DFS Alerts
Marcus Smart (ankle) available to play Wednesday
As expected, Smart will be available to play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers despite dealing with a sprained right ankle. Head coach Brad Stevens already confirmed during his pregame media availability that Smart won’t be subject to a minute restriction in tonight’s contest, so he should be a full-go and assume his normal starting role alongside Kemba Walker in the backcourt. Smart still isn’t a high-usage player in the Celtics offense, but he still has managed to average 0.86 DraftKings and 0.85 FanDuel points per minute on the season, largely thanks to solid peripheral statistics and a 22.8% assist rate.
As reported by: Tom Westerholm via Twitter
Kawhi Leonard (knee) will play Wednesday
As expected, Leonard has been cleared by the Clippers medical staff and will play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics after missing three games due to a left knee contusion. There’s been no report of a potential minute restriction for Leonard, but with his return to the starting lineup, this will be the first time all season that Clippers will be at full strength and be able to field their entire starting five. Unfortunately, Leonard, Paul George, and the other main rotational Clippers players are priced for their previous roles with one of Leonard or George sidelined, so they’ll be an easy team to avoid in daily fantasy on a loaded 11-game main slate this evening.
As reported by: Andrew Greif via Twitter Andrew Wiggins (illness) will start Wednesday; Josh Okogie (knee) available
Wiggins has officially been upgraded from questionable and will start in Wednesday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz after missing three games due to an illness, while Okogie is available to play off the bench despite dealing with a sore left knee. The Timberwolves will be without Jake Layman and Shabazz Napier, and Layman managed to log at least 28 minutes in each of his previous four games before exiting in the second quarter of Monday’s win with the aforementioned injury.
As reported by: Kent Youngblood via Twitter Other tagged players: Josh Okogie Coby White (ankle) will play Wednesday
White was injured during pregame warmups but confirmed with reporters he will play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons despite dealing with a sprained left ankle. With White battling an injury, Shaq Harrison will receive the starting nod at small forward in place of the injured Chandler Hutchison, but he’s unlikely to see substantial minutes if White is able to handle a full workload in tonight’s contest. With White cleared to play, he should have access to a much safer minute floor with Hutchison and Otto Porter Jr. sidelined, and he currently owns a 25.3% usage rate and is averaging 0.91 DraftKings and 0.86 FanDuel points on the season.
As reported by: K.C. Johnson via Twitter Draymond Green (heel) out Wednesday
Green has been quickly downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Wednesday’s second leg of a back-to-back set against the Dallas Mavericks due to right heel soreness. With Green unable to suit up, Ky Bowman will rejoin the starting lineup and receive the nod at point guard after being limited to fewer than 28 minutes in both games Green has been the de facto starter at the point. The Warriors seem to be accumulating an evergrowing sample size with Green, D’Angelo Russell, and Stephen Curry off the court, and in that time, Glenn Robinson III has actually been the main beneficiary, as he owns a 21.4% usage rate and is averaging 1.07 DraftKings and 1.00 FanDuel points per minute in a 77.1 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Anthony Slater via Twitter Jonathan Isaac (ankle) listed available Wednesday
As expected, Isaac is listed as available to play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors after missing two games due to a sprained right ankle. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Isaac, so he’ll presumably be a full-go and replace Al-Farouq Aminu in the starting lineup following his up-and-down fantasy performances in an average of 31.3 minutes over the Magic’s previous two contests. Isaac is still a low-usage player at this point in his career, but he makes it up with peripheral statistics and is averaging 1.01 DraftKings and 1.08 FanDuel points per minute on the young season.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Jabari Parker (shoulder) and Evan Turner (Achilles) listed available Wednesday
As expected, Parker and Turner are listed as available to play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks despite dealing with their respective ailments. Turner recently returned from a lengthy injury absence, and he’s logged precisely 15 minutes in both of his appearances off the bench in the Hawks’ previous two games. As for Parker, he’s settled into a role in the low-30s in terms of minutes as a starter following the suspension of John Collins, and he’s currently second on the Hawks with a 25.3% usage rate and is averaging 1.13 DraftKings and 1.13 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Evan Turner High Volume Fantasy Scorer Starts Tonight
So far this season Larry Nance averages 24 minutes a game with a usage rate hovering around the 15% mark. He has yet to start a game but that changes tonight as Tristan Thompson is sitting out to rest. Nance has always been a solid per minute producer for fantasy and I like his chances at a double-double tonight
Kawhi Leonard (knee) expected to play Wednesday
Despite still being listed as questionable, Leonard is expected to play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics after missing three games with a left knee contusion. With Leonard on track to return to the starting lineup, this will be the first time all season that Clippers will be at full strength and be able to field their entire starting five. Unfortunately, Leonard, Paul George, and the other main rotational Clippers players are priced for their previous roles with one of Leonard or George sidelined, so they’ll be an easy team to avoid in daily fantasy on a loaded 11-game main slate this evening.
As reported by: Ohm Youngmisuk via Twitter Seth Curry (illness) listed out Wednesday
Curry has been downgraded to out on the updated version of the Mavericks’ injury report and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors due to an illness. Curry has started alongside Luka Doncic in the backcourt for five consecutive games and has averaged 25.8 minutes per game over that span, so there will be a significant amount of wing minutes available in head coach Rick Carlisle’s rotation this evening. Carlisle can be sporadic with his minute distribution on a game-to-game basis, but Delon Wright, Tim Hardaway Jr, and Jalen Brunson appear to be the logical candidates to absorb the available two-guard minutes regardless of who actually receives the starting nod at the shooting guard position.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Brandon Knight (ankle) listed out Wednesday
Knight is listed out on the updated version of the Cavaliers’ injury report and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Miami Heat due to a sprained right ankle. Knight recently rejoined the rotation in a minimal role, logging at least 12 minutes in each of the previous two games, so his absence won’t have a substantial impact on the remaining members of the guard rotation. Cleveland will also be without Tristan Thompson for rest purposes following the heavy minute workload he’s been asked to absorb in the early portion of the season with Ante Zizic sidelined. Zizic saw his playing time increase to 20 minutes in Monday’s loss, so he could potentially be an intriguing value option on tonight’s 11-game slate if those minutes can find their way into the mid-to-upper-20s this evening.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Josh Richardson (hip) listed out Wednesday
Richardson has been downgraded to out on the updated version of the Sixers’ injury report and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the New York Knicks due to right hip flexor tightness. There has yet to be any confirmation from the team or head coach Brett Brown on who will replace Richardson in the starting lineup, but Furkan Korkmaz remains the likeliest candidate as the current sixth man, even though Shake Milton and Trey Burke are also potential options if Brown prefers to keep his rotation largely intact this evening. Since Richardson is typically always on the floor with Joel Embiid, the main beneficiary with Richardson off the court has actually been Al Horford, as he owns a 21.2% usage rate and is averaging 1.34 DraftKings and 1.36 FanDuel points per minute in a 104.0 minutes sample size this season.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Chandler Hutchison (shins) out Wednesday
Head coach Jim Boylen disclosed to reporters at Bulls shootaround that Hutchison won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons due to sore shins. Boylen would not disclose his full plans for Hutchison’s replacement in the starting lineup, but he did eliminate Thaddeus Young as a possible option at small forward, which should narrow it down to either Coby White or Ryan Arcidiacono as the most likely starters alongside Zach LaVine on the wing. Regardless if he starts or not, White should be locked into a much safer minute floor with Hutchison and Otto Porter Jr. sidelined, and he currently owns a 25.3% usage rate and is averaging 0.91 DraftKings and 0.86 FanDuel points on the season.
As reported by: K.C. Johnson via Twitter Jake Layman (foot) officially out Wednesday
As expected, Layman won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz due to a sore left foot, while Andrew Wiggins remains questionable and is trending towards being a game-time decision because of an illness that’s already forced him to miss one game. If Wiggins is able to suit up, he’d more than likely replace Layman in the starting lineup if he’s a full-go, and Layman managed to log at least 28 minutes in each of his previous four games before exiting in the second quarter of Monday’s win with the aforementioned injury. The sample size among the regular starters with Wiggins off the court continues to stabilize with each passing game, and in that time, both Jeff Teague and Karl-Anthony Towns have seen a +2.7% or greater increase in usage rate while averaging at least +0.13 more DraftKings and FanDuel points per minute over their typical season-long numbers.
As reported by: Kent Youngblood via Twitter Larry Nance Jr. (thumb) will start Wednesday
Nance Jr. has officially bee upgraded from questionable and will start in Wednesday’s matchup against the Miami Heat after missing two games due to a sprained left thumb. The Cavaliers will also get back Kevin Love from a one-game injury absence, which will grant them the luxury of giving Tristan Thompson the night off following the heavy minute workload he’s been asked to absorb in the early portion of the season with Ante Zizic sidelined. Zizic saw his playing time increase to 20 minutes in Monday’s loss, so he could potentially be an intriguing value option on tonight’s 11-game slate if those minutes can find their way into the mid-to-upper-20s this evening.
As reported by: Chris Fedor via Twitter