DFS Alerts
Pau Gasol (foot) available to play Friday
Gasol was originally ruled out, but the Spurs have announced that he will be available to play in Friday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets after missing 25 consecutive games due to a stress fracture in his left foot. There’s been no confirmation from the team or head coach Gregg Popovich if Gasol will actually see playing time in his first game back, but if he does, he’ll likely be extremely limited and siphon away minutes from Jakob Poeltl in the second unit. Poeltl has played well of late, but he was consistently a DNP-CD earlier in the year when Gasol was absorbing minutes in the high-teens or low-20s off the bench as the primary backup to LaMarcus Aldridge at center.
As reported by: Paul Garcia via Twitter
Jamal Crawford (knee) will play Friday
Crawford has officially been upgraded from probable and will play in Friday’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder after missing one game due to a sore left knee. Crawford has seen a dramatic reduction in his role ever since Kelly Oubre made his Suns debut, logging fewer than 16 minutes in two of his last three games, so his availability won’t have too severe of an impact on the remainder of the rotation, though Ellie Okobo should see his playing time drastically reduced following a 24-minute appearance in Wednesday’s win. As for Oubre, his minutes have been all over the place in his first four games as a member of the Suns, playing as little as 20 and as many as 42 minutes over that span, which relegates him to the status of purely a tournament option despite the affordable price tag across the industry.
As reported by: Kellan Olson via Twitter Ante Zizic (knee) out Friday; Channing Frye and Jaron Blossomgame will start
Zizic has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Miami Heat due to a sore right knee. With Tristan Thompson and John Henson still sidelined with their respective ailments, Frye will draw the start at center but still hasn’t logged more than 21 minutes in any game this season. Meanwhile, Blossomgame will start ahead of Larry Nance, who still figures to have a substantial minutes floor despite now coming off the bench, as he’s logged at least 30 minutes in each of the Cavaliers last five games regardless of role. While Blossomgame’s playing time is much more volatile than Nance, he should be locked into a minute allocation in the low or mid-20s with Cleveland down to just nine available players for tonight’s contest. However, he still isn’t a high priority value target for any format since he has just an 11.1% usage rate and is averaging only 0.66 fantasy points per minute on the season.
As reported by: Joe Vardon via Twitter Other tagged players: Channing Frye, Jaron Blossomgame Jamal Crawford (knee) now listed as probable Friday
Crawford has been upgraded from questionable to probable on the most recent version of the Suns’ injury report for Friday’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder after missing one game due to a sore left knee. Crawford has seen a dramatic reduction in his role ever since Kelly Oubre made his Suns debut, logging fewer than 16 minutes in two of his last three games, so his likely availability won’t have too severe of an impact on the remainder of the rotation, though Ellie Okobo should see his playing time drastically reduced following a 24-minute appearance in Wednesday’s win. As for Oubre, his minutes have been all over the place in his first four games as a member of the Suns, playing as little as 20 and as many as 42 minutes over that span, which relegates him to the status of purely a tournament option despite the affordable price tag across the industry.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report JaVale McGee (illness) listed as questionable Friday
McGee has been listed as questionable on the most recent version of the Lakers’ injury report for Friday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers due to an illness that’s already forced him to miss six consecutive games, while LeBron James and Rajon Rondo both remain sidelined because of their respective ailments. With McGee unavailable, Ivica Zubac has started the last four games at center and logged at least 31 minutes in all but one of those starts, but he is coming off of a subpar fantasy performance in just 20 minutes of action in Thursday’s loss. On the other hand, Chandler finally eclipsed the 20-minute mark for the first time in his last seven games, which does leave Zubac’s projected minute floor in some doubt for tonight’s slate. Even though Lonzo Ball nearly recorded a triple-double in yesterday’s contest, Kyle Kuzma still appears to be the clear beneficiary with McGee, James, and Rondo off the court this season, as he owns a 34.7% usage rate (+10.4%) and is averaging 1.28 DraftKings and 1.24 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Markieff Morris (back, neck) officially out Friday
Morris has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls due to upper back and neck tightness, while John Wall and Otto Porter have already been ruled out with their respective ailments. In Wall’s absence, Tomas Satoransky will enter the starting lineup at point guard and has already been playing between 20-22 minutes a night with Wall active, giving a massive minute floor for his price tag across the industry. As for Morris, his absence opens up a plethora of playing time in the frontcourt with Porter also unavailable and should allow Ian Mahinmi to step in as the backup behind Thomas Robinson at center. There’s not a huge sample size with Wall and the other missing Wizards off the court together this season, but in that limited time, Bradley Beal has thrived offensively with a 36.0% usage rate and is averaging 1.64 DraftKings and 1.60 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario as well.
As reported by: the Washington Wizards via Twitter Victor Oladipo (shoulder) and Tyreke Evans (knee) available to play Friday
Oladipo has officially been upgraded from probable and will be available to play in Friday’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons despite dealing with a shoulder issue, while Evans is also available to play following his original questionable designation on the injury report due to a bruised right knee. Evans managed to play 19 minutes off the bench in Wednesday’s win, so his presence in the lineup should keep Aaron Holiday out of the rotation for the foreseeable future, as he’s only seen significant playing time when either Evans or Oladipo have been sidelined with injuries. Oladipo has largely struggled in his eight games since returning from a lengthy injury absence, but he still leads the Pacers with a 31.2% usage rate and is averaging 1.23 DraftKings and 1.22 FanDuel points per minute on the season, which keeps him in consideration as a contrarian tournament option on most slates.
As reported by: Tony East via Twitter Other tagged players: Tyreke Evans Injuries Opening Up Opportunities On This Team
John Wall has been ruled out for tonight’s game and Markieff Morris is listed as doubtful, so there should be shots and minutes to go around tonight for the rest of the Wizards roster. The most obvious beneficiary is Bradley Beal, who should be the centerpiece of the Wizards offense and averages 1.33 fantasy points per minute (a 0.22 point per minute increase) with Wall and Morris off the court this season. Tomas Satoransky will likely draw the start for Wall, and averages 0.85 fantasy points per minute with Wall and Morris off the court, making him an appealing value play. The minutes for Morris will likely be split between Trevor Ariza and Jeff Green, and both players are already seeing increased minutes due to Otto Porter also missing time, making both players underpriced for their increased roles.
Other tagged players: Trevor Ariza, Tomas Satoransky, Jeff Green
Paul George (quad) out Friday
George has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns due to a right quad contusion, while Alex Abrines will miss a second consecutive game because of an illness. There’s been no confirmation on who will replace George in the starting lineup, but Hamidou Diallo or Dennis Schroder appear to be the likeliest candidates, though both will certainly be in line for an increase in playing time this evening. The remainder of the available minutes at the forward positions will likely trickle down to some combination of Patrick Patterson, Abdel Nader, or even Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, who’s been a DNP-CD in nine of the Thunder’s last 12 games. With George off the court this season, Schroder actually leads the team with a 37.2% usage rate (+9.7%) and is averaging 1.18 DraftKings and 1.11 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario, making him an elite value option on tonight’s 10-game main slate.
As reported by: Erik Horne via Twitter Value Opens Up Thanks To Injury
Bombshell update here. John Wall is OUT for the Wizards tonight and Markieff Morris is doubtful. With Austin Rivers gone and Otto Porter already out, there is tons of opportunity here. Bradley Beal is a great play in all formats, and Tomas Satoransky and Trevor Ariza both get sizable bumps. They should play very heavy minutes on the wings. I am removing Johnson and adding both Satoransky and Ariza to the core plays. Ariza has played at least 34 minutes and scored 30+ fantasy points in every game since being acquired outside of one that turned into a blowout.
Other tagged players: Bradley Beal
Hassan Whiteside (hip) listed as available Friday
Whiteside has been listed as available to play on the most recent version of the Heat’s injury report for Friday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers despite dealing with a left hip pointer he sustained during Wednesday’s loss. Whiteside finally eclipsed the 30-minute mark in that contest for the first time since returning from an extended injury absence and was actually serviceable from a fantasy perspective. However, his playing time tends to fluctuate on a nightly basis with Bam Adebayo and Kelly Olynyk playing behind him in the frontcourt and head coach Erik Spoelstra’s propensity to roll with the hot hand at the center position in his rotations. With Goran Dragic still sidelined, Justise Winslow will continue serving as the starting point guard in his place and has logged at least 31 minutes in two of the Heat’s last three games, making him a viable mid-range option in a plus matchup versus this exploitable Cavaliers defense.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report John Wall (heel) listed out Friday; Markieff Morris (back, neck) listed as doubtful
Wall is a surprise addition to the Wizards’ most recent injury report and is listed out for Friday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls due to a sore left heel, while Morris has been listed as doubtful because of upper back and neck stiffness. In Wall’s absence, Tomas Satoransky will likely enter the starting lineup at point guard and has already been playing between 20-22 minutes a night with Wall active, giving a massive minute floor for his price tag across the industry. As for Morris, his likely absence opens up a plethora of playing time in the frontcourt with Otto Porter also unavailable and should allow Ian Mahinmi to step in as the backup behind Thomas Robinson at center. There’s not a huge sample size with Wall and the other missing Wizards off the court together this season, but in that limited time, Bradley Beal has thrived offensively with a 36.0% usage rate and is averaging 1.64 DraftKings and 1.60 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario as well.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Markieff Morris Not Your Typical Value Play
Schroder isn’t your typical value play but he is priced below the average cost of a roster spot across the industry and could be in line for an expanded workload if Paul George were to miss Friday’s game against Phoenix. Schroder is cheap enough that he rates as a positive value in this matchup even if George plays, which makes it more palatable to take a gamble on rostering Schroder even if we don’t have news prior to lineup lock.
Fan Favorite
Fan favorite Boban Marjanovic drew the start in the Clippers last game and posted an 11/5 stat line in 21 minutes of court time as Marcin Gortat drew a DNP-CD. We don’t have any clarification on who the Clippers starting center will be on Friday night and it seems unlikely we’ll get word before lineup lock which makes Boban a difficult play on sites that don’t have late swap. On sites that do allow late swap, make sure you have one figured out you can switch to if Boban is not announced in the starting lineup.
Low Per Minute Producer, Strong Minutes
Josh Hart started in LeBron’s place on Thursday night and his first half was a disaster – racking up three fouls and totaling less than two fantasy points. Hart quickly salvaged his night with a monster third quarter and finished the game with a 10/4/2/3/1 line in 33 minutes. Hart isn’t a high usage player, in fact his usage rate is just 15.8% this season with both LeBron and Rondo off the court, but he remains underpriced for his expanded role as a starter in LeBron’s absence.