DFS Alerts
Danilo Gallinari (ankle) out Monday
Gallinari has officially been ruled out of Monday’s second leg of a back-to-back set against the Utah Jazz due to a sprained left ankle, while Terrance Ferguson is still expected to miss a third straight game with a sore right hip. Gallinari was able to close out Sunday’s win, so it appears he may be sitting for precautionary reasons more than anything. Darius Bazley has typically been the primary backup power forward when Gallinari is available, and he should be considered the leading candidate to enter the starting lineup, especially with Abdel Nader already starting in place of Ferguson on the wing. None of the Thunder starters see a real increase in usage with Gallinari off the court, but Dennis Schroder does have a 31.6% usage rate and is averaging 0.99 DraftKings and 0.92 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: Andy Larsen via Twitter
Coby White (hamstring) listed probable Monday; Chandler Hutchison (shoulder) remains out
White is listed as probable for Monday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors due to right hamstring tightness, while Hutchison remains out with a sprained right shoulder. White is coming off of a solid fantasy performance in 32 minutes of action in Sunday’s overtime loss, so he should be able to suit up for tonight’s contest if the Bulls’ injury designation is accurate. White ended up closing the fourth quarter and the game over Tomas Satoransky, which led to his increased minutes total, but it remains unclear if that will be a trend moving forward. White continues to have a solid rookie campaign, as he has a 23.9% usage rate and is averaging 0.87 DraftKings and 0.82 FanDuel points per minute on the season.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Chandler Hutchison Fred VanVleet (knee) listed questionable Monday
VanVleet is listed as questionable on the Raptors’ injury report for Monday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls due to a right knee contusion. VanVleet was forced to exit Sunday’s loss midway through the second quarter, and he was replaced briefly by Rondae Hollis-Jefferson before Terence Davis subbed in to finish the half alongside Kyle Lowry in the backcourt. However, if VanVleet is unable to suit up, Norman Powell will more than likely receive the starting nod at the shooting guard position, and he would pretty regularly approach or exceed the 30-minute mark as a starter when Lowry was sidelined with an injury. Pascal Siakam has still been the main beneficiary with VanVleet off the court this season, as he owns a 33.3% usage rate and is averaging 1.32 DraftKings and 1.26 FanDuel points per minute in a 128.3 minutes sample size.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Tough Matchup, Increased Usage
Paul George draws a road game against his old team the Indiana Pacers on Monday night and makes for a strong tournament option despite the tough matchup. The Clippers are likely to be without Kawhi Leonard who has yet to play a back-to-back this season which bodes well for George’s fantasy production. While it’s been a limited sample, George is averaging over 8.5 fantasy points per 36 minutes with Leonard off the court this season as he averages more points, assists, and rebounds. Perhaps most importantly, George’s price tag remains accessible as he’s still priced as if Leonard were playing.
Kawhi Leonard (knee) and JaMychal Green (tailbone) out Monday; Patrick Patterson (back) questionable
As expected, Leonard won’t play in Monday’s second leg of a back-to-back set against the Indiana Pacers due to injury recovery of a sore left knee, while Green, Landry Shamet, and Rodney McGruder were all ruled out with their respective ailments. McGruder received the starting nod on the wing the last time Leonard was unavailable, so Terance Mann appears to be the likeliest candidate to start if head coach Doc Rivers doesn’t choose to roll with Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell together in the starting unit, as he’s done on occasion in the past. Ever since Paul George made his season debut, he, Harrell, and Williams have all seen a minimum of a +2.8% usage rate increase and are averaging at least +0.16 more fantasy points per minute over there season averages with Leonard off the court.
As reported by: Mirjam Swanson via Twitter Other tagged players: JaMychal Green, Patrick Patterson Marcus Smart (eye) questionable Monday; Gordon Hayward (hand) intends to play
Smart has been added to the Celtics’ injury report and is now questionable for Monday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to an eye infection, while Hayward went through shootaround and intends to play after missing a month with a fractured left hand. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Hayward thus far, so he’ll presumably be close to a full-go in tonight’s contests and has a solid chance to rejoin the Celtics starting lineup regardless of Smart’s availability. Barring an unforeseen limitation, Hayward will virtually be a “free square” on DraftKings, where he is mistakenly priced, as he owns a 22.9% usage rate, 20.2% assist rate, and is averaging 1.16 DraftKings and 1.11 FanDuel points per minute on the season.
As reported by: the Boston Celtics via Twitter Other tagged players: Gordon Hayward Malcolm Brogdon (hand) will play Monday
Brogdon confirmed with reporters at Pacers’ shootaround that he will play in Monday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers after missing one game due to a sore right hand. In his absence, Aaron Holiday received the start at point guard in Saturday’s win, and he was serviceable for fantasy purposes in 28 minutes of action. There haven’t been inclinations that Brogdon will be limited in any way, so he’ll almost certainly reclaim his usual starting job and send Holiday back to a reserve role where he typically is allotted minutes in the mid-teens on a nightly basis. Brogdon escaped any egregious pricing errors across the daily fantasy sites, but he still remains fairly priced considering he has a 26.8% usage rate, 36.5% assist rate, and is averaging 1.21 DraftKings and 1.16 FanDuel points this season.
As reported by: Scott Agness via Twitter Andrew Wiggins (thumb) will start Sunday; Jeff Teague (ankle) available to play
Wiggins and Teague will both be available to play in Sunday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers after previously being considered game-time decisions, while Karl-Anthony Towns and Shabazz Napier were also previously cleared to play. With Wiggins unavailable for Friday’s overtime loss, Teague ended up receiving the starting nod at point guard, and he was phenomenal from both real-life and fantasy perspectives in 40 minutes of action. However, there haven’t been any reports of minute restrictions for Teague or Wiggins, so Teague will head back to the bench to resume a reserve role that had kept him to 28 or fewer minutes in each of the Timberwolves’ previous two games.
As reported by: Timberwolves PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Jeff Teague Karl-Anthony Towns (knee) and Shabazz Napier (hamstring) listed available Sunday
As expected, Towns and Napier have been upgraded from probable and will be available to play in Sunday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers, while Andrew Wiggins and Jeff Teague remain game-time decisions due to their respective ailments. Towns had an injury designation heading into Friday’s overtime loss, but he still managed to log 37 minutes in that contest, so he should be considered a full-go barring an unforeseen in-game setback. Following a stellar start to the season, Towns has gone through a bit of a lull for fantasy purposes recently, but he is still averaging 1.59 DraftKings and 1.54 FanDuel points per minute to go along with a 28.2% usage rate on the year.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Shabazz Napier Rajon Rondo (hamstring) out Sunday
Rondo has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to a strained left hamstring. Rondo didn’t return to the game after halftime of Friday’s win, which enabled Quinn Cook to enter the rotation and log 10 total minutes from the end of the third quarter through garbage time. There could be some fantasy impact from Rondo’s absence if head coach Frank Vogel opts to condense the backcourt rotation to just Alex Caruso and Troy Daniels off the bench, but the more likely scenario is that Cook absorbs a large portion of the minutes that would have been allocated to Rondo this evening.
As reported by: Kyle Goon via Twitter Cory Joseph (back) will start Sunday; Marvin Bagley III (thumb) remains out
Joseph has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Sunday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks despite dealing with a sore lower back, while Bagley will remain sidelined as he recovers from a non-displaced fracture in his right thumb. For the most part, Joseph has been logging substantial minutes as the Kings starting point guard with De’Aaron Fox sidelined, as he’s seen at least 32 minutes in five of the Kings’ previous seven games. In fact, Joseph managed to log 38 inefficient minutes in Friday’s overtime loss despite originally being listed as questionable with the aforementioned back ailment, so he should be considered a full-go in tonight’s contest barring an in-game setback.
As reported by: Mike Peasley via Twitter Other tagged players: Marvin Bagley Matisse Thybulle (ankle) available to play Sunday
Thybulle has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Sunday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors despite dealing with a sprained right ankle, while Joel Embiid will return from a one-game absence for injury recovery management. Thybulle was one of the first players off the bench in Saturday’s massive blowout win, but he was limited to just nine minutes before exiting with his aforementioned ailment. He was replaced by Trey Burke, who went on to log 27 minutes and was apart of the bench unit that played the entire fourth quarter in garbage time. Head coach Brett Brown hasn’t been shy about playing Burke alongside Ben Simmons in the regular rotation, so there’s a possibility that he may still cut into some of Thybulle’s playing time, even if he isn’t hampered by his ailing ankle.
As reported by: Serena Winters via Twitter JaMychal Green (tailbone) will play Sunday
Head coach Doc Rivers confirmed that Green play in Sunday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards after missing two games due to a tailbone contusion, while Patrick Patterson was already ruled out because of back spasms. Patterson was allotted 26 minutes in the first game with Green sidelined, but in Friday’s blowout loss, he saw just seven minutes off the bench in the first half with Mfiondu Kabengale and the other Clippers fringe rotation players logging nearing a full quarter of garbage time run. Assuming Green isn’t limited, he should have the opportunity to absorb a large majority of the available backup power forward minutes, and he is currently averaging 0.88 DraftKings and 0.84 FanDuel points per minute on the season.
As reported by: Jovan Buha via Twitter Justise Winslow (back) out Sunday; Bam Adebayo (groin) will play
Winslow has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls due to a strained lower back, while Adebayo has been cleared to play in tonight’s contest. Miami is still without Goran Dragic as well, so Tyler Herro should remain in a prominent sixth-man role for at least one more game, and he was stellar from a fantasy perspective in 32 minutes of action in Friday’s win. No regular Heat rotation players see a significant usage increase with Winslow and Dragic off the court together this season, but Herro and Kendrick Nunn have both been consistent producers in this scenario, as they each average at least 0.84 DraftKings and 0.80 FanDuel points per minute.
As reported by: Tim Reynolds via Twitter Other tagged players: Bam Adebayo Marvin Williams (knee) out Sunday
Despite being listed as probable on the Hornets’ injury report, Williams won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against Atlanta Hawks due to a sore right knee. Williams exited at the tail end of the third quarter of Friday’s loss and was limited to just 16 minutes of action, and he was replaced by Nicolas Batum, who went on to log 33 minutes and ended up closing the game over Mile Bridges with the other members of the Hornets starting unit. It’s unclear if this will be a trend moving forward, but Batum has now seen at least 25 minutes in two straight contests. However, he’ll be a difficult player to trust in daily formats if he maintains a minuscule 9.8% usage rate with his newfound playing time in head coach James Borrego’s rotation.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR via Twitter