DFS Alerts
Maxi Kleber (wrist) will play Thursday
Kleber has officially been upgraded from probable and will play in Thursday’s matchup against the Sacramento Kings after missing one game due to a sprained left wrist, while Tim Hardaway Jr. was already ruled out with a left tibia stress reaction, and according to head coach Rick Carlisle, will miss the remainder of the season. In Kleber’s absence, Carlisle’s rotations continued to be all over the place, and Justin Jackson was the only player to eclipse the 30-minute mark in Wednesday’s loss, while Dirk Nowitzki and Dorian Finney-Smith each logged fewer than 15 minutes despite Kleber’s vacated frontcourt minutes being available. However, Finney-Smith now becomes the leading candidate to start at small forward with Hardaway sidelined, and he should continue to have a solid minute floor after logging at least 30 minutes in four of the previous six games.
As reported by: Chuck Cooperstein via Twitter
Taj Gibson (calf) out Thursday
Gibson has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets due to a strained left calf, while Derrick Rose, Jeff Teague, and Robert Covington all remain sidelined with their respective ailments and will be shut down for the remainder of the 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 be a sizable amount of playing to be had in the second unit for Anthony Tolliver and Keita Bates-Diop, and it’s certainly possible Gorgui Dieng joins the rotation to absorb a nominal role behind Karl-Anthony Towns at center.
As reported by: Timberwolves PR via Twitter Richaun Holmes (quad) now listed as probable Thursday
Holmes has been listed as probable on the most recent version of the Suns’ injury report for Thursday’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons due to a strained right quad, while Tyler Johnson and Kelly Oubre were previously ruled out with their respective ailments, and Oubre is slated to undergo season-ending left thumb surgery. In their absences, DeAnthony Melton and Mikal Bridges have joined the starting lineup, and Bridges has logged a minimum of 37 minutes in each of the Suns previous three games despite largely being underwhelming from a fantasy perspective in these starts. Additionally, Josh Jackson will continue to be in line for a bump in playing time after seeing at least 32 minutes off the bench in each of the last two contests. However, Deandre Ayton may actually be the best tournament target of them all, as he owns a 26.7% usage rate (+5.9%) while averaging 1.29 DraftKings and 1.31 FanDuel points per minute with Oubre, Johnson, and T.J. Warren off the court this season.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Tim Hardaway Jr. (leg) listed out Thursday; Maxi Kleber (wrist) listed as probable
Hardaway Jr. has been listed out on the most recent version of the Mavericks’ injury report and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Sacramento Kings due to a left tibia stress reaction, while Kleber has been upgraded to probable with a sprained left wrist that had forced him to miss one game. In his absence, head coach Rick Carlisle’s rotations continue to be all over the place, and Justin Jackson was the only player to eclipse the 30-minute mark in Wednesday’s loss, while Dirk Nowitzki and Dorian Finney-Smith each logged fewer than 15 minutes despite Kleber’s vacated frontcourt minutes being available. However, Finney-Smith becomes the leading candidate to start at small forward in Hardaway’s absence, and he should continue to have a solid minute floor after logging at least 30 minutes in four of the previous six games.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Maxi Kleber Cody Zeller (knee) officially out Thursday
Zeller has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to a sore left knee that has now forced him to miss five consecutive games. In his absence, Bismack Biyombo will likely receive a fourth consecutive start at center, and he’s been relatively mediocre from a fantasy perspective in an average of 17.8 minutes over the previous three contests. Given the matchup with Karl-Anthony Towns and Gorgui Dieng in the Timberwolves frontcourt, Biyombo may be afforded a slightly longer leash in terms of playing time this afternoon, but Frank Kaminsky has also absorbed a large portion of the vacated center minutes with Zeller sidelined and has played at least 22 minutes in each of the last four games. With Kaminsky playing most of his minutes at the center position of late, it allowed Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to see his first meaningful minutes in quite some time, but he’s already been ruled out with a concussion and could allow Miles Bridges extended run in the frontcourt rotation.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR via Twitter Trevor Ariza (groin) officially out Thursday
Ariza has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets due to a strained left groin he sustained during Wednesday’s loss. In his absence, Troy Brown Jr. ended up drawing the start at small forward to begin the second half, and he was phenomenal from a fantasy perspective relative to his salary in 30 minutes of action. Considering the Wizards have been well out of the playoff picture for a while now, it seems likely that Brown will receive the starting nod and be given all the minutes he can handle in tonight’s contest. However, the main beneficiary with Ariza off the court since the trade deadline has been Jabari Parker, who owns a 25.7% (+2.4%) and is averaging 1.26 DraftKings and 1.23 FanDuel points per minute, making him an elite midrange option in all formats on tonight’s six-game slate.
As reported by: Fred Katz via Twitter Darren Collison (thigh) out Thursday
Collison has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors due to a right quad contusion that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. In his absence, Cory Joseph will receive the starting nod at point guard once again, and he was relatively underwhelming from a fantasy perspective in just 20 minutes of action in Tuesday’s loss. Considering the diminished role Tyreke Evans has had in the rotation since the NBA trade deadline and All-Star break, it should be expected for Aaron Holiday to remain in the rotation following a stretch if three consecutive DNP-CDs and absorb a substantial portion of the available backup point guard minutes in the second unit. Somewhat surprisingly, Domantas Sabonis has been the largest beneficiary with Collison off the court the past 16 games, as he owns a 27.6% usage rate and is averaging 1.42 DraftKings and 1.37 FanDuel points per minute in a 177.4 minutes sample size.
As reported by: J. Michael via Twitter DeMarcus Cousins (ankle) will play Thursday
Cousins has officially been upgraded from probable and will play in Thursday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers after missing two consecutive games due to a sore right ankle. In his absence, Andrew Bogut started each of the previous two games at center, but he was basically irrelevant from a fantasy perspective in an average of 16 minutes per game over that span and should remain in the rotation as a nominal reserve in the frontcourt with Cousins now back in the fold.
As reported by: Mark Medina via Twitter Good Form and an Uptick in Minutes
The Wizards are playing in the second half of a back-to-back and are expected to be without Trevor Ariza. Jabari Parker has been in tremendous form over the last four games, averaging 33 minutes and 39 fantasy points. Parker should see an uptick in playing time tonight, which makes him a strong play in all formats. I’m willing to overlook a bad matchup against the Nuggets due to an increased role.
Increased Role Thanks to Injuries
The Suns have already ruled out TJ Warren, Tyler Johnson, and Kelly Oubre, which opens up a ton of minutes on the wing and a lot of usage in the offense. Even though a matchup against the Pistons is less than ideal, Josh Jackson should push for 30+ minutes in a home game. He’s affordable across the industry and has averaged 0.91 FP/min on the season.
Maxi Kleber (wrist) listed as questionable Thursday
Kleber has been listed as questionable on the most recent version of the Mavericks’ injury report for Thursday’s matchup against the Sacramento Kings due to a sprained left wrist that has already forced him to miss one game. In his absence, head coach Rick Carlisle’s rotations continue to be all over the place, and Justin Jackson was the only player to eclipse the 30-minute mark in Wednesday’s loss, while Dirk Nowitzki and Dorian Finney-Smith each logged fewer than 15 minutes despite Kleber’s vacated frontcourt minutes being available.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Trevor Ariza (groin) listed as doubtful Thursday
Ariza has been listed as doubtful on the most recent version of the Wizards’ injury report for Thursday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets due to a strained left groin he sustained during Wednesday’s loss. In his absence, Troy Brown Jr. ended up drawing the start at small forward to begin the second half, and he was phenomenal from a fantasy perspective relative to his salary in 30 minutes of action. Considering the Wizards have been well out of the playoff picture for a while now, it seems likely that Brown will receive the starting nod and be given all the minutes he can handle in tonight’s contest.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Double Punt
If you’re playing on FanDuel, I really like the idea of double punting small forward tonight. With Michael Kidd-Gilchrist out tonight, Miles Bridges should see 20+ minutes. MKG missed two games earlier this month, and Bridges played 29 and 25 minutes in those two games. He’s coming off a good game in which MKG got hurt in, so I like the upside here. It’s risky but if he’s playing well, the minutes should be there.
Looked Great Last Night
Ricky Rubio saw limited minutes last night on the front end of the back-to-back. If Atlanta is able to keep this game close, I think Rubio is a great tournament play. Atlanta is still allowing the most fantasy points per game to opposing point guards, and the Jazz has an implied team total of 116.8, which is 6.2 points higher than their season average. Rubio looked great last night, and I’m hoping he can keep it rolling against the Hawks.
Increased Minutes Because Of Injury
With Trevor Ariza not likely to play tonight, Troy Brown should see an increase in minutes again. With Jeff Greens recent struggles, Troy Brown’s minutes were already increasing, and he finished Wednesday’s game with 29 minutes. He’s extremely cheap across the industry and makes for a really interesting punt play on this slate.