DFS Alerts
Paul Millsap (quad) out Saturday
Millsap has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to a strained right quad. Head coach Mike Malone didn’t disclose who would replace Millsap in the starting lineup, but Jerami Grant is by far the leading candidate and will be in line for extended playing time regardless of Malone’s lineup decisions. Millsap exited in the early stages of the third quarter in Thursday’s win, which enabled Grant to log 31 minutes in relief, and he was phenomenal for fantasy purposes in the second half of the aforementioned contest. Other than Grant’s increased minute load, Nikola Jokic has been the other beneficiary with Millsap off the court, as he owns a 30.9% usage rate and is averaging 1.38 DraftKings and 1.33 FanDuel points per minute in a 166.7 minutes sample size.
As reported by: T.J. McBride via Twitter
Delon Wright (adductor) will play Saturday
As expected, Wright has been upgraded from probable and will play in Saturday’s matchup against the Miami Heat after missing two games due to a strained right adductor. In his absence, Seth Curry saw an increased role in the second unit and even cut into the playing time of Tim Hardaway Jr., as he was phenomenal from a fantasy perspective in just under 34 minutes of action in Thursday’s win. However, with Wright now available to return, the guard and wing rotation of head coach Rick Carlisle becomes too crowded to feel comfortable targeting Wright or Curry, making this a pretty easy situation to avoid in daily fantasy formats on tonight’s seven-game slate.
As reported by: Dwain Price via Twitter Giannis Antetokounmpo (quad) will play Saturday
Antetokounmpo has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Saturday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers despite dealing with a sore right quad tendon. Antetokounmpo was able to play through his injury in Friday’s win, but he logged just 27 minutes because of foul trouble before the starters were pulled with three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. As for eric Bledsoe’s absence, George Hill will more than likely draw the start at point guard after he replaced Bledsoe in the third quarter of yesterday’s contest and went on to play over 18 minutes in the second half. Other than Hill, the main beneficiaries with Bledsoe off the court have been Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez, as they each own a minimum of a +5.0% increase in usage rate and average at least +0.09 more fantasy points per minute over their season-long numbers.
As reported by: Eric Nehm via Twitter Lou Williams (calf), Patrick Beverley (concussion), and JaMychal Green (tailbone) out Saturday
Williams, Beverley, and Green will join Kawhi Leonard on the Clippers’ inactive list for Saturday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls, while Landry Shamet will make his return from a month-long absence due to a high left ankle sprain. In Friday’s win, Terance Mann ended up drawing the start at point guard in place of Beverley, but he was limited to just 18 minutes, while Derrick Walton Jr. outplayed him off the bench and was allotted 30 minutes, essentially assuming Williams’ vacated role. The last time Leonard rested, Patrick Patterson ended up drawing the start at power forward, but he’s logged fewer than 20 minutes in two of his last three games. Ever since Paul George made his season debut, he and Montrezl Harrell have all seen a minimum of a +3.4% usage rate increase and are averaging at least +0.10 more fantasy points per minute over there season-long numbers with Leonard off the court.
As reported by: Eric Woodyard via Twitter Other tagged players: Patrick Beverley, JaMychal Green Jae Crowder (ankle) out Saturday; Kyle Anderson will start
Crowder has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards due to a sore left ankle, while Grayson Allen remains sidelined with right ankle soreness. Head coach Taylor Jenkins already confirmed during his pregame media availability that Kyle Anderson will receive the start at small forward, and he managed to log just under 19 minutes off the bench in Friday’s loss, his second game back from a lengthy injury layoff. Because of this, it wouldn’t be surprising if Anderson wasn’t allocated a full starter’s workload in tonight’s contest, which would allow Solomon Hill to see extended run off the bench with both the first and second units.
As reported by: Rob Fischer via Twitter Delon Wright (adductor) listed probable Saturday
Wright has been upgraded from questionable to probable on the Mavericks’ injury report for Saturday’s matchup against the Miami Heat due to a right adductor strain that has already forced him to miss two games. In his absence, Seth Curry saw an increased role in the second unit and even cut into the playing time of Tim Hardaway Jr., as he was phenomenal from a fantasy perspective in just under 34 minutes of action in Thursday’s win. However, with Wright on track to return, the guard and wing rotation of head coach Rick Carlisle typically becomes too crowded to feel comfortable targeting Wright or Curry, making this a pretty easy situation to avoid in daily fantasy formats.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Fred VanVleet (knee) listed out Saturday
As expected, VanVleet has been listed out on the Raptors’ injury report for Saturday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets due to a right knee contusion that has now forced him to miss three games. In Thursday’s loss, Patrick McCaw made his return to the lineup following a lengthy injury layoff, but he was limited to just sporadic playing time and totaled just over nine minutes in the contest. With VanVleet officially unable to suit up, Norman Powell should receive the starting nod at the shooting guard position once again, and he has consistently approached or exceeded the 30-minute mark as a starter when either VanVleet or Kyle Lowry are sidelined this season. Powell will continue to be in consideration for tournaments at that minute floor, and he’s been solid for fantasy purposes thus far, averaging 0.83 DraftKings and 0.81 FanDuel points per minute on the year.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Landry Shamet (ankle) will play Saturday
Despite originally being listed out, Shamet will reportedly play in Saturday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls after missing over a month due to a left high ankle sprain, while Lou Williams, Patrick Beverley, and JaMychal Green all remain questionable with their respective ailments. In Friday’s win, Terance Mann ended up drawing the start at point guard in place of Beverley, but he was limited to just 18 minutes, while Derrick Walton Jr. outplayed him off the bench and was allotted 30 minutes, essentially assuming Williams’ vacated role. The last time Kawhi Leonard rested, Patrick Patterson ended up drawing the start at power forward, but he’s logged fewer than 20 minutes in two of his last three games. Ever since Paul George made his season debut, he, Williams, and Montrezl Harrell have all seen a minimum of a +3.4% usage rate increase and are averaging at least +0.10 more fantasy points per minute over there season-long numbers with Leonard off the court.
As reported by: Adrian Wojnarowski via Twitter Devin Booker (wrist) out Saturday; Mikal Bridges likely to start
Head coach Monty Williams confirmed with reporters at his pregame media availability that Booker won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the San Antonio Spurs due to a right wrist contusion, while Aron Baynes, Dario Saric, and Cameron Johnson all continue to be listed as probable despite playing through their respective ailments. Williams did disclose that Bridges will likely draw the start alongside Kelly Oubre on the wing, and he’s already been seeing an increased minute workload of late, logging at least 25 minutes in three of the previous six games. The main beneficiary with Booker off the court has easily been Oubre, as he owns a 28.4% usage rate and is averaging 1.13 DraftKings and 1.12 FanDuel points per minute in a 132.0 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Matt Petersen via Twitter Other tagged players: Mikal Bridges Lou Williams (calf), Patrick Beverley (concussion), and JaMychal Green (tailbone) questionable Saturday
Williams, Beverley, and Green are all questionable for Saturday’s second leg of a back-to-back set against the Chicago Bulls after missing Friday’s win with their respective ailments, while Kawhi Leonard will sit as he continues to manage a sore knee. In last night’s contest, Terance Mann ended up drawing the start at point guard in place of Beverley, but he was limited to just 18 minutes, while Derrick Walton Jr. outplayed him off the bench and was allotted 30 minutes, essentially assuming Williams’ vacated role. The last time Leonard rested, Patrick Patterson ended up drawing the start at power forward, but he’s logged fewer than 20 minutes in two of his last three games. Ever since Paul George made his season debut, he, Williams, and Montrezl Harrell have all seen a minimum of a +3.4% usage rate increase and are averaging at least +0.10 more fantasy points per minute over there season-long numbers with Leonard off the court.
As reported by: Andrew Greif via Twitter Other tagged players: Patrick Beverley, JaMychal Green Kawhi Leonard (knee) out Saturday
As expected, Leonard won’t play in Saturday’s second leg of a back-to-back set against the Chicago Bulls as he continues to manage a sore knee, while Lou Williams, Patrick Beverley, and JaMychal Green are all questionable after missing Friday’s win with their respective ailments. In that contest, Terance Mann ended up drawing the start at point guard in place of Beverley, but he was limited to just 18 minutes, while Derrick Walton Jr. outplayed him off the bench and was allotted 30 minutes, essentially assuming Williams’ vacated role. The last time Leonard rested, Patrick Patterson ended up drawing the start at power forward, but he’s logged fewer than 20 minutes in two of his last three games. Ever since Paul George made his season debut, he, Williams, and Montrezl Harrell have all seen a minimum of a +3.4% usage rate increase and are averaging at least +0.10 more fantasy points per minute over there season-long numbers with Leonard off the court.
As reported by: Andrew Greif via Twitter Andre Drummond (eye) and Luke Kennard (knee) listed questionable Saturday
Drummond has been downgraded to questionable on the Pistons’ injury report for Saturday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets due to left eye inflammation, while Kennard is also questionable with bilateral knee soreness. If Drummond is unable to suit up, his potential replacement in the starting lineup is a bit tough to project for this reason, but Markieff Morris, Christian Wood, and possibly even Thon Maker figure to benefit from increased playing time. Blake Griffin has only played 57.5 minutes with Drummond off the court this season, but he should theoretically see a substantial increase in his usage and rebounding rates. Still, Derrick Rose has thrived without Drummond, as he owns a 34.0% usage rate, a 55.3% assist rate, and is averaging 1.54 DraftKings and 1.52 FanDuel points per minute in a 190.1 minutes sample size.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Luke Kennard Eric Bledsoe (shin) listed out Saturday; Giannis Antetokounmpo (quad) listed questionable
Bledsoe is listed out on the Bucks’ injury report and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to a shin contusion, while Antetokounmpo is questionable with a sore quad tendon. Antetokounmpo was able to play through his injury in Friday’s win, but the coaching staff definitely appeared to be monitoring his playing time, as he logged just 27 minutes before the starters were pulled with three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. As for Bledsoe’s absence, George Hill will more than likely draw the start at point guard after he replaced Bledsoe in the third quarter of yesterday’s contest and went on to play over 18 minutes in the second half. Other than Hill, the main beneficiaries with Bledsoe off the court have been Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez, as they each own a minimum of a +5.0% increase in usage rate and average at least +0.09 more fantasy points per minute over their season-long numbers.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Giannis Antetokounmpo Russell Westbrook (rest) listed out Saturday
As expected, Westbrook has been listed out on the Rockets’ injury report and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons due to rest purposes on the second leg of a back-to-back set, while Tyson Chandler is questionable with an illness. However, Chandler has played fewer than 10 minutes in each of his previous six games, so his potential absence would have minimal impact on the remaining members of the Houston frontcourt rotation. As for Westbrook, his unavailability should allow Ben McLemore to enter the starting lineup, and he already typically sees minutes in the upper-20s when Westbrook is active, giving him a substantial minute floor in tonight’s contest. It goes without saying that James Harden is a massive beneficiary with Westbrook off the court, and he owns a 47.8% usage rate, a 46.0% assist rate, and is averaging 1.84 DraftKings and 1.72 FanDuel points per minute.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Route to Jam Studs
I would love to jam in the studs today like James Harden (playing without Russell Westbrook) and Paul George (likely without Kawhi Leonard and maybe Lou Williams). House provides salary relief and is a route to that construction. He’s not a big fantasy producer, but he plays massive minutes for his defense and I’m willing to take a flyer on him to play the stars.
