DFS Alerts
Eric Paschall (hip) listed out Friday
As expected, Paschall has been downgraded to out on the Warriors’ injury report and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz due to sore left hip, while Draymond Green was previously ruled out for rest purposes. Head coach Steve Kerr may opt to utilize Kevon Looney as a false starter in place of Paschall at power forward, but he’s yet to play more than 15 minutes in any game this season, so a majority of the available frontcourt playing time should be absorbed by Marquese Chriss and Omari Spellman this evening. D’Angelo Russell has only played 56.1 minutes without Paschall and Green on the court, but in that limited time, he has a 35.8% usage rate and is averaging 1.51 DraftKings and 1.42 FanDuel points per minute, making him an intriguing tournament target at his price point across the daily fantasy industry.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report
Austin Rivers (illness) listed probable Friday; Tyson Chandler (illness) listed out
Rivers has been upgraded from doubtful to probable on the Rockets’ injury report for Friday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic after missing two games due to illness, while Chandler has been listed out, as expected, with an illness. However, Chandler has played fewer than 10 minutes in each of the previous six games, so his absence will have minimal impact on the remaining members of the Houston frontcourt rotation. In Rivers’ absence, Chris Clemons had assumed an insignificant role in the second unit, so the likely return of Rivers will more negatively affect the minute floors of Ben McLemore and possibly Danuel House Jr, likely eliminating their viability on tonight’s nine-game main slate.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Tyson Chandler Flashed When Given Extended Run
I’m not entirely sure Tyus Jones will end up being “contrarian” but a first glance at projection systems across the industry it’s De’Anthony Melton that is popping as the better Grizzlies option with Ja Morant sidelined. Melton has been the better producer recently and even been getting some run at shooting guard which arguably gives him a higher minutes floor in this spot but I want to go overweight on Jones in tournaments if the expectation is he’s going to be lower owned than Melton. Jones has flashed when given extended runs dating back to his time with the Timberwolves and has shown us he has plenty of upside on his low price tag.
Al Horford (knee, hamstring) out Friday
Horford has officially bee ruled out and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans due to a sore left knee and tight left hamstring that has now forced him to miss two games. In his absence, Mike Scott ended up receiving the start alongside Tobias Harris at the forward positions, and he was serviceable from a fantasy perspective in 28 minutes of action in Thursday’s win. However, Matisse Thybulle also logged 30 minutes off the bench with Josh Richardson still on a minute restriction, and he’s been a much better fantasy producer than Scott, averaging 0.74 DraftKings and 0.81 FanDuel points per minute. Although, as expected, Joel Embiid is the main beneficiary with Horford off the court this season, and he owns a 33.4% usage rate, a 23.2% assist rate, a 24.1% rebound rate, and is averaging 1.61 DraftKings and 1.60 FanDuel points per minute.
As reported by: Keith Pompey via Twitter Lou Williams (calf) and JaMychal Green (tailbone) out Friday
Williams and Green have both been ruled out and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves, while Rodney McGruder will play on a minute restriction in his return from a seven-game absence due to a strained left hamstring. The Clippers are also without Patrick Beverley and Landry Shamet for tonight’s contest, but this will be the first time Beverley is unavailable when Kawhi Leonard is active, which sheds some uncertainty on who will replace Beverley in the starting lineup. Jerome Robinson handled the backup point guard responsibilities in the fourth quart of Wednesday’s win, but Terance Mann averaged 29 minutes per game when Beverley and Leonard were sidelined earlier in the season. Robinson and Mann have similar production rates thus far, but Robinson has the edge in usage with a 22.6% rate on the season.
As reported by: Jovan Buha via Twitter Other tagged players: JaMychal Green Rodney McGruder (hamstring) will play Friday
As expected, McGruder will play in Friday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves after missing seven games due to a strained right hamstring, while JaMychal Green remains questionable with a tailbone contusion. Head coach Doc Rivers did confirm to reporters that McGruder will “play a little but not a lot” in his first game back from an extended layoff. The Clippers will be without Patrick Beverley for tonight’s contest, but this will be the first time he is unavailable when Kawhi Leonard is expected to be active, which sheds some uncertainty on who will replace Beverley in the starting lineup. However, the most likely scenario appears to be Terance Mann drawing the start at point guard after he averaged 29 minutes per game while Beverley was sidelined earlier in the season.
As reported by: Andrew Greif via Twitter Kyle Kuzma (ankle) out Friday; Rajon Rondo (hamstring) upgraded to probable
Kuzma has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Miami Heat due to a sprained left ankle that has now forced him to miss two games, while Rondo is now probable with a strained left hamstring. Kuzma typically subs in for JaVale McGee at the later stages of the first quarter, moving Anthony Davis over to the center spot, so Dwight Howard could be a low key beneficiary of increased playing time with Davis theoretically needing to spend more time at the power forward position. However, this isn’t how head coach Frank Vogel opted to utilize his rotation in Wednesday’s win, and instead, rolled with Jared Dudley in Kuzma’s vacated role, as the elder statesman logged 21 minutes before being ejected midway through the fourth quarter.
As reported by: Tania Ganguli via Twitter Other tagged players: Rajon Rondo Jamal Murray (torso) and Paul Millsap (foot) available to play Thursday
Murray and Millsap have both officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Thursday’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers despite dealing with their respective ailments. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for either player, so they’ll presumably be a full-go should handle their usual allotment of minutes in tonight’s contest. Millsap’s playing time can be extremely sporadic on a game-to-game basis, so Jamal Murray may be the better fantasy option of the two, as he leads the Nuggets with a 25.7% usage rate to go along with a 22.6% assist rate and an average of 1.02 DraftKings and 1.01 FanDuel points per minute on the season.
As reported by: the Denver Nuggets via Twitter Other tagged players: Paul Millsap Andre Drummond (eye) listed available Thursday
Drummond has been upgraded from questionable on the Pistons’ injury report and is listed as available to play in Thursday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks despite dealing with left eye inflammation stemming from an allergic reaction. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Drummond, so he will presumably be a full-go and should be fine to handle his usual allotment of playing time in tonight’s contest. If Drummond isn’t hampered by the allergic reaction, he’s always in consideration for tournament formats at the very least, as he owns a 24.5% usage rate, 27.6% rebound rate, and is averaging 1.41 DraftKings and 1.44 FanDuel points per minute on the season.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Mike Scott will start for Al Horford (knee, hamstring) on Thursday
Despite participating in this morning’s shootaround, Horford won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics due to a sore left knee and tight left hamstring. In his absence, Mike Scott will receive the starting nod alongside Tobias Harris at the forward positions, but his minute floor remains extremely volatile with head coach Brett Brown’s ability to play Harris at the four and insert Matisse Thybulle, Furkan Korkmaz, or James Ennis III at the wing positions. Additionally, Kyle O’Quinn will assume the backup center duties with Horford sidelined, but he still hasn’t played a single second alongside Joel Embiid this season, which limits his minute ceiling.
As reported by: Serena Winters via Twitter Al Horford (knee, hamstring) out Thursday
Despite participating in this morning’s shootaround, Horford won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics due to a sore left knee and tight left hamstring. There has yet to be any confirmation from the Sixers or head coach Brett Brown, but Furkan Korkmaz or James Ennis III will likely enter the starting lineup since Brown has recently expressed his preference to bring Matisse Thybulle off the bench in a sixth-man role. Kyle O’Quinn will assume the backup center duties with Horford sidelined, but he still hasn’t played a single second alongside Joel Embiid this season, which limits his minute ceiling.
As reported by: Serena Winters via Twitter Gordon Hayward (face) will play Thursday
As expected, Hayward will play and start in Thursday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics despite dealing with a facial contusion he sustained in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s loss, while Marcus Smart and Robert Williams III were previously ruled out. In Smart’s absence, Hayward has received the start alongside Jayson Tatum at the forward positions in each of the last two games, and he was on pace to eclipse the 30-minute mark for the first time since returning from a lengthy injury layoff in last night’s contest, even though it was a disappointing fantasy performance overall. Hayward is now more appropriately priced on all sites, but he’s still firmly in play, as he is expected to see more minutes and is averaging 1.10 DraftKings and 1.06 FanDuel points per minute on the season.
As reported by: Adam Himmelsbach via Twitter Low Price Tag On This Veteran PF
Love is on his second half of a back-to-back, so be sure to monitor that, but if he plays, it is a great spot for Love in this matchup against the Spurs who have continued to struggle defensively. The Spurs are bottom 5 in defensive efficiency and have struggled mightily against bigs.
Tough Decision At Center Today
On a small slate with a handful of options at center, Joel Embiid stands out as the top option for GPPs today. You get a small discount on both sites when going Embiid over Drummond, and we have seen dynamic bigs like Domantas Sabonis and Nikola Jokic give Boston fits recently. This matchup should be a competitive one which bodes well for Embiid’s minutes upside.
Value On A Small Slate
It’s never too appealing to roster a Cavaliers player in DFS, let alone one that comes off the bench, but the value available for a 4-game slate will almost always be limited. Over the past few games, Porter has flashed upside with the second unit, and has earned time on the court at the expense of Cedi Osman and likely to push for 24-26 minutes tonight. The small forward position is very weak this slate and you must roster two of them on FanDuel, so he figures to be more in play there, but on DraftKings he still might end up being a necessary piece in cash games in order to afford Luka Doncic in your lineup.
