DFS Alerts
Aron Baynes (ankle) will start Wednesday
Baynes has officially been upgraded from questionable and will start in Wednesday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards after missing two consecutive games due to a sprained right ankle. Meanwhile, Al Horford and Gordon Hayward will remain sidelined with their respective ailments, and Horford is expected to miss at least a few more games because of his sore left knee. The return of Baynes will supplant Daniel Theis from the starting center role following a couple of sporadic fantasy performances in an average of 27 minutes per start and likely result in a center-by-committee approach with rookie Robert Williams also seeing some run with the second unit. The Celtics will receive some reinforcements with Kyrie Irving returning from a one-game absence, and he’ll supplant Terry Rozier from the starting point guard position following his solid fantasy performance in 32 minutes in Monday’s win.
As reported by: Adam Himmelsbach via Twitter
Kevin Knox confirmed as starter ahead of Mario Hezonja on Wednesday
As expected, head coach David Fizdale has opted to make yet another change to his starting lineup and will start Knox at small forward in Wednesday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers, which will send Mario Hezonja to the bench to assume a reserve role after he was limited to just five minutes in Sunday’s loss. Knox logged a whopping 41 minutes in that contest en route to shattering his salary-based expectations, though he has been notoriously inconsistent in the early stages of his rookie season.
As reported by: Chris Iseman via Twitter Other tagged players: Mario Hezonja John Wall (heel) will start Wednesday; Otto Porter (knee) ruled out
Wall has officially been upgraded from probable and will start in Wednesday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics after missing Monday’s loss due to a sore left heel, while Porter has been ruled out with a right knee contusion. The return of Wall will send Austin Rivers back to the bench to resume a reserve role following a serviceable fantasy performance in 35 minutes of action in his spot start. In Porter’s absence, Jeff Green will draw the start at power forward alongside Tomas Satoransky in the frontcourt and actually saw 31 minutes in the Wizards previous game, adding to his appeal as a punt option in tournament formats. With Green starting, Markieff Morris and Kelly Oubre will pilot the second unit, and Morris has spent a majority of his playing time as the backup to nominal starting center Thomas Bryant.
As reported by: Candace Buckner via Twitter Other tagged players: Otto Porter Jr. Victor Oladipo (knee) available to play Wednesday
Oladipo has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks after missing 11 consecutive games due to a sore right knee. Head coach Nate McMillan did confirm that Oladipo will be subject to a minute restriction in his first game back, but Oladipo will still likely supplant Tyreke Evans from the starting lineup, as Evans was only playing between 23-25 minutes as a starter anyway. Oladipo obviously won’t be in consideration for daily fantasy formats given the uncertainty surrounding his minute allotment and possible ill effects from an extended layoff, but his presence does make players like Domantas Sabonis less appealing options this evening.
As reported by: the Indiana Pacers via Twitter Jimmy Butler (groin) and Mike Muscala (illness) out Wednesday
Butler has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets due to a strained right groin, while Mike Muscala is a new addition to the Sixers’ injury report and has been ruled out with an upper respiratory infection. Landry Shamet started the second half of Monday’s win in Butler’s place, and he logged 22 minutes, while Furkan Korkmaz supplied some additional scoring punch off the bench and accumulated 26 minutes. In Muscala’s absence, Wilson Chandler and Amir Johnson will absorb additional playing time in the frontcourt and there’s a strong possibility that head coach Brett Brown opts to utilize an eight-man rotation with Shake Milton and Demetrius Jackson the only other players currently available on the active roster.
As reported by: Keith Pompey via Twitter Other tagged players: Mike Muscala Lower Points Total Game Still Features Fantasy Options
The Knicks – Cavs game in Cleveland tonight doesn’t have a particularly high Vegas point total (213), but it does feature two teams in the bottom half of the league in points allowed (Cleveland ranks 20th, New York ranks 27th) as well as a number of players who are underpriced due to role changes. For Cleveland, Larry Nance is expected to see more minutes with the injury to Tristan Thompson, and the young Cleveland big man has averaged 14.5 points, 7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists over his last two games. Collin Sexton should also continue to see more minutes after the trade of George Hill, and Sexton has played at least 32 minutes over the past 5 games, while averaging 20.6 points and 3.0 assists. On the Knicks side of the ball, Kevin Knox could move into the starting lineup after exploding for 26 points and 15 rebounds in his last game, while Emmanuel Mudiay and Damyean Dotson appear to be emerging as reliable options in the backcourt with Allonzo Trier sitting due to injury and Frank Ntilikina seeing reduced minutes.
Other tagged players: Collin Sexton, Larry Nance Jr., Damyean Dotson, Emmanuel Mudiay, Cedi Osman
Andre Iguodala (hip) out Wednesday
Iguodala is a new addition to the Warriors’ injury report and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors due to right hip tightness that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. In his absence, both Jonas Jerebko and Alfonzo McKinnie saw a significant increase in playing time even with Draymond Green logging nearly 30 minutes in his return from an 11-game injury hiatus, and they’ll likely be the main minute beneficiaries once again with everyone else on the Warriors, outside of DeMarcus Cousins, currently available to play. Green will likely continue to be eased back into the rotation by head coach Steve Kerr, so that makes him difficult to target in daily fantasy formats if he’s going to see a full five-to-six fewer minutes than the other members of the starting lineup, excluding Kevon Looney of course.
As reported by: Mark Medina via Twitter Goran Dragic (knee) out Wednesday; Tyler Johnson (hip) will play
Dragic is a new addition to the Heat’s injury report and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz due to a swollen right knee, while both Tyler Johnson and Wayne Ellington will reportedly play after being DNP-CDs in Monday’s loss. Dwyane Wade served as the main guard off the bench in that contest and saw his playing time balloon to 32 minutes, as head coach Erik Spoelstra opted to give him extra run in his likely final game facing off against LeBron James in his career. Derrick Jones Jr. also eclipsed the 25-minute mark for the second straight game, but he’ll be the most impacted by the return of Johnson and Ellington to the rotation this evening. Justise Winslow typically has an increased role, whether as a starter or off the bench, when Dragic is unavailable, and he owns a 22.5% usage rate while averaging 1.02 DraftKings and 1.01 FanFuel points per minute with Dragic and Hassan Whiteside off the court this season.
As reported by: Ira Winderman via Twitter Aron Baynes (ankle) likely to play limited minutes Wednesday
During a radio interview, head coach Brad Stevens disclosed that it appears likely that Baynes will be able to play limited minutes in Wednesday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards after previously being listed as questionable with a sprained left ankle that forced him to miss two games. Meanwhile, Al Horford and Gordon Hayward will remain sidelined with their respective ailments, and Horford is expected to miss at least a few more games because of his sore left knee. The Celtics will receive some reinforcements with Kyrie Irving returning from a one-game absence, and he’ll supplant Terry Rozier from the starting point guard position following his solid fantasy performance in 32 minutes in Monday’s win.
As reported by: Scott Souza via Twitter Love The Upside In This Spot
With Taurean Prince out again tonight, I’m going right back to the well on Kent Bazemore. He’s played 33 and 35 minutes in each of the last two games without prince, and he’s put up 35 and 43.5 fantasy points in those two games. He shot 2-10 from the field against Denver and was still able to fill up the stat sheet on his way to 35 fantasy points. With Lin and Prince off the floor, Bazemore is averaging 1.20 fantasy points per minute in 102.7 minutes. This should be a fast paced game, and it has one of the higher totals on this slate.
Increased Minutes Because Of Injury
With Jimmy Butler doubtful tonight, T.J. McConnell is in line to see increased minutes tonight against the Nets. He played 28 minutes against Detroit on Monday with Butler out and should see the same number of minutes tonight. McConnell is averaging .80 fantasy points per minute with Butler off the floor this season. McConnell is cheap across the industry and should have no problem paying off his price tag in this matchup.
Making The Most Of His Playing Time
Dallas has the third highest implied team total on the slate, and it’s 6.9 points higher than their season average. They also are projected to see the biggest pace bump on the slate. With Dennis Smith Jr. out, I really like Jalen Brunson tonight in this matchup. DSJ has missed the last three games, and Brunson has been an excellent source of value over those three games. He’s played at least 25 minutes in each of those games, and has scored at least 23 fantasy points in each of those three games.
Reggie Bullock (ankle) now questionable Wednesday; Stanley Johnson (knee) a game-time decision
Bullock has officially been upgraded from doubtful to questionable for Wednesday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets due to a sprained left ankle that has forced him to miss four consecutive games, while Stanley Johnson remains listed as probable but is considered to be a game-time decision with a bruised left knee. Luke Kennard moved into the starting lineup to replace Glenn Robinson III, who is expected to miss at least two more weeks because of a sprained left ankle, and he logged a whopping 37 minutes en route to greatly exceeding his salary-based expectations in Monday’s loss. The Pistons starting lineup for tonight’s contest will depend greatly on the availability of Bullock and Johnson, but Kennard remains a candidate to start even if both are available to play this evening.
As reported by: Rod Beard via Twitter Other tagged players: Stanley Johnson Giannis Antetokounmpo (neck) available to play Wednesday
Antetokounmpo has officially been upgraded from probable and will be available to play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers after missing the previous game due to a sore neck, while Pat Connaughton will return from a two-game absence and is available to play off the bench. The return of Antetokounmpo will send Ersan Ilyasova back to the bench to resume a reserve role following his solid fantasy performance in only 21 minutes of action, as head coach Mike Budenholzer opted to utilize an 11-man rotation in Monday’s win. Antetokounmpo has a 31.4% usage rate and is averaging 1.67 DraftKings and 1.69 FanDuel points per minute this season, and this high floor and astronomical ceiling keeps him in consideration for all formats on a nightly basis.
As reported by: Malika Andrews via Twitter Al Horford (knee) and Gordon Hayward (illness) out Wednesday
Horford has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards due to a sore left knee that, according to Brad Stevens, is likely to keep him sidelined for a few additional games. Meanwhile, Hayward has been ruled out because of an illness, as expected, and Aron Baynes remains closer to doubtful than his current questionable designation suggests. The Celtics will receive some reinforcements with Kyrie Irving returning from a one-game absence, and he’ll supplant Terry Rozier from the starting point guard position following his solid fantasy performance in 32 minutes in Monday’s win. Irving doesn’t have a tremendous sample size with the aforementioned injured players off the court this season, but he’ll logically see an uptick in usage in their absences. However, Marcus Morris owns a 28.7% usage rate (+5.9%) and is averaging 1.18 DraftKings and 1.09 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.
Other tagged players: Gordon Hayward