DFS Alerts
Marcus Smart is expected to play
Marcus Smart was able to participate in shootaround and will be back in action tonight, although we will still want to watch for starting lineup confirmation to see exactly how he will be deployed. This will probably take Grant Williams out of the starting lineup, but he wasn’t much of a DFS consideration anyway. Brad Wanamaker’s minutes are also likely to decrease if Smart gets anything near his full usual run.
As reported by: Brian Robb
Aron Baynes (calf) officially out Thursday
As expected, Baynes won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans due to a strained left calf that has now forced him to miss three games. In his absence, Frank Kaminsky has started the previous two contests alongside Dario Saric in the frontcourt, and he’s mostly been great for fantasy purposes, logging at least 26 minutes in both starts. However, the less-impressive 26 minutes Kaminsky recorded in Wednesday’s win was solely due to the blowout, as he and the remaining members of the starting lineup were pulled prior to the end of the fourth quarter. Some may look to Cheick Diallo as a salary-saver on an abbreviated four-game slate following a solid fantasy performance, but it’s important to note that he saw 12 of his 19 total minutes in fourth-quarter garbage time in last night’s contest.
As reported by: Andrew Lopez via Twitter
Isaiah Thomas (calf) out Thursday
Thomas is a surprise inactive and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers due to a strained left calf, while Jordan McRae is slated to miss a minimum of two weeks because of surgery on his right index finger. McRae had seen at least 22 minutes in five of the Wizards previous six games, so there will certainly be some available playing time on the wing if head coach Scott Brooks opts to not insert Justin Robinson or Chris Chiozza into the rotation. As for Moe Wagner, if he isn’t subject to a minute restriction in his return from a one-game absence, he becomes a top value option on tonight’s main slate at the expense of Davis Bertans and Rui Hachimura, who will no longer be asked to absorb nearly all of the available frontcourt minutes this evening. Bertans will head to the bench after logging 40 minutes in Tuesday’s loss, while Ian Mahinmi will be subject to a minute restriction in his season debut.
As reported by: the Washington Wizards via Twitter Derrick Favors (personal) out Thursday; Kenrich Williams (ankle) available to play
Favors has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns due to personal reasons, while head coach Alvin Gentry confirmed with reporters that Williams will be available to return from a two-game absence stemming from a sprained left ankle. There have been no reports of a potential minute restriction for Williams, so he could possibly replace either Lonzo Ball or J.J. Redick in the starting lineup for tonight’s contest. Ball finally rejoined the starting lineup for Tuesday’s loss, and he was able to log at least 30 minutes for a second straight contest despite the overwhelming performance from a fantasy perspective. Ball is still averaging 0.98 DraftKings and 0.92 FanDuel points per minute on the year, so he’ll be a viable option in tournament formats on tonight’s four-game slate.
As reported by: Pelicans PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Kenrich Williams Marcus Morris (neck), Frank Ntilikina (back), an Elfrid Payton (hamstring) available to play Thursday
Morris, Ntilikina, and Payton have all been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Thursday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets despite dealing with their respective ailments. There haven’t been any reports of minute restrictions for the aforementioned players, and head coach David Fizdale already confirmed that Morris and Ntilikina will assume their normal starting roles at small forward and point guard, respectively.
As reported by: Chris Iseman via Twitter Other tagged players: Frank Ntilikina, Elfrid Payton Danuel House Jr. (illness) will play off the bench Thursday
House Jr. has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play off the bench in Thursday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors after missing two games due to an illness. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for House, but the fact that he will be relegated to a reserve role in his return is a possible hint that he may not yet be healthy enough to absorb a starters’ minute workload this evening. This means that Ben McLemore will remain in the starting lineup for at least one more game, but he can easily be avoided in daily fantasy formats with a shakier minute floor and elevated price tag across the industry.
As reported by: Craig Ackerman via Twitter Jamal Murray (illness) listed probable Thursday
Murray is a late addition to the Nuggets’ injury report and is probable for Thursday’s matchup against the New York Knicks due to an illness. Head coach Mike Malone should be speaking to reporters shortly for his pregame media availability, so the status of Murray’s condition should be known shortly, but judging solely by the injury designation, Murray appears to be on track to suit up this evening.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Moe Wagner (ankle) and Ian Mahinmi (ankle) will play Thursday
Wagner and Mahinmi have been upgraded from questionable and will play in Thursday’s matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers, while Jordan McRae underwent successful surgery on his right ring finger will be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks, effectively ruling him out of tonight’s contest. McRae had seen at least 22 minutes in five of the Wizards previous six games, so there will certainly be some available playing time on the wing if head coach Scott Brooks opts to not insert Justin Robinson into the rotation. As for Wagner, if he isn’t subject to a minute restriction in his return, he becomes a top value option on tonight’s main slate at the expense of Davis Bertans and Rui Hachimura, who will no longer be asked to absorb nearly all of the available frontcourt minutes this evening.
As reported by: Candace Buckner via Twitter Other tagged players: Ian Mahinmi Jordan McRae (finger) out Thursday
McRae underwent successful surgery on his right ring finger will be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks, effectively ruling him out of Thursday’s matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers, while Moritz Wagner and Ian Mahinmi each remain questionable due to their respective ailments. McRae had seen at least 22 minutes in five of the Wizards previous six games, so there will certainly be some available playing time on the wing if head coach Scott Brooks opts to not insert Justin Robinson into the rotation. As for Wagner, his availability will dictate tonight’s four-game slate to some extent, as he becomes a viable option if he’s cleared to play, and if he’s ruled out, Davis Bertans and Rui Hachimura become much more appealing targets in all daily fantasy formats this evening.
As reported by: the Washington Wizards via Twitter Aron Baynes (calf) doubtful Thursday
Baynes has been listed as doubtful on the Suns’ injury report for Thursday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans due to a strained left calf that has already forced him to miss two games. In his absence, Frank Kaminsky has started the previous two contests alongside Dario Saric in the frontcourt, and he’s mostly been great for fantasy purposes, logging at least 26 minutes in both starts. However, the less-impressive 26 minutes Kaminsky recorded in Wednesday’s win was solely due to the blowout, as he and the remaining members of the starting lineup were pulled prior to the end of the fourth quarter. Some may look to Cheick Diallo as a salary-saver on an abbreviated four-game slate following a solid fantasy performance, but it’s important to note that he saw 12 of his 19 total minutes in fourth-quarter garbage time in last night’s contest.
As reported by: Gina Mizell via Twitter Questions at the Center Position Tonight
One of the biggest questions on this slate is what is happening at the center position for Washington. With the regular starter Thomas Bryant out with an injury, Moritz Wagner should get the start and could provide excellent value with his 1.17 fantasy points per minute with Bryant off the court this season. If Wagner is out with his own injury – as was the case on Tuesday – the Wizards could be in a bind, needing to start rookie Rui Hachimura at center. If this is the case, Hachimura becomes an appealing play at his price with his 13.4 ppg and 5.6 rpg averages. Either way, it’s probably a good idea to see if Joel Embiid (22.4 ppg, 12.2 rpg) can fit onto your DFS rosters, as it’s not clear who the Wizards can put up to guard the 76ers big man.
Other tagged players: Moe Wagner, Rui Hachimura
Bogdan Bogdanovic (knee) out Wednesday
Bogdanovic has officially bee downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers due to a right knee contusion. The Kings stated that Bogdanovic will be day-to-day moving forward, but in the meantime, there will be a substantial amount of minutes available at the wing positions, as Bogdanovic has logged between 28-30 minutes off the bench in four of the previous five games. Trevor Ariza is the wild card in head coach Luke Walton’s rotation because he has only managed to see 12 minutes of live game action since returning from an extended injury layoff, so if he remains limited, Justin James or Yogi Ferrell could be in line for increased minute workloads alongside Cory Joseph in the backcourt.
As reported by: James Ham via Twitter Luke Kennard (knee) out Wednesday; Svi Mykhailiuk will start
Kennard has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks due to bilateral knee tendinopathy, while Markieff Morris remains probable with a cervical strain. Morris should be good to go in tonight’s contest since he saw his normal allotment of minutes in Tuesday’s win, but Kennard exited towards the end of the third quarter and was limited to just 22 minutes of action. With Kennard unable to suit up, Svi Mykhailiuk will receive the starting nod alongside Bruce Brown in the backcourt, and he was rather serviceable from a fantasy perspective in 26 minutes of blowout run in the aforementioned contest. However, he’ll be still competing for minutes for on the wing with Brown, Tony Snell, and Langston Galloway, so his minute floor may not be as stable as it seems on the surface.
As reported by: the Detroit Pistons via Twitter Other tagged players: Svi Mykhailiuk Jonas Valanciunas (illness) will play Wednesday; Kyle Anderson (heel) ruled out
Valanciunas has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls after missing two games due to an illness, while Anderson remains sidelined with a sore right heel. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Valanciunas, so he’ll almost certainly resume his usual role as the starting center, which will send Solomon Hill back to the bench following his surprisingly efficient fantasy performance in 33 minutes of action in Monday’s loss. Valanciunas has been allotted at least 32 minutes in each of his last two games, so he’ll be an intriguing tournament target on tonight’s slate considering he is averaging 1.49 DraftKings and 1.45 FanDuel points per minute with Anderson and Ja Morant off the court this season.
As reported by: Omari Sankofa II via Twitter Other tagged players: Kyle Anderson D'Angelo Russell (thumb) will start Wednesday
As expected, Russell has been cleared to play and will start in Wednesday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets after missing nine games due to a sprained right thumb. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Russell in his return, but with Draymond Green yet to eclipse the 24-minute mark in the three games he’s played since returning from an extended injury layoff, it certainly seems possible that Russell is subject to a similar restriction in what’s becoming a lost season for this Golden State franchise. If that’s not the case, Russell sets up as an intriguing tournament option on tonight’s slate, as he owns a 34.7% usage rate, 40.4% assist rate, and is averaging 1.40 DraftKings and 1.33 FanDuel points per minute with Stephen Curry off the court this season.
As reported by: Anthony Slater via Twitter