DFS Alerts

John Henson (wrist) listed as available Thursday

Henson has been listed as available on the most recent version of the Bucks injury report and appears set to play in Thursday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors despite dealing with a sore left wrist. Henson has been serving as the Bucks primary backup center behind Brook Lopez but has only averaged 15 minutes per game this season. Henson obviously isn’t a viable option for daily fantasy formats, though his presence does keep Thon Maker, who’s been a DNP-CD in two of the last three games, at the backend of head coach Mike Budenholzer’s rotation.

Boban Marjanovic will "most likely" start tonight

Boban Marjanovic will “most likely” start tonight, marking his third straight game with the starters. We’ll still want to confirm this closer to tip-off, but the Clippers interior defense had been lacking in the first eight games and while Boban hasn’t had a ton of sustained success slowing Embiid or Towns in recent matchups, he really clogs the lane and makes it tough for teams to get anything easy inside. Boban didn’t cross the 20 minute mark in his last start, but he’d likely be in store for 20-25 minutes assuming he gets the nod here. Montrezl Harrell is still squarely on the GPP radar with Gortat seemingly out of the rotation and Harrell producing at an elite per-minute rate.

Russell Westbrook (ankle) out Thursday

Westbrook has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets due to a sprained left ankle that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. Westbrook sustained the injury during Monday’s contest, and while the injury ended up being less severe than originally thought, it was always unlikely Westbrook would be able to return after just a few days. In his absence, Dennis Schroeder will draw another start at point guard and is coming off of a stellar fantasy performance in 34 minutes in Wednesday’s win. Schroder has not only benefitted from extra playing time, but he’s also logged a team-leading 32.5% usage rate and is averaging 1.11 DraftKings and 1.09 FanDuel points per minute with Westbrook off the court this season.

Tobias Harris (illness) misses shootaround, possible he doesn't play Thursday

Harris didn’t participate in shootaround Thursday morning, and his status is still to be determined for tonight’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers due to an illness. The Clippers are already without Avery Bradley and Luc Mbah a Moute, so they could be down two starters if Harris is unable to suit up. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is poised to make a second consecutive start at the shooting guard spot alongside Patrick Beverley in the backcourt, and he was serviceable from a fantasy perspective in 24 minutes of action in Monday’s win. He remains cheap across the industry, so he should be a relatively popular option given his ability to rack up peripheral statistics despite a low 14.9% usage rate on the offensive end of the floor. Lou Williams also saw a slight bump in minutes sans Bradley, and he leads the Clippers by a wide margin with a 35.6% usage rate and is averaging 1.35 DraftKings and 1.29 FanDuel points per minute with him off the court this season.

A Way To Be Different

We have some really solid center options tonight, and even for a four-game slate, I don’t expect Boban to be highly owned. He has started three straight games for the Clippers now, and while his price has come up, he’s still averaging 1.52 fantasy points per minute this season. He got in early foul trouble last time out, and still put up 27 fantasy points in 18 minutes. I’m searching for the ceiling game like we saw against the 76ers at this price, but on a four-game slate I like the idea of being different.

Great Value Option

After a poor shooting night against Portland, Eric Bledsoe is in a prime spot to bounce back tonight. His price came down on DraftKings and FantasyDraft, which put him into the value range. Both of these teams rank in the top five in offensive efficiency, and they’re both in the top ten in pace. This game has a 240-implied total, which is 15.5 points higher than the next game. We have some really solid value options in this game, but don’t forget about Bledsoe at this discounted rate.

A Rising Young Rookie

The Clippers have used a revolving door at the guard spots this season. Veterans Avery Bradley and Patrick Beverley have been relative disappointments, and now Bradley is injured. Gilgeous-Alexander drew the start in his stead in the last game and logged 25 minutes, and he’s capable of solid all-around production when the playing time is there. The risk is absolutely baked into his super cheap price tag, but we need value on this slate in order to pay up for the likes of Curry, Antetokounmpo, and others. Gilgeous-Alexander provides that, and he has decent skill sets for rebounding, steals, and even a block or two as a solid defensive guard. Give him a look in your GPP builds this evening.

An Intriguing Risk/Reward Punt

Jordan Bell is an interesting GPP case study tonight. We know he has the ability to put up solid fantasy point totals when he gets consistent playing time, but finding that consistent run is difficult. The good news is that he did start the second half in place of Draymond Green in the previous game, and Green has already been ruled out for tonight. Bell played 21 minutes in that game, so we can safely project him in the 24-26 minute range tonight in this big game against the Bucks. While he’s been a relative disappointment so far this season, there is upside here, and Bell has the ability to pay off a dirt cheap price tag with ease. Fire him up as an elite GPP option on this short slate.

Monitor Westbrook's Status

I would be surprised if Russell Westbrook takes the court tonight after missing Wednesday’s game with his sprained ankle, but stranger things have happened. Assuming Westbrook is out again today, it’s difficult to envision not playing Dennis Schroder on a short slate. He’s moderately priced at just $7,000 on FD/DK, and he poured in a team-high 28 points in yesterday’s win over the Cavaliers (though, oddly, he had no assists last night). Per our CourtIQ tool, Schroder sees a 4% usage bump and scores around four additional fantasy points per 36 minutes with Westbrook off the floor, and Schroder would be a top play on this slate on a points per dollar basis.

A Big Game On A Big Stage

This is the biggest nationally televised game we have seen for the Milwaukee Bucks in quite some time, and I expect them to treat this like an NBA Finals game. This is a chance to make a statement on the road against the best team in the NBA with the Bucks currently sitting at 8-2 with the Warriors sitting at 10-1. For that reason, I’ll give Giannis Antetokounmpo the edge as my top spend-up play of the day over Kevin Durant, especially when you throw in the multi-faceted ability that Giannis has to contribute across all areas of the stat sheet. It’s obviously splitting hairs between all the top players in this game, but Antetokounmpo will be my first priority.

NBA Injury Rundown - Thursday, 11/8

Houston Rockets – Eric Gordon (Questionable), Michael Carter-Williams (Out)

Oklahoma City Thunder – Russell Westbrook (TBD)

Los Angeles Clippers – Avery Bradley (Out), Luc Mbah a Moute (Out)

Portland Trail Blazers – Maurice Harkless (Out)

Milwaukee Bucks – John Henson (Questionable)

Golden State Warriors – Draymond Green (Out), Shaun Livingston (Out)

Kawhi Leonard (ankle) will play Wednesday; C.J. Miles (hip) out

Leonard has officially been upgraded from probable and will play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Sacramento Kings after missing two consecutive games with a sore left ankle, while Miles is a late scratch due to right hip bursitis. The Raptors are already without Norman Powell for at least several weeks because of a shoulder injury, so there will be a few extra minutes available on the wing for the likes of OG Anunoby and the combo guard duo of Fred VanVleet and Delon Wright, making it likely head coach Nick Nurse will utilize smaller lineups more frequently. There’s been no word if Leonard will have a minutes restriction, but if he’s a full go, he’ll be a great tournament option and is averaging 1.38 DraftKings and 1.41 FanDuel fantasy points per minute to along with a 31.6% usage rate this season.

Donovan Mitchell (ankle) will play Wednesday

Mitchell has officially been upgraded from probable and will play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks after missing two of the last three games with a sprained left ankle. His return to the starting lineup will send Royce O’Neale back to the bench to resume a reserve role following a serviceable fantasy performance in just 19 minutes of action. There’s suddenly a bit of a logjam on the wing with Mitchell and Alec Burks both healthy, so someone like Grayson Allen could find himself on the outside of the rotation, or at the very least, have a very nominal role off the bench. Mitchell’s production is down a bit in the early going, averaging 1.04 fantasy points per minute, but he still leads the Jazz by a wide margin with a 32.2% usage rate, which keeps in play for tournaments on a nightly basis.

Goran Dragic (ankle) out Wednesday; Wayne Ellington will start

Dragic has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the San Antonio Spurs due to a sore right knee, joining Dwyane Wade, who is away from the team dealing with a personal matter, among the Heat’s inactives. Miami is now without two key members of their backcourt, which should greatly benefit Tyler Johnson and Justise Winslow, who was outstanding in his spot start for Dragic over the weekend. However, Johnson is now the cheaper of the two on daily fantasy sites and has a 23.6% usage rate while averaging 0.92 DraftKings and 0.94 FanDuel points per minute with Wade off the court this season. That usage and production should only increase along with his projected minutes total with Dragic now unavailable.

Robert Covington (back) will play Wednesday

Covington has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers after previously being considered a game-time decision with a sore lower back. Meanwhile, Mike Muscala has already been ruled out and will miss at least a week with a fractured nose and facial laceration, which should lead to some more minutes for Dario Saric and Amir Johnson in the frontcourt. The Sixers do have Wilson Chandler available, but he’ll be limited to only 15 minutes as he continues to work his way back from a strained hamstring. Covington is typically the fifth option on offense in most lineup combinations, so he currently has just a 15.2% usage on the year but has still managed to average 0.82 DraftKings and 0.85 FanDuel fantasy points per minute thanks to his rebounding and abilities on the defensive end of the floor.