DFS Alerts
Dennis Schroder ruled out Thursday
Dennis Schroder will miss tonight’s game against the Kings. The Hawks are resting Schroder. With Schroder out of the lineup, Isaiah Taylor will get all the minutes he can handle. Tyler Dorsey and Josh Magette should also see some extra run tonight.
As reported by: KL Chouinard via Twitter
Andrew Harrison (wrist) ruled out Thursday; Ivan Rabb (heel) available to play
Harrison has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Thursday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets after previously being listed as questionable on the Memphis Grizzlies’ injury report with a right wrist injury. Meanwhile, Ivan Rabb will make his return from a one-game absence following his original questionable designation on the injury report due to a right heel issue. The Grizzlies will also be without Marc Gasol and Chandler Parsons, both of whom are sitting for rest purposes on the second leg of a back-to-back set. However, Tyreke Evans will make his return to the starting lineup after being inactive for two consecutive games, and he’ll replace Harrison at the point guard position. Deyonta Davis should draw the start at center in place of Gasol, but in the last game he missed, Davis logged just 21 minutes equal to Rabb’s 21 minutes off the bench in that contest. That said, the main beneficiaries appear to be Evans and JaMychal Green, as both own at least a +4.4% usage rate differential with Gasol and Parsons off the court this season, while Evans leads the way with rates of 1.35 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.34 on FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Ivan Rabb
Chris Paul (sore hamstring) officially ruled out Thursday
Paul has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Thursday’s game against the Detroit Pistons after originally being listed as questionable on the Houston Rockets’ injury report with a sore left hamstring that he aggravated in Tuesday’s win. Head coach Mike D’Antoni also added that he plans to start resting certain players at times over the final stretch of the season given the Rockets comfortable lead in the Western Conference standings. Eric Gordon has typically started at the shooting guard spot when Paul has been sidelined and will once again this evening, which will slide James Harden over to the point and allow him to assume the role as the primary ballhandler and initiator of the offense. While Gordon sees a substantial increase in minutes in this scenario, Harden is the one that owns a +2.7% usage rate differential with Paul off the court this season and is averaging 1.66 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.60 on FanDuel as well.
As reported by: Ben DuBose via Twitter Nicolas Batum (Achilles) and Cody Zeller (knee) ruled out Thursday; Guillermo Hernangomez will start
Batum has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Thursday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies after previously being listed as doubtful on the Charlotte Hornets’ injury report with a sore left Achilles that has now forced him to miss three consecutive games, while Cody Zeller will remain sidelined for the seventh straight game following his original questionable designation on the injury report due to a sore left knee. Dwight Howard was assessed his 16th technical foul of the season in Wednesday’s win and he will be suspended for tonight’s contest following the NBA’s decision to uphold the technical foul call. As expected, Guillermo Hernangomez will draw the start at center and was already averaging 15 minutes off the bench over last three games with Zeller sidelined. Jeremy Lamb has started the last two games in place of Batum, averaging 31 minutes per contest, and he’s been fairly consistent from a daily fantasy perspective, putting him in play for cash game formats across the industry with Batum unable to suit up.
Other tagged players: Cody Zeller, Willy Hernangomez Zach Randolph (illness) ruled out Thursday; Bogdan Bogdanovic (hamstring) probable
Randolph has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Thursday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks after previously being listed as questionable on the Sacramento Kings’ injury report with the stomach flu. Meanwhile, Bogdan Bogdanovic returned to practice on Wednesday and remains probable with a sore hamstring that had forced him to miss one game. Garret Temple absorbed 23 minutes off the bench with Bogdanovic sidelined, but he’s already been ruled out due to a sprained left ankle he sustained during practice yesterday, which should enable Buddy Hield to remain in an increased role off the bench. In Randolph’s absence, Skal Labissiere will almost certainly be inserted into the starting lineup at power forward but that’s merely a formality, as he has seen more minutes than Randolph in each of the previous two games in a reserve role. Unsurprisingly, Bogdanovic and Willie Cauley-Stein each own at least a +2.2% usage rate differential with Randolph and Temple off the court this season, while Bogdanovic has averaged 0.98 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 0.97 on FanDuel in this scenario as well.
As reported by: Jason Jones via Twitter Other tagged players: Bogdan Bogdanovic Chris Paul (sore hamstring) unlikely to play Thursday
Paul “probably will” be rested and won’t play in Thursday’s game against the Detroit Pistons, according to head coach Mike D’Antoni, after previously being listed as questionable on the Houston Rockets’ injury report with a sore left hamstring that he aggravated during Tuesday’s win. D’Antoni also added that he plans to start resting certain players at times over the final stretch of the season given the Rockets comfortable lead in the Western Conference standings. Eric Gordon has typically started at the shooting guard spot when Paul has been sidelined and more than likely will once again should Paul officially be ruled out closer to tipoff, which would slide James Harden over to the point and allow him to assume the role as the primary ballhandler and initiator of the offense. While Gordon sees a substantial increase in minutes in this scenario, Harden is the one that owns a +2.7% usage rate differential with Paul off the court this season and is averaging 1.66 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.60 on FanDuel as well.
As reported by: Ben DuBose via Twitter Finding That Sneaky Value Option
I think tonight is all about finding that low owned value play that crushes value. There are only so many studs to pay up for, and there is enough value to play whichever stud you want. Damion Lee didn’t do much against the Jazz, but he did end up playing 31 minutes. With Atlanta in full tank mode and now with Bazemore out, I’d expect Lee to start at shooting guard again tonight. He’s so cheap that I’m willing to take a shot on him playing 30+ minutes again tonight. I really like Atlanta tonight, so I’m going to target them a lot on this slate.
Low Owned Value Play
We have a lot of value options available, so I’m expecting Birch to be very low owned tonight. It’s impossible to guess what the minutes will be, and this could easily blow up in my face. With that said, the Magic have been giving more run to their younger players, and with Simmons, Isaac, and Fournier out tonight, it’s a perfect time to give Birch 20+ minutes. He played 29 minutes against the Bucks three games ago and finished with over 22 fantasy points.
Tough Matchup Shouldn't Scare You Away
Barea played 28 minutes without Dennis Smith Jr. in the last game, and should play right around the same tonight against the Jazz. Utah ranks first in defensive efficiency this season, meaning it’s always tough taking guys against them. With that said, I would play Barea against anyone when he’s going to play over 25 minutes. He has a 25% true usage rate this season, and he’s averaging 1.02 fantasy points per minute. It’s all about minutes with him, and with Smith Jr. out, he should play plenty of minutes tonight.
Dwight Howard (suspension) officially ruled out Thursday
Howard was assessed his 16th technical foul of the season in Wednesday’s win over the Brooklyn Nets, and he will be suspended for one-game following the NBA’s decision to uphold the technical foul call. This effectively rules Howard out of Thursday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies after his status was previously considered to be doubtful at best. Meanwhile, Cody Zeller is listed questionable with a sore left knee that has kept him sidelined for six consecutive games, and Nicolas Batum remains without an official status due to a sore left Achilles but appears to be a longshot to suit up this evening. The replacement for Howard in the starting lineup likely depends on the availability of Zeller, but Guillermo Hernangomez is a strong candidate to start at center either way after averaging 15 minutes off the bench over the Hornets last three games. Jeremy Lamb has started the last two contests in place of Batum, averaging 31 minutes per game, and he’s been fairly consistent from a daily fantasy perspective, putting him in play for cash game formats across the industry with Batum unlikely to play.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR via Twitter Taking Advantage of a Suspension
Dwight Howard was given his 16th technical foul last night against the Nets, which means he will have to serve a one-game suspension. All signs point to that suspension being tonight. With Cody Zeller’s status also in doubt, we basically have 40+ minutes open in the rotation. This will likely be spread to Marvin Williams, Frank Kaminsky, and Willy Hernangomez. All three are borderline elite plays tonight. Williams should be a safe bet to play 30+ minutes against a Grizzlies’ team that will be without Marc Gasol.
Premium Price Tag but Plenty of Upside
Taurean Prince hasn’t played well when he’s been a chalky DFS option this season. Luckily, I don’t expect his ownership to be very high tonight thanks to a price in the mid-$7,000 range on both FanDuel and DraftKings. Over his last five games, he has averaged 37 minutes and 43 fantasy points per contest. With Kent Bazemore and John Collins out, he has taken on a larger role in the offense. He draws a favorable matchup tonight against the Kings, who are one of the worst defenses in the NBA when it comes to efficiency.
Fast-Paced Game with Upside
The Lakers continue to play short-handed and with no first-round pick in the upcoming draft, they have no reason to tank. This has led to Lonzo Ball playing minutes in the upper 30s on a regular basis. He draws one of the top matchups on the board, as he squares off against a Pelicans’ team that is ranked third in pace of play and 29th in points allowed per game. Ball can fill up all areas of the stat sheet and has the potential to post a triple-double in this favorable game environment.
Andrew Harrison (wrist) and Ivan Rabb (heel) questionable Thursday; Chandler Parsons (rest) ruled out
Harison and Rabb have both officially been listed as questionable on the Memphis Grizzlies’ injury report for Thursday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets due to a right wrist injury and a right heel injury, respectively. Meanwhile, Chandler Parsons will join Marc Gasol among the ranks of Grizzlies players that will be rested for tonight’s second leg of a back-to-back set. Tyreke Evans will make his return to the starting lineup after being inactive for two consecutive games, which will likely send Harrison to the bench to resume his normal reserve role but logged just 16 minutes in Wednesday’s blowout loss. Deyonta Davis should draw the start at center in place of Gasol, but in the last game he missed, Davis logged just 21 minutes, though that expectation will depend on the availability of Rabb, who recorded 21 minutes himself off the bench in that contest. That said, the main beneficiaries appear to be Evans, JaMychal Green, and Jarell Martin, as they all own at least a +3.7% usage rate differential with Gasol and Parsons off the court this season, while Evans leads the way with rates of 1.37 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.33 on FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Ivan Rabb, Chandler Parsons Top Play of the Night
There is going to be a ton of value out there tonight, so it will be very easy to spend up on a player or two. Anthony Davis is the obvious choice against the Lakers, but I worry about his playing time with the Pelicans facing the Lakers and playing their fifth game in six days. Harden becomes the next most logical option. Even though the Pistons aren’t necessarily a team we look to target players against, Harden simply has one of the highest floors on the slate on a nightly basis, and we know he brings a ton of upside to the table. The wing spots are also a little thin tonight when it comes to position strength, so that adds a little value to Harden. I will have plenty of exposure to him this evening, simply because the stars and scrubs roster build is so appealing.
