DFS Alerts
Amir Johnson (back) out Saturday
Johnson is a surprise late addition to the Sixers’ injury report and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors due to a tight upper back, and he’ll join Joel Embiid and Boban Marjanovic among Philadelphia’s ailing big men on the inactive list. Johnson only logged 14 minutes in Thursday’s win, but his absence will still leave the Sixers dangerously thin at the center position and are essentially left with only Justin Patton, who’s yet to appear in an NBA game, as a true reserve center. This should lead to more small-ball lineup combinations with either Ben Simmons or Mike Scott at five-spot, and it’s certainly in the realm of possibility Scott approaches the 30-minute mark off the bench, something he’s done in two of the previous three games.
As reported by: Kyle Neubeck via Twitter
Ricky Rubio (hamstring) will play Saturday
Rubio has officially been upgraded from probable and will play in Saturday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks after missing one game due to a tight left hamstring, while Raul Neto will miss a second straight contest with a tight left hamstring. There’s been no report of a potential minute restriction for Rubio, so he’ll presumably displace Royce O’Neale from the starting lineup following his dismal fantasy performance in 40 minutes of action in his most recent spot start in Thursday’s win. Since Dante Exum is still sidelined with an injury, Donovan Mitchell will still serve as the primary ballhandler when Rubio is off the floor, but his assist rate will certainly take a hit, and he could be an interesting fade candidate in tournaments given the matchup with a Milwaukee team that ranks first in defensive ration on the season.
As reported by: Andy Larsen via Twitter Eric Bledsoe (back) out Saturday
Bledsoe is a surprise late addition to the Bucks’ injury report and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz due to a sore back, while Malcolm Brogdon was already ruled out with right foot plantar fascia, leaving Milwaukee without their starting backcourt in tonight’s contest. The Bucks are still without Sterling Brown and George Hill, both of whom have missed three consecutive games, so Tony Snell will almost certainly start alongside Khris Middleton on the wing, and he’s actually logged at least 21 minutes in three straight contests with Brown and Hill sidelined. Nikola Mirotic seems to have settled into a role in the mid-20s in terms of minutes off the bench with his new team, but Ersan Ilyasova has still maintained his typical minute allotment in the second unit, despite the arrival of Mirotic, as head coach Mike Budenholzer has opted to utilize Ilyasova, Mirotic, and Antetokounmpo at center in smaller lineup combinations when Brook Lopez is off the floor.
As reported by: Ted Davis via Twitter Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee) will play Saturday; Malcolm Brogdon (heel) ruled out
Antetokounmpo has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Saturday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz due to a sore right knee, while Brogdon has been ruled out with an ailing plantar fascia in his foot. The Bucks are still without Sterling Brown and George Hill, both of whom have missed three consecutive games, so Tony Snell will almost certainly start alongside Khris Middleton on the wing, and he’s actually logged at least 21 minutes in three straight contests with Brown and Hill sidelined. Nikola Mirotic seems to have settled into a role in the mid-20s in terms of minutes off the bench with his new team, but Ersan Ilyasova has still maintained his typical minute allotment in the second unit, despite the arrival of Mirotic, as head coach Mike Budenholzer has opted to utilize Ilyasova, Mirotic, and Antetokounmpo at center in smaller lineup combinations when Brook Lopez is off the floor.
As reported by: Malika Andrews via Twitter Other tagged players: Malcolm Brogdon Avery Bradley (knee) and Ivan Rabb (knee) available to play Saturday
Bradley has officially been upgraded from probable and will be available to play in Saturday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks despite dealing with a sore right knee, while Rabb will also be available after missing one game with a sore right heel. In Rabb’s absence, Bruno Caboclo received the starting nod at power forward, but he was dreadful from a fantasy perspective in 28 minutes of action in his most recent spot start in Wednesday’s loss. However, there’s been no report of a potential minute restriction for Rabb, so he’ll presumably reclaim his starting spot alongside Jonas Valanciunas in the frontcourt, though he hasn’t eclipsed the 25-minute mark in any of the three games prior to his brief injury absence. Instead, Joakim Noah has been a solid source of fantasy value in the last seven contests, and he’s logged fewer than 20 minutes on just one occasion over that span.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Ivan Rabb Tim Hardaway Jr. (illness) expected to play Saturday
Hardaway Jr. is still technically listed as questionable on the Mavericks’ injury report, but head coach Rick Carlisle confirmed with reporters that he expects him to play in Saturday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies despite dealing with an illness, while Trey Burke wasn’t included on the injury report after missing one game with an illness. Hardaway Jr. eclipsed the 30-minute mark just once in his first seven games as a member of the Mavericks, but he seems to finally be taking on a larger role in the rotation, as he’s logged at least 35 minutes in each of the previous two contests. Luka Doncic has been an excellent source of fantasy value since the trade deadline, as he’s exceeded salary-based expectations in seven of his last eight games while averaging 33.2 minutes per contest over that span. On top of that, Doncic owns a 36.0% usage rate (+5.2%) and is averaging 1.43 DraftKings and 1.35 FanDuel points per minute with all of the departed former Mavericks off the court this season.
As reported by: Brad Townsend via Twitter Bryn Forbes (calf) will play Saturday
Forbes has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Saturday’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, according to head coach Gregg Popovich, despite dealing with a right calf contusion. Forbes continues to have a capped minutes ceiling with Derrick White and Patty Mills also competing for backcourt minutes, but he has flashed some upside at times relative to his low price tag across the industry, which does leave him in consideration as punt option in tournaments most nights. Meanwhile, Lonnie Walker was recalled from the G-League to provide depth on the wing, but with Forbes available, he’s highly unlikely to see any meaningful minutes off the bench in tonight’s contest. Walker will take Pau Gasol’s vacated spot on the active roster following his buyout agreement with the Spurs, and even though Gasol was largely out of the rotation, this transaction does leave Jakob Poeltl, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Chimezie Metu as the only players capable of manning the center position.
As reported by: Paul Garcia via Twitter Hassan Whiteside (hip) and Goran Dragic (calf) out Saturday; Kelly Olynyk (ankle), James Johnson (shoulder), Derrick Jones Jr. (knee) available to play
Whiteside and Dragic have officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets due to a strained left hip and a strained left calf, while Olynyk, Johnson, and Jones Jr. were all cleared to play and will be available despite dealing with their respective ailments. In Whiteside’s absence, Bam Adebayo has started the previous two games at center, and he’s been stellar from a fantasy perspective relative to his price tag in an average of 30 minutes over that span. Dragic still hasn’t surpassed the 25-minute mark since returning from an extended injury hiatus, but his unavailability will still enable Dwyane Wade to assume most of the ball-handling responsibilities when Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson are off the floor this evening. On top of that, Wade leads the Heat with a 33.2% usage rate (+4.9%) and is averaging 1.20 DraftKings or 1.18 FanDuel points per minute without Whiteside and Dragic on the court this season.
As reported by: Anthony Chiang via Twitter Other tagged players: Goran Dragic, Kelly Olynyk, James Johnson, Derrick Jones Jr. Wes Iwundu (quad) listed as available Saturday
Iwundu has been upgraded from questionable on the most recent version of the Magic’s injury report and will be available to play Saturday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers despite dealing with a right quad contusion. Evan Fournier missed Friday’s practice because of an illness but is fully expected to play in tonight’s contest, so assuming he isn’t limited, he should see his typical minute allotment of 30-35 minutes this evening. As for Iwundu, he’s also seen an uptick in playing time following the departure of Jonathon Simmons to Philadelphia via trade and has logged at least 22 minutes in each of the Magic’s previous three games. However, Iwundu remains an extremely low-usage player (13.9%) and is averaging just 0.63 DraftKings and 0.64 FanDuel points per minute on the season, eliminating him from fantasy consideration on a near-nightly basis.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Tyreke Evans (illness) will play Saturday
Evans has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Saturday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic after missing two consecutive games due to food poisoning, while Domantas Sabonis will miss a third straight contest with a sprained left ankle. In Sabonis’ absence, Kyle O’Quinn will continue to be apart of the rotation to absorb most of the vacated minutes behind Myles Turner at center, though T.J Leaf has averaged 19 minutes over the last two games as the primary power forward in the second unit since it would be counterproductive for head coach Nate McMillan to run out lineups with O’Quinn and Turner on the court together. As for Evans, his role in the rotation has been diminished following the acquisition of Wesley Matthews via the buyout market, and he was limited to 16 or fewer minutes in each of the two games prior to his most recent injury absence.
As reported by: Scott Agness via Twitter Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee) questionable Saturday; Malcolm Brogdon (foot) doubtful
Antetokounmpo has been listed as questionable for Saturday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz due to a sore right knee, while Brogdon is listed as doubtful because of an ailing plantar fascia in his foot. There’s been no update on the status of Sterling Brown and George Hill, both of whom have missed three consecutive games, so Tony Snell will almost certainly start alongside Khris Middleton on the wing, and he’s actually logged at least 21 minutes in three straight contests with Brown and Hill sidelined. If Antetokounmpo is unable to suit up, Ersan Ilyasova would likely join the starting lineup once again after he was relatively mediocre from a fantasy perspective in 24 minutes of action in his most recent spot start, and Nikola Mirotic seems to have settled into a role in the mid-20s in terms of minutes off the bench. Khris Middleton leads the way with a 34.1% usage rate (+8.8%) with Antetokounmpo, Brogdon, Brown, and Hill off the court, but both he and Eric Bledsoe each experience at least a +0.38 increase to their per minute fantasy production, making them elite options for all formats if Antetokounmpo is ruled out closer to tipoff.
As reported by: Porter Larsen via Twitter Other tagged players: Malcolm Brogdon E'Twaun Moore (rest) listed out Saturday
Moore has been added to the Pelicans’ injury report and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets due to rest purposes on the second leg of a back-to-back set, while Anthony Davis was also previously ruled out for rest and has been limited to just 21 minutes in each of the last three games. In Davis’ absence, Jahlil Okafor will most likely start alongside Julius Randle in the frontcourt, but he was limited to just 13 minutes in his most recent spot start, as head coach Alvin Gentry has been trying to give Cheick Diallo an extended look in this final stretch of the season with Davis unlikely to be in a Pelican uniform at the beginning of next season. Unsurprisingly, Jrue Holiday has been the main beneficiary with Davis off the court over the last nine games, as he owns a 33.5% usage rate (+4.2%) and is averaging 1.40 DraftKings and 1.35 FanDuel points per minute in a 106.5 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Will Guillory via Twitter Increase In Usage and Fantasy Production
Schroder didn’t get the starting nod in the Thunder’s last game against Philadelphia but did start the second half and logged 33 minutes of court time with Paul George out. Schroder is the biggest gainer in George’s absence as his usage rate jumps 7.2% and his per 36 minute fantasy production increases by nearly 6 fantasy points. Schroder is the top point per dollar play at the SG position on Saturday’s slate and should be a piece of your cash game lineups.
Haven't Limited His Minutes Yet
It came out that the Pels were going to limit Jrue Holiday’s minutes as the season went on, but this has yet to happen. With Anthony Davis out of the lineup, Holiday’s usage rate goes up to 29.3 percent. He has posted 43+ DK points in 4 of his last 5 games. Look for this to continue if they want any shot at keeping this game competitive.
Monitor Injuries
The Miami Heat frontcourt is an injury mess and hopefully we’ll grab some clarity on the situation as the day progresses. Currently, both Kelly Olynyk and Hassan Whiteside are listed as questionable for Saturday’s home matchup against the Nets. Whiteside’s status is most important in regards to playing time for BAM, while Olynyk being out would likely mean the Heat would have to do some funky things with their rotation as Bam and Whiteside have only played together for 13.7 minutes this season and just 65.4 minutes over the last two seasons combined. All of that to say: if Whiteside is out, Bam should be a core piece of your lineups. If Olynyk is out, but Whiteside is in, pump the breaks a bit as Adebayo may not see an expanded role beyond his typical backup center minutes.