DFS Alerts
Kyle Kuzma (foot) officially out Sunday
Kuzma has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans due to left foot tendinitis, while there has yet to be an update on the status of Reggie Bullock, who has already missed four consecutive games with right foot plantar fasciitis, and the Lakers haven’t been very prudent in confirming his availability prior to tipoff. The Lakers did announce yesterday that they are shutting down LeBron James for the remainder of their disappointing season, which will allow Lance Stephenson to remain in the starting lineup alongside either Bullock or Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on the wing. As for Kuzma’s absence, Moritz Wagner will receive the starting nod at power forward, but his playing time has been all over the map of late, relegating him to a tournament-only option on tonight’s slates.
As reported by: Kyle Goon via Twitter
Anthony Davis (back) out Sunday
Despite originally being listed as probable, Davis has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers due to lower back spasms that have now forced him to miss three consecutive games, while Frank Jackson remains in the concussion protocol and will sit for a second straight contest. The Pelicans’ front office has stayed true to their word in regards to limiting Davis’ playing time, and he’s consistently been held to around 20-22 minutes per game when active. This does minimalize the impact of his absence, but now that he’s unavailable, Jahlil Okafor will likely start, even though Christian Wood has logged at least 28 minutes in each of his last two outings. Other than Wood, it’s unsurprisingly been Julius Randle that has benefitted the most with Davis, Jackson, Jrue Holiday, and E’Twaun Moore off the court since the All-Star break, as he owns a 32.9% (+2.7%) usage rate and is averaging 1.45 DraftKings and 1.31 FanDuel points per minute in an 86.8 minutes sample size over that time period.
As reported by: Andrew Lopez via Twitter Danilo Gallinari (ankle) expected to play Sunday
Gallinari has been listed as probable on the Clippers’ injury report, and he is expected to play in Sunday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies after missing one game due to a sore left ankle. There’s been no report of a potential minute restriction for Gallinari in his likely return, so he’ll presumably reclaim his customary starting power forward position from JaMychal Green, who was phenomenal from a fantasy perspective in just 23 minutes of action in Saturday’s win. Green’s value obviously takes a substantial hit coming off the bench in a reserve role, but assuming Gallinari isn’t limited, he could be an interesting option in daily fantasy formats since he owns a 26.9% usage rate and is averaging 1.24 DraftKings and 1.19 FanDuel points per minute since the NBA trade deadline, ranking second on the Clippers to Lou Williams over this time period.
As reported by: Tomer Azarly via Twitter Mike Conley (ankle) and Joakim Noah (knee) out Sunday
Conley has officially been ruled out of Sunday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers due to a sore left ankle he began experiencing during Saturday’s win, while Noah and Avery Bradley remain sidelined with their respective ailments. In Conley’s absence, Delon Wright will almost certainly receive the starting nod alongside Tyler Dorsey in the backcourt, and he’s logged at least 35 minutes in each of his two most recent starts with Conley sidelined, giving him and Dorsey each solid minute floors with Jevon Carter the only other guard on the roster with actual NBA experience. On top of that, Dorsey owns a 23.0% usage rate (+4.2%) and is averaging 1.12 DraftKings and 1.03 FanDuel points per minute with Conley, Noah, and Bradley off the court since the NBA trade deadline, making him a more intriguing option than Wright for daily fantasy formats given their significant discrepancy in price across the industry.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Joakim Noah Marvin Bagley III (illness) questionable Sunday; Harry Giles III (thigh) remains out
Bagley III has officially been listed as questionable on the Kings’ injury report for Sunday’s matchup against the San Antonio Spurs due to a stomach illness, while Giles III will sit for a fifth straight contest with a bruised left thigh. Additionally, Nemanja Bjelica is set to return from a one-game absence because of an illness, so as long as he isn’t limited, he should reclaim his customary starting power forward position from Bagley, and if Bagley is ruled out closer to tipoff, he would have a significantly higher minute floor and ceiling and would make him a viable tournament target on tonight’s four-game main slate. Bjelica isn’t a high-usage player by any means, but he has averaged 1.06 DraftKings and 1.08 FanDuel points per minute with Bagley and Giles off the court since the NBA trade deadline.
As reported by: Jason Jones via Twitter Other tagged players: Harry Giles Khris Middleton (groin) listed out Sunday
Middleton is a late addition to the Bucks’ injury report and is listed as out for Sunday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks due to a sore left groin, while Giannis Antetokounmpo was already ruled out with a sprained right ankle. The Bucks are extremely shorthanded and only have nine players active for today’s contest, including Eric Bledsoe, who won’t start and his actual status has yet to be confirmed by the team. As for the starting lineup, Milwaukee currently has Tim Frazier, Sterling Brown, Bonzie Colson, D.J. Wilson, and Brook Lopez listed as starters, which leaves Pat Connaughton, Ersan Ilyasova, and George Hill as the primary players available on the bench. Brown has started the last two games alongside Bledsoe in the backcourt, but Connaughton has benefited the most in terms of playing time, and he’s logged at least 30 minutes off the bench in each contest over this span, possibly making them two of the top targets from this depleted Bucks squad this afternoon.
As reported by: Matt Velazquez via Twitter Taurean Prince (foot) scratched Sunday; Kent Bazemore (groin) available to play
After head coach Lloyd Pierce confirmed Prince would start, he’s now been ruled out and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks due to bilateral foot soreness that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Bazemore has been cleared to play despite dealing with a strained left adductor. Additionally, Dewayne Dedmon is slated to undergo a procedure on his sore ankle later in the week, and Alex Len will receive the starting nod at center in today’s contest following a DNP-CD for rest purposes in Friday’s loss. Unsurprisingly, Trae Young has been the main beneficiary with Prince and all of the injured Hawks off the court since the trade deadline, as he owns a 38.8% usage rate (+7.1%) and is averaging 1.50 DraftKings and 1.38 FanDuel point per minute in an 81.6 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Brad Rowland via Twitter Other tagged players: Kent Bazemore Giannis Antetokounmpo (ankle) out Sunday
Antetokounmpo has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks due to a sprained right ankle, while Tony Snell, Malcolm Brogdon, and Nikola Mirotic all remain sidelined with their respective ailments. In their absences, Ersan Ilyasova should receive the starting nod at power forward and appears to be in line for an increased minute floor after logging at least 20 minutes off the bench in four of the Bucks previous five games. Sterling Brown has started the last two games alongside Eric Bledsoe in the backcourt, but Pat Connaughton has benefited the most in terms of playing time, and he’s logged at least 30 minutes off the bench in each contest over this span.
As reported by: Matt Velazquez via Twitter If Gallinari Out, Green Should Be In
The Clippers were without Danilo Gallinari yesterday and it would be somewhat surprising if they rushed him to come back for a home matchup against Memphis. If Gallinari does sit, JaMychal Green will likely replace him once again in the starting lineup against his old team. Green has been a strong fantasy producer this season, averaging over a fantasy point per minute, so a starting role and increased minutes would make him one of the top point-per-dollar plays of the slate.
Arguably a Lock
If you haven’t been playing Jonas Valanciunas over the last couple of weeks odds are you haven’t been winning very often. JoVal topped off his recent dominant stretch with what hopefully won’t be the grand finale as he dropped a monster 34/20 line on Phoenix last night. This is a tough West Coast back-to-back for the Memphis big man but he’s still an extremely difficult fade in tournaments and is arguably a lock (I hate that word) in cash games.
Target The Highest Projected Point Total Game With These Players
The game with the highest Vegas point total on tonight’s slate is the Philadelphia – Minnesota matchup, which at 229.5 points is almost 15 points higher than the next-highest game. With Joel Embiid resting tonight and Karl-Anthony Towns making a late-season run at the All-NBA Team, I’d start a game stack on this game with the Minnesota big man who leads his team in scoring at 24.5 ppg. On the Philadelphia side, Embiid’s absence should create more opportunities for his teammates, with Jimmy Butler (4% usage increase with Embiid off the court), Ben Simmons (2% usage increase), and Tobias Harris (2% usage increase) all potential GPP targets.
Other tagged players: Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris, Jimmy Butler
Kevin Love (shoulder) out Saturday
Love is a late addition to the Cavaliers’ injury report and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers due to a sore left shoulder, while Matthew Dellavedova and John Henson each remain sidelined with their respective ailments. In Love’s absence, David Nwaba will receive the starting nod alongside Cedi Osman in the frontcourt, and he’s consistently been limited to minutes in the high-teens off the bench, which may mean he won’t see a substantial increase in playing time just because he’s been announced as a starter this afternoon. The minutes of Brandon Knight can be volatile, but he has been the clear beneficiary with Love off the court since the trade deadline, as he owns a 22.0% usage rate (+4.1%) and is averaging 0.95 DraftKings and 0.94 FanDuel points per minute in a 178.6 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Chris Fedor via Twitter Remain Thin
The Bulls remain extremely thin, which means continued extended run for Chicago’s bench players. While Wayne Selden and Shaq Harrison have been the top producers in LaVine, Dunn, and Porter’s absence, their price tags have risen to the point where they don’t make for as strong point-per-dollar plays as Antonio Blakeney. Blakeney drew the start last game and logged 32 minutes of action, which is about all you can ask for. Blakeney does have a serviceable 22.8% usage rate this season which gives him some offensive upside.
Petty Warz
Jimmy Butler has been Philadelphia’s biggest beneficiary of Joel Embiid’s absence this season. In 824 Embiid-less minutes this year, Butler’s usage rate has increased 4.4% and his fantasy production has increased by over 11%. Butler also has #revenge on his side for this contest as he gets another crack to punish his old team that he so publicly divorced early this year.
War of Attrition
Dragic absolutely feasted in Miami’s last game against Dallas and will get a chance to do so again Saturday night against the Knicks as the Heat will once again be without Josh Richardson and Justise Winslow. The Heat are still battling it out for playoff seeding in the Eastern Conference, so I fully expect the veteran Dragic to play as many minutes as he can handle in a favorable matchup.