DFS Alerts

Paul Millsap (ankle) out Friday

Millsap has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers due to a sore right ankle that has now forced him to miss three consecutive games, while Gary Harris also remains sidelined with a strained right adductor. In his absence, Mason Plumlee will receive the starting nod alongside Nikola Jokic in the frontcourt once again, and he’s been stellar from a fantasy perspective in an average of 30.5 minutes in his previous two spot starts. Malik Beasley will also remain in the starting lineup, but he’s seen his fantasy production dip ever since Jamal Murray returned from a sprained right ankle, despite logging at least 31 minutes in each of the last two contests. Since Millsap and Harris have been injured for extended stretches of the season, none of the remaining Nuggets benefit significantly with them off the court, but Jokic, Beasley, and Monte Morris all see small bumps to their usage and fantasy points per minute rates in this scenario.

Kevin Love (toe) will play Friday

Love has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Friday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards after missing 50 games due to left toe surgery, while Cedi Osman and Tristan Thompson remain sidelined with their respective ailments. Head coach Larry Drew already confirmed that Love will start in his first game back, taking the place of the departed Rodney Hood in the starting unit, but Drew wouldn’t disclose the exact specifications of Love’s minute restriction, though it appears unlikely Love will see significant run from the outset for a tanking Cavaliers squad. Jordan Clarkson was originally considered a candidate to take over Hood’s vacated spot in the starting five but Drew has apparently opted to keep him in his customary sixth-man role, and Clarkson should still see close to starters minutes with both Nwaba and Adel logging fewer than 25 minutes in Tuesday’s loss.

Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee), George Hill (leg), and Sterling Brown (wrist) listed as available Friday

Antetokounmpo has officially been upgraded from probable on the Bucks’ injury report and is listed as available to play in Friday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks despite dealing with a sore right knee, while Hill and Brown are also listed as available following their original probable designations on the injury report. Milwaukee dealt away a few end-of-the-rotation pieces at the trade deadline to acquire Nikola Mirotic, but he has yet to be cleared to play as he continues to nurse a strained left calf. The Bucks are without Khris Middleton due to rest purposes, so Tony Snell will almost certainly receive the starting nod at small forward, but he can be easily ignored for daily fantasy formats given his low minute ceiling and abysmal 14.1% usage rate on the year. However, both Malcolm Brogdon and Eric Bledsoe own a +5.0% usage rate differential with Middleton off the court this season, and to this point, Brogdon has capitalized the most on this increased usage as he is averaging 1.17 DraftKings and 1.14 FanDuel points per minute in the aforementioned scenario.

Jahlil Okafor (ankle) questionable Friday

Okafor has been added to the Pelicans’ injury report and is questionable for Friday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to a sprained left ankle, while E’Twaun Moore remains questionable with a bruised right quad that’s already forced him to miss five consecutive games. Anthony Davis is set to return to game action following a lengthy absence, so his presence will likely send Okafor back to the bench to resume a reserve role even though Davis is expected to have his minutes scaled back and be rested for one leg of every back-to-back set for the remainder of the season. Julius Randle returned from a six-game injury hiatus in Wednesday’s win, and he procured a solid fantasy performance in 31 minutes off the bench, which increases the likelihood he returns to the starting lineup alongside Davis in the frontcourt. On top of that, Randle is poised to be a significant beneficiary of Davis’ decreased minute allotment and if Okafor is deemed unable to suit up this evening.

Jeff Teague (foot) and Jerryd Bayless (toe) questionable Friday; Derrick Rose (ankle) remains out

Teague and Bayless have both officially been listed as questionable on the Timberwolves’ injury report for Friday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans due to their respective ailments, while Rose, Tyus Jones, and Robert Covington all remain sidelined. Teague has missed eight consecutive games with a sore left foot, and his goal is to return before the All-Star break, which gives him a realistic chance to return for tonight’s contest. It seems likely that at least one of Teague or Bayless will be cleared to play, but if their not, Isaiah Canaan, C.J. Williams, and Andrew Wiggins should absorb nearly all of the point guard minutes after Bayless logged at least 35 minutes in each of the last five games prior to his injury. If that situation comes to fruition, Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns have been the primary beneficiaries with Teague, Bayless, Rose, and Covington off the court, as they each own at least a +8.5% usage rate differential and experience a minimum of a +0.24 increase to their per minute fantasy production.

Matchup of Two Teams With Defensive Weaknesses Tonight

Chicago travels to Brooklyn tonight for a matchup with the Nets, and while the game has a 224.5 over/under that sits middle-of-the-pack on our eight-game slate tonight, both teams have some defensive weaknesses that can be exploited with individual players. Brooklyn ranks 26th in the league in points-in-the-paint allowed and with the Bulls trading away Bobby Portis and Jabari Parker, and Wendell Carter, Jr., still on the shelf, Lauri Markkanen should be the primary inside scorer for Chicago after averaging 22.6 points and 13.2 rebounds over his last five games. On the other side of the court Chicago allows the sixth-most 3PM per game in the league, which should benefit long-distance shooters D’Angelo Russell and Shabazz Napier. Finally, Chicago has the third-worst rebounding differential in the league, making Brooklyn big man Jarrett Allen worth a look in GPP formats.

Even More Thin

The Pistons, a team already thin on the wings, became even more thin when they traded away both Reggie Bullock and Stanley Johnson. Luke Kennard is listed as a starter for Friday night’s home matchup against a Knicks team that is poor defensively. The Knicks allow the third most points per 100 possessions (114.6) and the fifth highest effective field goal percentage (54.4%) in the league. Kennard should see ~ 30 minutes of burn against one of the worst defenses in the league and is a viable value option in all formats.

Expected to Start

With Tyler Johnson shipped out of town, Rodney McGruder is expected to start for the Heat on Friday night against the Kings. The Heat still have depth at the wings but they do have more minutes to go around now that Johnson and Wayne Ellington are no longer on the team and Derrick Jones Jr is out with an injury. Mid-20’s minutes seems like a safe floor projection for McGruder but he has plenty of upside on the number and makes for an intriguing value play in GPPs.

High Usage Minutes

Somewhat surprisingly, Collin Sexton is the Cavs third highest usage player (26.8%). Additionally, Cleveland’s fourth, fifth, and seventh highest usage players are either inactive or no longer with the team. The absence of Rodney Hood, Alec Burks, and Cedi Osman should open up usage and minutes in the Cleveland’s guard rotation. Sexton isn’t an especially strong fantasy producer at roughly 0.8 fantasy points per minute but the rookie PG should see mid-30’s minutes against one of the worst defenses in the league.

Top Superstar of the Slate

Giannis Antetokounmpo is my favorite superstar to target tonight and it’s not particularly close. His matchup against the Mavericks is mediocre, but the real reason to like him is his minute projection. With a low spread and with Khris Middleton out, we have to like his chances to play 35+ minutes tonight. He has averaged a ridiculous 1.89 FP/min over his last four games and the Mavericks have a serious lack of rim defenders on their roster. He should get anything he want in the paint and he’s a player that is always going to fill up the stat sheet.

High Floor, High Ceiling, and a Great Matchup

The Cavaliers have been a tough team to trust this season. They have had an inconsistent rotation and are constantly on the losing end of blowouts. While they aren’t the safest team to target, they have plenty of upside. Alec Burks and Rodney Hood were traded, David Nwaba is on a minute restriction, and Cedi Osman is injured. Regardless of the game’s outcome, Collin Sexton should push for minutes in the low to mid 30s. This is one of the better matchups of the slate, as the Wizards are in the bottom ten in points allowed per game and defensive efficiency.

Increased Role and an Exploitable Matchup

The Cavaliers have been a tough team to trust this season. They have had an inconsistent rotation and are constantly on the losing end of blowouts. While they aren’t the safest team to target, they have plenty of upside. Alec Burks and Rodney Hood were traded, David Nwaba is on a minute restriction, and Cedi Osman is injured. Jordan Clarkson is the projected starter at shooting guard tonight against a Wizards’ team that pushes the pace and struggles defensively. Clarkson has averaged 0.95 FP/min and should push for 30+ minutes if this game stays competitive. He has 40+ fantasy point upside at a cheap price point.

NBA Injury Rundown - Friday, 2/8

New York Knicks – Frank Ntilikina (O), Emmanuel Mudiay (O), Enes Kanter (O), Wesley Matthews (O)

Detroit Pistons – Ish Smith (P)

Cleveland Cavaliers – Kevin Love (Q), Cedi Osman (O), Tristan Thompson (O), John Henson (O)

Washington Wizards – Troy Brown Jr. (O), Dwight Howard (O), John Wall (O)

Denver Nuggets – Paul Millsap (Q), Gary Harris (O), Isaiah Thomas (O), Michael Porter Jr. (O)

Philadelphia 76ers – Joel Embiid (Q), Haywood Highsmith (Q), Zhaire Smith (O)

Chicago Bulls – Zach LaVine (P), Otto Porter (Q), Wendell Carter Jr. (O), Chandler Hutchison (O), Denzel Valentine (O)

Milwaukee Bucks – Giannis Antetokounmpo (P), George Hill (P), Sterling Brown (P), Khris Middleton (O)

Dallas Mavericks – Luka Doncic (Q), J.J. Barea (O), Kristaps Porzingis (O)

Phoenix Suns – Devin Booker (Q), T.J. Warren (O), De’Anthony Melton (O)

Minnesota Timberwolves – Jerryd Bayless (TBD), Jeff Teague (TBD), Derrick Rose (D), Tyus Jones (O), Robert Covington (O)

New Orleans Pelicans – E’Twaun Moore (Q), Elfrid Payton (O), Trevon Bluiett (O)

Kyle Anderson (shoulder) officially out Thursday

Anderson has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to a sore right shoulder, while Yuta Watanabe will be available to play, as expected, despite dealing with a sore left ankle. However, Joakim Noah is active but will only play in the event of an emergency, and the Grizzlies are fully expected to utilize an eight-man rotation barring excessive foul trouble or an in-game injury. The Grizzlies were limited to just nine available players in Tuesday’s win, and they will be shorthanded once again with Shelvin Mack being shipped to the Atlanta Hawks in a salary dump earlier this afternoon. This means that Ivan Rabb and Julian Washburn are on track to make a second straight start after each logged at least 31 minutes in the previous contest, though Rabb was the much better daily fantasy option as he smashed his salary-based expectations in 34 minutes of action.

Joakim Noah (heel) will be active but not likely to play Thursday

Noah has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be active for Thursday’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder after missing one game due to a sore right heel, while Yuta Watanabe will be available to play, as expected, despite dealing with a sore left ankle. However, Noah, along with Kyle Anderson, will only play in the event of an emergency, and the Grizzlies are fully expected to utilize an eight-man rotation barring excessive foul trouble or an in-game injury. The Grizzlies were limited to just nine available players in Tuesday’s win, and they will be shorthanded once again with Shelvin Mack being shipped to the Atlanta Hawks in a salary dump earlier this afternoon. This means that Ivan Rabb and Julian Washburn are on track to make a second straight start after each logged at least 31 minutes in the previous contest, though Rabb was the much better daily fantasy option as he smashed his salary-based expectations in 34 minutes of action.