DFS Alerts
Andrew Wiggins (illness), Treveon Graham (illness), and Noah Vonleh (glute) questionable Thursday; Josh Okogie (elbow) probable
Wiggins, Graham, and Vonleh are all listed as questionable for Thursday’s second leg of a back-to-back set against the Golden State Warriors, while Jeff Teague is doubtful, as expected, due to a sprained right knee that will likely hold him out of a second straight game. The Timberwolves also did list Karl-Anthony Towns as questionable for the ninth consecutive contest with a sprained left knee, but until he puts in a full practice, he seems highly unlikely to make his return to full game action. With all of the aforementioned players sidelined for Wednesday’s loss, head coach Ryan Saunders started, Shabazz Napier, Jarrett Culver, Kelan Martin, Robert Covington, and Gorgui Dieng, but Napier, Culver, and Covington were the only three to log north of 30 minutes, indicating just how deep into his bench Saunders is willing to go with so many regulars unavailable to play the previous few games.
As reported by: Timberwolves PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Treveon Graham, Noah Vonleh, Josh Okogie
Bruce Brown (illness) listed questionable Thursday
Brown has been added to the latest Pistons injury report and is questionable for Thursday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers due to an illness, while Blake Griffin remains doubtful with a sore left knee that has already forced him to miss one game. In his absence, Brown rejoined the starting lineup alongside Tim Frazier and logged nearly 37 minutes of action in Monday’s loss, so if he’s unable to suit up, Langston Galloway would likely be called upon start and would almost certainly be forced into a sizable minute workload with how thin the Pistons are at the forward and wing positions. In the limited time with Griffin, Luke Kennard, and Markieff Morris off the court, Derrick Rose leads the way with a massive 36.1% usage rate and 55.9% assist rate while he, Galloway, and Tim Frazier all average at least +0.13 more fantasy points per minute over their normal season-long statistics.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Kristaps Porzingis (knee) listed out Thursday; Luka Doncic (thigh) listed probable
Porzingis has been downgraded to out on the latest Mavericks injury report for Thursday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets due to a sore right knee that forced him to be a late scratch from Tuesday’s loss, while Doncic is listed as probable once again with a right thigh contusion. However, Doncic was still able to record over 40 minutes in that contests, so he should be fully expected to play barring any later news suggesting otherwise. With Porzingis sidelined, Maxi Kleber ended up receiving the start at power forward, and he was phenomenal from a fantasy perspective in 35 minutes of action but the drastic price increase on DraftKings keeps him from being a must-play in all formats. Unsurprisingly, Doncic has thrived with Porzingis off the court, as he owns a 40.4% usage rate, a 50.7% assist rate, and is averaging 1.98 DraftKings and 1.86 FanDuel points per minute in a 144.1 minutes sample size.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Luka Doncic Malcolm Brogdon (back) and Edmond Sumner (knee) officially out Thursday
As expected, Brogdon and Sumner have been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets due to a sore lower back and a sprained right ankle, respectively. Brogdon was forced to exit in the first quarter of Tuesday’s blowout win, and in his absence, both Aaron Holiday and T.J.McConnell went on to log at least 27 minutes apiece, though Holiday started the second half at point guard as one would assume he will do once again this evening. While Holiday still has upside at his price tag across the industry, he is definitely more appropriately priced than he has been in the past when Brogdon was sidelined, which makes McConnell an intriguing value option on tonight’s slate since he has a 42.2% assist rate and is averaging 1.06 DraftKings and 1.05 FanDuel points per minute with Brogdon off the court this season.
As reported by: Scott Agness via Twitter Other tagged players: Edmond Sumner Frank Kaminsky (knee) listed out Wednesday
Kaminsky has been downgraded to out on the latest Suns injury report and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers due to a sore right knee. Kaminsky ended up being a DNP-CD in Monday’s win, but it remains unclear if that was a result of his ailing knee or if he’s no longer in the rotation with Deandre Ayton working his way back to full strength and essentially splitting the center minutes with Aron Baynes in his only two games since returning from a 25-game suspension. Without Kaminsky soaking up available playing time at power forward, Mikal Bridges was allocated nearly 31 minutes off the bench as the sixth-man, and even though he averages just 0.78 DraftKings and 0.81 FanDuel points per minute on the season, he becomes a viable punt option for tournament formats on tonight’s four-game slate if he’s able to approach the 30-minute mark again this evening.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Treveon Graham (illness) and Noah Vonleh (glute) out Wednesday; Josh Okogie (elbow) available
Graham and Vonleh will join the Timberwolves’ lengthy inactive list and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks, while Okogie has been cleared to play, as expected, following his original probable designation on the injury report with right elbow bursitis. Following Jeff Teague’s final exit early in the fourth quarter of Monday’s overtime loss, Shabazz Napier and Jarrett Culver absorbed basically all of the ballhandling and playmaking responsibilities as both players went on to record at least 34 minutes of action in the aforementioned contest. The sample size with Teague, Andrew Wiggins, and Karl-Anthony Towns all off the court remains relatively limited, but in that time, Napier leads the Timberwolves with a 31.4% usage rate but is only averaging 0.93 DraftKings and 0.86 FanDuel points per minute, leaving plenty of room for increased fantasy production as the sample size grows.
As reported by: Timberwolves PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Noah Vonleh, Josh Okogie Jeff Teague (knee) officially out Wednesday
As expected, Teague won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks due to a sprained right knee, while Treveon Graham and Noah Vonleh remain questionable after missing the previous game with their respective ailments. Following Teague’s final exit early in the fourth quarter of Monday’s overtime loss, Shabazz Napier and Jarrett Culver handling all of the ballhandling and playmaking responsibilities as both players went on to record at least 34 minutes of action in the aforementioned contest. The sample size with Teague, Andrew Wiggins, and Karl-Anthony Towns all off the court remains relatively limited, but in that time, Napier leads the Timberwolves with a 31.4% usage rate but is only averaging 0.93 DraftKings and 0.86 FanDuel points per minute, leaving plenty of room for increased fantasy production as the sample size grows.
As reported by: Chris Hine via Twitter Kevin Knox (illness) and Damyean Dotson (back) listed available Wednesday
Knox and Dotson have been listed as available to play on the latest Knicks’ injury report for Wednesday’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers, while Dennis Smith Jr. has been downgraded from questionable and won’t play due to a strained left oblique. There haven’t been any reports of potential minute restrictions for Frank Ntilikina or Reggie Bullock, but Ntilikina has been limited to 14 or fewer minutes in three of the Knicks’ previous four games with Elfrid Payton continue to tighten his grip on the starting point guard role moving forward. Bullock will be making his season debut in tonight’s contest, which throws a significant wrench in an already inconsistent wing rotation, potentially making someone like RJ Barrett a worthy fade candidate in large-field tournament formats since the source of Bullock’s playing time is essentially unknown at this point in time.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Damyean Dotson Giannis Antetokounmpo (back) listed available Wednesday; Wesley Matthews (thigh) listed out
As expected, Antetokounmpo is listed as available to play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves despite dealing with a sore back, while Matthews has been downgraded to out with a right thigh contusion. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Antetokounmpo, but he did manage to log just over 27 minutes in three and a half quarters in Monday’s blowout win. The absence of Matthews should allow Donte DiVincenzo to remain in the starting lineup for at least one game, and he along with the other Milwaukee starters have seen a small bump in usage rate with Matthews off the court, though Antetokounmpo clearly leads the way with an average of 1.93 DraftKings and 1.90 FanDuel points per minute in a 402.9 minutes sample size.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Wesley Matthews Bradley Beal (leg) will play Wednesday
Beal has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic after missing two games due to lower right leg soreness. In his absence, Gary Payton II received the start alongside Troy Brown Jr. on the wing on both occasions, but he was limited to just 14 minutes in Monday’s blowout win as he gave way to a red-hot Jordan McRae for a long stretch in both the first and second halves. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Beal, and his return to the starting lineup will send Brown to the bench to assume a sixth-man role, though it appears unlikely he’ll see a drastic reduction in playing time off the bench.
As reported by: the Washington Wizards via Twitter Frank Ntilikina (groin) and Reggie Bullock (neck) available Wednesday; Dennis Smith Jr. (oblique) ruled out
Ntilikina and Bullock will be available to play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers, while Smith Jr. has been downgraded from questionable and won’t play due to a strained left oblique. There haven’t been any reports of potential minute restrictions for Ntilikina or Bullock, but Ntilikina has been limited to 14 or fewer minutes in three of the Knicks’ previous four games with Elfrid Payton continue to tighten his grip on the starting point guard role moving forward. Bullock will be making his season debut in tonight’s contest, which throws a significant wrench in an already inconsistent wing rotation, potentially making someone like RJ Barrett a worthy fade candidate in large-field tournament formats since the source of Bullock’s playing time is essentially unknown at this point in time.
As reported by: Chris Iseman via Twitter Other tagged players: Reggie Bullock, Dennis Smith Jr. Aaron Gordon (Achilles) out Wednesday
Gordon has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards due to a sore left Achilles tendon that has now forced him to miss two games. In his absence, Wes Iwundu ended up receiving the start at small forward, but he was essentially irrelevant for fantasy purposes in just under 25 minutes of action in Monday’s loss. Head coach Steve Clifford opted to close that contest with a combination of D.J. Augustin, Markelle Fultz, and Terrence Ross, which gives Augustin and Fultz, in particular, higher minute floors if they’re going to be sharing the court for extended stretches with Gordon sidelined. Other than the aforementioned trio, Evan Fournier has benefitted the most with Gordon off the court, as he owns a 29.6% usage rate and is averaging 1.03 DraftKings and 0.98 FanDuel points per minute in a 389.3 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Orlando Magic PR via Twitter New Man in Minnesota
Over the last two games, Kelan Martin has racked up 35 and 30 minutes, and he has averaged 13 points and 7.5 assists to help propel him into a fine salary saving play on this short slate. All four major sites have him priced in the bottom of the salary charts for New Year’s Day, so I’ll be targeting him a lot in my lineups.
Taking Advantage of Opportunities
Minnesota has by far the most complex injury situation on this small slate, but the good news is that they have already ruled both Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins out for tonight. Jeff Teague also seems highly unlikely to play after suffering a knee injury in the last game. Treveon Graham remains questionable with an illness. With all four of those players off the floor, the team will be forced to roll with a very short rotation, and there is a lot of usage to be had without Towns, Wiggins, and Teague. If we run a CourtIQ query with all three of Towns, Wiggins, and Teague off the floor, we don’t have a very large sample size. Napier has a usage rate of 29% in that limited sample, while Culver has also seen a nice spike. An additional benefit comes in the way of added playing time. Napier is still too cheap on FanDuel and Yahoo, where we also have a smaller three game slate.
Other tagged players: Shabazz Napier
Injuries Provide Potential
The NYK backcourt is a mess here in terms of injuries. Ntilikina, Smith, and Dotson are all questionable tonight. If both the backup point guards sit, Elfrid Payton will play as many minutes as he can handle at point guard. Trier should be a bigger rotation piece if Dotson is out, but the possible return of Reggie Bullock makes that spot a little harder to peg. Payton is the clear winner here, and both Randle and Payton are averaging over a fantasy point per minute with the injured guards off the floor. Even though this isn’t the greatest matchup, I like the upside potential in GPP formats given Payton’s mid-range price tag.