DFS Alerts
Joel Embiid (back) will play Thursday
Embiid has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Thursday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers despite dealing with back tightness, while Wilson Chandler has also been made available to play after missing shootaround with an upper respiratory infection. There’s been no confirmation, but it’s unlikely Embiid will be subject to a minute restriction since the Sixers medical staff cleared him to play in the first place, and he also managed to complete his usual pregame workouts without any setbacks. Assuming he’s a full-go, Embiid is in a tremendous position to be an under-owned tournament option on tonight’s five-game slate, and he’s absolutely dominated the Pacers in their two prior meetings this season, recording a 39.1% usage rate and averaging 1.66 DraftKings and 1.66 FanDuel points per minute.
As reported by: Serena Winters via Twitter
Wilson Chandler (illness) will play Thursday
Chandler has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Thursday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers despite battling an upper respiratory infection, while Joel Embiid remains listed as questionable with back tightness and his status likely won’t be determined until he finishes pregame warmups. It’s difficult to imagine Embiid missing a nationally-televised game with what seems like a minor ailment, but if for some reason he’s unable to suit up, Mike Muscala would likely draw the start at center once again following a fantastic fantasy outing in 27 minutes of action in his last spot start. In that scenario, Jimmy Butler would be the main Sixer to target, as he owns a 32.0% usage rate (+7.3%) and is averaging 1.33 DraftKings and 1.36 FanDuel points minute with Embiid off the court this season.
As reported by: Keith Pompey via Twitter Kyle Lowry (rest) and C.J. Miles (hip) available to play Thursday
Despite originally being listed out on the Raptors’ injury report, Lowry will play in Thursday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns, according to head coach Nick Nurse, while Miles will also be available to play off the bench after missing two consecutive games with a sore hip. The Raptors will still be without Kawhi Leonard, OG Anunoby, and Jonas Valanciunas, so Fred VanVleet will receive the starting nod alongside Lowry in the backcourt as he typically does when either Leonard or Lowry are sidelined. Even though he won’t start, Norman Powell should see an uptick in playing time on the wing, and he has taken on a much larger role in the rotation since returning from a lengthy injury absence and is averaging 21.4 minutes off the bench in the last nine games. Unsurprisingly, Lowry and Serge Ibaka have been the main beneficiaries with Leonard, Anunoby, and Valanciunas off the court this season, as they each own at least a +5.0% usage rate differential and see a minimum of a +0.25 increase in their per minute fantasy production in this scenario.
As reported by: Blake Murphy via Twitter Other tagged players: C.J. Miles Jamal Crawford (knee) out Thursday
Crawford has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in the Thursday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors due to a sore left knee, marking the fourth consecutive game he’s missed for various reasons. Devin Booker wasn’t included on the Suns’ injury report after returning from a three-game absence stemming from back spasms in Tuesday’s loss, but he was relatively ineffective from a fantasy perspective in 27 minutes of action. Even with Booker active, Kelly Oubre kept his stretch of impressive fantasy outings going in that contest, exceeding his salary-based expectations in 24 minutes off the bench, which was the first time he fell below 30 minutes in any of the Suns previous four games. The odd man out of the rotation with Booker back in the fold was Troy Daniels, and Ellie Okobo still managed to log 21 minutes as the backup point guard.
As reported by: Evan Sidery via Twitter Lock and Load this Value into Your Lineups
The Raptors were nice enough to make this slate a little easier on us. They ruled out Kyle Lowry, Kawhi Leonard, and OG Anunoby. This opens up 80+ minutes in the rotation and a ton of usage in the offense. Add in a matchup against the Suns and we have ourselves a recipe for a full stack. Normal Powell will likely slide into the starting lineup and even if he comes off the bench, he should still push for around 30 minutes. On the season, he has averaged 0.84 FP/min with Lowry and Leonard off the floor and he’s priced under $4,000 on both FanDuel and DraftKings.
Shining in a Fast-Paced Game
Given all of the injuries in this slate, we have no shortage of value plays. When that happens, it becomes a lot easier to make stars and scrubs lineups. The Lakers and Thunder are both tied for third in pace of play this season, so this should be one of the fastest-paced games we have seen this season. Westbrook is basically matchup-proof, so we shouldn’t be concerned about a matchup against Lonzo Ball. The only concern here is the ten-point spread, but that’s a risk that we should be willing to live with. Westbrook has the highest floor and ceiling of any player in the slate.
Increased Minutes Because Of Injury
Outside of the Toronto value, Bobby Portis is my favorite value play on this slate. With Chicago not wanting to play Lopez anymore and now Carter Jr. out, Portis seems to be in line to play 25+ minutes tonight. Portis is averaging 1.07 fantasy points per minute, and in 55.3 minutes with Carter, Holiday, Lopez, and Payne off the floor, he’s averaging 1.27 fantasy points per minute. Denver ranks 17th in defensive efficiency against centers, but they’re going to need Portis for his size in this matchup.
Nerlens Noel (concussion) available to play Thursday
Noel was originally listed out on the Thunder’s injury report, but he’s officially passed all phases of the concussion protocol and will be available to play in Thursday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers after missing four consecutive games due to the aforementioned concussion symptoms. There’s been no word of a potential minute restriction for Noel, so he’ll likely resume his typical role in the mid-teens in terms or minutes off the bench behind Steven Adams at center. Adams and Jerami Grant had seen a significant uptick in minutes with Noel sidelined, but they should be expected to return to their normal minute allotments with Noel now present to soak up playing time in the frontcourt for the Thunder’s second unit.
As reported by: Royce Young via Twitter Tim Hardaway Jr. (hamstring) and Mitchell Robinson (groin) listed as available Thursday
Hardaway Jr. has been listed as available on the most recent version of the Knicks’ injury report and will presumably play in Thursday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards in London after being an active scratch in the previous game, while Robinson is set to make his return from a 13-game absence stemming from a sprained ankle and sore groin. Assuming Hardaway Jr. is good to go, he’ll likely reclaim his typical spot in the starting lineup from Damyean Dotson, who was a bit underwhelming from a fantasy perspective in 36 minutes of action in a spot start in Sunday’s loss. Lance Thomas also started ahead of Luke Kornet in that contest but that was more matchup driven than anything else, and Kornet should return to the starting lineup after smashing his salary-based expectations in 34 minutes of action off the bench.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Mitchell Robinson Everyone Gets A Bump
With Kyle Lowry and Kawhi Leonard out tonight, the whole Toronto team is underpriced. We don’t have a large sample size with Leonard, Lowry, and Valanciunas off the floor. Power is averaging .93 fantasy points per minute, VanVleet is averaging .83, and Wright is averaging .70. Ibaka has a 33.8% usage rate and he’s averaging 1.29 fantasy points per minute, which gives him the biggest bump out of the group. Powell and VanVleet are the safer of the two value options, and Wright has some tournament upside at lower ownership.
Everyone Gets A Bump
With Kyle Lowry and Kawhi Leonard out tonight, the whole Toronto team is underpriced. We don’t have a large sample size with Leonard, Lowry, and Valanciunas off the floor. Power is averaging .93 fantasy points per minute, VanVleet is averaging .83, and Wright is averaging .70. Ibaka has a 33.8% usage rate and he’s averaging 1.29 fantasy points per minute, which gives him the biggest bump out of the group. Powell and VanVleet are the safer of the two value options, and Wright has some tournament upside at lower ownership.
Everyone Gets A Bump
With Kyle Lowry and Kawhi Leonard out tonight, the whole Toronto team is underpriced. We don’t have a large sample size with Leonard, Lowry, and Valanciunas off the floor. Power is averaging .93 fantasy points per minute, VanVleet is averaging .83, and Wright is averaging .70. Ibaka has a 33.8% usage rate and he’s averaging 1.29 fantasy points per minute, which gives him the biggest bump out of the group. Powell and VanVleet are the safer of the two value options, and Wright has some tournament upside at lower ownership.
Joel Embiid (back) and Wilson Chandler (illness) questionable Thursday
Embiid is a new addition to the Sixers’ injury report and is questionable for Thursday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers due to back tightness, while Chandler has also been listed as questionable with an upper respiratory infection. It’s difficult to imagine Embiid missing a nationally-televised game with what seems like a minor ailment, but if for some reason he’s unable to suit up, Mike Muscala would likely draw the start at center once again following a fantastic fantasy outing in 27 minutes of action in his last spot start. On the other hand, if Chander is unavailable, there’s a number of different ways head coach Brett Brown can go with his starting lineup given Simmons ability to guard Thaddeus Young on the defensive end, but Jonah Bolden started at power forward the last two times Chandler was sidelined and averaged 22.5 minutes in those contests.
As reported by: Serena Winters via Twitter Other tagged players: Wilson Chandler Big Bump In Opportunity
We know the minutes will be there today for Fred VanVleet, as both Lowry and Leonard are resting for the Raptors. We have seen VanVleet fill in capably in the past in scenarios such as this one, and the price tag is simply too cheap for the role that he will have. Don’t overthink this one; play VanVleet on this short slate, even though he will be an extremely chalky option in GPP formats.
The Contrarian Play?
Guys like Portis and Markkanen are going to get the attention for the Bulls tonight, and that makes sense given the absence of Wendell Carter. However, don’t forget about Zach LaVine. He sees a 4% usage bump and scores five additional fantasy points per 36 minutes with Carter off the floor this year, according to CourtIQ. He will be the primary option on offense and will be asked to score a ton if the Bulls want to hang in this game. LaVine is one of my favorite GPP options of the night.