DFS Alerts
Harry Giles III has been ruled out
Harry Giles (thigh) ruled out Thursday. Marvin Bagley should see some extended run in Giles’ absence. Bagley is probably looking at 30 minutes of court time and given his per-minute upside, he’s squarely on the radar this evening. We’ll also likely continue to see Kosta Koufos with some bench minutes to help back up the bigs, but he isn’t anywhere near the DFS radar.
As reported by: James Ham via Twitter Other tagged players: Marvin Bagley
Rodney McGruder has been ruled out
Rodney McGruder (knee) ruled out Thursday. His run likely falls primarily to Derrick Jones Jr., Dion Waiters and potentially James Johnson. Goran Dragic remains the most appealing play on the Miami side, but Derrick Jones Jr., Dwyane Wade and Bam Adebayo all have appeal as well.
As reported by: Anthony Chiang via Twitter Other tagged players: Derrick Jones Jr., Dion Waiters, Goran Dragic Justise Winslow is listed as questionable
Justise Winslow (thigh) listed questionable Thursday. If ruled out, Goran Dragic, Dion Waiters and Dwyane Wade should all see increased minutes and usage. With Josh Richardson already out, the Heat could end up being really shorthanded in the backcourt. Winslow has not suited up since March 15th.
As reported by: Anthony Chiang via Twitter Josh Richardson has been ruled out
Josh Richardson (heel) ruled out Thursday. Goran Dragic, Dion Waiters and Dwyane Wade should all see increased minutes and usage. Dragic is probably the most appealing from a DFS perspective as he will likely take on more playing time and will likely be tasked with running the offense assuming he starts. The Heat are also in must-win mode with the playoff race coming down to the wire, so they aren’t going to ease up on anyone in a remotely competitive game.
As reported by: Anthony Chiang via Twitter Other tagged players: Goran Dragic Patrick Beverley has been ruled out
Patrick Beverley (hip) ruled out Thursday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will most likely absorb his minutes and start in Beverley’s place. Lou Williams could also see a bump in usage. The Clippers are in a tough spot on the road in Milwaukee, but with Beverley out we should see a decent dose of SGA and Lou Williams, so they are both on the GPP radar.
As reported by: Jovan Buha via Twitter Landry Shamet is expected to play
Landry Shamet (ankle) expected to play Thursday. Shamet missed one game with an ankle issue, but figures to work back into minutes in the mid-to-high 20s this evening. His return likely cuts into the court time of Garrett Temple, who drew a start for Shamet out on Tuesday. The Clippers are in a tough spot on the road in Milwaukee, so there isn’t a ton to like on this side on a full slate.
As reported by: Jovan Buha via Twitter Other tagged players: Garrett Temple Kawhi Leonard has been ruled out
Kawhi Leonard (load management) ruled out Thursday. The biggest beneficiary could be Fred VanVleet. In 15 games without Kawhi Leonard, VanVleet is averaging 30.3 minutes per game, with 27.2 FD/28.1 DK point per game. In his 42 games with Kawhi Leonard, VanVleet is down to 26.4 minutes per game, with 21.6 FD/22.1 DK points. Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry also both benefit and are viable targets in any format.
As reported by: Josh Lewenberg via Twitter OG Anunoby is listed as questionable
OG Anunoby (concussion-like symptoms) is listed questionable Thursday, after sustaining a blow to the head during Tuesday’s game against the Chicago Bulls. With OG 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: Doug Smith via Twitter Other tagged players: Norman Powell, Patrick McCaw Elite Matchup
If he gets a full complement of minutes, this is an absolute smash spot for Joel Embiid tonight. We have seen the Brooklyn frontcourt struggle against opposing big men all year long, and Embiid has as much upside as anyone in the league. We do have to worry about rest with him at times, but it does seem like Embiid is all systems go on the nights where he is active. I expect him to play his usual minutes tonight, and there’s 25 point, 20 rebound upside here.
Healthy Increase In Production
Kawhi Leonard is going to rest for the Raptors tonight, so we can give a nice bump to Fred VanVleet and Kyle Lowry. If we run the CourtIQ data with Leonard off the floor, it’s Lowry that sees across the board boosts in production. His usage increases by almost 4%, and he scores over seven additional fantasy points per 36 minutes. The price tag is also fairly reasonable on all the DFS sites, too, making this a fine mid-range route in an eight game Thursday slate.
Bump Thanks To The News
Kawhi Leonard is going to rest for the Raptors tonight, so we can give a nice bump to Fred VanVleet and Kyle Lowry. VanVleet will likely start and pick up a healthy dose of minutes, and he has been a solid fill-in whenever Leonard or Lowry have been sidelined this year, particularly in the second half of the season. His usage goes up by a full percentage point, and he scores 2-3 additional fantasy points per 36 minutes. That’s a nice bump, but the increase in overall minutes is the primary appeal, along with his affordable price tag.
Mike Muscala (ankle) expected to play Wednesday
Muscala is still technically listed as questionable on the Lakers’ injury report, but head coach Luke Walton expects him to play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz despite dealing with tibialis posterior tendinitis, while Josh Hart, Tyson Chandler, and LeBron James were all previously ruled out with their respective ailments. Both Chandler and Muscala have had inconsistent roles in the rotation over the last several weeks, though Chandler has managed to log at least 13 minutes off the bench in each of his previous two contests. In Bullock and Hart’s absences, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has essentially been the last man standing to start on the wing, and he’s recorded at least 33 minutes in each of the last four games in both starting and reserve roles. However, Walton has essentially utilized just an eight-man rotation of late, but he’s been extremely unpredictable with the backup two-guard and small forward minutes, as Lance Stephenson rejoined the rotation on Sunday and has siphoned away a large portion of Alex Caruso’s previously-stable minute floor ever since.
As reported by: Mike Trudell via Twitter
Darren Collison (quad) will start Wednesday
Collison has officially been upgraded from questionable and will start in Wednesday’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder after missing three consecutive games due to a bruised right quad. There’s yet to be any reports of a potential minute restriction for Collison, so he’ll presumably reclaim his customary starting point guard role from Cory Joseph, who was relatively ineffective from a fantasy perspective in an average of 24.1 minutes as a starter over the last three contests. On the other hand, Tyreke Evans saw a decent uptick in playing time during this stretch, and he managed to log at least 29 minutes off the bench in two of the games with Collison sidelined. Ever since Wesley Matthews made his Pacers debut and joined the starting lineup, Bogdan Bogdanovic has surprisingly led the team with a 27.0% usage rate and is averaging 1.02 DraftKings and 0.98 FanDuel points per minute in a 567.5 minutes sample size during this span.
As reported by: Jeremiah Johnson via Twitter Mike Conley (thigh) will play Wednesday
Conley has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors after missing one game due to a sore left thigh, while Joakim Noah will sit for a second straight contest with a sore right knee. In his absence, Delon Wright rejoined the starting lineup alongside Tyler Dorsey in the backcourt, and Wright was phenomenal from a fantasy perspective in 35 minutes of action in Monday’s win. However, it appears likely he’ll head back to the bench to resume a reserve role since Dorsey drew the start at the two-guard position the last time Conley was active and available to play. Somewhat surprisingly, Jonas Valanciunas has led the Grizzlies with a 29.8% usage rate and is averaging 1.44 DraftKings and 1.41 FanDuel points per minute with Avery Bradley off the court since the trade deadline.
As reported by: Rob Fischer via Twitter Reggie Bullock (foot) and Mike Muscala (ankle) listed as questionable Wednesday; Josh Hart (knee) and Tyson Chandler (illness) listed out
Bullock and Muscala have been listed as questionable on the most recent version of the Lakers’ injury report for Wednesday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz due to right foot plantar fasciitis and tibialis posterior tendinitis, respectively, while Hart and Chandler will join LeBron James (rest) on the inactive list with their respective ailments. Both Chandler and Muscala have had inconsistent roles in the rotation over the last several weeks, though Chandler has managed to log at least 13 minutes off the bench in each of his previous two contests. In Bullock and Hart’s absences, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has essentially been the last man standing to start on the wing, and he’s recorded at least 33 minutes in each of the last four games in both starting and reserve roles. Head coach Luke Walton has essentially utilized just an eight-man rotation of late, but he’s been extremely unpredictable with the backup two-guard and small forward minutes, as Lance Stephenson rejoined the rotation on Sunday and has siphoned away a large portion of Alex Caruso’s previously-stable minute floor ever since.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Mike Muscala, Josh Hart, Tyson Chandler