DFS Alerts
DeAndre Ayton (ankle) out Sunday
Ayton has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers due to a sprained left ankle that has now forced him to miss five consecutive games, while Richaun Holmes remains questionable with a sprained right foot. The Suns are also expected to be without T.J. Warren and De’Anthony Melton for the foreseeable future because of their respective ailments, so Josh Jackson and Elie Okobo appear to be in line to receive extended looks with the Suns starting lineup in the coming games and both have logged at least 28 minutes in each of the previous two games. Kelly Oubre also recorded 31 minutes off the bench in Friday’s loss, but Devin Booker continues to be an intriguing tournament target if the Suns can keep games competitive, as he owns a 38.4% usage rate (+3.8%) and is averaging 1.37 DraftKings and 1.33 FanDuel points per minute with Ayton, Warren, and Melton off the court this season.
As reported by: Kyle Goon via Twitter
Kyle Kuzma (hip) and Tyson Chandler (rest) out Sunday
Kuzma has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns due to a strained right hip, while Tyson Chandler will miss a second consecutive game due to rest purposes. In Chandler’s absence, Ivica Zubac and JaVale McGee should continue to absorb all of the available center minutes just as they did in Thursday’s loss. The Lakers are still without LeBron James, who remains sidelined with a strained groin, so Josh Hart will likely enter the starting lineup alongside Rajon Rondo in the backcourt, which would slide Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Brandon Ingram down to small forward and power forward, respectively. Ingram is also in a tremendous position to provide value on tonight’s slate, as he owns a 29.4% usage rate (+5.3%) and is averaging 1.06 DraftKings and 1.05 FanDuel points per minute with Kuzma, James, and Lonzo Ball off the court this season.
As reported by: Tania Ganguli via Twitter Other tagged players: Josh Hart, Tyson Chandler Sam Dekker (back) out Sunday
Dekker has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the San Antonio Spurs due to back spasms, while Ian Mahinmi was also ruled out with a sprained right thumb after being a game-time decision. Mahinmi’s playing time has been sporadic of late in head coach Scott Brooks’ rotation, as he’s played fewer than eight minutes or accrued a DNP-CD in four of the last six games, so his absence won’t have too much of an impact on the remaining members of the frontcourt rotation. With Dekker and Mahinmi now unavailable, Jeff Green is primed to see an increase in minutes as the de facto backup center option in smaller lineup combinations, while Trevor Ariza and Otto Porter will be relied upon to pick up the slack at each forward position, respectively.
As reported by: the Washington Wizards via Twitter Gorgui Dieng (hip) available to play Sunday
Dieng has officially been upgraded from probable and will be available to play in Sunday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz despite dealing with a left hip contusion he sustained during Friday’s loss, while Derrick Rose and Jeff Teague have already been ruled out and remain sidelined with their respective ailments. In their absences, Jerryd Bayless should be needed to draw another start at point guard after logging a whopping 40 minutes and easily exceeding his salary-based expectations in Friday’s loss. Without Rose available for last game and a half, Jared Terrell and Andrew Wiggins have served as the backup point guards, which makes Wiggins an intriguing tournament target on tonight’s slate with both Rose and Teague sidelined once again, as he owns a 33.3% usage rate (+6.6%) and is averaging 1.09 DraftKings and 1.06 FanDuel points per minute with them off the court this season.
As reported by: Timberwolves PR via Twitter Rudy Gay (ankle) available to play Sunday
Gay has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Sunday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards despite dealing with a sprained right ankle, while DeMar DeRozan will miss a second consecutive game with a sore left knee. Davis Bertans wasn’t included on the latest version of the Spurs’ injury report, so he is poised to return from a two-game absence, which will relegate Dante Cunningham from the rotation following an underwhelming fantasy performance in 22 minutes of action off the bench. Additionally, Pau Gasol recorded his second-highest minute total of the season en route to exceeding his salary-based expectations in yesterday’s contest, and he’ll be a candidate to start alongside Aldridge in the frontcourt once again, though his minute floor could be substantially lower with Bertans now available to play off the bench.
As reported by: Paul Garcia via Twitter Ian Mahinmi (thumb) out Sunday
Mahinmi has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the San Antonio Spurs due to a sprained right thumb, while Sam Dekker remains questionable with a sore back and is slated to be a game-time decision. Mahinmi’s playing time has been sporadic of late in head coach Scott Brooks’ rotation, as he’s played fewer than eight minutes or accrued a DNP-CD in four of the last six games, so his absence won’t have too much of an impact on the remaining members of the frontcourt rotation. With Mahinmi now unavailable, Jeff Green is primed to see an increase in minutes as the de facto backup center option in smaller lineup combinations, while Trevor Ariza and Otto Porter will be relied upon to pick up the slack at each forward position, respectively.
As reported by: Chris Miller via Twitter Tyler Johnson (calf) out Sunday
Johnson has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the New York Knicks due to a sore left calf, while Dion Waiters is no longer listed on the Heat’s injury report and is poised to return from a one-game absence because of a migraine. Johnson recently replaced Rodney McGruder in the starting lineup, so either he or Dion Waiters are the likeliest candidates to draw the start alongside Josh Richardson on the wing this evening. Waiters, in particular, is an intriguing tournament option on tonight’s slate because of his projected increase in playing time regardless of starting lineup, and he owns a 30.0% usage rate (+3.5%) with an average of 1.16 DraftKings and 1.09 FanDuel points per minute with Johnson and Goran Dragic off the court this season.
As reported by: Ira Winderman via Twitter Sam Dekker (back) a game-time decision Sunday
Dekker is an extremely late addition to the Wizards’ injury report and will be a game-time decision for Sunday’s matchup against the San Antonio Spurs due to a sore back, while Ian Mahinmi remains questionable with a thumb injury and is also likely to be a game-time decision. Mahinmi’s playing time has been sporadic of late in head coach Scott Brooks’ rotation, as he’s played fewer than eight minutes or accrued a DNP-CD in four of the last six games, so his potential absence won’t have too much of an impact on the remaining members of the frontcourt rotation. If either Mahinmi or Dekker is unavailable, Jeff Green would be primed for an increase in minutes as a potential backup center option in smaller lineup combinations, while Trevor Ariza and Otto Porter would be relied upon to pick up the slack at each forward position.
As reported by: Candace Buckner via Twitter Isaiah Briscoe (ankle) listed out Sunday
Briscoe has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets due to a sprained right ankle that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. Meanwhile, the status of Mohamed Bamba has yet to be updated after head coach Steve Clifford told reporters he was unsure if Bamba would travel with the team because of an illness. Over his last nine games, Briscoe had been serving as the primary backup point guard behind D.J. Augustin, so in his absence, head coach Steve Clifford already confirmed that Jerian Grant will take over his vacated role in the rotation, which typically equates to around 20 minutes per contest.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report DeMar DeRozan (knee) out Sunday; LaMarcus Aldridge (wrist) will play
DeRozan has officially been downgraded from probable and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards due to a sore left knee that’s now forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Aldridge has been cleared to play despite dealing with a sore left wrist. Davis Bertans wasn’t included on the latest version of the Spurs’ injury report, so he is poised to return from a two-game absence, which will relegate Dante Cunningham from the rotation following an underwhelming fantasy performance in 22 minutes of action off the bench, though he may see some run if Rudy Gay is ruled out closer to tipoff. Additionally, Pau Gasol recorded his second-highest minute total of the season en route to exceeding his salary-based expectations in yesterday’s contest, and he’ll be a candidate to start alongside Aldridge in the frontcourt once again, though his minute floor could be substantially lower with Bertans now available to play off the bench.
As reported by: Candace Buckner via Twitter Other tagged players: LaMarcus Aldridge Derrick Rose (ankle) out Sunday
Rose has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz due to a sore right ankle that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Jeff Teague will also miss a fourth straight contest with a sore left foot. In their absences, Jerryd Bayless should be needed to draw another start at point guard after logging a whopping 40 minutes and easily exceeding his salary-based expectations in Friday’s loss. Without Rose available for last game and a half, Jared Terrell and Andrew Wiggins have served as the backup point guards, which makes Wiggins an intriguing tournament target on tonight’s slate with both Rose and Teague sidelined once again, as he owns a 33.3% usage rate (+6.6%) and is averaging 1.09 DraftKings and 1.06 FanDuel points per minute with them off the court this season.
As reported by: Dane Moore via Twitter Chris Paul (hamstring) will start Sunday
Paul has officially been upgraded from questionable and will start in Sunday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic after missing 17 consecutive games due to a strained left hamstring. There hasn’t been any confirmation from the team or head coach Mike D’Antoni of an exact minute restriction for Paul, but he is expected to play in the mid-20s in terms of minutes in his first game back and will reclaim his spot in the starting lineup from either Austin Rivers, who will head head to the bench to assume a reserve role. While Paul won’t be in consideration for daily fantasy formats himself, his presence in the rotation still could be a bit of a hindrance to the potential fantasy value of James Harden, who has seen his usage rate dip to 36.7% (-6.6%) with an average of 1.31 DraftKings and 1.28 FanDuel points per minute with Paul on the court the season.
As reported by: Mark Berman via Twitter Danny Green (hand) will play Sunday
Green has officially been upgraded from probable and will play in Sunday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks despite dealing with a sore left hand that forced him to miss Saturday’s practice. The Raptors are nearly back at full strength with Kawhi Leonard and OG Anunoby returning to action in Friday’s loss, and Leonard logged a whopping 39 minutes in that contest, which partly contributed to Delon Wright accruing a DNP-CD and may be a sign that his role in the rotation could be in jeopardy moving forward. The downfall of all this depth at head coach Nick Nurse’s disposal is that it makes it difficult to trust any of the Raptors starters in cash game formats since they can see their playing time fluctuate dramatically on a game-to-game basis.
As reported by: Michael Grange via Twitter Jordan Clarkson (illness) will play Sunday
Clarkson was a late addition to the Cavaliers’ injury report but confirmed with reporters that he will play in Sunday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls despite dealing with an illness that forced him to miss a team walkthrough this morning. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers also announced the signing of Kobi Simmons to a 10-day contract, and Simmons could be thrust into a significant role in the rotation right out of the gates, though he’d still be competing for second unit guard minutes with Matthew Dellavedova, who typically sees playing time in the high-teens off the bench on most nights. Additionally, Ante Zizic is expected to remain in the starting lineup ahead of Larry Nance for today’s contest, and he still logged 27 minutes in Friday’s loss, while Nance was limited to just 21 minutes in his first game back from an extended absence stemming from a sprained MCL in his right knee.
As reported by: Chris Fedor via Twitter Rudy Gay (ankle) questionable Sunday; DeMar DeRozan (knee) and LaMarcus Aldridge (wrist) probable
Gay has officially been listed as questionable for Sunday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards due to a sprained left ankle, while DeRozan and Aldridge are listed as probable with a sore left knee and a sore left wrist, respectively, after DeRozan missed Saturday’s win because of the aforementioned ailment. Davis Bertans wasn’t included on the latest version of the Spurs’ injury report, so he appears poised to return from a two-game absence, which will relegate Dante Cunningham from the rotation following an underwhelming fantasy performance in 22 minutes of action off the bench, assuming Gay is cleared to play this evening. Additionally, Pau Gasol recorded his second-highest minute total of the season en route to exceeding his salary-based expectations in yesterday’s contest, but if Gay, DeRozan, and Aldridge are all available, he’ll almost certainly reassume a reserve role and be a likely candidate to receive a DNP-CD as he’s done a frequent basis over the last few weeks.
As reported by: Paul Garcia via Twitter Other tagged players: DeMar DeRozan, LaMarcus Aldridge