DFS Alerts
Tristan Thompson (illness) listed out Sunday
Thompson has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to an illness, while Kevin Love was already ruled out for rest purposes on the second leg of a back-to-back set. Cleveland is also already without Larry Nance Jr. for one-to-two more weeks, so with Thomspon unavailable, they will be extremely thin at the frontcourt positions, which should allow Ante Zizic and John Henson to absorb all of the available center minutes this evening. Kevin Porter Jr. missed Saturday’s loss due to a personal matter, but he is now the likeliest candidate to receive the start alongside Cedi Osman at one of the forward positions. Porter has logged at least 23 minutes off the bench in eight of his previous nine games, so he should theoretically have a substantially higher minute floor with Alfonzo McKinnie and two G-Leaguers as the only other natural forwards on the Cavaliers active roster.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report
C.J. McCollum (illness) out Sunday
McCollum is a late addition to the Trail Blazers’ injury report and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Miami Heat due to an illness. Head coach Terry Stotts didn’t disclose who would replace McCollum in the starting lineup, but Anfernee Simons or Gary Trent Jr. appears to be the likeliest candidates since they’ve each started in games Damian Lillard was sidelined earlier in the season. Trent has assumed a larger role in the rotation of late, logging at least 20 minutes off the bench in two of the Blazers’ previous three games, but Simons is still the odds on favorite to receive more playing time regardless of Stotts’ decision on the starting lineup. It should come as no surprise that Lillard is one of the main beneficiaries with McCollum off the court, and he and Kent Bazemore each own a minimum of a +4.8% increase in usage rate and are averaging at least +0.16 more fantasy points per minute over their normal season-long statistics.
As reported by: Casey Holdahl via Twitter Jimmy Butler (back) questionable Sunday; Justise Winslow (back) remains out
Butler is a late addition to the Heat’s injury report and is now questionable for Sunday’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers due to lower back soreness, while Winslow will remain sidelined with a lower-back bone bruise despite his original questionable designation. Butler has missed four games this season, but in the only game where both he and Winslow were unavailable, Goran Dragic ended up receiving the start at the point alongside Kendrick Nunn in the backcourt. Dragic logged just under 34 minutes in that contest, which is a sizable increase over his usual minute allotment off the bench in head coach Erik Spoelstra’s rotation.
As reported by: Tim Reynolds via Twitter Other tagged players: Justise Winslow Paul George (hamstring) and Patrick Beverley (wrist) will play Sunday
George and Beverly have officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Sunday’s matchup New York Knicks after missing Saturday’s blowout loss due to their respective ailments, while Kawhi Leonard won’t be available on the second leg of a back-to-back set due to injury management for his troublesome knee. The last time Leonard sat for rest, Patrick Patterson ended up receiving the start at power forward, and he was relatively effective for fantasy purposes despite logging just under 18 minutes of action. However, Landry Shamet has started the last three games with Beverley sidelined, so it’d be logical for him start once again even with Beverley and George returning to the starting lineup this afternoon. Ever since George made his Clippers debut in mid-November, he’s been the clear beneficiary with Leonard off the court, as he owns a 34.6% usage rate, a 25.4% assist rate, and is averaging 1.56 DraftKings and 1.47 FanDuel points per minute in a 315.4 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Andrew Greif via Twitter Other tagged players: Patrick Beverley Kevin Love (rest) listed out Sunday; Tristan Thompson (illness) listed questionable
As expected, Love will be held out for rest purposes in Sunday’s second leg of a back-to-back set against the Minnesota Timberwolves, while Tristan Thompson has been included on the lastest Cavaliers injury report because of an illness. Cleveland is also already without Larry Nance Jr. for one-to-two more weeks, so if Thomspon is unavailable, they could be extremely this at the frontcourt positions this evening. Kevin Porter Jr. missed Saturday’s loss due to a personal matter, but he is now the likeliest candidate to receive the start alongside Cedi Osman at one of the forward positions. Porter has logged at least 23 minutes off the bench in eight of his previous nine games, so he should theoretically have a substantially higher minute floor with Alfonzo McKinnie and two G-Leaguers as the only other natural forwards on the Cavaliers active roster.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Tristan Thompson Elfrid Payton (personal) and Dennis Smith Jr. (oblique) out Sunday
Payton has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers due to personal reasons, while Smith Jr. will miss a fifth straight game following his original questionable designation with a strained left oblique. In their absences, Frank Ntilikina is the clear favorite to receive the starting nod at point guard and there will certainly a sizable amount of playing time that will need to be redistributed by interim head coach Mike Miller after Payton logged at least 30 minutes in four of the Knicks previous five games. There is no clear beneficiary with Payton and Smith off the court from a usage perspective, but Ntilikina has a 19.9% assist rate and is averaging 0.72 DraftKings and 0.74 FanDuel points per minute on the season, so he could be a viable value option for all daily fantasy formats despite his low floor and likely limited ceiling.
As reported by: NY_KnicksPR via Twitter Other tagged players: Dennis Smith Jr. Pay Up For Laker Studs
There’s so much value on Sunday’s main slate that paying up for both Laker studs is a negligible task. However, if choosing between the two, I have to side with LeBron James who has been the more consistent fantasy producer throughout the season. Bron has been a walking double-double of late, notching a double-double in six straight games, including a triple-double in two.
Paul George (hamstring) and Patrick Beverley (wrist) questionable Sunday
George and Beverly have been listed as questionable for Sunday’s matchup New York Knicks after missing Saturday’s blowout loss due to their respective ailments, while Kawhi Leonard won’t be available on the second leg of a back-to-back set due to injury management for his troublesome knee. The last time Leonard sat for rest, Patrick Patterson ended up receiving the start at power forward, and he was relatively effective for fantasy purposes despite logging just under 18 minutes of action. However, Landry Shamet has started the last three games with Beverley sidelined, so it’d be logical for him start once again regardless of Beverley and George’s statuses. Ever since George made his Clippers debut in mid-November, he’s been the clear beneficiary with Leonard off the court, as he owns a 34.6% usage rate, a 25.4% assist rate, and is averaging 1.56 DraftKings and 1.47 FanDuel points per minute in a 315.4 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Tomer Azarly via Twitter Other tagged players: Patrick Beverley Kawhi Leonard (knee) officially out Sunday
As expected, Leonard won’t play in Sunday’s second leg of a back-to-back set against the New York Knicks due to injury management for his troublesome knee, while Paul George and Patrick Beverley are questionable after missing Saturday’s blowout loss with their respective ailments. The last time Leonard sat for rest, Patrick Patterson ended up receiving the start at power forward, and he was relatively effective for fantasy purposes despite logging just under 18 minutes of action. However, Landry Shamet has started the last three games with Beverley sidelined, so it’d be logical for him start once again regardless of Beverley and George’s statuses. Ever since George made his Clippers debut in mid-November, he’s been the clear beneficiary with Leonard off the court, as he owns a 34.6% usage rate, a 25.4% assist rate, and is averaging 1.56 DraftKings and 1.47 FanDuel points per minute in a 315.4 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Chris Haynes via Twitter Time For Rookie To Shine?
Kevin Love is expected to sit today on this back-to-back, and the Cavs are already without Larry Nance. The natural thought is to play Tristan Thompson but I suspect the Cavs will play small. This has me liking the Collin Sexton, Darius Garland and Kevin Porter type plays over the big men of Thompson or Zizic. Garland has played 34 minutes in three straight games and should have another path to solid minutes tonight. He’s also still affordable across the industry. I think on this four game small slate, taking shots on guys like Garland is very viable and hoping it hits.
Big Man Rising
Despite having a stellar game last time out, Deandre Ayton saw his price drop in some places. The matchup against the Grizzlies isn’t a great one as Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jonas Valanciunas are twin towers, but it’s like the Suns continue with their own twin towers of Ayton and Aron Baynes starting alongside each other. With Dario Saric struggling and Frank Kaminsky out, Ayton should see plenty of run tonight.
Kevin Love (rest) not expected to play Sunday
Love is expected to sit out for rest in Sunday’s second leg of a back-to-back set against the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, which will leave the Cavaliers relatively thin in the frontcourt with Larry Nance Jr. still sidelined for one-to-two weeks. Kevin Porter Jr. missed Saturday’s loss due to a personal matter, but if he does rejoin the team prior to tonight’s contest, he would be the likeliest candidate to receive the start alongside Cedi Osman at one of the forward positions. Porter has logged at least 23 minutes off the bench in eight of his previous nine games, so he would definitely have a substantially higher minute floor with Alfonzo McKinnie and two G-Leaguers as the only other forwards on the Cavaliers active roster.
As reported by: Shams Charania via Twitter Delon Wright (foot) available to play Saturday
As expected, Wright will be available to play in Saturday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets despite dealing with a sore left foot, while Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr. remain sidelined and are still without timetables for their returns to game action. Head coach Rick Carlisle surprisingly turned to J.J. Barea as his starter alongside Luka Doncic in the backcourt for Thursday’s win, but Seth Curry ended up receiving more playing time than Barea, Wright, and Jalen Brunson, the latter not seeing the floor until late in the third quarter. It comes as no shock that Doncic has benefitted the most with Porzingis and Hardaway off the court, and he continues to have a 39.0% usage rate, a 46.3% assist rate, and is averaging 1.94 DraftKings and 1.82 FanDuel points per minute a 178.1 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Brad Townsend via Twitter Willie Cauley-Stein (illness) will play Saturday
Cauley-Stein has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Saturday’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons after missing two games due to flu-like symptoms, while D’Angelo Russell remains sidelined, but head coach Steve Kerr disclosed to reporters that he expects Russell to return for Monday’s contest. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Cauley-Stein, so he’ll presumably be fine to assume his usual minute workload and should replace Marquese Chriss in the starting lineup following a couple of solid fantasy performances in an average of 28.1 minutes over the previous two contests. Cauley-Stein has been a solid fantasy producer this season, averaging 0.98 DraftKings and 1.05 FanDuel points per minute, but he rarely receives enough playing time to become a reliable option in any format.
As reported by: Anthony Slater via Twitter Bradley Beal (leg) out Saturday; Jordan McRae will start
Beal has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets due to lower right leg soreness that has now forced him to miss three of the last four games. In his most recent absence, Troy Brown Jr. received the starting nod at small forward and was mediocre from a fantasy perspective in 31 minutes of action in Friday’s loss, while Gary Payton II was the main beneficiary of Isaiah Thomas being ejected in the opening minutes and went on to record nearly 35 minutes. Payton has gradually ceded playing time to a red-hot Jordan McRae, who will make his first start and now has a 29.7% usage rate, a 22.8% assist rate, and is averaging 1.42 DraftKings and 1.39 FanDuel points per minute with Beal and the other injured Wizards off the court this season.
As reported by: Fred Katz via Twitter Other tagged players: Jordan McRae