DFS Alerts
Chris Paul (leg) and Gerald Green (ankle) will play Friday
Head coach Mike D’Antoni confirmed with reporters during his pregame media availability that Paul and Green will play in Friday’s matchup against the San Antonio Spurs despite dealing with a sore left leg and a sore right ankle, while Nene Hilario isn’t expected to make his season debut until tomorrow’s game versus the Chicago Bulls since he’s unlikely to play in many back-to-back sets at this point in his career. Paul’s return from a three-game absence will send Eric Gordon back to the bench to assume his sixth-man role and could relegate either Danuel House or Isaiah Hartenstein from the rotation entirely. Paul only has a 25.5% usage rate this season while averaging 1.16 fantasy points per minute, so his presence in the starting lineup does more to hurt James Harden’s value in daily fantasy formats than actually make himself a viable option, even if he’s not subject to a minute restriction this evening.
As reported by: Kelly Iko via Twitter Other tagged players: Gerald Green
Marc Gasol (ankle) will play Friday
Gasol has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Friday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets despite dealing with a sore left ankle, while Chandler Parsons and Dillon Brooks remain sidelined with their respective injuries. There’s been no report of a minutes restriction for Gasol, so he’ll likely resume his normal role as the starting center and play minutes in the mid-30s barring an in-game setback. Gasol has flashed some significant upside of late and draws an exploitable matchup with Jarrett Allen and the Nets frontcourt defense, making him an intriguing tournament target with his 24.5% usage rate and an average of 1.21 DraftKings and 1.24 FanDuel points per minute this season.
As reported by: Rob Fischer via Twitter Joe Harris (adductor) out Friday
Harris has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies due to left adductor tightness. Harris surprisingly leads all active Nets players with just over 29 minutes per game, so his absence will certainly open up a plethora of playing time on the wing. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has started ahead of Jared Dudley at power forward in the previous two contests, which makes DeMarre Carroll the likeliest candidate to enter the starting lineup at small forward despite playing fewer than 20 minutes in five of the last six games. Head coach Kenny Atkinson could also opt to go small by starting Spencer Dinwiddie alongside D’Angelo Russell in the backcourt, but Dinwiddie could be an interesting tournament target either way, as he owns a 31.1% usage rate (+6.3%) and is averaging 1.26 DraftKings and 1.19 FanDuel points per minute with Harris and Caris LeVert off the court this season.
As reported by: the Brooklyn Nets via Twitter Malik Monk (quad) available to play Friday
Monk has officially been upgraded from probable and will be available to play in Friday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz despite dealing with a right quad contusion he sustained during Wednesday’s win. Monk has been serving as the primary backup shooting guard in head coach James Borrego’s rotation and that role typically allows him to see minutes in the low-20s or high-teens, though his playing time has been a bit more sporadic of late. If Monk is limited at all, Borrego would likely shorten his rotation to nine players once again, but Dwayne Bacon is always a threat to see extended run off the bench given his prowess on the defensive end of the floor.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR via Twitter Dennis Smith Jr. (wrist) likely to play Friday
Smith Jr. is still technically listed as questionable, but he is expected to play in Friday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers despite dealing with a sprained right wrist, while Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell remain questionable even though they were able to play in Wednesday’s contest without any restrictions. Kleber typically sees minutes in the high-teens off the bench, so if he’s unavailable, a majority that playing time would likely be absorbed by Powell and Dorian Finney-Smith in the second unit. However, neither would realistically be in consideration for daily fantasy formats on a sizable 11-game main slate this evening. Smith Jr. managed to record 31 minutes in his return from a one-game absence last time out, hinting that he shouldn’t be limited, and Smith Jr. will be in play for tournaments on most nights he sees that type of run, as he is second on the Mavericks with a 26.4% usage rate this season.
As reported by: Eddie Sefko via Twitter Jeremy Lin (ankle) out Friday
Lin has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to a sprained left ankle that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Dewayne Dedmon was already cleared to play and will remain in the Hawks starting lineup. Tyler Dorsey was removed from the injury report, so Atlanta will have a bit more depth at the point guard position than in Wednesday’s loss, but there’s still no guarantee he’ll see game action, as head coach Lloyd Pierce has been content utilizing Kent Bazemore and DeAndre Bembry as the backup point guards.
As reported by: Brad Rowland via Twitter Injuries Opening Up Minutes and Shots In Expected High Scoring Game
Otto Porter is out tonight for the Wizards, and Jeff Green is listed as questionable, so there may be some minutes opening up for Washington at the power forward position in the game with the highest Vegas point total of the night. Markieff Morris will likely move back into the starting lineup in place of Porter, and Morris has turned things up offensively over his last five games, averaging 17.4 points and 7.6 rebounds. According to CourtIQ, Morris gets a solid 3.7% usage bump with Porter off the court this season, and Kelly Oubre gets a 1.1% usage bump, as well as logging the third-most minutes on the team with Porter sitting.
Other tagged players: Kelly Oubre
Maxi Kleber (knee) listed questionable Friday
Kleber is a new addition to the Mavericks’ injury report and is listed as questionable for Friday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers due to a sore right knee, while Dennis Smith Jr. and Dwight Powell remain questionable even though they were able to in Wednesday’s contest without any restrictions. Kleber typically sees minutes in the high-teens off the bench, so if he’s unavailable, a majority that playing time would likely be absorbed by Powell and Dorian Finney-Smith in the second unit. However, neither would realistically be in consideration for daily fantasy formats on a sizable 11-game main slate this evening.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Otto Porter (personal) listed out Friday; Jeff Green (back) listed questionable
Porter has officially been listed as out in the most recent version of the Wizards’ injury report and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers due to personal reasons, while Green is listed as questionable with a sore lower back. If Green is cleared to play, either he or Markieff Morris are the most likely candidates to enter the starting lineup at power forward, though Morris has logged at least 32 minutes off the bench in each of the last two games, giving him the slight edge. The only knock on that prediction is that Morris has been seeing a majority of his playing time at center behind nominal starter Thomas Bryant, so head coach Scott Brooks may prefer to keep him in that sixth-man role. Still, Morris has a 22.5% usage rate (3.4%) and is averaging 1.01 fantasy points per minute with Porter and Dwight Howard off the court this season, only adding to his tournament appeal this evening.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Jeff Green Jonathon Simmons (illness) misses shootaround Friday; Aaron Gordon (back) a game-time decision
Simmons will not participate in shootaround Friday morning and there’s a chance he’s unable to play in Friday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns due to an illness, while Aaron Gordon is expected to be a game-time decision with lower back tightness that’s already forced him to miss one game. However, Gordon confirmed with reporters that he doesn’t want to rush back only to reaggravate his injury further, which makes it seem likely he’ll sit out of tonight’s contest since Orlando has three days off before their next scheduled game. Jonathan Isaac started at power forward in Gordon’s place last time out and finally has eclipsed the 30-minute mark in two consecutive games. This makes Isaac a fine value option despite a mediocre 18.0% usage rate, as he typically does most of his damage by racking up peripheral statistics.
As reported by: Josh Robbins via Twitter Other tagged players: Aaron Gordon T.J. Warren (ankle) out Friday
Warren has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic due to a sore right ankle. With Warren unable to suit up, Josh Jackson will enter the starting lineup alongside Trevor Ariza in the frontcourt, while Ryan Anderson could finally rejoin the rotation following seven consecutive DNP-CDs. The release of Isaiah Canaan should theoretically enable Mikal Bridges to consistently see close to starters’ minutes moving forward, but head coach Igor Kokoskov has a short leash with the rookie, restricting him to 23 minutes or fewer in each of the Suns’ last two games. In the limited time with both Warren and Canaan off the court, Devin Booker owns a 35.2% usage rate and has averaged 1.38 DraftKings and 1.24 FanDuel points per minute, making him an elite option for all formats this evening.
As reported by: Kellan Olson via Twitter George Hill (shoulder) listed out in Cavaliers game notes for Friday
Hill was originally listed as questionable on the Cavaliers’ injury report, but he’s now been listed as out on their updated game notes for Friday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics, which signals he’ll almost assuredly miss his 11th consecutive game due to a sprained right shoulder. Alec Burks has joined the team and will be available to make his Cavaliers debut this evening, so Cleveland will receive at least some reinforcements after head coach Larry Drew was forced to utilize just an eight-man rotation in Wednesday’s loss. There’s been no official word on what Burks’ role in the rotation will look like from the outset, but he’ll more than likely just step into Korver’s vacated minute allotment of 18-22 minutes on the wing, providing the Cavaliers with some much-needed depth at those positions.
As reported by: Cleveland Cavaliers Game Notes Justise Winslow (knee) will play Friday; Derrick Jones Jr. (hamstring) ruled out
Winslow has officially been upgraded from probable and will play in Friday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans despite dealing with a bruised right knee, while Jones Jr. is a new addition to the Heat’s injury report and has been ruled out due to a strained right hamstring. Jones Jr. has logged a grand total of six minutes over the last three games, recording two DNP-CDs in that span, so his absence will obviously almost zero effect on the remainder of the Heat frontcourt rotation. Miami is still without Goran Dragic and Tyler Johnson, so Dwyane Wade is poised to continue seeing an expanded playmaking role in the second unit, and he owns a 30.4% usage rate (+2.9%) while averaging 1.14 fantasy points per minute with the aforementioned duo off the court this season. On top of that, Wade is averaging 28.3 minutes over the last three games, and head coach Erik Spoelstra hasn’t shied away from allowing Wade to see extended run if they are in need of his offensive firepower in competitive game scripts.
As reported by: the Miami Heat via Twitter Other tagged players: Derrick Jones Jr. Cheap Playing Time + Strong Matchup
Look, rostering Aron Baynes is never enjoyable but the big man from New Zealand is in line for some extended run on Friday night with Al Horford already announced out against the Cavs. The price is right (read: cheap) for Baynes and the matchup is strong against a Cleveland team that allows the second most points per 100 possessions in the league (113.9). The Cavs have also struggled protecting the lane allowing the second highest field goal percentage (69%…nice) on shots at the rim.
Extra Run
Jaylen Brown is out again on Friday night and Marcus Smart was the guy that benefited the most from his absence last game drawing the start and logging 40 minutes of action. Smart disappointed from a fantasy perspective but his extra run is extremely encouraging as he remains cheap across the industry. There’s a chance Smart sees a little bit more usage roll his way on Friday night with Al Horford also out for the Celtics.