DFS Alerts

Dion Waiters (migraine) out Friday

Waiters has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to a migraine. He has really seen his playing time ramp up over the last three games with the second unit, as Waiters has averaged 25.4 minutes over that span, and Rodney McGruder has essentially been phased out the rotation after being replaced by Tyler Johnson in the starting lineup for Wednesday’s loss. However, McGruder should rejoin the wing rotation sans Waiters and absorb a majority of his vacated playing time. Justise Winslow has continued to serve as the de facto starting point guard sans Goran Dragic, and he’s logged at least 30 minutes in 10 of the last 14 games even with Johnson and Dwyane Wade competing for minutes behind him in the backcourt rotation. Over that span, Winslow leads the Heat starters with a 24.6% usage rate and is averaging 1.01 DraftKings and 1.00 FanDuel points per minute.

Emmanuel Mudiay (shoulder) to miss at least two weeks

Mudiay has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets due to a strained left shoulder that is expected to keep him sidelined for at least the next two weeks. In his absence, Frank Ntilikina will likely step into the starting lineup at point guard after recently overtaking Trey Burke in the rotation, but head coach David Fizdale remains too sporadic with his minute allocations to fully trust any Knicks player in anything but tournament formats. The Knicks are still without Luke Kornet, so Fizdale hinted to reporters at his pregame media availability that he’s considering starting Lance Thomas and Noah Vonleh in the frontcourt once again, which would leave Enes Kanter as the team’s third-string center and likely out of the rotation for the foreseeable future.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (shoulder) available to play Friday

Hollis-Jefferson has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Friday’s matchup against the New York Knicks despite dealing with dealing with a strained left shoulder he sustained during Wednesday’s win. Hollis-Jefferson has been eased back into the rotation by head coach Kenny Atkinson and the Nets medical staff, as he’s yet to eclipse the 14-minute mark in any game since returning from an extended injury absence, so his availability won’t have too much of an impact on the frontcourt rotation as a whole. Meanwhile, Spencer Dinwiddie is still without a timetable for return as he seeks a second opinion on the torn ligaments in his thumb, so Shabazz Napier will likely take over as the backup point guard in the second unit. D’Angelo Russell doesn’t see a significant increase in usage with Dinwiddie and the other ailing Nets off the court this season, but he still owns a 32.2% usage rate and is averaging 1.44 DraftKings and 1.38 FanDuel points per minute in a 263.1 minutes sample size.

Rudy Gobert (hamstring) questionable Friday

Gobert is a new addition to the Jazz injury report and is questionable for Friday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to a sore right hamstring, while Dante Exum, Raul Neto, Thabo Sefolosha, and Tony Bradley all remain sidelined with their respective ailments. This is the first indication from Utah of a potential injury for Gobert, but if he’s unable to suit up for tonight’s contest, Derrick Favors would likely shift over to center and Jae Crowder would almost certainly join the starting lineup at power forward. Gobert hasn’t missed a game all season, so there’s a bit of guesswork involved in projecting the frontcourt minutes without him, though Ekpe Udoh would likely join the rotation and serve as the backup center if this situation comes to fruition this evening. Still, there’s no debating the Favors has been the main beneficiary with Gobert off the court, as he owns 21.5% usage rate and is averaging 1.30 DraftKings and 1.33 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.

Derrick Rose (ankle) and Jeff Teague (foot) questionable Friday

Rose has officially been listed as questionable for Friday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz due to a sore right ankle he began experiencing during Thursday’s win, while Teague is also questionable with a sore left foot that’s already forced him to miss two consecutive games. There’s optimism coming from Timberwolves beat reporters that Teague may be able to return in tonight’s contest, but if he can’t, Jerryd Bayless may be needed as a spot starter at point guard after playing at least 28 minutes and exceeding his salary-based expectations in each of the last two games. Without Rose available for the second half last night, Jared Terrell and Andrew Wiggins served as the backup point guards, which makes Wiggins an intriguing tournament target on tonight’s slate if both Rose and Teague are ruled out closer to tipoff, as he owns a 32.5% usage rate (+6.1%) and is averaging 1.08 DraftKings and 1.05 FanDuel points per minute with them off the court this season.

Last Night's Injury Creates Tonight's Value Plays

Point guard De’Anthony Melton injured his ankle in last night’s game against Portland, and with pricing already set for tonight’s slate, some other players in the Phoenix backcourt suddenly look like bargains. Back-up point guard Elie Okobo should move into the starting lineup, and is near-minimum price across DFS sites. In four games as a starter so far this season, Okobo averages 8.5 points and 2.3 assists in about 28 minutes per start. Melton’s absence could also give Kelly Oubre an increased role in the offense, with Oubre seeing 35 minutes last night and putting up 18 points with 7 assists and 6 rebounds.

Injury Creates Opportunity for Minutes and Shots on this Team

With some high-profile suspension and injury news opening up value opportunities on today’s slate, it can be easy to overlook Brooklyn losing their best bench scorer in Spencer Dinwiddie to a thumb injury. This should increase the minutes and shots available for the rest of Brooklyn’s backcourt, particularly D’Angelo Russell and Shabazz Napier. Russell has been on a tear recently, averaging 32 points and 8.3 assists over his past three games, and Napier sees a 25.6% usage (a 0.5% increase) with Dinwiddie off the court this season.

Nikola Jokic will serve one-game suspension on Friday

Jokic has been slapped with a one-game suspension from the League office for leaving the bench area during a confrontation in Wednesday’s loss, which means he’s officially been ruled out of Friday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns in order to appease the requirements of the aforementioned punishment. In his absence, Mason Plumlee will almost certainly receive the starting nod at center, and already typically sees around 20 minutes off the bench on a nightly basis. While Plumlee will see the largest bump in playing time and is one of the better value options on tonight’s 10-game slate, Paul Millsap has actually been the main beneficiary with Jokic off the court this season, as he owns a 28.6% usage rate (+6.5%) and is averaging 1.51 DraftKings and 1.54 FanDuel points per minute in a 116.9 minutes sample size.

Deandre Ayton (ankle) and De’Anthony Melton (ankle) out Friday; Richaun Holmes (foot) questionable

Ayton and Melton have both officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s game against the Denver Nuggets due to their respective ailments, while Holmes is currently listed as questionable with a sprained right foot that’s already forced him to miss three consecutive games. The absence of Ayton will likely enable Dragan Bender to draw a fourth consecutive start at center, and he’s been relatively effective from a fantasy perspective in an average of 29 minutes of action through his first three spot starts. Quincy Acy had played between 8-10 minutes off the bench in five of his first six games as a member of the Suns, but he’s been inconsistent in his extended run behind Bender in the center rotation and those minutes could evaporate if Holmes is cleared to play closer to tipoff. With Melton unavailable, Kelly Oubre will be in line for an increase in playing time himself, and he owns a 27.4% usage rate (+2.9%) with an average of 1.15 DraftKings and 1.16 FanDuel points per minute with Ayton, Melton, and T.J. Warren off the court this season.

Chris Paul (hamstring) officially out Friday

Paul has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors due to a strained right hamstring that’s now forced him to miss 17 consecutive games, while Brandon Knight remains questionable with a knee injury that’s kept him sidelined for six straight contests. After resting in Wednesday’s win, Nene Hilario is expected to be ready to go for tonight’s contest, though he’s averaged just 14.4 minutes in the first four games Clint Capela was unavailable. Because of this, there’s no guarantee that Kenneth Faried will head back to the bench following his phenomenal fantasy outing in 26 minutes of action in his spot start. James Harden will need to continue shouldering nearly all of the load on the offensive end of the floor, and he’s largely delivered, as Harden owns a 51.2% (+7.8%) and is averaging 2.09 DraftKings and 2.02 FanDuel points per minute with Paul and Capela off the court this season.

Isaiah Briscoe (ankle) out Friday

Briscoe has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards due to a sprained right ankle he sustained during the first quarter of Wednesday’s loss. Over the Magic’s last nine games, Briscoe has 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. This will be the third game between the Magic and Wizards this season, and in the prior two meetings, Evan Fournier has actually led the team with a 28.0% usage rate and averaged 34.0 DraftKings and 33.4 FanDuel points in those contests, respectively.

Dion Waiters (migraine) a game-time decision Friday

Waiters is a new addition to the Heat’s injury report and will be a game-time decision for Friday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to a migraine. He has really seen his playing time ramp up over the last three games with the second unit, as Waiters has averaged 25.4 minutes over that span, and Rodney McGruder has essentially been phased out the rotation after being replaced by Tyler Johnson in the starting lineup for Wednesday’s loss. Justise Winslow has continued to serve as the de facto starting point guard sans Goran Dragic, and he’s logged at least 30 minutes in 10 of the last 14 games even with Johnson and Dwyane Wade competing for minutes behind him in the backcourt rotation. Over that span, Winslow leads the Heat starters with a 24.6% usage rate and is averaging 1.01 DraftKings and 1.00 FanDuel points per minute.

NBA Injury Rundown - Friday, 1/25

Orlando Magic – Isaiah Briscoe (Q), Timofey Mozgov (O)

New York Knicks – Emmanuel Mudiay (Q), Luke Kornet (O), Kristaps Porzingis (O)

Brooklyn Nets – Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (Q), Spencer Dinwiddie (O), Jared Dudley (O), Allen Crabbe (O), Caris LeVert (O)

Cleveland Cavaliers – Larry Nance (P), Tristan Thompson (O), David Nwaba (O), Kevin Love (O), John Henson (O)

Houston Rockets – Brandon Knight (Q), Chris Paul (D), Clint Capela (O)

Los Angeles Clippers – Danilo Gallinari (O), Luc Mbah a Moute (O)

Chicago Bulls – Jabari Parker (P), Wendell Carter Jr. (O), Denzel Valentine (O)

Memphis Grizzlies – Garrett Temple (P), Kyle Anderson (O), Dillon Brooks (O)

Detroit Pistons – Andre Drummond (P), Ish Smith (D)

Phoenix Suns – Deandre Ayton (TBD), Richaun Holmes (TBD), De’Anthony Melton (TBD), T.J. Warren (O)

Denver Nuggets – Jarred Vanderbilt (Q), Isaiah Thomas (O), Michael Porter Jr. (O)

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

Rajon Rondo (finger) will play Thursday

Rondo has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Thursday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves after missing 14 consecutive games while recovering from surgery on his right ring finger. Rondo was only able to go through the non-contact portions of practice on Wednesday, but head coach Luke Walton already confirmed with reporters earlier this afternoon that Rondo would start if he was cleared to play this evening. The return of Rondo will likely send Josh Hart back to the bench to resume a reserve role following a disappointing fantasy performance in just 20 minutes of action in Monday’s loss. Rondo reportedly won’t be subject to a minute restriction in his first game back, so he’s poised to be a tremendous tournament option since he owns a 20.4% usage rate and is averaging 1.29 DraftKings and 1.28 FanDuel points per minute with Lonzo Ball and LeBron James off the court this season.

Julius Randle (ankle) out Thursday

Randle is a late addition to the Pelicans’ injury report and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to a sprained right ankle, which leaves New Orleans extremely thin in the frontcourt with Nikola Mirotic and Anthony Davis both sidelined because of their respective ailments. This means head coach Alvin Gentry may need to turn to Cheick Diallo to absorb a large portion of the second unit frontcourt minutes despite him being a healthy inactive or DNP-CD in six of the last seven games. In E’Twaun Moore’s absence, Darius Miller will enter the starting lineup at small forward, and he averaged 33.3 minutes as a starter in the most recent two games Moore was sidelined, while Solomon Hill should start alongside him to match up with Paul George and Jerami Grant on the defensive end of the floor. Outside of Miller, it’s actually been Jrue Holiday that’s been the main beneficiary with Mirotic, Moore, and Davis off the court, as he owns a 30.2% usage rate (+4.1%) and is averaging 1.44 DraftKings and 1.43 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.