DFS Alerts
Lauri Markkanen (rest) ruled out for Saturday; Kris Dunn (toe) and Zach LaVine (knee) remain out
Markkanen won’t travel with the Chicago Bulls to Detroit and has officially been ruled out for Saturday’s game against the Pistons due to rest purposes on the second leg of a back-to-back set, while Kris Dunn and Zach LaVine will also stay behind and remain sidelined with their respective ailments. On the contrary, Cameron Payne and David Nwaba both plan to play in Saturday’s contest after each sustained sprained ankles in Friday’s loss.The replacement for Markkanen in the starting lineup will likely depend on the availability of Paul Zipser, and Noah Vonleh would almost certainly slot in at power forward if Zipser is eventually ruled out for the second straight game. Robin Lopez has continued to rack up DNP-CDs, but head coach Fred Hoiberg hinted that he could return to the rotation for Saturday’s matchup, which means he’d likely start and play only the first quarter as he’s done in each of the last four games he’s played. Denzel Valentine has been fantastic in the starting lineup when Chicago manages to keep games competitive, and he owns a +5.3 usage rate differential with LaVine, Dunn, Markkanen, Zipser, and Antonio Blakeney off the court this season.
As reported by: K.C. Johnson via Twitter Other tagged players: Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine
John Collins (ankle sprain) available to play Friday
Collins has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Friday’s game against the Golden State Warriors after previously being listed as questionable on the Atlanta Hawks’ injury report with a sprained left ankle that had forced him to miss two consecutive games. Meanwhile, Malcolm Delaney will remain sidelined for the ninth straight game because of a sprained left ankle. Mike Muscala has started at power forward the last two contests and averaged 26 minutes per game, but he’ll almost certainly head back to the bench to resume a reserve role barring some type of restriction for Collins that has yet to be announced. With Dennis Schroder set to return from a one-game absence due to rest purposes and Delaney unavailable, Isaiah Taylor will be relegated to his typical backup point guard gig after logging 26 minutes and easily exceeding salary-based expectations in Thursday’s loss. On a separate note, Damion Lee officially signed a second 10-day contract earlier this afternoon and figures to start his third consecutive game at shooting guard.
As reported by: Michael Cunningham via Twitter Jusuf Nurkic (back) and Evan Turner (back) available to play Friday
Nurkic has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Friday’s game against the Boston Celtics, according to head coach Terry Stotts, after previously being listed as questionable on the Portland Trail Blazers’ injury report with a sore lower back, while Evan Turner will also be available to play following his original probable designation on the injury report. Nurkic has seen his playing time beginning to stabilize over the last two games, averaging 28 minutes, and he’s easily exceeded salary-based expectations on both occasions, making him an interesting tournament option in a matchup with a similar-sized Celtics frontcourt. The Trail Blazers are basically fully healthy at this point in the season, so Turner figures to resume his normal high-teens to low-20s minutes role off the bench and will remain irrelevant for daily fantasy formats moving forward barring some type of injury to a Portland wing player.
As reported by: Joe Freeman via Twitter Other tagged players: Evan Turner Lauri Markkanen (back spasms) will start Friday; Paul Zipser (foot) ruled out
Markkanen has officially been cleared to play and will start in Friday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks after originally being listed as questionable on the Chicago Bulls’ injury report with lower back spasms that had forced him to miss five consecutive games. Meanwhile, Paul Zipser will join Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn among the Bulls inactives following his prior doubtful designation on the injury report due to left foot pain. Robin Lopez continues to rack up DNP-CDs and appears on track to do so once again since head coach Fred Hoiberg already stated Lopez is unlikely to play, despite being active for tonight’s contest. Hoiberg also confirmed that he’ll continue to utilize the same starting lineup as he has the last three games, outside of Markkanen, who will replace Zipser at power forward. Denzel Valentine has been fantastic in the starting lineup when Chicago manages to keep games competitive, and he owns a +2.7 usage rate differential with LaVine, Dunn, Zipser, and Antonio Blakeney off the court this season.
As reported by: the Chicago Bulls via Twitter Other tagged players: Paul Zipser Devin Booker (hand sprain) ruled out Friday
Booker has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Friday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers after originally being listed as questionable on the Phoenix Suns’ injury report and previously being considered a game-time decision with a sprained right hand that has now forced him to miss three consecutive games. He’ll join Tyson Chandler and T.J. Warren, who is missing his second straight game, among the Suns inactives for tonight’s contest. Troy Daniels has started at the shooting guard spot in place of Booker the last two games and was effective from a fantasy standpoint while averaging 30 minutes, and Josh Jackson has been stellar in just over 36 minutes per game over the last two contests. Triano typically prefers to utilize Jackson as the sixth-man in his rotation, but his hand will be forced to start Jackson at small forward once again with Booker unavailable. Jackson also sports a +5.7% usage rate differential with Booker, Warren, and Tyson Chandler off the court this season and is averaging 1.08 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.06 on FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: Scott Bordow via Twitter Dwyane Wade (hamstring strain) intends to play Friday
Wade will go through pregame warmups with the intention of playing in Friday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder after previously being upgraded to questionable on the Miami Heat’s injury report with a strained left hamstring that has forced him to miss five consecutive games. If Wade is ultimately cleared to play, he’ll be subject to a minute restriction and step directly into his normal sixth-man role right out of the gate. Hassan Whiteside remains sidelined for the seventh consecutive game due to a strained left hip flexor, which should allow Bam Adebayo to continue starting at center. However, Adebayo logged just 13 minutes in his previous start as he’s given way to Kelly Olynyk off the bench when the Heat don’t need a double big lineup, similar to the situation they’ll face in tonight’s matchup with Oklahoma City, who start Carmelo Anthony at power forward and utilize Patrick Patterson and Jerami Grant as the backup bigs in their frontcourt. This means that Adebayo becomes a pretty easy player to avoid in all daily fantasy formats, while the potential return of Wade could eat into playing time of reserve wing players like Wayne Ellington, Rodney McGruder, and possibly even Justise Winslow.
As reported by: Barry Jackson via Twitter T.J. Warren (knee) ruled out Friday; Devin Booker (hand) a game-time decision
Warren has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Friday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers after previously being listed as doubtful on the Phoenix Suns’ injury report with a sprained left knee that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. Meanwhile, Devin Booker remains questionable with a sprained right hand and will test his injured hand during pregame warmups before an official determination on his status is made. Troy Daniels has started at the shooting guard spot in place of Booker the last two games and was effective from a fantasy standpoint while averaging 30 minutes, and Josh Jackson has been stellar in just over 36 minutes per game over the last two contests. Triano typically prefers to utilize Jackson as the sixth-man in his rotation, but his hand may be forced to start Jackson at small forward once again with Booker’s status still up in the air. Jackson also sports a +5.7% usage rate differential with Booker, Warren, and Tyson Chandler off the court this season and is averaging 1.08 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.06 on FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: Scott Bordow via Twitter Other tagged players: Devin Booker C.J. Miles (gastroenteritis) ruled out Friday
Miles has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Friday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets after previously being listed as questionable on the Toronto Raptors’ injury report with a bout of gastroenteritis that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. To pick up the slack in the absence of Miles on Wednesday, four bench players logged at least 21 minutes, while Fred VanVleet and Delon Wright each exceeded salary-based expectations. Both reserve guards are in line for increased roles once again with Miles still sidelined, making them intriguing tournament options on tonight’s slate. Any other minutes Miles might have played will trickle down to Malcolm Miller and Norman Powell, though neither need to be considered for daily fantasy formats given their limited roles in the rotation.
As reported by: Eric Smith via Twitter Paul Millsap (illness) available to play Friday
Millsap has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Friday’s game against the Washington Wizards after previously being listed as questionable on the Denver Nuggets’ injury report with an illness. There’s been no word of a minute restriction for Millsap, so as of now, he should be considered a full-go and is expected to start in tonight’s contest. Meanwhile, Gary Harris remains sidelined with a strained right knee that has now forced him to miss four consecutive games. This has allowed Will Barton to start the last three games in his place and is averaging 34 minutes per game over that span, including a blowout-shortened 25-minute outing against the Chicago Bulls in the previous game. Unsurprisingly, Jamal Murray has been the main beneficiary with Harris off the court this season, as he owns a +3.8% usage rate differential and is averaging 1.03 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 0.98 on FanDuel in this scenario as well.
As reported by: the Denver Nuggets via Twitter Larry Nance (hamstring), Rodney Hood (back), and Tristan Thompson (ankle) available to play Friday
Nance, Hood, and Thompson have all been cleared to play and will suit up for Friday’s game against the Phoenix Suns after previously being listed as questionable on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ injury report with their respective ailments. Meanwhile, Kyle Korver is still away from the team dealing with a personal matter, and Cedi Osman remains sidelined with a strained left hip flexor. Jose Calderon ended up drawing the start at point guard in the Cavaliers previous game and logged 27 minutes and will start once again with Nance, Hood, and Thompson all subject to minute restrictions off the bench Jeff Green has also played at least 33 minutes in each of the last four games with the Cavaliers decimated by injuries in the frontcourt, but his viability on Friday’s slate will depend solely on how many minutes Nance, Thompson, and Hood receive, especially with Kevin Love back in the fold and coming off a solid performance in 29 minutes in Wednesday’s comeback win.
As reported by: Dave McMenamin via Twitter Other tagged players: Rodney Hood, Tristan Thompson Jodie Meeks (illness) and Mike Scott (illness) available to play Friday
Meeks and Scott have both officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Friday’s game against the Denver Nuggets after missing Wednesday’s loss due to illnesses. Neither were given designations on the injury report at any point throughout the day, but their return to the lineup was ultimately expected, and their presence in the rotation will eat into the increased playing time of Kelly Oubre and Ramon Sessions, while Tim Frazier will likely be relegated from the rotation entirely. Meeks and Scott are considered key cogs in head coach Scott Brooks’ rotation but given the number of minutes Oubre, Mahinmi, and the starters absorb, they rarely become relevant for daily fantasy formats when the Wizards are at, or near, full strength.
As reported by: Candace Buckner via Twitter Other tagged players: Mike Scott Omri Casspi (ankle sprain) ruled out Friday
Casspi has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Friday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks after previously being upgraded to questionable on the Golden State Warriors’ injury report with a sprained right ankle that has now kept him sidelined for a full week. Casspi has only played more than 11 minutes once in his last six games, so the only thing his absence will do is leave one less body available to absorb minutes vacated by Draymond Green, Kevin Durant, and Klay Thompson, all of whom remain out with their respective ailments. The return of Stephen Curry to the starting lineup will send Quinn Cook back to the bench and possibly out of the rotation entirely if head coach Steve Kerr doesn’t believe that he’s done enough to earn playing time over Shaun Livingston or the other reserve guards. Curry owns some outrageous usage and production statistics in the 48.5 minutes he’s played this season with Green, Durant, and Thompson off the court this season, making him an elite tournament target under the assumption he won’t be limited by his ailing ankle or the Warriors coaching staff this evening.
As reported by: Mark Medina via Twitter A Nice High Upside Value Play
Golden State’s backcourt is getting closer to full health, but they still have issues up front. Kevin Durant remains sidelined, and Draymond Green has also been ruled out for tonight’s game. While that doesn’t automatically mean we are going to see a lot of Jordan Bell, it does at least mean that we have a better shot at seeing a lot of Jordan Bell. If you want to attack upside with this Warriors frontcourt, Bell is clearly the guy to target. The other big men carry very limited ceilings, but Bell is capable of 30+ fantasy points even if he only sees 20 minutes of court time. I likely won’t trust him in cash games tonight, but there’s a very intriguing GPP ceiling here. His per minute production is much better than a lot of the other available bodies in this frontcourt.
Zig When Everyone Zags
The Pacers have finally given Collison the keys to the offense again, and he should be in line for a 30+ minute role as we get close to the playoffs. Even though he was disappointing the other night as a chalky play, I am comfortable going back to the well. He draws a great matchup against a Clippers team that isn’t great defensively and is playing at a surprisingly brisk pace without Blake Griffin. The Clippers now rank sixth in the league in tempo for the year, which is good news for Indiana’s offense in this game. The Pacers have a healthy team total of 111 tonight, and the game has a three point spread. Collison will carry about a fifth of the ownership that he did the other night, too, simply because of one poor game. This is a perfect spot to zig where others zag in GPP formats.
John Collins (ankle) listed questionable Friday; Malcolm Delaney (ankle) remains out
Collins has been listed as questionable on the Atlanta Hawks’ injury report for Friday’s game against the Golden State Warriors due to a sprained right ankle that has already forced him to miss two consecutive games. Meanwhile, Malcolm Delaney will remain sidelined for the ninth straight game because of a sprained left ankle. Mike Muscala has started at power forward the last two contests and has averaged 26 minutes per game, making him the leading candidate to continue starting if Collins is eventually ruled out closer to tipoff. With Dennis Schroder set to return from a one-game absence due to rest purposes and Delaney unavailable, Isaiah Taylor will head back to the bench to resume a reserve role after logging 26 minutes and easily exceeding salary-based expectations in Thursday’s loss. Additionally, Damion Lee officially signed a second 10-day contract earlier this afternoon and figures to start his third consecutive game at shooting guard.
As reported by: Michael Cunningham via Twitter Other tagged players: Malcolm Delaney