DFS Alerts

NBA Injury Rundown - Wednesday, 12/12

Milwaukee Bucks – Giannis Antetokounmpo (Probable)

Indiana Pacers – Victor Oladipo (Questionable), Edmond Sumner (Questionable)

Boston Celtics – Al Horford (Questionable), Aron Baynes (Questionable), Gordon Hayward (Doubtful)

Washington Wizards – John Wall (Probable), Otto Porter (Questionable), Dwight Howard (Out)

New York Knicks – Allonzo Trier (Out), Trey Burke (Out), Lance Thomas (Out)

Cleveland Cavaliers – David Nwaba (Questionable), Tristan Thompson (Out), John Henson (Out), Kevin Love (Out)

Detroit Pistons – Stanley Johnson (Probable), Reggie Bullock (Doubtful), Glenn Robinson (Out), Ish Smith (Out)

Philadelphia 76ers – Jimmy Butler (Doubtful), Markelle Fultz (Out)

New Orleans Pelicans – E’Twaun Moore (Questionable), Nikola Mirotic (Out), Elfrid Payton (Out)

Memphis Grizzlies – Mike Conley (Questionable), Chandler Parsons (Out), Dillon Brooks (Out), Jevon Carter (Out)

Atlanta Hawks – Jeremy Lin (Out), Omari Spellman (Out), Taurean Prince (Out), Miles Plumlee (Out), Alex Poythress (Out)

Dallas Mavericks – Maxi Kleber (Probable), Dirk Nowitzki (Questionable), Dennis Smith Jr. (Out)

Miami Heat – Tyler Johnson (Probable), Hassan Whiteside (Out), Dion Waiters (Out)

Minnesota Timberwolves – Robert Covington (Probable), Jerryd Bayless (Out)

Toronto Raptors – Kawhi Leonard (TBD), Norman Powell (Out)

Kawhi Leonard (hip) out Tuesday

Leonard has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t Tuesday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers due to a bruised right hip. The Raptors are slated to play the first leg of a back-to-back set that concludes on Wednesday in Golden State, so it certainly was plausible that Leonard wouldn’t suit up in tonight’s contest considering he’s sat out at least one game of every back-to-back situation thus far this season. Fred VanVleet has started alongside Kyle Lowry in the backcourt the previous two times Leonard has been unavailable, but it’ll be interesting to see if head coach Nick Nurse opts to start OG Anunoby at small forward instead to better defend the Clippers lengthy frontcourt. As expected, Kyle Lowry has been the clear beneficiary with Leonard off the court this season, as he owns a 25.2% usage rate (+5.4%) and is averaging 1.46 DraftKings and 1.43 FanDuel points per minute, making him an elite option for all formats on an abbreviated three-game slate.

Lou Williams (hamstring) likely out 1-2 weeks; Marcin Gortat starts ahead of Boban Marjanovic on Tuesday

Williams has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors due to a sore left hamstring that limited him to just 12 minutes in Monday’s overtime win. Additionally, head coach Doc Rivers disclosed to reports that he believes Williams will be sidelined for one-to-two weeks with his aforementioned hamstring injury. His absence enabled Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Avery Bradley, and Patrick Beverley to all log at least 33 minutes in the previous contest, while Milos Teodosic saw the court for the first time in four games and played 12 minutes off the bench as well. Gilgeous-Alexander stands to benefit the most in terms of playing time with Williams unable to suit up, and he’s priced cheap enough across the industry that he could easily exceed his implied value, despite owning just a 20.1% usage rate and averaging only 0.85 Draftkings and 0.87 FanDuel points per minute with Williams off the floor this season.

Josh Jackson will start ahead of Trevor Ariza on Tuesday

With trade rumors swirling around Trevor Ariza in recent days, head coach Igor Kokoskov has opted to begin the youth movement early and will start Josh Jackson at small forward in Tuesday’s matchup against the San Antonio Spurs, which will send Ariza to the bench to resume a reserve role. Ariza is active for tonight’s contest, but the news of his benching could be a red flag to a severely diminished role in the rotation or even a possible DNP-CD if the Suns have an agreed upon deal in place for after December 15, when newly-signed free agents from the offseason are eligible to be traded. Meanwhile, there’s been no update on the status of Jamal Crawford, who remains questionable, but De’Anthony Melton is still poised to make a third consecutive start at point guard, and he’s been productive from a fantasy perspective over the last four games despite playing more than 26 minutes in just one game over that span. In fact, Melton owns a 22.0% usage rate and is averaging 0.98 fantasy points per minute in his time with Suns, giving him plenty of upside for tournaments if continues seeing close to typical starters’ minutes.

Dante Cunningham (abdominal) available to play Tuesday; Davis Bertans (personal) ruled out

Cunningham has officially been upgraded from probable and will be available to play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns after missing one game due to a sore abdominal, while Bertans has been ruled out as he remains away from the team dealing with a personal matter. With both Cunningham and Bertans unavailable for the previous contest, Derrick White moved into the starting lineup and was serviceable from a fantasy perspective in 30 minutes of action. However, Cunningham will likely reclaim his normal starting role alongside Rudy Gay in the frontcourt this evening, which will send White back to the bench to resume a reserve role. Cunningham is never in consideration for daily fantasy formats given his low 8.5% usage rate, but he has averaged 27 minutes in his last three games, so his presence certainly has a significant effect on the remainder of the rotation.

Lou Williams (hamstring) questionable Tuesday

Williams is officially questionable for Tuesday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors due to a sore left hamstring that limited him to just 12 minutes in Monday’s overtime win. His absence enabled Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Avery Bradley, and Patrick Beverley to all log at least 33 minutes in that contest, while Milos Teodosic saw the court for the first time in four games and played 12 minutes as well. Gilgeous-Alexander stands to benefit the most in terms of playing time if Williams is unable to suit up, and he’s priced cheap enough across the industry that he could easily exceed his implied value, despite owning just a 20.1% usage rate and averaging only 0.85 Draftkings and 0.87 FanDuel points per minute with Williams off the floor this season.

Kawhi Leonard (hip) questionable Tuesday

Leonard has been added to the Raptors’ injury report and is questionable for Tuesday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers due to a bruised right hip. The Raptors are set to play the first leg of a back-to-back set that concludes on Wednesday in Golden State, so it certainly seems plausible that Leonard won’t play in tonight’s contest considering he’s sat out at least one game of every back-to-back situation thus far this season. Fred VanVleet has started alongside Kyle Lowry in the backcourt the previous two times Leonard has been unavailable, but it’ll be interesting to see if head coach Nick Nurse opts to start OG Anunoby at small forward to better defend the Clippers lengthy frontcourt. As expected, Kyle Lowry has been the clear beneficiary with Leonard off the court this season, as he owns a 25.2% usage rate (+5.4%) and is averaging 1.46 DraftKings and 1.43 FanDuel points per minute, making him an elite speculative tournament play on an abbreviated three-game slate.

Jamal Crawford (knee) questionable Tuesday

Crawford is officially questionable for Tuesday’s matchup against the San Antonio Spurs due to a sore left knee that forced him to miss Monday’s loss, while Devin Booker remains sidelined with a left hamstring injury. In Crawford’s absence, Troy Daniels logged 32 minutes off the bench for the second consecutive game, while De’Anthony Melton and Mikal Bridges set new career-highs in minutes played, as each eclipsed the 36-minute mark following the ejection of T.J. Warren in the first half of yesterday’s contest. Melton is also poised to make a third consecutive start at point guard in place of Devin Booker, and he’s been productive from a fantasy perspective over the last four games despite playing more than 26 minutes in just one game over that span. In fact, Melton owns a 22.0% usage rate and is averaging 0.98 fantasy points per minute in his time with Suns, giving him plenty of upside for tournaments if continues seeing close to typical starters’ minutes.

Flying Under The Radar?

Warren has been battling injuries for much of the year, but he returned last night and re-entered the starting lineup as a much needed offensive boost to the Suns… only to get ejected in the second quarter. The good news is that his health is fine, and he should be ready to roll for tonight’s matchup. He sees plenty of usage on offense when Devin Booker is out, and I would expect close to normal minutes for him tonight. The matchup is a fine one against a Spurs team that ranks near the bottom of the NBA in most defensive efficiency metrics, so I am happy to load up on Warren in GPP formats. He’s a great speculative tournament play on a short slate.

Monitor Sweet Lou's Status

Gilgeous-Alexander is not the highest usage player, but there could be more opportunity waiting if Lou Williams can’t go tonight, and it would surprise me if the Clippers push Sweet Lou on the tail end of a back-to-back set. Shai was solid last night after Williams got hurt on his way to a 16/4/5 line over 34 minutes, and that kind of run could be available again tonight. CourtIQ tells us that he gets a small uptick in production per minute without Williams, and the affordable price tag and likely additional minutes cement the case.

The Star To Pay For In GPP Formats

Harden and Lillard are obviously going to get tons of attention tonight, and it’s hard to be truly contrarian with the studs on a three game slate. However, don’t sleep on DeMar DeRozan. He’s been at 48+ fantasy points in four of his last five games and appears to be fully comfortable as the leader of this Spurs team right now. The Suns may not be playing at as fast of a pace this year, but they’re an awful basketball team and have nobody capable of checking DeRozan with confidence. The big key here is that the game needs to stay close, and that will have some people nervous about DeRozan. I understand those nerves in cash game settings, but I love the GPP upside at (relatively) lower ownership than the likes of Harden and Lillard.

NBA Injury Rundown - Tuesday, 12/11

Houston Rockets – Marquese Chriss (Doubtful), Carmelo Anthony (Out), Brandon Knight (Out), Zhou Qi (Out)

Portland Trail Blazers – Anfernee Simons (Out)

Phoenix Suns – Jamal Crawford (TBD), Devin Booker (Out)

San Antonio Spurs – Dante Cunningham (Probable), Davis Bertans (Doubtful), Pau Gasol (Out)

Toronto Raptors – Norman Powell (Out)

Los Angeles Clippers – Lou Williams (TBD) Luc Mbah a Moute (Out), Jerome Robinson (Out)

Robert Covington (knee) will play Monday

Covington has officially been upgraded from probable and will play in Monday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors after missing one game due to a sore right knee. There’s been no indication that Covington will be limited in tonight’s contest, so he’ll likely remain in his typical starting small forward role that’s allowed him to averaged 35.6 minutes over his first 11 games with Minnesota following the trade that shipped Jimmy Butler to Philadelphia just last month. Despite recording just a 17.2% usage rate, Covington has actually averaged 0.92 DraftKings and 0.97 FanDuel points per minute in his time with the Timberwolves, keeping him in play for tournaments on a near-nightly basis as a mid-range option.

Josh Richardson (shoulder) and Tyler Johnson (hip) will play Monday

Richardson has officially been upgraded from probable and will play in Monday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers after missing one game due to a right shoulder impingement, while Tyler Johnson will also play despite dealing with a bruised left hip and Wayne Ellington is back with the team following a two-game absence because of a personal matter. This means the Heat’s starting lineup will be nearly intact for tonight’s contest, as Hassan Whiteside is the only usual starter that will be unavailable. In his absence, Bam Adebayo has started at center and has been fantastic from a fantasy perspective in an average of nearly 31 minutes per game. The other beneficiary with Whiteside off the court has been Goran Dragic, who owns a 28.1% usage rate (+2.9%) and is averaging 1.18 fantasy points per minute, though Dragic was limited to just 21 minutes in his first game back and is something to be wary if considering rostering him this evening.

Jamal Murray (shin) will play Monday; Mason Plumlee starts ahead of Trey Lyles

Murray has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Monday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies despite dealing with a right shin contusion. However, the Nuggets will still be without Paul Millsap and Gary Harris for an extended period of time, which leaves them with just two remaining starters from their opening night lineup in Murray and Nikola Jokic, as Will Barton has been sidelined with a groin injury since the third game of the season. Torrey Craig has already started the last three games in place of Harris, averaging 25.2 minutes, and Mason Plumlee has been confirmed as the starter alongside Jokic in the frontcourt, though Trey Lyles should still see significant run off the bench after logging 39 minutes in Saturday’s win. There is not a tremendous sample size with Millsap and Harris off the court together this season, but in that time, Jokic has recorded a 33.1% usage rate (+6.7%) and is averaging 1.74 DraftKings and 1.76 FanDuel points per minute, vaulting him into elite play status on tonight’s 11-game slate.