DFS Alerts
David Nwaba will start ahead of Larry Nance on Wednesday
Interim head coach Larry Drew has opted to make a change to his starting lineup for Tuesday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers and will start David Nwaba at one of the forward positions alongside Cedi Osman, which will send Nance to the bench to resume a reserve role. The main reason for the lineup shuffle is to have Nwaba matchup with LeBron James on the defensive end of the floor, so there’s no guarantee that this will be a long-term move going forward. Still, Nwaba has averaged 25.7 minutes off the bench over the Cavaliers last three games and has flashed significant upside for his price tag in two of those contests, making him a viable punt option on tonight’s 13-game slate.
As reported by: Joe Vardon via Twitter Other tagged players: Larry Nance Jr.
Willy Hernangomez (ankle) out Wednesday
Hernangomez has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers due to a sprained right ankle, while Michael Kidd-Gilchrist remains sidelined and will miss his fourth consecutive game with a sprained right ankle. Hernangomez hasn’t played more than 16 minutes in any of the last four games, so his absence won’t have too much of an impact on the remaining members of the Hornets frontcourt. However, his unavailability will allow Bismack Biyombo to enter the rotation and serve as the primary backup center behind Cody Zeller this evening.
As reported by: Rick Bonnell via Twitter NBA Injury Rundown - Wednesday, 11/21
Indiana Pacers – Victor Oladipo (Questionable), Myles Turner (Questionable)
Charlotte Hornets – Willy Hernangomez (Questionable), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Out)
Philadelphia 76ers – Markelle Fultz (Out), Jonah Bolden (Out)
Toronto Raptors – Kawhi Leonard (Rest), OG Anunoby (TBD), CJ Miles (TBD), Norman Powell (Out)
Atlanta Hawks – Omari Spellman (Doubtful), Alex Poythress (Out)
Boston Celtics – Al Horford (Probable)
Portland Trail Blazers – Seth Curry (Out), Maurice Harkless (Out)
Milwaukee Bucks – Donte DiVincenzo (Out), John Henson (Out)
Los Angeles Lakers – Rajon Rondo (Out)
Cleveland Cavaliers – George Hill (Out), Sam Dekker (Out), Kevin Love (Out)
Detroit Pistons – Henry Ellenson (Out), Luke Kennard (Out)
Dallas Mavericks – Dennis Smith Jr. (Questionable), J.J. Barea (Questionable), Dwight Powell (Questionable), Wesley Matthews (Out)
Memphis Grizzlies – Chandler Parsons (Out), Dillon Brooks (Out)
San Antonio Spurs – Davis Bertans (Questionable), Pau Gasol (Out)
Sacramento Kings – Kosta Koufos (Out)
Oklahoma City Thunder – Jerami Grant (Questionable), Alex Abrines (Questionable) Nerlens Noel (Questionable), Terrance Ferguson (Out)
Golden State Warriors – Draymond Green (Out), Stephen Curry (Out), Alfonzo McKinnie (Out)
Derrick Jones Jr. will start ahead of Justise Winslow on Tuesday
Head coach Erik Spoelstra has opted to make a change to his starting lineup for Tuesday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets, and he’ll start Derrick Jones Jr. at power forward, which shifts Josh Richardson to point guard and sends Justise Winslow to the bench to assume a reserve role. Jones Jr. hasn’t logged more than 18 minutes in any game this season, so he shouldn’t be expected to step directly into typical starter’s minutes just because he received the starting nod. The Heat will have Dwyane Wade available for the first time in two weeks, so he’ll likely absorb a large portion of Tyler Johnson’s playing time in the second unit while James Johnson could also see a few extra minutes as he continues to work his way back from offseason sports hernia surgery. Johnson made his season debut in Sunday’s loss and logged 15 minutes, which drastically reduced the role of Kelly Olynyk in the frontcourt rotation.
As reported by: Tim Reynolds via Twitter Other tagged players: Justise Winslow Kyle Lowry (ankle) will start Tuesday
Lowry has officially been cleared by the Raptors’ medical staff and will start in Tuesday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic despite dealing with a sore right ankle he aggravated during Saturday’s win, while OG Anunoby and CJ Miles both will remain sidelined due to their respective ailments. Lowry told reporters during shootaround this morning that he’s fine, so he always seemed likelier to play than not, but Toronto is on the front end of a back-to-back set, so there is still a non-zero chance that he could have his playing time limited. Fred VanVleet started alongside Lowry in the backcourt in the previous game with Kawhi Leonard resting, logging 29 minutes, and he could provide some value as a speculative tournament play if Lowry is not himself, as he owns a 25.9% usage rate (+5.7%) and is averaging 1.03 DraftKings and 1.02 FanDuel points per minute in a 162.4 minutes sample size with Lowry off the court.
As reported by: Blake Murphy via Twitter Knicks will start Mudiay, Hardaway Jr., Hezonja, Vonleh, Kanter on Tuesday
Head coach David Fizdale has opted to make yet another change to his starting lineup for Tuesday’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers and will start Emmanuel Mudiay, Tim Hardaway Jr., Mario Hezonja, Noah Vonleh, and Enes Kanter this evening. Hezonja has been a DNP-CD in each of the last two games, so his projected minute floor appears to be a bit volatile even as a starter, though he has definitely flashed upside when given the opportunity at times this season, keeping him in play for large-field tournaments on tonight’s abbreviated four-game slate. As for Kanter, he is coming off of a massive fantasy performance in 38 minutes of action in the Knicks previous game, and he continues to sport a 25.7% usage rate while averaging 1.29 DraftKings and 1.27 FanDuel points per minute on the season.
As reported by: Steve Popper via Twitter Other tagged players: Mario Hezonja Danilo Gallinari (illness) will play Tuesday; Patrick Beverley to the bench
Gallinari has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards after missing Monday’s win due to an illness, while Luc Mbah a Moute remains out with a sore right knee. In that contest, head coach Doc Rivers opted to roll with a three-guard starting lineup consisting of Patrick Beverley, Avery Bradley, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, though Bradley was limited to only 20 minutes in his return from a six-game injury absence. However, Beverley will head to the bench to assume a reserve role in favor of Gallinari this evening, which means the starting backcourt will consist of Gilgeous-Alexander and Bradley at the guard positions. Montrezl Harrell also soaked up a decent amount available playing time in the frontcourt with Gallinari sidelined and logged 32 minutes en route to smashing his salary-based expectations across the daily fantasy industry.
As reported by: Jovan Buha via Twitter Other tagged players: Patrick Beverley Kelly Oubre will start ahead of Markieff Morris on Tuesday
Head coach Scott Brooks has finally decided to make a change to his starting lineup for Tuesday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers, and he’ll opt to start Kelly Oubre at small forward and slide Otto Porter over to power forward, respectively, which will send Markieff Morris to the bench to assume a reserve role. Despite this change, it seems unlikely that any of the three aforementioned players will see a significant change in their allotted playing time. With Dwight Howard unavailable, Thomas Bryant will draw the start at center, the first of his career, but he’s still yet to play more than 11 minutes in any game this season. Still, head coach Scott Brooks seems willing to give him at least a moderate leash with the starters, citing the “youthful energy and enthusiasm” he brings to the court. Jason Smith or Ian Mahinmi may see some playing time as the backup center in Howard’s absence but a majority of those minutes have typically been absorbed Markieff Morris and Jeff Green ever since Howard made his Wizards debut.
As reported by: Candace Buckner via Twitter Other tagged players: Markieff Morris Dwight Howard (glute) out Tuesday; Thomas Bryant will start
Howard has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers due to gluteal soreness. In his absence, Thomas Bryant will draw the start at center, the first of his career, and he’s still yet to play more than 11 minutes in any game this season. Still, head coach Scott Brooks seems willing to give him at least a moderate leash with the starters, citing the “youthful energy and enthusiasm” he brings to the court. Jason Smith or Ian Mahinmi may see some playing time as the backup center in Howard’s absence but a majority of those minutes have typically been absorbed Markieff Morris and Jeff Green ever since Howard made his Wizards debut.
As reported by: Ben Standig via Twitter Tyler Johnson (hamstring) out Tuesday
Johnson has been added to the Heat’s injury report and will not play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets due to a strained right hamstring his sustained during Monday’s practice, while both Goran Dragic and Dion Waiters remain sidelined with their respective ailments. The Heat will have Dwyane Wade available for tonight’s contest for the first time in two weeks, so he’ll likely absorb a large portion of Johnson’s playing time in the second unit while James Johnson could see a few extra minutes as he continues to work his way back from offseason sports hernia surgery. Johnson made his season debut in Sunday’s loss and logged 15 minutes, which drastically reduced the role of Kelly Olynyk in head coach Erik Spoelstra’s frontcourt rotation, and as the Heat continue to approach full strength at those positions, it should be expected that Olynyk and even Bam Adebayo keep losing playing time, depending on the matchup.
As reported by: the Miami Heat via Twitter Danilo Gallinari (illness) questionable Tuesday
Gallinari is officially questionable for Tuesday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards due to an illness that already forced him to miss Monday’s win, while Luc Mbah a Moute remains out with a sore right knee. In that contest, head coach Doc Rivers opted to roll with a three-guard starting lineup consisting of Patrick Beverley, Avery Bradley, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, though Bradley was limited to only 20 minutes in his return from a six-game injury absence. Montrezl Harrell also soaked up a decent amount available playing time in the frontcourt and logged 32 minutes en route to smashing his salary-based expectations across the daily fantasy industry. Given the back-to-back situation for the Clippers, the sites have been unable to adjust Harrell’s pricing, so he figures to be a popular option should Gallinari be sidelined for a second consecutive game. On top of that, Harrell owns a 25.0% usage rate (+2.1%) and is averaging 1.42 DraftKings and 1.49 FanDuel points per minute with Gallinari and Mbah a Moute off the court this season.
As reported by: Jovan Buha via Twitter Dwyane Wade (personal) will play Tuesday
Wade was originally listed as out on the Heat’s injury report, but he’s officially back with the team and will play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets after missing seven consecutive games due to a personal matter. There’s been no word if Wade will be subject to a minutes restriction following a two-week absence, but his return will almost certainly relegate Derrick Jones Jr. from the rotation and eat into some of the playing time Tyler Johnson had been absorbing with Goran Dragic still sidelined. Additionally, James Johnson made his season debut in Sunday’s loss and logged 15 minutes, which drastically reduced the role of Kelly Olynyk in head coach Erik Spoelstra’s frontcourt rotation, and as the Heat continue to approach full strength at those positions, it should be expected that Olynyk and even Bam Adebayo keep losing playing time, depending on the matchup.
As reported by: Tim Reynolds via Twitter Minutes In A Strong Matchup
With Harkless out again tonight, Evan Turner should continue to play his 27+ minutes. He’s played at least 27 minutes in five of the last six weeks. Turner isn’t a high usage player, but on a four-game slate, I’m looking for value guys with solid roles and that’s exactly what Turner has right now. Turner is averaging .88 fantasy points per minutes this season, and the Knicks rank 27th in total defense, which is the worst of the eight teams on this slate.
Kyle Lowry (ankle) a game-time decision Tuesday; OG Anunoby (wrist) and CJ Miles (groin) remain out
Lowry is a new addition to the Raptors’ injury report and will be a game-time decision for Tuesday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic due to a sore right ankle he aggravated during Saturday’s win, while Anunoby and Miles both will remain sidelined with their respective ailments. Lowry told reporters during shootaround that he’s fine, so he appears likelier to play than not, but Toronto is on the front end of a back-to-back set, possibly taking the decision out of Lowry’s hands entirely. Fred VanVleet started alongside Lowry in the backcourt in the previous game with Kawhi Leonard resting, logging 29 minutes, and either he or Delon Wright would likely start at point guard should Lowry be ruled out closer to tipoff. However, VanVleet has been the clear beneficiary with Lowry off the court this season, as he owns a 25.9% usage rate (+5.7%) and is averaging 1.03 DraftKings and 1.02 FanDuel points per minute in a 162.4 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Josh Lewenberg via Twitter Other tagged players: OG Anunoby, C.J. Miles Bench Player That Will Be Low Owned
When I was recording the podcast this morning, I really thought Trey Burke was going to get a lot of love. I’m not seeing a lot of people talk about him, and I hope I get him at lower ownership tonight. Burke played a lot last game because the second unit was actually performing better than the starters. Mudiay has moved into the starting lineup, and Burke with Kanter gets almost all the usage on this second team. People hate playing bench players, but I love this spot for Burke tonight, and he’s been shooting a lot more recently.