monte Morris appears to be the likeliest candidate to start alongside him in the backcourt. Unsurprisingly, Barton, Jerami Grant, and Torrey Craig have benefitted the most with the injured Denver starters off the court this season, as they each own a minimum of a +2.0% increase in usage rate and are averaging at least +0.09 more fantasy points per minute over their usual season-long numbers.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Mike Conley (knee) out Thursday; Tony Bradley (knee) questionable
Conley has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Thursday’s second leg of a back-to-back set against the Denver Nuggets due to injury management for his ailing right knee, while Bradley is questionable with a sprained right knee. Conley has appeared in just six games since returning from a lengthy injury layoff, but he’s seen his playing time ramp up over the last few contests and has logged at least 21 minutes in each of the Jazz’s previous two games. This should allow Emmanuel Mudiay to rejoin the backcourt rotation in at least some capacity, even if it’s a limited role, but Jordan Clarkson should easily be the primary beneficiary of additional minutes and usage in the second unit. Since Conley has been sidelined for such a large portion of the season, no individual Jazz player sees a significant bump in usage or production with him off the court, but Joe Ingles does see his assist rate increase to 25.0% and is averaging 0.90 DraftKings and 0.86 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: the Utah Jazz via Twitter Other tagged players: Tony Bradley Appealing GPP Pivots Off Popular Center Option
Thomas Bryant should be a popular option tonight, and for good reason – he is underpriced across sites if he starts and sees 32 minutes like he did last game. For GPPs, however, a couple of other options in the same price range and from the same game hold some appeal with smaller ownership. Cody Zeller (11.2 ppg, 7.0 rpg) and Miles Bridges (12.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg) could both see increased scoring and rebounding opportunities against a Wizards team that ranks 29th in the league in rebounding differential and 27th in the league in points in the paint allowed.
Other tagged players: Miles Bridges
Great Matchup With A Lot Of Upside
Bryant draws an excellent matchup against the Hornets tonight. This game has one of the highest totals on the slate, and the Hornets have been awful against big men this season. Depending on some of the news, it looks like Bryant is the clear-cut top value option on this slate. After being eased back after injury, Bryant played 32 minutes against the Bucks on Tuesday. I’m hoping he gets 25+ minutes in this matchup tonight.
DeAndre’ Bembry (hand) and Bruno Fernando (calf) officially out Thursday
As expected, Bembry and Fernando have been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers due to their respective ailments, while Alex Len remains sidelined with a strained right hip flexor and is still without a timetable for a return. Following the departure of Allen Crabbe to Minnesota earlier in the month, Bembry had logged at least 20 minutes off the bench in three of his previous five games, so there will certainly be some playing time that will need to be absorbed in the second unit. The leading candidates to benefit from this vacated playing time are Treveon Graham, Brandon Goodwin, and Cam Reddish, though Reddish has already seen at least 27 minutes in all but one games since Jeff Teague joined the team, leaving less room for his minute workload to increase this evening.
As reported by: Brad Rowland via Twitter Other tagged players: Bruno Fernando Jayson Tatum (groin) will play Thursday
Tatum has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Thursday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors after missing three games due to a strained right groin, while Enes Kanter remains sidelined with a right hip contusion and is still without a firm timetable for a return. In Tatum’s absence, Marcus Smart ended up receiving all three starts alongside Kemba Walker in the backcourt, and he’s was relatively consistent for fantasy purposes following another solid performance in just over 36 minutes of action in Tuesday’s win. Head coach Brad Stevens didn’t confirm if Tatum would start or come off the bench in his first game back, but either way, he will be subject to an undisclosed minute restriction, essentially removing him from consideration for daily fantasy formats at his price point across the industry.
As reported by: Brian Robb via Twitter Mike Scott (knee) available to play Thursday
Scott has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Thursday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks despite dealing with a sore right knee, while Al Horford was already ruled out with a sore left knee. There hasn’t been any confirmation on who will replace Horford in the starting lineup, but head coach Brett Brown is likely to revert to the starting unit he utilized in Saturday’s win with Embiid in place of Horford, which means Shake Milton and Matisse Thybulle would receive the starts at the wing positions. Embiid made his return from a nine-game injury absence in Tuesday’s win, but he was limited to just over 26 minutes with the outcome mostly decided when he checked out midway through the fourth quarter. Somewhat surprisingly, Simmons has benefitted the most with Horford and Josh Richardson off the court in games Embiid is active, as he owns a 22.3% usage rate, a 44.0% assist rate, and is averaging 1.34 DraftKings and 1.31 FanDuel points per minute in a 111.3 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Noah Levick via Twitter Al Horford (knee) out Thursday; Ben Simmons (illness) probable
Horford has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks due to a sore left knee, while Simmons is a new addition to the Sixers’ injury report but is probable with an illness. There hasn’t been any confirmation on who will replace Horford in the starting lineup, but head coach Brett Brown is likely to revert to the starting unit he utilized in Saturday’s win with Embiid in place of Horford, which means Shake Milton and Matisse Thybulle would receive the starts at the wing positions. Embiid made his return from a nine-game injury absence in Tuesday’s win, but he was limited to just over 26 minutes with the outcome mostly decided when he checked out midway through the fourth quarter. Somewhat surprisingly, Simmons has benefitted the most with Horford and Josh Richardson off the court in games Embiid is active, as he owns a 22.3% usage rate, a 44.0% assist rate, and is averaging 1.34 DraftKings and 1.31 FanDuel points per minute in a 111.3 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Keith Pompey via Twitter Other tagged players: Ben Simmons James Harden (thigh) and Clint Capela (heel) will play Wednesday
As expected, Harden and Capela have been upgraded from questionable and will play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers after missing one game due to a left thigh contusion and a right heel contusion, respectively. There haven’t been any reporters of a potential minute restriction for either Harden or Capela, so they’ll presumably be fine to handle their usual minute workloads in tonight’s contests, which will send Austin Rivers and Danuel House Jr. back to the bench to assume reserve roles following their stellar fantasy performances in over 41 minutes of action in Monday’s win. As long as Harden is devoid of any harsh restrictions on his projected minutes, he’ll be a fantastic daily fantasy option for all formats since he owns a 37.6% usage rate, a 35.5% assist rate, and is averaging 1.59 DraftKings and 1.53 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: Cayleigh Griffin via Twitter Other tagged players: Clint Capela Andre Drummond (wrist) and Sekou Doumbouya (ankle) will start Wednesday
As expected, Drummond has officially been upgraded from questionable and will start in Wednesday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets despite dealing with a sprained left wrist, while Sekou Doumbouya will also start following his original probable designation on the Pistons’ injury report. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Drummond, so he’ll presumably be fine to handle his usual minute workload in tonight’s contest. Barring a severe minutes limit or an in-game setback, Drummond will still be a viable tournament option on tonight’s slate, as he owns a 24.9% usage rate, a 26.0% rebound rate, and is averaging 1.39 DraftKings and 1.42 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: Rod Beard via Twitter Other tagged players: Sekou Doumbouya Andre Drummond (wrist) expected to play Wednesday
Drummond is still technically listed as questionable on the Pistons’ injury report, but head coach Dwane Casey disclosed to reporters that he expects Drummond to play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets despite dealing with a sprained left wrist, while Sekou Doumbouya is also expected to be available following his original probable designation. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Drummond, so he’ll presumably be fine to handle his usual minute workload in tonight’s contest. Barring a severe minutes limit or an in-game setback, Drummond will still be a viable tournament option on tonight’s slate, as he owns a 24.9% usage rate, a 26.0% rebound rate, and is averaging 1.39 DraftKings and 1.42 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: Rod Beard via Twitter James Harden (thigh) and Clint Capela (heel) expected to play Wednesday
Harden and Capela are still technically listed as questionable, but according to an NBA source, they are expected to play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers after missing one game due to a left thigh contusion and a right heel contusion, respectively. There haven’t been any reporters of a potential minute restriction for either Harden or Capela, so they’ll presumably be fine to handle their usual minute workloads in tonight’s contests, which will send Austin Rivers and Danuel House Jr. back to the bench to assume reserve roles following their stellar fantasy performances in over 41 minutes of action in Monday’s win. As long as Harden is devoid of any harsh restrictions on his projected minutes, he’ll be a fantastic daily fantasy option for all formats since he owns a 37.6% usage rate, a 35.5% assist rate, and is averaging 1.59 DraftKings and 1.53 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: Marc Berman via Twitter Other tagged players: Clint Capela Myles Turner (illness) out Wednesday; Malcolm Brogdon (concussion) will play
Turner has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls due to an illness that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Brogdon has been cleared to return from a two-game injury layoff because of a concussion. In Turner’s absence, JaKarr Sampson ended up receiving the start alongside Domantas Sabonis in the frontcourt, but he was rather irrelevant for fantasy purposes in just 17 minutes of action in Sunday’s loss. The true beneficiary of additional minutes was Doug McDermott, who ended up closing the game with the starting unit and recorded just under 30 minutes off the bench. None of the Pacers starters see a massive spike in usage rate with Turner off the court, but Sabonis does lead the way with a 24.7% usage rate and is averaging 1.33 DraftKings and 1.30 FanDuel points per minute in a 816.7 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Scott Agness via Twitter Other tagged players: Malcolm Brogdon