DFS Alerts
Nassir Little (back) questionable Friday; Mario Hezonja (back) available to play
Little has been added to the Trail Blazers’ injury report and is questionable for Friday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic due to back spasms, while Hezonja is available to play, as expected, after missing one game with back spasms. In his absence, Little was a DNP-CD, as head coach Terry Stotts opted to roll with Gary Trent Jr. and Anthony Tolliver at the forwards position, and both logged at least 18 minutes of action off the bench in Wednesday’s win. Obviously, this news has minimal impact on the Blazers rotation and any playing time that might have been allocated to Little will trickle down to Hezonja, Trent Jr., or even Tolliver if he remains in the rotation.
As reported by: Jamie Hudson via Twitter Other tagged players: Mario Hezonja
Beneficiary of the Injury Bug
The injury bug has hit the Toronto Raptors hard this season with Pascal Siakam, Norman Powell, and Marc Gasol the newest victims. Suddenly Toronto has a ton of frontcourt minutes to fill with Siakam and Gasol out indefinitely and Chris Boucher is one of the players that should see his role increase. It’s yet to be seen how exactly the Raptors will distribute their big men minutes but Chris Boucher should hover around the mid-20’s which gives him plenty of upside on his dirt cheap price tag. Boucher has been an excellent per minute producer in his limited court time this season, averaging 16 points and 12.4 rebounds per 36 minutes. In addition to his increased role, Boucher will benefit from an ideal matchup against a Washington Wizards team that plays at the third-quickest pace in the league and owns the league’s worst defensive rating.
Blake Griffin (knee) and Luke Kennard (knee) out Friday
As expected, Griffin and Kennard won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics, while Christian Wood was previously ruled out and won’t be re-evaluated for a week due to a left knee bone bruise. Head coach Dwane Casey didn’t confirm who would replace Griffin in the starting lineup, but the last time Griffin was sidelined, Markieff Morris received the start at power forward and logged just under 33 minutes of action. Other than the extended minutes for Morris, Langston Galloway, and possibly Svi Mykhailiuk, it’s been Derrick Rose that is the main beneficiary with Griffin and Kennard off the court, as he owns a 33.9% usage rate, a 54.3% assist rate, and is averaging 1.53 DraftKings and 1.51 FanDuel points per minute in a 216.5 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Gary Washburn via Twitter Other tagged players: Luke Kennard Gordon Hayward (foot) out Friday
Hayward has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics due to left foot soreness, while Brad Wannamaker remains probable with a left ankle sprain. With Hayward and Marcus Smart unavailable for Wednesday’s win, Semi Ojeleye ended up receiving the start at power forward and logged 20 minutes, but he essentially split time with Grant Williams, who saw 24 minutes off the bench himself. Other than the increased playing time for Ojeleye, Williams, and Wannamaker, it’s been Kemba Walker that is the clear beneficiary with both Hayward and Smart off the court, as he owns a 36.2% usage, a 31.3% assist rate, and is averaging 1.57 DraftKings and 1.44 FanDuel points per minute in a 185.3 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Brian Robb via Twitter JaMychal Green (tailbone) out Thursday
Green has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets due to a tailbone contusion that has now forced him to miss six consecutive games. Green is with the Clippers on their current road trip, and head coach Doc Rivers was recently quoted by reporters that Green is nearing a return to game action. In his absence, Patrick Patterson should continue filling in as the backup power forward, but he was limited to just 13 minutes in Tuesday’s blowout win with Landry Shamet and Rodney McGruder now healthy and contributing to a rotation that has been nearly at full strength for a few games now.
As reported by: Tomer Azarly via Twitter David Nwaba (ankle) available to play Thursday
As expected, Nwaba will be available to play in Thursday’s matchup against the San Antonio Spurs despite dealing with a sprained ankle. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Nwaba, so he’ll almost certainly assume his normal role off the bench that typically allots him minutes in the high-teens. Following the release of Iman Shumpert, the Nets wing rotation has been a bit in flux, but Nwaba and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot have taken larger roles of late, and Luwawu-Cabarrot has logged at least 16 minutes in each of the Nets’ previous three games.
As reported by: Brian Lewis via Twitter Anthony Davis (ankle) will play Thursday
Davis has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Thursday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks after missing one game due to a sprained ankle, while Rajon Rondo continues to be listed as probable despite playing through a minor hamstring ailment. Head coach Frank Vogel confirmed in a pregame interview that Davis “may be limited”, but he still expects him to be a big part of their gameplan, which means Jared Dudley will head back to the bench to resume a reserve role following a dismal fantasy performance in 15 minutes of action in Tuesday’s win. Any time Davis goes into a game with an injury designation, he becomes an intriguing tournament target since he has a 30.3% usage rate and is averaging 1.48 DraftKings and 1.53 FanDuel points per minute on the year thus far.
As reported by: Kyle Goon via Twitter Trae Young (calf) available Thursday; Bruno Fernando and Cam Reddish will start
As expected, Young will be available to play in Thursday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz despite dealing with a right calf contusion, while Chandler Parsons was removed from the injury report after missing one game with an illness, but he still remains firmly out of the rotation when Atlanta is at full strength. Head coach Llyod Pierce disclosed to reporters at his pregame media availability that he will be altering his starting lineup for tonight’s contest by starting Fernando at the center position and Reddish alongside Kevin Huerter on the wing, which will send Damian Jones and Jabari Parker to the bench to assume reserve roles. Young has largely been fantastic for fantasy purposes this season, so he’ll remain in consideration for tournaments on most slates considering he has a 34.5% usage rate, a 40.1% assist rate, and is averaging 1.37 DraftKings and 1.28 FanDuel points per minute on the year thus far.
As reported by: Kevin Chouinard via Twitter Other tagged players: Bruno Fernando, Cam Reddish Overlooked Guard Draws Good Matchup Tonight
Tonight’s big injury news is Anthony Davis being questionable to face the Bucks in Milwaukee, but one overlooked player on the Lakers who could be relevant either way is swingman Danny Green. Milwaukee allows the most three-pointers in the league again this season, and while Green isn’t a huge scorer at only 8.2 ppg, he does rank second on the team in 3PM and 3PA this season. He’s near minimum price as well, so he could be a bargain with big upside for GPPs, particularly if Davis sits or is limited.
Reserve Guard Should See More Minutes Tonight
Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo will be popular plays tonight with Eric Bledsoe out for Milwaukee, but one player who may be more off the radar is fellow point guard George Hill. According to CourtIQ, Hill actually leads the Bucks in minutes this season with Bledsoe off the floor, and averages 0.91 fantasy points per minute without Bledsoe. The Bucks are playing at home against the Lakers tonight, giving them a rare home game with a tight four point spread and a healthy 225.5 over/under.
This Pace Up Game Should Help
Patrick Beverley is averaging 25.2 fantasy points over the last two weeks, and he’s really cheap across the industry. The Clippers also have a 119 implied team total, which is the biggest implied team total on the slate. They also receive the biggest pace bump on the slate. Beverley played 26 minutes after missing two games, and I think we see him closer to 30 minutes tonight if this game stays close like we’re all expecting it to.
Shot Attempts Are Up
Assuming that Caris LeVert misses the game tonight, Garrett Temple is a solid value play on this slate. He’s not a point-per-minute type of play, but he is getting up plenty of shots to pay off this price tag. Temple has taken double-digit shots in six of the last eight games, and he’s played at least 29 minutes in all of those games. With all the strong plays on this slate, I think we see decently low ownership on Temple here.
Production Value Is Up
I really think Alex Len is in for a great point-per-dollar game tonight. I think Rudy Gobert will make it a short night for Damian Jones, which means Len will see the high end of 20 minutes. I don’t think we have a ton of value options on this slate, which makes me really like the upside and ownership for a guy like Len, who is averaging 27.5 fantasy points over the last two weeks, which is 9 points higher than his season average.
Trae Young (calf) probable Thursday
Young has been added to the Hawks’ injury report and is probable for Thursday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz due to a right calf contusion. Meanwhile, Chandler Parsons was removed from the injury report after missing one game with an illness, but he still remains firmly out of the rotation when Atlanta is at full strength. Given the nature of the injury designation and the fact Young played a whopping 41 minutes in garbage time of Tuesday’s loss, he seems almost fully guaranteed to be ready to suit up for tonight’s contest. Young has largely been fantastic for fantasy purposes this season, so he’ll remain in consideration for tournaments on most slates considering he has a 34.5% usage rate, a 40.1% assist rate, and is averaging 1.37 DraftKings and 1.28 FanDuel points per minute on the year thus far.
As reported by: the Atlanta Hawks via Twitter Mario Hezonja (back) out Wednesday; Nassir Little (back) available to play
Hezonja has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors due to back spasms, while Little is available to play, as expected, after missing one game with back spasms. In his absence, Hezonja only played five minutes at the beginning of the second quarter, as head coach Terry Stotts opted to roll with Gary Trent Jr. and Anthony Tolliver at the forwards position, and both logged at least 13 minutes of action off the bench in Monday’s loss. Obviously, this news has minimal impact on the Blazers rotation and any playing time that would have been allocated to Hezonja will trickle down to Little, Trent Jr., or even Tolliver if he remains in the rotation.
As reported by: Casey Holdahl via Twitter Other tagged players: Nassir Little