DFS Alerts

Expanded Role

The Lakers re-inserted Rajon Rondo into the starting lineup last game against the Pelicans and he did not disappoint, scoring 11 points and dishing out 16 assists in 37 minutes. Friday’s matchup is much more difficult against the Bucks but Rondo’s price hasn’t adjusted enough to his newly expanded role. Rondo’s minutes are still volatile but is one of the top value plays on the slate if he is a confirmed starter against Milwaukee.

Top Value of the Slate

Willie Cauley-Stein chalk night’s typically make me a bit uncomfortable but it’s hard to avoid rostering WCS in this spot at his current price tag. Marvin Bagley’s absence should lead to more solidified minutes and usage for WCS in a strong home matchup against the Clippers. With how cheap WCS has become he rates as a positive value if he only logs low-to-mid 20 minutes of court time but his playing time should approach the high-20’s to low-20’s which makes him the top point per dollar play of the slate.

Increase Role Thanks to an Injury

Marvin Bagley has been ruled out of tonight’s game, which is great news for the fantasy production of Willie Cauley-Stein. He has seen a big dip in his playing time over the last few weeks, but should see close to 30 minutes with Bagley out. He draws an elite matchup against the Clippers, who are ranked 20th in efficiency against centers and 25th in rebounding percentage over the last ten games.

Likely to Draw Another Start at Small Forward

Marvin Bagley has already been ruled out of tonight’s game, which means Bogdan Bogdanovic will draw another start at small forward. He’s been solid on a per-minute basis the entire season and his minutes have seen a big uptick with Bagley out. He draws an elite matchup against the Clippers, who have really struggled to contain scoring wings this season.

The Rondo Flowchart is Simple

Is Rajon Rondo playing in a nationally-televised game?

If yes, you play Rajon Rondo. Even if you don’t want to believe in the narrative, Rondo grades out as one of the best point-per-dollar options at any position. He drew the start on Wednesday against the Pelicans, scoring 49 fantasy points in 37 minutes of action. While the Bucks are a much tougher matchup, this should be a very fast-paced game and it’s not like we rely on scoring from Rondo. He should fill up the stat sheet and easily pay off his cheap salary.

High Ceiling Matchup

An injury combined with a few quiet performances since the All-Star break has caused Dunn’s price to plummet just in time for an ideal matchup against the Atlanta Hawks. Not only do the Hawks play at the fastest pace in the league but they’re terrible on defense and also turn the ball over at the highest rate in the league – 17.6% of their possessions end in a turnover. Pace of play and sloppiness is a dream for an active player like Dunn who has consistently been in the top 90th percentile in steal % during his three seasons in the league. We have seen lately that Dunn has an uninspiring floor as he continues to cede usage to Zach LaVine, Otto Porter, and Lauri Markkanen but I love his point per dollar upside in this matchup.

Daniel Theis (knee) available to play Friday

Theis has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Friday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards despite dealing with a sore right knee, while Terry Rozier remains listed as probable with a sore left knee that already forced him to miss one game. Even with Aron Baynes still sidelined, Theis has seen diminished playing time recently, as he’s been limited to 10 or fewer minutes off the bench in three of the Celtics previous four games. As for Rozier, his likely return will lower the minute floor and ceilings of Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward after each logged at 27 minutes with the second unit in Wednesday’s loss. Kyrie Irving has been thrust into heavy minutes in recent games, but with Boston seemingly in a prime position to take advantage of a Wizards squad that ranks 26th in defensive rating, head coach Brad Stevens should be able to keep Irving’s playing time in check this evening.

NBA Injury Rundown - Friday, 3/1

Boston Celtics – Terry Rozier (P), Daniel Theis (Q), Aron Baynes (O)

Portland Trail Blazers – Enes Kanter (O), Evan Turner (O)

Phoenix Suns – Devin Booker (Q), T.J. Warren (O)

Sacramento Kings – Marvin Bagley III (O)

Milwaukee Bucks – George Hill (O), Sterling Brown (O), Donte DiVincenzo (O)

Los Angeles Lakers – Lance Stephenson (O), Lonzo Ball (O)

Gary Clark will start in place of Eric Gordon (knee) on Thursday

Faried was officially downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Miami Heat due to a sore left hip flexor, while Eric Gordon was a surprise addition to the Rockets’ inactive list with a sore knee. Iman Shumpert has also already been ruled out, so head coach Mike D’Antoni has opted to go big and start Gary Clarke alongside Clint Capela in the frontcourt, which means Gerald Green will remain in a reserve role, but he’s coming off of a stellar fantasy performance relative to his price tag in 24 minutes of action his last time out. Additionally, Nene Hilario is slated to return from a one-game absence for rest purposes, and he may be called upon to serve as the backup center with Faried unavailable, but he hasn’t logged more than 17 minutes off the bench in well over a month’s time. This could enable Terrence Jones to see some run off the bench in smaller lineup combinations, but he’s racked up a plethora of DNP-CDs in recent games, making it unlikely he sees significant playing time this evening.

Kenneth Faried (hip) officially out Thursday

Faried has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Miami Heat due to a sore left hip flexor, while Eric Gordon was a surprise addition to the Rockets’ inactive list with a sore knee. Iman Shumpert has already been ruled out, so Gerald Green will receive the starting nod alongside James Harden on the wing, and he’s coming off of a stellar fantasy performance relative to his price tag in 24 minutes of action his last time out. Additionally, Nene Hilario is slated to return from a one-game absence for rest purposes, and he may be called upon to serve as the backup center with Faried unavailable, but he hasn’t logged more than 17 minutes off the bench in well over a month’s time. This could enable either Gary Clark or Terrence Jones to see some run off the bench in smaller lineup combinations, though both have racked up a plethora of DNP-CDs in recent games, making it unlikely either player sees significant playing time this evening.

Eric Gordon (knee) officially out Thursday

Gordon is a late addition to the Rockets’ injury report and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Miami Heat due to a sore knee, while Kenneth Faried remains listed as doubtful with a left hip contusion he sustained during Wednesday’s win. Iman Shumpert has already been ruled out, so Gerald Green will receive the starting nod alongside James Harden on the wing, and he’s coming off of a stellar fantasy performance relative to his price tag in 24 minutes of action his last time out. Additionally, Nene Hilario is slated to return from a one-game absence for rest purposes, and he may be called upon to serve as the backup center with Faried likely unavailable, but he hasn’t logged more than 17 minutes off the bench in well over a month’s time. This could enable either Gary Clark or Terrence Jones to see some run off the bench in smaller lineup combinations, though both have racked up a plethora of DNP-CDs in recent games, making it unlikely either player sees significant playing time this evening.

Jeff Teague (knee) will play Thursday; Luol Deng (Achilles) officially out

Teague has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Thursday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers after missing two consecutive games due to a sore left knee, while Deng has been ruled out with a sore left Achilles he began experiencing in the first half of Wednesday’s overtime loss. Deng has taken on a much larger role in Saunders’ rotation of late, logging at least 26 minutes in five of the last six games prior to yesterday’s contest, so his absence will have a significant impact on the Timberwolves frontcourt minute allotments. There’s been no report of a potential minute restriction for Teague, so he’ll reclaim his spot in the starting lineup from Tyus Jones, who was relatively effective from a fantasy standpoint in an average of 34.9 minutes per game in his two latest spot starts.

Jonas Jerebko (quad) available to play Thursday

Jerebko has officially been upgraded from probable and will be available to play in Thursday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic despite dealing with a right quad contusion, while Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala have already been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s contest. In Durant’s absence, Alfonzo McKinnie will receive the starting nod alongside Klay Thompson on the wing, and he was also the recipient of a spot start the last time Thompson and Iguodala were sidelined, logging 27 minutes of action. Additionally, DeMarcus Cousins is slated to return from a one-game absence for rest, and he’s seen his playing time gradually increase over the previous six games, finally eclipsing the 30-minute mark in Monday’s win. Cousins and Thompson have been the main beneficiaries with Durant off the court, as they each own at least +7.1% usage rate differential, though Thompson experiences the largest increase to his fantasy production and is averaging 1.19 DraftKings and 1.18 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.

Isaiah Briscoe (concussion) will play Thursday

Briscoe cleared the concussion protocol and will play in Thursday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors despite originally being listed as doubtful due to the aforementioned concussion that had forced him to miss two consecutive games. Head coach Steve Clifford already confirmed that Briscoe will reclaim his typical backup point guard role from Jerian Grant, who will likely accrue a DNP-CD after averaging 19.7 minutes off the bench over the previous two contests. Briscoe has averaged 24.5 minutes over his previous five games, so it’s certainly possible D.J. Augustin sees a downtick in playing time following a couple of serviceable fantasy performances in a minimum of 27 minutes per game while Briscoe was sidelined.

Tyreke Evans (illness) out Thursday

Evans has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to an illness that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Domantas Sabonis will remain sidelined for a second straight contest with a sprained right ankle. In Sabonis’ absence, Kyle O’Quinn will continue to be apart of the rotation to absorb most of the vacated backup center minutes, though T.J Leaf and Doug McDermott will be relied upon to soak up a majority of the backup power forward minutes since head coach Nate McMillan is highly unlikely to run out lineups with O’Quinn and Myles Turner on the court together. As for Evans, his unavailability has less of an impact with the recent arrival of Wesley Matthews via the buyout market, but it could enable Aaron Holiday to assume somewhat of role off the bench, though Evans has played fewer than 19 minutes in eight of the Pacers previous 10 games, limiting his minute ceiling.