DFS Alerts

Nikola Mirotic (ankle) upgraded to questionable Wednesday

Mirotic has officially been upgraded from doubtful to questionable for Wednesday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to a right ankle injury that’s already forced him to miss 12 consecutive games, while E’Twaun Moore is also questionable with a bruised left quad that kept him sidelined for Monday’s win. Head coach Alvin Gentry did confirm in a recent interview that Mirotic is nearing a return, so it wouldn’t be too surprising if he’s available for tonight’s contest after this upgrade in status. There’s been no word of a potential minute restriction for Mirotic, but if he’s available, he’ll almost certainly only play limited minutes off the bench. Additionally, if Moore is cleared to play, he’ll likely reclaim his spot in the starting lineup from Darius Miller, who was mediocre from a fantasy standpoint in 30 minutes of action in his spot start.

Dirk Nowitzki (illness) listed as doubtful Wednesday

Nowitzki has been listed as doubtful on the most recent version of the Mavericks’ injury report for Wednesday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns due to an illness, while Luka Doncic and Dennis Smith Jr. remain listed as questionable with separate back ailments. Nowitzki has seen his playing time ramp up a bit in recent games, as he’s averaged nearly 15 minutes off the bench in the last two games he was active, which has led Maxi Kleber to accumulate one DNP-CD and just five total minutes over that span. On top of that, the last time Smith Jr. was sidelined, Kleber ended up drawing the start at power forward, allowing Doncic to take over the primary ballhandling responsibilities in the starting unit. Kleber will have a role in the rotation regardless of Smith Jr. and Doncic’s availability, but their statuses still clearly affect his and the other Mavericks overall viability in daily fantasy formats this evening.

Mohamed Bamba (foot) listed as questionable Wednesday

Bamba has been listed as questionable on the most recent version of the Magic’s injury report for Wednesday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz due to a sore left foot. Bamba has essentially settled into a mid-teens minutes role off the bench in his rookie season, so his potential absence won’t have too much of an impact on the remainder of the frontcourt rotation, though Nikola Vucevic could possess a slightly higher minute floor and Jarell Martin has a good chance to enter the rotation to absorb a large portion of the available playing time at center in the second unit. However, Bamba has only missed one game this season, and it was actually Khem Birch that saw 22 minutes off the bench, though neither he or Martin are realistic options in tournament formats on a full 10-game slate like the one on tap this evening.

Joe Harris (ankle) and DeMarre Carroll (knee) listed as available Wednesday

Harris and Carroll have both been listed as available on the most recent version of the Nets’ injury report for Wednesday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks after missing one game due to a sprained right ankle and a sore left knee, respectively. There’s yet to be any confirmation if either player will be subject to a minute restriction in their return, so it’s likely Harris reclaims his spot in the starting lineup from Shabazz Napier, who crushed his salary-based expectations in 33 minutes of action in Monday’s loss. Carroll has logged at least 29 minutes in four of the last five games he’s been active, but his price has finally begun to reflect his change in role, making him more of a cash option given his lack of upside. When considering the current state of the Nets rotation, there isn’t really a notable beneficiary from a usage perspective with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Allen Crabbe, and Caris LeVert off the court this season, but D’Angelo Russell does lead the team with a 32.2% usage rate and is averaging 1.19 DraftKings and 1.15 FanDuel points per minute this season.

Devin Booker (back) listed as doubtful Wednesday

Booker has been listed as doubtful on the most recent version of the Suns’ injury report for Wednesday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks due to back spasms that already forced him to miss one game. Josh Jackson ended up replacing Booker in the starting lineup for Tuesday’s win, and he was solid from a fantasy perspective in 31 minutes of action, marking two consecutive contests he’s logged at least that many minutes and exceeded salary-based expectations. On top of that, Jackson has consistently been one of the primary beneficiaries with Booker off the court this season, and he leads the Suns with a 26.1% usage rate and is averaging 1.09 DraftKings and 1.11 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario. Another player in position to benefit from Booker’s likely absence is De’Anthony Melton, as he owns a 19.2% usage rate (+2.3%) with an average of 1.15 DraftKings and 1.21 FanDuel points per minute in a 172.4 minutes sample size.

J.J. Redick (back) listed as questionable Wednesday

Redick has been listed as questionable on the most recent version of the Sixers’ injury report for Wednesday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards due to back tightness that forced him to miss Tuesday’s blowout win. In his absence, Furkan Korkaz drew the start alongside Jimmy Butler on the wing, and he continues to be serviceable from a fantasy perspective in an average of 27.3 minutes over his previous three spot starts. However, it was Landry Shamet that stole the show in 24 minutes off the bench, recording a ridiculous 39.75 DraftKings and 36.10 FanDuel points for his inexpensive price tag. If Redick is ruled out closer to tipoff, Butler would be an intriguing tournament target considering he owns a 30.1% usage rate (+5.6%) and is averaging 1.19 DraftKings and 1.20 FanDuel points per minute with Redick off the court.

Myles Turner (shoulder) listed out Wednesday; Darren Collison (leg) listed as questionable

Turner has been listed out on the most recent version of the Pacers’ injury report and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics due to a sore right shoulder that’s now forced him to miss three consecutive games, while Collison is listed as questionable with a sore right leg, but he still did manage to play 26 minutes in Tuesday’s loss. In Turner’s absence, Domantas Sabonis will almost certainly receive the starting nod at center once again and is coming off of a second straight serviceable fantasy performance in 34 minutes of action. Anytime Turner or Sabonis have been sidelined this year, Kyle O’Quinn has joined the rotation as the primary backup center, and he’s always worth a look in tournaments at his inexpensive salary across the industry, as he is averaging 1.31 DraftKings and 1.38 FanDuel points per minutes with Turner off the court this season.

D.J. Wilson (hip) and Donte DiVincenzo (ankle) officially out Wednesday

Wilson has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz due to a left hip pointer that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games, while DiVincenzo will also remain sidelined with a sore right ankle, though he’s played just six total minutes in the Bucks previous 10 games. Wilson had settled into a high-teens or low-20s minutes role off the bench with Ersan Ilyasova sidelined, so Ilyasova should absorb most of Wilson’s playing time with the second unit, but Thon Maker ended up taking a large chunk of those available minutes in Monday’s win. There isn’t much fallout from Wilson’s absence, so Giannis Antetokounmpo remains the top target on the Bucks, and he still owns a 31.4% usage rate with an average of 1.67 DraftKings and 1.70 FanDuel points per minute on the season.

Make Sure He's Starting

Bruce Brown Jr. has quietly started the last two games at shooting guard for the Pistons and he’s played 34 and 35 minutes in those two games. Those two games were against the Spurs and Jazz. This is a much better matchup, as the Lakers rank 26th in defensive efficiency against shooting guards this season. Brown Jr. is earning playing time with his hustle and defense, which makes me really like him at his current price across the industry. On a 10-game slate, I hope he fly’s under the radar again tonight.

Take Advantage On DraftKings

While FanDuel did an excellent job on raising the price of Raul Neto, he’s still really cheap on DraftKings and FantasyDraft. With Rubio, Exum, Sefolosha, and Allen out, Neto is in line to play 25+ minutes against the Magic tonight. He played 29 minutes on Monday when Rubio got hurt, and he started the second half of that game. He’s not a high usage player, but he’s in a good matchup against Orlando and like I said above, the minutes should be there for him.

Kevin Huerter (back) probable Wednesday

Huerter has officially been listed as probable on the Hawks’ injury report for Wednesday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets after missing one game due to mid-back pain. There’s been no confirmation if Huerter will be subject to a minute restriction in his likely return, and he should displace Jeremy Lin from the starting lineup following his phenomenal fantasy performance in 35 minutes of action in Tuesday’s loss. Huerter has quietly played at least 34 minutes in four of his last five games, so he certainly remains in consideration for tournament formats if he’s deemed to be a full-go this evening. Trae Young has been a bit inconsistent of late, but he still owns a 31.2% usage rate and is averaging 1.14 DraftKings and 1.08 FanDuel points per minute with Kent Bazemore, Taurean Prince, and Miles Plumlee off the court this season

NBA Injury Rundown - Wednesday, 1/9

Indiana Pacers – Myles Turner (TBD)

Philadelphia 76ers – J.J. Redick (TBD), Markelle Fultz (O)

Atlanta Hawks – Kevin Huerter (TBD), Miles Plumlee (O), Kent Bazemore (O), Taurean Prince (O)

Brooklyn Nets – Joe Harris (P), DeMarre Carroll (P), Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (O), Allen Crabbe (O), Caris LeVert (O)

Milwaukee Bucks – D.J. Wilson (D), Donte DiVincenzo (D), Christian Wood (O)

San Antonio Spurs – Rudy Gay (O), Dejounte Murray (O)

Memphis Grizzlies – Jevon Carter (P), JaMychal Green (Q), Dillon Brooks (O)

Cleveland Cavaliers – Rodney Hood (TBD), David Nwaba (O), Kevin Love (O), John Henson (O)

New Orleans Pelicans – E’Twaun Moore (Q), Nikola Mirotic (D)

Phoenix Suns – Devin Booker (TBD)

Dallas Mavericks – Luka Doncic (Q), Dennis Smith Jr. (Q)

Utah Jazz – Dante Exum (O), Ricky Rubio (O), Thabo Sefolosha (O), Grayson Allen (O), Tony Bradley (O)

Portland Trail Blazers – Maurice Harkless (O)

Detroit Pistons – Ish Smith (D), Zaza Pachulia (O), Henry Ellenson (O)

Los Angeles Lakers – LeBron James (O), Rajon Rondo (O)

Devin Booker (back) officially out Tuesday

Booker didn’t participate in shootaround Tuesday morning and has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in tonight’s matchup against the Sacramento Kings due to back spasms he began experiencing during Sunday’s loss. Josh Jackson ended up replacing Booker in the starting lineup to begin the second half of that contest, and head coach Igor Kokoskov already confirmed that Jackson will start with Booker unable to suit up this evening. On top of that, Jackson has been one of the primary beneficiaries with Booker off the court this season, and he leads the Suns with a 26.5% usage rate and is averaging 1.10 DraftKings and 1.12 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario. Another player in position to benefit from Booker’s likely absence is De’Anthony Melton, as he owns a 20.3% usage rate (+3.2%) with an average of 1.13 DraftKings and 1.16 FanDuel points per minute in a 141.0 minutes sample size.

Malik Beasley will start in place of Gary Harris (hamstring) on Tuesday

Harris was officially downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Miami Heat due to left hamstring tightness he began experiencing during Monday’s loss. Harris and Paul Millsap finally returned to the starting lineup in yesterday’s contest, but Millsap was still limited to just 22 minutes as he continues to work his way back from a fractured right big toe. With Harris unable to suit up, Malik Beasley will draw the start alongside Torrey Craig on the wing, while Juan Hernangomez will likely step into an expanded role off the bench, and he typically saw minutes in the low-30s as a member of the starting unit while Harris and Millsap were sidelined with their respective injuries. The main beneficiary from a usage standpoint with Harris off the court this season has been Nikola Jokic, as he owns a 30.5% usage rate (+2.8%) and is averaging 1.55 DraftKings and 1.55 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.

Gary Harris (hamstring) out Tuesday

Harris has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Miami Heat due to left hamstring tightness he began experiencing during Monday’s loss. Harris and Paul Millsap finally returned to the starting lineup in yesterday’s contest, but Millsap was still limited to just 22 minutes as he continues to work his way back from a fractured right big toe. With Harris unable to suit up, Malik Beasley will draw the start alongside Torrey Craig on the wing, while Juan Hernangomez will likely step into an expanded role off the bench, and he typically saw minutes in the low-30s as a member of the starting unit while Harris and Millsap were sidelined with their respective injuries. The main beneficiary from a usage standpoint with Harris off the court this season has been Nikola Jokic, as he owns a 30.5% usage rate (+2.8%) and is averaging 1.55 DraftKings and 1.55 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.