DFS Alerts
Marc Gasol (hamstring) questionable Saturday; Mike Conley (shoulder) probable
Gasol has officially been listed as questionable for Saturday’s matchup against the San Antonio Spurs due to a sore left hamstring, while Conley is listed as probable with a sore left shoulder for the Grizzlies second leg of a back-to-back set this evening. Conley quelled any concerns about his effectiveness while hampered by his ailing shoulder in Friday’s loss, as demolished his salary-based expectations in nearly 38 minutes of action. If Gasol is unable to suit up, JaMychal Green, Joakim Noah, and Jaren Jackson Jr. would all benefit from additional playing time, though Green would be the likeliest candidate to enter the starting lineup considering Noah has failed to play more than five minutes in either of the last two games. On top of that, Green owns a 24.4% usage rate (+4.3%) and is averaging 1.15 DraftKings and 1.12 FanDuel points per minute with Gasol off the court this season.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Mike Conley
Kyle Kuzma (back) out Friday
Kuzma has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the New York Knicks due to a lower back contusion he sustained during Wednesday’s loss. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope replaced him in the starting lineup to begin the second half of that contest and logged 34 minutes in relief, but it remains to be seen if head coach Luke Walton opts to start such a small starting five versus the duo of Luke Kornet and Noah Vonleh in the Knicks frontcourt. Michael Beasley is also back with the team following a month-long absence due to a personal matter, and he would also be a candidate to start at power forward with Kuzma and LeBron James sidelined. Unsurprisingly, Brandon Ingram has been the primary beneficiary with Kuzma, James, and Rajon Rondo off the court this season, as he owns a 31.8% usage rate (+7.9%) and is averaging 1.13 DraftKings and 1.11 FanDuel points per minute in a 106.1 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Kyle Goon via Twitter Mitchell Robinson (ankle) out Friday
Robinson has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers due to a sprained left ankle that has now forced him to miss nine consecutive games. Head coach David Fizdale already confirmed that he will stick with the same starting lineup for tonight’s contest, which means Luke Kornet will remain the starting center and has been stellar from a fantasy perspective in an average of 29.7 minutes over the Knicks last three games. Kornet has recorded a 20.1% usage rate and is averaging 1.17 DraftKings and 1.10 FanDuel points per minute over that span, but his elevated price tag across the industry makes him a less appealing option for all formats.
As reported by: Marc Berman via Twitter Jaylen Brown will start in place of Marcus Morris (neck) on Friday
Morris was already officially downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks due to a strained neck, while Robert Williams remains sidelined with a groin injury. They’ll both join Kyrie Irving and Aron Baynes on the Celtics’ inactive list, which will enable Terry Rozier to draw another start at point guard following a stellar fantasy performance for his price tag in 33 minutes of action in Wednesday’s win. In Morris’ absence, Jaylen Brown will draw the start alongside Jayson Tatum in the frontcourt, though Gordon Hayward still figures to play a huge role off the bench as the sixth-man. Brown and Hayward alternated starts the previous two times Morris was unavailable and Semi Ojeleye also saw increased run off the bench. On top of that, Hayward has been one of the main beneficiaries with Morris and Irving off the court this season, and he owns a 24.0% (+3.9%) usage rate with an average of 1.05 DraftKings and 1.04 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: Scott Souza via Twitter Derrick Rose (ankle) out Friday
Rose has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic due to a sprained right ankle that’s now forced him to miss four consecutive games, while Jeff Teague will return to the starting lineup following a nine-game absence caused by left ankle inflammation. There’s been no confirmation if Teague will be subject to a minute restriction in his first game back, but his return to the lineup will send Tyus Jones back to the bench to resume a reserve role after a string of stellar fantasy performances in an average of 38.7 minutes over the last three games. There isn’t an extensive sample size with Rose and Robert Covington off the court together this season, but in that time, Karl-Anthony Towns owns a 35.1% usage rate (+6.7%) and is averaging 1.66 DraftKings and 1.66 FanDuel points per minute.
As reported by: Timberwolves PR via Twitter Jonathon Simmons (ankle) will play Friday
Simmons has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Friday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves after missing two consecutive games due to a sprained right ankle. Simmons managed to participate fully in Thursday’s practice, so he should be healthy enough to reclaim his normal backup point guard role from Jerian Grant, who will likely be relegated to the end of the rotation and be a candidate to receive a DNP-CD on a nightly basis. Simmons has averaged just 0.70 DraftKings and 0.71 FanDuel points per minute this season, which keeps him out of consideration for daily fantasy formats on most slates. However, Nikola Vucevic appears to be in the most advantageous spot of all the Magic starters versus Karl-Anthony Towns, and he owns a 27.9% usage rate with an average of 1.46 DraftKings and 1.47 FanDuel points per minute on the year.
As reported by: Josh Robbins via Twitter Myles Turner (nose) will start Friday
Turner has officially been upgraded from questionable and will start in Friday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls despite fracturing his nose in Monday’s win, while Aaron Holiday remains questionable due to an illness, though he is unlikely to see extensive playing time even if active this evening. Turner was fitted for a mask on Wednesday and returned to basketball activities during Thursday’s practice, so he should be expected to be a full-go barring any in-game setback. Turner had been extremely inconsistent in the early portions of the season, but he is coming off of one of is best month’s as a professional, as he recorded a 23.0% usage rate and averaged 1.31 DraftKings and 1.39 FanDuel points per minute through 15 games in the month of December.
As reported by: J. Michael via Twitter Mike Conley (shoulder) will play Friday
Conley has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Friday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets despite dealing with a sore left shoulder. Conley was able to participate in Thursday’s practice and confirmed with reporters that he has regained some flexibility in his shoulder, but given how ineffective he was in Wednesday’s loss, he appears to be an easy player to avoid in daily fantasy formats on tonight’s 10-game slate. Additionally, Justin Holiday won’t be available to make his Grizzlies debut following Thursday’s trade that sent him to Memphis in exchange for Wayne Selden and MarShon Brooks, both of whom were largely out of the rotation, so their absences will have a minimal impact on the remaining Grizzlies players active for tonight’s contest.
As reported by: Omari Sankofa II via Twitter Ricky Rubio (foot) available to play Friday
Rubio has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Friday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers despite dealing with a sore left foot, while Grayson Allen remains sidelined with an ankle injury. There’s yet to be any confirmation if Rubio will be subject to a minute restriction, so he’ll presumably be a full-go after managing to log 31 minutes in Tuesday’s loss. Rubio’s return from a one-game absence in that contest sent Dante Exum back to the bench to resume his normal reserve role as the backup point guard, and he ended up seeing his playing time dip back down to just 18 minutes. Rubio draws a fantastic individual matchup versus Collin Sexton, so he could set up as an interesting tournament option on tonight’s 10-game slate, and he owns a 23.8% usage rate with an average of 0.99 DraftKings and 0.98 FanDuel points per minute on the season.
As reported by: Eric Walden via Twitter Matthew Dellavedova (foot) listed out Friday
Dellavedova has been downgraded from questionable to out on the most recent version of the Cavaliers’ injury report, and he won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz due to a sprained right foot, while David Nwaba and Ante Zizic remain sidelined with their respective ailments. Dellavedova has settled into a high-teens minutes role off the bench in recent games, so his absence does open up some extra playing time in the backcourt for Jordan Clarkson and Alec Burks with the second unit. Head coach Larry Drew has hinted that he plans to start Larry Nance alongside Tristan Thompson in the frontcourt to matchup up with Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors on the defensive end of the floor, and if that’s the case, Burks would seemingly be the odd man out of the starting lineup. Additionally, Patrick McCaw logged 18 minutes in his Cavaliers and season debut off the bench, so it’ll be interesting to see how his role continues to evolve in this suddenly crowded wing rotation.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Marcus Morris (neck) and Robert Williams (groin) out Friday
Morris has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks due to a strained neck, while Williams remains sidelined with a groin injury. They’ll both join Kyrie Irving and Aron Baynes on the Celtics’ inactive list, which will enable Terry Rozier to draw another start at point guard following a stellar fantasy performance for his price tag in 33 minutes of action in Wednesday’s win. In Morris’ absence, either Gordon Hayward or Jaylen Brown will almost certainly draw the start alongside Jayson Tatum in the frontcourt, as they alternated starts the last two times Morris was unavailable and Semi Ojeleye saw increased run off the bench. On top of that, Hayward has been one of the main beneficiaries with Morris and Irving off the court this season, and he owns a 24.0% (+3.9%) usage rate with an average of 1.05 DraftKings and 1.04 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: Gary Washburn via Twitter Other tagged players: Robert Williams III Get-Right Matchup for Slumping Center
Hassan Whiteside has had a rough stretch recently, seeing his minutes dip, but his salary on DFS sites has decreased as well. Tonight he gets a nice matchup against a Wizards team that ranks last in the league in rebounding differential (-7.8) and second to last in the league in points allowed (116.9). In two matchups against the Wizards already this season, Whiteside has averaged 12 points, 12 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks, and if he can match or exceed those numbers tonight, he could be an overlooked GPP play tonight.
Derrick Rose (ankle) upgraded to questionable Friday
Rose has officially been upgraded from doubtful to questionable for Wednesday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic due to a sprained right ankle that’s already forced him to miss three consecutive games, while Jeff Teague will return to the starting lineup following a nine-game absence caused by left ankle inflammation. There’s been no confirmation if Teague will be subject to a minute restriction in his first game back, but his return to the lineup will send Tyus Jones back to the bench to resume a reserve role after a string of stellar fantasy performance in an average of 38.7 minutes over the last three games. There isn’t an extensive sample size with Covington and Rose off the court together this season, but in that time, Karl-Anthony Towns owns a 35.1% usage rate (+6.7%) and is averaging 1.66 DraftKings and 1.66 FanDuel points per minute.
As reported by: Timberwolves PR via Twitter Bobby Portis (ankle) officially out Friday
Portis has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers due to a sprained right ankle that’s now forced him to miss seven consecutive games. Portis was still able to go through a full-contact practice on Thursday, so his return to an influx Bulls rotation doesn’t appear to be too far off. Speaking of roster turnover, Chandler Hutchison will start at small forward for the recently departed Justin Holiday, and there’s been no confirmation if Wayne Selden will be available to make his Bulls debut, though head coach Jim Boylen does expect him to compete for minutes on the wing once he’s cleared to suit up. If Selden is inactive, Antonio Blakeney and Shaquille Harrison figure to absorb a majority of the available wing and guard minutes behind Hutchison, Zach LaVine, and Kris Dunn, as both logged a minimum of 24 minutes in Wednesday’s blowout loss.
As reported by: K.C. Johnson via Twitter Mike Conley (shoulder) likely to play Friday
Conley is still technically listed as questionable on the Grizzlies’ injury report, but he is considered likely to play in Friday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets despite dealing with a sore left shoulder. Conley was able to participate in Thursday’s practice and confirmed with reporters that he has regained some flexibility in his shoulder, but given how ineffective he was in Wednesday’s loss, he appears to be an easy player to avoid in daily fantasy formats on tonight’s 10-game slate. Additionally, Justin Holiday reportedly won’t be available to make his Grizzlies debut following Thursday’s trade that sent him to Memphis in exchange for Wayne Selden and MarShon Brooks, both of whom were largely out of the rotation, so their absences will have a minimal impact on the remaining Grizzlies players active for tonight’s contest.
As reported by: Michael Wallace via Twitter