DFS Alerts

Noah Vonleh will not play Friday

Noah Vonleh injured ankle will keep him out of his second straight game. On Wednesday the Knicks started Mario Henzonja in his place vs the Jazz so there is a good chance that he will once again get the start vs Paul Milsap. Hezonja was able to produce 27 DK points on Wednesday in 25 minutes of action. If starting the price is still low on Hezonja making him worth a look as a source of salary relief on this slate.

Mike Conley ruled out tonight

Wright to start at PG and Dorsey at SG with Conley on the shelf. Joakim Noah’s potential absence further solidifies JVal’s value and also puts Ivan Rabb squarely on the DFS radar. Delon Wright and Tyler Dorsey are both viable punt plays across the industry, but Dorsey may offer better $/point value on DraftKings where he’s priced at the minimum and Wright sits at $4,900. Wright is the higher upside option, but he’s also likely going to be one of the most popular plays on this slate.

Josh Hart (knee) has been ruled out; LeBron James is expected to play

According to coach Luke Walton, Josh Hart has been ruled out tonight due to a sore knee. LeBron James will play tonight and Tyson Chandler is also available to play. Lance Stephenson remains questionable with an injured toe. With the Lakers season trending in the wrong direction, the team has been very mindful of James minutes to finish out the year. The lack of a clear amount of playing time makes James more of a tournament play moving forward. The Lakers head into this matchup on a four-game losing streak.

Target this player (again) with a better defensive matchup

I wrote about this on Wednesday when the Thunder played the Raptors in Oklahoma City, but Kyle Lowry sitting out for the Raptors is a big defensive upgrade for Russell Westbrook. Lowry ranks 8th among all point guards in the DRPM defensive metric, while Lowry’s replacements, Fred VanVleet and Jeremy Lin, rank 28th and 75th (out of 98) respectively. Westbrook went off for 42 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists on Wednesday and he will look another big game tonight.

Targeting Big Men in Night's Highest Point Total Game

Brooklyn has been a team to target all season with centers, allowing the 6th-most points in the paint per game in the NBA and allowing the 7th-most opponent rebounds per game. Lakers big men JaVale McGee and Kyle Kuzma should be the beneficiaries tonight in the night’s late game, which has the highest Vegas point total on the slate. McGee and Kuzma rank 2nd and 3rd on the Lakers respectively in rebounds per game (after LeBron James), and Kuzma ranks 2nd in points per game.

Bam Adebayo expected to play tonight, Justise Winslow and Rodney McGruder are out

Bam Adebayo has been upgraded to probable and should play tonight in a very important game for The Heat. Over the last two weeks, Adebayo has played well in his 27 minutes of action per game. His presence in the lineup makes it a bit harder to like Hassan Whiteside in terms of upside. Had Adebayo missed then Whiteside could have been a great GPP play on today’s slate. With Winslow out again, Josh Richardson will run the show for the first unit as Goran Dragic will continue to play off the bench.

Increased Usage and Fantasy Production

While Kadeem Allen is expected to be available for the Knicks, Dennis Smith Jr remains out which means solidified minutes for Emmanuel Mudiay. Mudiay has been semi-disappointing in DSJ’s absence but has seen plenty of court time, averaging 31+ minutes over the last four games. Over that four game stretch Mudiay has posted a 22.9% usage rate and I would expect that to improve as his usage rate on the season is closer to 27%. Look for Mudiay to convert extra minutes and increased usage to more consistent fantasy production going forward with DSJ out of the lineup.

Lowry Out, VanVleet In

Kyle Lowry remains out which means Fred VanVleet will remain in the starting lineup for the Raptors. FVV isn’t a high usage player – he’s posted a 20.3% usage rate with Lowry off the court this season – but he’s a capable producer, averaging around a fantasy point per minute. VanVleet was on the court for 35 regulation minutes last game with Lowry out and has posted fantasy totals north of 35 points in each of his last two games in the starting lineup.

Joakim Noah is questionable to play tonight

The already thin Memphis Grizzlies have added another injured body to the injury report on Friday. Joakim Noah is now questionable with a sore right knee. If Noah were to miss we could look to see extra minutes absorbed by Jonas Valanciunas and Ivan Rabb. The Grizzlies injury situation will be one to pay close attention to as the day unfolds. The lack of available bodies will make it a lot easier to narrow down minutes and potential value.

Revenge is on the Docket Tonight

There is no love lost between the Lakers and D’Angelo Russell. While the revenge narrative doesn’t really add much in terms of predictability, we should expect a very aggressive Russell in this one. The Lakers have been one of the worst defensive teams in basketball over the last 10 games, so even if you don’t believe in narratives, Russell should still stand out as an elite play. With Allen Crabbe out, he should push for 32-35 minutes and could easily end up with 25+ shot attempts.

Best Value on the Board this Evening

Avery Bradley has already been ruled out for the Grizzlies and Mike Conley is listed as doubtful. With nothing to play for, I’d be surprised if Conley ended up playing tonight against the Magic. While this isn’t a perfect matchup by any means, Delon Wright should draw the start and he could potentially push for 35+ minutes with increased usage. It doesn’t hurt that the Magic are ranked 26th in efficiency against point guards over the last 10 games.

Kevin Love expected to play on Friday

Kevin Love did not participate in shootaround this morning, but the team still expects him to play Friday vs The Clippers. Love left Wednesday’s game after bumping heads with Eric Bledsoe but is not currently under the concussion protocol. Despite having an illness the team expects Love to play tonight.

Potential Uptick in Minutes

In general, DFS players are more hesitant to trust players coming off the bench, especially when the player in question doesn’t have the most consistent role in the rotation. Rudy Gay could play anywhere from 22-32 minutes tonight, but I see this as more of a ceiling game. The Spurs are moving up in the Western Conference standings and have a huge game tonight against the Rockets. Gay will likely spend most of his time on James Harden, so don’t be surprised to see him reach 30 minutes if this game stays competitive. On the season, Gay has averaged 1.06 FP/min.

Minutes Eater

Wright will be the highest owned player on Friday night and rightfully so – he’s easily the top point per dollar option on the slate. Memphis will need to find offense somewhere with Mike Conley out of the lineup and Wright is the likeliest candidate to fill the void as he owns a modest 22.9% usage rate in Memphis with Mike Conley and Avery Bradley off the court this season. Wright averages just south of a fantasy point per minute this season with no Conley and AB, which gives him an extremely strong floor + ceiling combination for his price tag as he’s expected to eat minutes for the short-handed Grizzlies and should see 35+ minutes of court time provided he’s able to stay out of foul trouble.

NBA Injury Rundown - Friday, 3/22

Memphis Grizzlies – Mike Conley (D), Avery Bradley (O), C.J. Miles (O), Jaren Jackson Jr. (O), Kyle Anderson (O)

New York Knicks – Kadeem Allen (P), Noah Vonleh (Q), Frank Ntilikina (Q), Allonzo Trier (O), Dennis Smith Jr. (O)

Cleveland Cavaliers – Matthew Dellavedova (O), John Henson (O)

Toronto Raptors – Kyle Lowry (O)

Houston Rockets – Kenneth Faried (P), Isaiah Hartenstein (O)

Miami Heat – Bam Adebayo (Q), Justise Winslow (D), Rodney McGruder (D)

Milwaukee Bucks – Giannis Antetokounmpo (P), Sterling Brown (P), George Hill (P), Nikola Mirotic (O), Malcolm Brogdon (O)

Brooklyn Nets – Allen Crabbe (O)

Los Angeles Lakers – LeBron James (P), Josh Hart (Q), Lance Stephenson (Q), Brandon Ingram (O), Lonzo Ball (O)