DFS Alerts
Rodney Hood (Achilles) will play limited minutes Friday
Hood is still technically listed as questionable, but he confirmed with reporters during pregame warmups that he will play in Friday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets after missing seven of the last nine games due to a sore left Achilles tendon. Hood also disclosed that he will be subject to a minute restriction in his first game back, which may allow Alec Burks to continue starting at the shooting guard position, and he’s played fewer than 28 minutes just twice over that span with Hood sidelined. The Cavaliers are still without Larry Nance, so Channing Frye will likely draw another start at power forward, though he’s still played nominal minutes in the rotation regardless of role and has yet to eclipse the 20-minute mark in any game this season. Additionally, Cleveland recently added Cameron Payne to their roster to provide backcourt depth with Hood and David Nwaba ailing, but with Hood slated to return, there’s a chance Payne doesn’t come close to the 22 minutes he’s played in each of the previous two games.
As reported by: Joe Vardon via Twitter
Eric Bledsoe (hamstring), Ersan Ilyasova (quad), and D.J. Wilson (hip) will play Friday
Bledsoe, Ilyasova, and Wilson are all available to play in Friday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards after originally being listed on the Bucks’ injury report with their respective ailments, while Giannis Antetokounmpo has officially been ruled out due to a sore right quad and left hip contusion. Ilyasova was listed as probable with a sore left quad, but he’ll still enter the starting lineup at power forward with Antetokounmp unavailable and has averaged 22.4 minutes as a starter in the two games Antetokounmpo has missed this season. Unsurprisingly, Bledsoe, Khris Middleton, and Malcolm Brogdon have all benefited with Antetokounmpo off the court this season, but Middleton leads the way with a 33.9% usage rate (+8.5%), while Bledsoe has capitalized the most on his increased usage and is averaging 1.51 DraftKings and 1.48 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: Matt Velazquez via Twitter Other tagged players: Ersan Ilyasova, DJ Wilson Giannis Antetokounmpo (quad, hip) officially out Friday
Antetokounmpo has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards due to a sore right quad and left hip contusion, while Eric Bledsoe and D.J.Wilson have been upgraded from questionable and will play through their respective ailments. Ersan Ilyasova was listed as probable with a sore left quad, but he’ll still more than likely enter the starting lineup at power forward with Antetokounmp unavailable and has averaged 22.4 minutes as a starter in the two games Antetokounmpo has missed this season. Unsurprisingly, Bledsoe, Khris Middleton, and Malcolm Brogdon have all benefited with Antetokounmpo off the court this season, but Middleton leads the way with a 33.9% usage rate (+8.5%), while Bledsoe has capitalized the most on his increased usage and is averaging 1.51 DraftKings and 1.48 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: Matt Velazquez via Twitter Zach LaVine (ankle) listed as available Friday
LaVine has been listed as available on the most recent version of the Chicago Bulls’ injury report and will play in Friday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors despite dealing with a sore left ankle. There’s been no word if LaVine will be subject to a minute restriction, but if he’s limited in any way, Antonio Blakeney would likely benefit from additional run off the bench. The Bulls have been atrocious offensively since Jim Boylen took over as head coach, but LaVine still leads the starters with a 30.7% usage rate and is averaging 1.02 DraftKings and 0.99 FanDuel points per minute in that span, making him one of Chicago’s best chances at keeping tonight’s contest versus the Warriors somewhat respectable.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Enes Kanter (illness) and Frank Ntilikina (ankle) out Friday
Kanter has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers due to an illness that also forced him to miss Thursday’s practice, while Ntilikina will miss his third consecutive game, as expected, with a sprained left ankle. Kanter has been relegated to the bench for the last six games in favor of Luke Kornet, but he’s still logged at least 25 minutes in his newly-acquired reserve role in each of the Knicks previous three games. With Mitchell Robinson also unavailable, Noah Vonleh should absorb a majority of the backup center minutes and could allow Mario Hezonja to continue absorbing a significant role off the bench after playing at least 25 minutes in the last two games. Unsurprisingly, Vonleh has been the main beneficiary with Kanter, Robinson, and Ntilikina off the court this season and is averaging 1.24 DraftKings and 1.26 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: NY_KnicksPR via Twitter Other tagged players: Frank Ntilikina Damian Lillard (elbow) available to play Friday
Lillard has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Friday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets despite dealing with a sprained left elbow he sustained in the later stages of Wednesday’s win, while Maurice Harkless will remain sidelined for the third time in the Trail Blazers last four games. In his absence, Jake Layman replaced Evan Turner at small forward in the starting lineup for the previous contest, but he was virtually nonexistent in 17 minutes of action, and Turner easily outproduced him in 21 minutes off the bench. Turner isn’t a high usage player (17.3%), but he does enough in the other stat categories to average 0.85 fantasy points per minute this season, keeping him in consideration as a salary-saving option in most daily fantasy formats.
As reported by: Casey Holdahl via Twitter Injuries Opening Opportunities Against Size-Challenged Team
The injury situations in Utah and Milwaukee are likely to draw a lot of attention tonight, but there is a key player missing for the Pacers as well, with Indiana big man Myles Turner likely to miss the game against New York. This could be a big matchup for the remaining Pacers forwards, with the Knicks ranking 24th in the league in rebounding differential, and possibly missing both of their Centers tonight, Mitchell Robinson and Enes Kanter. Domantas Sabonis will likely be the biggest beneficiary, drawing another start after averaging 17 points and 9 rebounds over his last three starts. One interesting name for the Pacers off the bench could be Kyle O’Quinn, who has played as the back-up center over the last three games, drawing 52 minutes and scoring 22 points with 14 rebounds over that time period. The Pacers could give O’Quinn a bit of additional run too, with the big man facing his former team.
Other tagged players: Kyle O'Quinn
These Two Guards Could Put Up Big Numbers in High-Scoring Game
Injury situations are drawing a lot of attention tonight, but we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that the Philadelphia – Atlanta game currently has the highest Vegas point total (232) by a six-point margin over the next-highest game. If targeting this game I’d be primarily interested in two of the guards, Ben Simmons and Jeremy Lin. Simmons gets a plus defensive matchup against Trae Young, one of the lowest-rated defenders in the league according to DRPM, and is a constant threat for a triple-double averaging 17.3 points, 9.3 assists, and 6.7 rebounds over his last three games. Lin has been mentioned in recent trade talks and could be getting showcased, averaging 15.8 points and 5.8 assists over his past four games.
Other tagged players: Jeremy Lin Potential Rising Stock
Evan Turner is likely to go overlooked due to the abundance of strong value plays available on Friday’s slate which makes him a strong pivot in GPPs. Maurice Harkless has already been declared out which helps solidify minutes for Turner but Turner’s stock could increase even further if Damian Lillard, who is currently listed as questionable, is declared out. Lillard’s absence would result in more ball handling duties for Turner whose usage rate jumps 6% with Lillard off the court this season.
Injury Plague
The Utah Jazz backcourt has been plagued with injuries as all three of Ricky Rubio, Dante Exum, and Raul Neto are out for Friday’s game against the Lakers. That leaves Royce O’Neale as the most likely candidate to fill in as the de facto point guard and his price tag ($3,500 FD; $3,300 DK) and position eligibility (SF) make him one of the top cash game values of the slate.
Upside on Price Tag
Giannis Antetokounmpo is listed as doubtful for Friday’s game against the Wizards and Ersan Ilyasova is the most likely candidate to draw the start in Giannis’ absence. Ilyasova has been a fantasy point per minute producer this season with Giannis off the court and has strong upside on his price tag if he’s able to log 20+ minutes of court time. The matchup for Ilyasova is a strong one against a fast paced Wiz team that has struggled defensively all season long.
Dirk Nowitzki (illness) will play Friday
Nowitzki has officially been upgraded from probable and will play in Friday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves after missing one game due to a stomach virus, while Dennis Smith Jr. didn’t travel with the team and has already been ruled out with mid-back tightness that’s now forced him to miss two consecutive games. Nowitzki has still only played more than 14 minutes in one game since making his season debut, so his availability won’t have much of an impact on the remainder of the Mavericks frontcourt rotation. With Smith Jr. sidelined for Wednesday’s win, Maxi Kleber drew the start at power forward and was exceptional from a fantasy perspective in 34 minutes of action, which enabled Luka Doncic to move over to point guard and serve as the main facilitator in the offense. On top of that, Doncic owns a 29.0% usage rate and is averaging 1.27 DraftKings and 1.25 FanDuel with Smith Jr. off the court this season, keeping him in consideration for all formats this evening.
As reported by: Dane Moore via Twitter Derrick Rose (ankle) will play Friday
Rose is still technically listed as questionable on the Timberwolves’ injury report, but he confirmed with reporters at shootaround that he will play in Friday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks after missing six consecutive games due to a sprained right ankle, while Robert Covington remains sidelined with a bone bruise in his right knee. His and Rose’s absences have enabled Josh Okogie to continue starting alongside Andrew Wiggins on the wing, and Okogie has logged at least 33 minutes in each of the last three games, though that minute floor should take a substantial hit with Rose rejoining the rotation the evening. None of the Timberwolves see a significant bump in usage with Covington off the court, but Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins both own at least a 28.8% usage rate in this scenario, while Towns has averaged 1.52 fantasy points per minute in a solid 339.1 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Dane Moore via Twitter Giannis Antetokounmpo (quad, hip) doubtful Friday; Eric Bledsoe and D.J. Wilson (hip) questionable
Antetokounmpo has been downgraded to doubtful on the Bucks’ injury report and is not expected to play in Friday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards due to a sore right quad and left hip contusion, while Bledsoe and Wilson are considered questionable with their respective ailments. Ersan Ilyasova is still listed as probable with a sore left quad, but he’ll likely enter the starting lineup at power forward if Antetokounmp is eventually ruled out and has averaged 22.4 minutes as a starter in the two games Antetokounmpo has missed this season. The best way to target Bucks players in daily fantasy formats will largely depend on the status of Bledsoe, but even if he’s available, Khris Middleton still owns a 34.0% usage rate (+8.6%) and is averaging 1.30 DraftKings and 1.25 FanDuel points per minute with Antetokounmpo off the court this season.
As reported by: Zach Rosen via Twitter Other tagged players: Eric Bledsoe, DJ Wilson Myles Turner (shoulder) out Friday
Turner has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the New York Knicks due to a sore right shoulder that’s now forced him to miss four consecutive games, while Darren Collison remains questionable with a sore right leg, despite averaging 24 minutes in the Pacers previous two games with the same injury designation. In Turner’s absence, Domantas Sabonis will almost certainly receive the starting nod at center once again and is coming off of a third straight serviceable fantasy performance in just 27 minutes of action in Wednesday’s blowout loss. Anytime Turner or Sabonis have been sidelined this year, Kyle O’Quinn has joined the rotation as the primary backup center and has averaged 17.4 minutes over the last three games, so he’s always worth a look in tournaments at his inexpensive salary across the industry since he is averaging 1.28 DraftKings and 1.34 FanDuel points per minute in limited run this season.
As reported by: J. Michael via Twitter