DFS Alerts

Ricky Rubio (hamstring) and Raul Neto (hamstring) out Thursday

Rubio has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets due to a tight left hamstring, while Neto has also had his status downgraded and will miss tonight’s contest with a tight left hamstring as well. Utah is still without Dante Exum because of a left ankle bone bruise, so they will be extremely shorthanded at the point guard position this evening. When Rubio was sidelined for six consecutive games earlier in the year, Donovan Mitchell assumed the point guard responsibilities in the starting unit, which allowed Royce O’Neale to join the starting lineup and average 32 minutes per game over that span. Unsurprisingly, Mitchell has thrived with Rubio, Neto, and Exum off the court this season, as he owns a 39.8% usage rate (+6.2%) and is averaging 1.34 DraftKings and 1.31 FanDuel points per minute in a 406.0 minutes sample size

Paul George (shoulder) out Thursday

George has been added to the Thunder’s injury report and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers due to a sore right shoulder. This will be just the second game George has missed all season, and the last time he was sidelined, Dennis Schroder ended up drawing the start alongside Russell Westbrook in the backcourt, which slid Terrance Ferguson over to the small forward position. Schroder was phenomenal from a fantasy perspective in 39 minutes of action in that spot start, so he’ll be a tremendous value option for all formats on tonight’s six-game slate if he is confirmed as a starter once again. Not only does Schroder project for an increase in playing time, but both he and Russell Westbrook own at least a +4.7% usage rate differential with George off the court this season, though Schroder experiences the largest increase to his fantasy production and is averaging 1.08 DraftKings and 1.04 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.

Give me All the Osman Tonight

Cedi Osman has everything working in his favor tonight. We’ll start with a matchup against the Knicks, who are ranked 27th in DvA against versatile forwards and 25th or worse in points allowed per game, defensive efficiency, and rebounding differential. Osman has been in solid form recently, averaging 28 fantasy points over his last four games. The sneaky statistic that really stands out is that Osman has averaged 0.27 more fantasy points per minute playing alongside Kevin Love. Most people just assume that Osman sees a usage hit with Love back in the lineup, but that’s clearly not the case.

Kenneth Faried (hip) listed as doubtful Thursday; Iman Shumpert (calf) listed out

Faried has been listed as doubtful on the most recent version of the Rockets’ injury report for Thursday’s matchup against the Miami Heat due to a left hip contusion he sustained in Wednesday’s win, while Shumpert has already been listed out with a sore right calf he began experiencing in the same contest. Additionally, Nene Hilario is slated to return from a one-game absence for rest, 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.

Tyreke Evans (illness) listed as questionable Thursday

Evans has officially been listed as questionable for Wednesday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to an illness that has already forced him to miss one game, while Domantas Sabonis will remain sidelined for a second straight contest with a sprained right ankle he sustained in Monday’s loss. 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 most 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 potential 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.

Kevin Durant (rest) and Andre Iguodala (illness) out Thursday; Jonas Jerebko (quad) probable

Durant has been included on the Warriors’ injury report and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic due to rest purposes on the second leg of a back-to-back set, while Iguodala has also been ruled out with an illness and Jonas Jerebko is listed as probable because of a right quad contusion. In Durant’s absence, there are a few different ways head coach Steve Kerr can go with his starting lineup, but Alfonzo McKinnie appears to be the likeliest candidate to start alongside Klay Thompson on the wing since he was the recipient of a spot start the last time Thompson and Iguodala were sidelined. 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.

Jeff Teague (knee) and Luol Deng (Achilles) questionable Thursday

Teague has officially been listed as questionable for Thursday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers due to a sore left knee that has already forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Deng is also listed as questionable with a sore left Achilles he began experiencing in the first half ow Wednesday’s overtime loss. Deng has taken on a much larger role in head coach Ryan Saunders rotation of late, logging at least 26 minutes in five of the last six games prior to yesterday’s contest, so his potential absence would have a significant impact on the frontcourt minute allotments. If Teague remains sidelined, Tyus Jones would be in line for a third straight start, and he’s been a solid source of fantasy value as a starter in each of the Timberwolves previous two games. Despite the reduction in playing time since returning from injury, Derrick Rose does still own a 33.7% usage rate (+4.6%) and is averaging 1.25 DraftKings and 1.23 FanDuel points per minute with Teague and Robert Covington off the court this season, making him an interesting speculative tournament option if he somehow sees his minutes increase this evening.

A Roller Coaster GPP Option

His results have been all over the place lately, and the masses certainly aren’t going to be targeting Will Barton tonight in a difficult matchup against the Jazz. However, Barton’s price is depressed to the $5,000 mark on both FanDuel and DraftKings right now, and he found his confidence in the last game, where he topped 30 fantasy points and chucked 12 three point attempts. There is certainly downside risk here, and I wouldn’t touch him in cash games, but there’s plenty of GPP appeal on a shorter slate.

Monitor The News

Keep an eye on the news today, but we could have some value in the Philadelphia frontcourt. They are going to be without both Joel Embiid and Boban tonight, which means the depth up front is thin. Bolden is an inconsistent young player, but he’s cheap and has plenty of talent. If we can guarantee 25+ minutes in this game, he’s absolutely worth a look as a risk/reward GPP option in what should be a competitive, high scoring game.

The Obvious Choice

Don’t over-think this one. With Hassan Whiteside out again for the Heat this evening, we can lock in Adebayo as the top point per dollar option on the slate. His price has not risen as a result of the current circumstances, and he put up a solid 11/10/4 line over 32 minutes against the Warriors last night. Adebayo is a consistent fantasy point per minute contributor, and another 30 minute night should be more than enough for him to meet and exceed expectations at his current salary level, which is simply too cheap with Whiteside out. Ride the wave.

Punt Value

Raul Neto certainly isn’t the sexiest option on the board, but he should be a reliable source of value this evening with Ricky Rubio likely out for the Jazz. He posted a solid 10/5/2 line over 18 minutes after Rubio got hurt in the last game, and Neto should be looking at a 30+ minute role tonight. That should give him a baseline projection of around 22-25 fantasy points with upside for a little more, and that’s enough to make him viable in all formats on a slate where we need some value options.

NBA Injury Rundown - Thursday, 2/28

Minnesota Timberwolves – Jeff Teague (TBD), Robert Covington (O)

Indiana Pacers – Tyreke Evans (TBD), Alize Johnson (TBD), Domantas Sabonis (O), Victor Oladipo (O)

Orlando Magic – Isaiah Briscoe (D), Mohamed Bamba (O), Markelle Fultz (O), Timofey Mozgov (O)

Cleveland Cavaliers – Tristan Thompson (O), John Henson (O)

New York Knicks – DeAndre Jordan (D), Mario Hezonja (O), Frank Ntilikina (O)

Miami Heat – Hassan Whiteside (O), James Johnson (O)

Philadelphia 76ers – Joel Embiid (O), Boban Marjanovic (O), Furkan Korkmaz (O), Zhaire Smith (O), Shake Milton (O)

Denver Nuggets – Trey Lyles (O), Michael Porter Jr. (O)

Rajon Rondo will start ahead of JaVale McGee on Wednesday

Head coach Luke Walton has opted to go small with his starting lineup for Wednesday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans, and he will insert Rajon Rondo at the point guard position, which will coincidentally shift everyone up a spot and allow Kyle Kuzma to serve as the small-ball center If this lineup is something Walton plans to utilize throughout the game, McGee and Tyson Chandler will likely see a downtick in playing time, though Chandler has totaled just 25 minutes over the Lakers’ previous three games. Rondo’s price tag is reasonable across the industry, so he could be worth a look as a late pivot in tournament formats since he possesses considerable upside and is averaging 0.99 DraftKings and 0.97 FanDuel points per minute on the season.

Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee) will play Wednesday

Antetokounmpo has officially been upgraded from probable and will play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Sacramento Kings after missing one game due to a sore right knee, while George Hill, Sterling Brown, and Donte DiVincenzo all remain sidelined with their respective ailments, leaving Milwaukee relatively shorthanded in the backcourt in tonight’s contest. Head coach Mike Budenholzer did confirm with reporters during his pregame media availability that Antetokounmpo will have his minutes monitored, but barring some unforeseen in-game limitations, he still figures to approach his normal minute allotment this evening. Antetokounmpo’s return to the starting lineup also will send Ersan Ilyasova back to the bench to resume a reserve role following a mediocre fantasy performance in 24 minutes of action in his spot start in Monday’s win.

Trey Burke (illness) out Wednesday

Burke has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers due to an illness. Burke saw a sizable increase in playing time while Luka Doncic was sidelined with a sore knee for two consecutive games, but in Monday’s loss, he was limited to just six minutes off the bench with Doncic and all of the other rotation regulars healthy. Doncic has been an excellent source of fantasy value following the departure of Dennis Smith Jr. to the New York Knicks via trade, as he’s exceeded salary-based expectations in six of his previous seven games while averaging 33.5 minutes per contest over that span. On top of that, Doncic owns a 36.1% usage rate (+5.4%) and is averaging 1.42 DraftKings and 1.34 FanDuel points per minute with all of the departed former Mavericks off the court this season.