DFS Alerts

Dwyane Wade (illness) questionable Wednesday

Wade did not attend shootaround Wednesday morning and is officially questionable for tonight’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to an illness, while Dion Waiters traveled with the team to Cleveland and remains questionable to make his season debut as he continues to recover from left ankle surgery. Wade has really settled in a mid-20s minutes role off the bench with Goran Dragic sidelined, so if Waiters is unable to suit up, Tyler Johnson could be in line for a significant increase in playing time as the sole ball-handler behind Justise Winslow in the rotation. On top of that, Johnson owns a 24.5% usage rate and is averaging 0.99 Draftkings and 0.96 FanDuel points per minute with Wade and Dragic off the court this season.

Jeremy Lamb (hamstring) officially out Wednesday

Lamb has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks due to a strained right hamstring he sustained during Wednesday’s win, while Cody Zeller has also been ruled out with a fractured right hand he injured in the same contest. There’s been no confirmation on who will replace them in the Hornets starting lineup, but Devonte’ Graham did replace Lamb to begin the second half, and head coach James Borrego also stated that he views Willy Hernangomez, Frank Kaminsky, and Bismack Biyombo as capable starters to absorb Zeller’s vacated minutes at the center position. Borrego’s rotation is a bit shuffled since the last time Zeller was sidelined, but in that game, Hernangomez started and logged 14 minutes while Frank Kaminsky recorded just under 26 minutes off the bench.

Tristan Thompson (foot) available to play Wednesday

Thompson has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Miami Heat after missing 10 consecutive games due to a sprained left foot, while Rodney Hood remains questionable despite participating in Tuesday’s practice. There’s been no word if Thompson will start or be subject to a minute restriction in his first game back, but with Ante Zizic unavailable, it appears likely he’ll receive the starting nod against Hassan Whiteside considering head coach Larry Drew’s propensity to bring Larry Nance off the bench. Additionally, Patrick McCaw is available to make his Cavaliers debut after signing an offer sheet earlier in the week, which does throw quite a wrench into the wing rotation, so players like Hood and Alec Burks should be avoided in daily fantasy formats until there’s more clarity on their roles moving forward.

NBA Injury Rundown - Wednesday, 1/2

Miami Heat – Dion Waiters (Q), Goran Dragic (O)

Cleveland Cavaliers – Tristan Thompson (Q), Rodney Hood (Q), David Nwaba (O), Kevin Love (O), John Henson (O)

Dallas Mavericks – Wesley Matthews (P)

Charlotte Hornets – Jeremy Lamb (D), Cody Zeller (O)

Atlanta Hawks – John Collins (P), Dewayne Dedmon (Q), Kent Bazemore (O), Taurean Prince (O)

Washington Wizards – Otto Porter (P), Markieff Morris (O), John Wall (O), Dwight Howard (O)

New Orleans Pelicans – Anthony Davis (P), Nikola Mirotic (O)

Brooklyn Nets – Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (O), Allen Crabbe (O), Caris LeVert (O), Dzanan Musa (O)

Orlando Magic – D.J. Augustin (Q), Jonathon Simmons (D), Timofey Mozgov (O)

Chicago Bulls – Robin Lopez (P), Bobby Portis (O), Denzel Valentine (O)

Minnesota Timberwolves – Robert Covington (Q), Jeff Teague (Q), Derrick Rose (D)

Boston Celtics – Kyrie Irving (Q), Aron Baynes (O), Robert Williams III (O)

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

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

Joel Embiid (knee) will start Tuesday

Embiid has officially been upgraded from questionable and will start in Tuesday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers after missing one game due to a sore left knee. There’s been no reported minute restriction for Embiid, so he should be a full-go since the Sixers coaching and medical staffs are typically extremely liberal in sitting Embiid down if he’s not close to full health. His return to the starting lineup will send Amir Johnson back to the bench to resume a reserve role following an underwhelming fantasy performance in just 12 minutes of action in his spot start. Instead, it was Jonah Bolden that absorbed a large majority of Embiid’s vacated playing time in Sunday’s loss, and he eclipsed the 25-minute mark for the second time in the Sixers last four games. Head coach Brett Brown has continued to reiterate that he wants to find a way to manage Embiid’s minutes and also have Mike Muscala serve primarily as the backup center, so it appears that Bolden will get a fair chance to claim meaningful playing time in this frontcourt rotation moving forward.

Maurice Harkless (knee) will start Tuesday

Harkless has officially been upgraded from probable and will start in Tuesday’s matchup against the Sacramento Kings after missing one game due to a sore left knee. His return to the starting lineup will send Evan Turner back to the bench to resume his typical sixth-man role following a middling fantasy performance in just 23 minutes of action in Sunday’s blowout win. Jake Layman also rejoined the rotation in that contest and accrued 12 minutes off the bench, but he’ll more than likely be relegated back to his nominal role at the end of the rotation. C.J. McCollum is coming off of a massive outing in the Trail Blazers’ previous game, and he could be an intriguing, possibly contrarian, tournament option at a depressed price tag on tonight’s abbreviated five-game slate, as he still owns a 28.0% usage rate and is averaging 0.96 DraftKings and 0.94 FanDuel points per minute on the season.

Enes Kanter (back) listed as available Tuesday

Kanter has been listed as available to play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets after previously being listed as probable with a sore back, while Emmanuel Mudiay was already upgraded from questionable and will play despite dealing with a sprained right ankle he sustained during Saturday’s loss, and Mitchell Robinson will miss an eighth consecutive game with a sprained right ankle. Luke Kornet has started the last two games at center in favor of Kanter and has averaged 31.1 minutes over that span, which has led to Kanter seeing a drastic reduction in playing time, failing to play more than 17 minutes in either contest. In his first two starts, Kornet has recorded a 20.7% usage rate and is averaging 1.16 DraftKings and 1.09 FanDuel points per minute, keeping him in consideration for all formats at his price tag across the industry.

Gary Harris (hip) will play Tuesday

Harris has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Tuesday’s matchup against the New York Knicks after missing 11 consecutive games due to a right hip injury. There’s been no word of a specific minute restriction for Harris, but he is expected to come off the bench in his first game back, indicating that the Nuggets coaching and medical staffs will want to gradually integrate him back into the regular rotation. For reference, Paul Millsap returned from a similar length injury hiatus in Saturday’s win and was limited to just 14 minutes off the bench, making it likely that both he and Harris see fewer than 20 minutes in their temporary reserve roles this evening. This does hrow the rest of the rotation into a bit of a limbo, as Torrey Craig and Mason Plumlee will continue to start at shooting guard and power forward, respectively, but they will have significantly lower minute floors while Harris and Millsap work themselves back to full strength.

Zaza Pachulia (leg) officially out Tuesday

Pachulia has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks due to a bruised right lower leg that is also expected to also keep him sidelined for the second leg of the Pistons current back-to-back set on Wednesday evening. Pachulia typically ends up playing anywhere from the low to high-teens in terms of minutes depending on the matchup and Andre Drummond’s foul situation, so with Pachulia unavailable, there will certainly be available playing time for Jon Leuer and Blake Griffin to absorb as the pseudo backups to Drummond at center. This sets up Griffin as an intriguing, possibly contrarian, tournament option on tonight’s abbreviated five-game slate, as he continues to lead the Pistons with a 30.9% usage rate and is averaging 1.27 DraftKings and 1.22 FanDuel points per minute on the season.

Ricky Rubio (back, knee) and Jae Crowder (thumb) available to play Tuesday

Rubio and Crowder have both officially been upgraded from probable and will be available to play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors after missing one game due to their respective ailments, while Grayson Allen remains sidelined with a right ankle sprain. There’s been no word of a minute restriction for either Rubio or Crowder, so they should be expected to be a full-go in their return to the Jazz lineup. In Rubio’s brief absence, Dante Exum received the starting nod at point guard and was stellar from a fantasy perspective in just 26 minutes of action, marking his third straight fantasy relevant outing. On the other hand, with Crowder sidelined, Royce O’Neale assumed a larger role off the bench and exceeded his salary-based expectations in just under 19 minutes with the second unit, but he does figure to a see a drastic reduction in playing time with Utah back at full strength and had logged nine minutes or fewer in four his previous five games.

Emmanuel Mudiay (ankle) will play Tuesday

Mudiay has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets despite dealing with a sprained right ankle he sustained during Saturday’s loss, while Enes Kanter remains probable with a sore back and Mitchell Robinson will miss an eighth consecutive game with a sprained right ankle. Luke Kornet has started the last two games at center in favor of Kanter and has averaged 31.1 minutes over that span, which has led to Kanter seeing a drastic reduction in playing time, failing to play more than 17 minutes in either contest. In his first two starts, Kornet has recorded a 20.7% usage rate and is averaging 1.16 DraftKings and 1.09 FanDuel points per minute, keeping him in consideration for all formats at his price tag across the industry.

Risky In A Great Matchup

Bjelica has played anywhere from 5 to 35 minutes with Bagley out. The five-minute game was the back-to-back where the Kings coach didn’t bring the starters back in. Portland has really struggled with small forwards and power forwards this season. They rank 28th in defensive efficiency against small forwards and 29th against power forwards. If he plays around 30 minutes, he’s a great value on DraftKings and FantasyDraft. I do think he’s a tournament only play tonight, but I think the risk is worth the reward.

Make Sure He's Starting

Luke Kornet has moved into the starting lineup over the last two games, and he’s played 28 and 33 minutes in those two games. He’s posted really solid numbers in each of those games and should continue to play those minutes if he draws another start tonight. Kanter is dealing with a back injury right now, and they’ve limited his minutes over the last two games. If Kornet starts, he’s a top value play on this slate.

Pay Attention To This Spot

Assuming Gary Harris sits again tonight, Beasley is one of the top plays on the slate for me, and we have him projected for ownership under 5%. He’s played at least 25 minutes in five straight games and has at least 26 fantasy points in three of those games. With Harris and Barton projected back soon, Beasley is doing everything he can to gain a spot in this rotation. If Denver controls this game, Beasley should get run in a blowout, which makes me like him even more with this 14-point spread.

The Obvious Top Play

With Embiid’s status in question for tonight, there’s no doubt that Antetokounmpo is the top overall play on the slate. Nobody can touch his combination of floor and ceiling, as he is averaging nearly 27 points and 13 rebounds per game on the year. There will be enough value on this slate to where you can comfortably fit him in, and he poured in 32 points against the Pistons in their last meeting. Start your lineups with the Greek Freak this evening and build from there.