DFS Alerts
Taj Gibson (calf) officially out Friday
Gibson has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors due to a strained left calf that has now forced him to miss four consecutive, while Luol Deng remains sidelined with a sore left Achilles and is appearing unlikely to suit up again this season. Prior to his injury, Gibson had logged at least 21 minutes off the bench in four of his previous five games, so there will certainly continue to be a sizable amount of playing to be had in the second unit for Anthony Tolliver and Keita Bates-Diop, and even Gorgui Dieng managed to record 15 minutes as the backup behind Karl-Anthony Towns at center in two of the previous three contests. The main beneficiary with Gibson and all of the injured Timberwolves off the court continues to be Towns, as he owns a 32.4% usage rate (+3.2%) and is averaging 1.76 DraftKings and 1.70 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: Dane Moore via Twitter
Goran Dragic will start at PG Thursday
Goran Dragic will start at PG Thursday. He figures to take on 30-33 minutes here given that the Heat have no real depth at the guard spots – they are down Winslow, Richardson and McGruder. Dion Waiters also figures to see a healthy allotment of court time at SG and is firmly on the GPP radar, as are Derrick Jones Jr. and Bam Adebayo.
As reported by: Ira Winderman
Garrett Temple is starting in place of Patrick Beverley on Thursday
Garrett Temple to start in place of Patrick Beverley. With Beverley and Lou Williams down tonight, Temple could very well see upwards of 30+ minutes while SGA and Shamet also figure to do some heavy lifting. SGA is still the preferred DFS target of this group, as both Shamet and Temple come with very low floors for per-minute production.
As reported by: Jovan Buha Other tagged players: Patrick Beverley Lou Williams (rest) out Thursday
Lou Williams to rest tonight. This opens up even more court time for SGA, who was already looking at a big workload with Pat Beverley out. We should also see lots of Landry Shamet and Garrett Temple with Ty Wallace and Sindarius Thornwell also options to see more run. SGA is still the only guard on the LAC side I’m looking towards on this slate. More of the offense should run through Gallo while he’s out there assuming the Clippers keep this one competitive.
As reported by: Dan Woike Other tagged players: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Landry Shamet, Garrett Temple Treveon Graham available to play Thursday
Treveon Graham available to play Thursday. He won’t start, but he is available to play off the bench. He isn’t anywhere near the DFS radar. He could eat slightly into the run of Rodions Kurucs, but this doesn’t have much impact.
As reported by: Brian Lewis Anthony Davis ruled out for Thursday; Jahlil Okafor will start in his place while Ian Clark will start for Frank Jackson
AD ruled out, Jahlil Okafor to start in his place. With Frank Jackson out of action, Ian Clark is going to start at SG alongside Elfrid Payton, although Clark is not known as much of a per-minute producer for fantasy purposes. Still, with the Pelicans lacking guard depth, he is firmly on the DFS radar. With Christian Wood in the fold after a strong debut, it’s tough to count on guys like Jahlil Okafor and Chieck Diallo, who have been underwhelming lately even in games without AD.
As reported by: Andrew Lopez Other tagged players: Jahlil Okafor, Ian Clark Eric Gordon available to play Thursday
Eric Gordon available to play Thursday. He was included in our initial projections last night, so no real change to the Houston rotation. Gordon should slot into about 30-34 minutes, but with Harden and Paul both available, Gordon isn’t all that intriguing of a target.
As reported by: Craig Ackerman Malik Beasley rejoined the Nuggets this afternoon, should be available tonight
Malik Beasley is with the Nuggets and is available to play tonight against the Rockets. He’ll slot into his bench role of about 18-22 minutes and isn’t on the DFS radar with the Nuggets backcourt healthy.
OG Anunoby ruled out for Thursday
OG Anunoby ruled out for Thursday. Just passing along confirmation, as he was downgraded to doubtful earlier so this isn’t a surprise. His time likely falls to a combination of Norman Powell and Patrick McCaw with Jodie Meeks potentially seeing a handful of back-end rotation minutes.
Dennis Smith Jr will play off the bench Thursday; Kevin Knox will start
Dennis Smith Jr will play off the bench Thursday; Kevin Knox will start. With DSJ coming off the bench, it does help the viability of Emmanuel Mudiay, but he still carries much more risk than he did without DSJ in the fold and it’s likely going to be tough to project the Knicks rotations down the stretch.
As reported by: Steve Popper Other tagged players: Kevin Knox, Emmanuel Mudiay Justise Winslow will not play Thursday, joining Josh Richardson and Rodney McGruder on the inactive list
Justise Winslow will not play Thursday, joining Josh Richardson and Rodney McGruder on the inactive list. Goran Dragic is one of the top dollar per point plays at the PG spot and he’s a viable target in all formats. It’s likely he ends up starting alongside Dion Waiters in the backcourt. Waiters himself also has some GPP viability, as does Bam Adebayo and Derrick Jones Jr.
Other tagged players: Josh Richardson, Rodney McGruder, Goran Dragic, Dion Waiters OG Anunoby downgraded to doubtful Thursday
OG Anunoby downgraded to doubtful Thursday. With OG likely out, his time will likely fall to some combination of Norman Powell and Patrick McCaw assuming the starters don’t need to be pushed in a matchup with the Knicks. With Kawhi out this evening, Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry are both fine high-end/mid-range options with Fred VanVleet having viability on the cheaper side.
As reported by: NBA's Official Injury Report Dennis Smith Jr., Kevin Knox both listed as available to play Thursday
Dennis Smith Jr., Kevin Knox both listed as available to play Thursday. With DSJ back in the fold, it makes Emmanuel Mudiay a much more volatile target. His minutes aren’t nearly as secure assuming Smith Jr. isn’t going to be heavily limited, so the Knicks guards may be best left alone on this slate in a tough draw with the Raptors. Kadeem Allen figures to see his court time cut as well and it’s possible he ends up as a fringe rotation piece while Smith/Mudiay are healthy.
As reported by: NBA's Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Kevin Knox, Emmanuel Mudiay Mike Scott listed as available to play Thursday
Mike Scott listed as available to play Thursday. With James Ennis out, Scott and Jonathon Simmons figure to eat up most of the wing minutes off the bench, although neither is on the DFS radar. Joel Embiid is an elite play in all formats while Ben Simmons/Jimmy Butler both have plenty of tournament appeal. The Sixers have dropped two straight to the Hawks and Magic, so they’ll look to get back on track at home against the playoff-bound Nets.
Other tagged players: Jonathon Simmons James Ennis ruled out for Thursday
James Ennis ruled out for Thursday. His court time figures to fall to Mike Scott (who is available to play) and Jonathon Simmons, who is still trying to work his way into the Sixers regular rotation. Neither of those two have DFS viability, but Joel Embiid is an elite play in all formats while Ben Simmons/Jimmy Butler both have plenty of tournament appeal. The Sixers have dropped two straight to the Hawks and Magic, so they’ll look to get back on track at home against the playoff-bound Nets.
As reported by: NBA's Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Jonathon Simmons, Mike Scott