DFS Alerts
Shabazz Napier (great toe) available to play Tuesday
Napier has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Tuesday’s game against the Houston Rockets after previously being listed as questionable on the Portland Trail Blazers’ injury report with a left great toe injury. Lillard remains on-call to leave the team for the birth of his first child but is on track to play barring any unforeseen changes in the situation, and he was spotted on the floor at the Moda Center going through pregame warmups, so he appears to be guaranteed to at least start the game and has a great chance of seeing a full allotment of minutes, making him an intriguing tournament option this evening. As for Napier, he typically averages minutes in the low-20s off the bench, so he’s unlikely to become relevant in daily fantasy formats if Lillard is able to play the entire game. His presence also removes Pat Connaughton from consideration entirely, though he was barely on the radar even if Napier ended up being ruled out due to his toe injury.
As reported by: Casey Holdahl via Twitter
Devin Booker (hand sprain) ruled out Tuesday
Booker has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Tuesday’s game against the Detroit Pistons after previously being listed as questionable on the Phoenix Suns’ injury report and considered a game-time decision with a right-hand contusion that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. There’s still yet to be an update on Tyson Chandler, but he appears on track to be held out for a fourth consecutive game because of a sore neck and shoulder, which will allow Alex Len to draw the start at center for the third time in as many games. Troy Daniels ended up drawing the start in place of Booker on Saturday and was effective from a fantasy standpoint in 28 minutes of action, while Josh Jackson had a career game in 36 minutes off the bench. 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 with both Booker and T.J. Warren unavailable. Jackson also sports a +6.1% usage rate differential with Booker, Warren, and Chandler off the court this season and is averaging 1.12 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.09 FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: John Gambadoro via Twitter Reggie Jackson (ankle) will start but only play 15-16 minutes Tuesday
Jackson has officially been cleared to play and will start in Tuesday’s game against Phoenix Suns after missing nearly three months with a severely sprained right ankle. Jackson was never given a designation on the Detroit Pistons’ injury report leading up to tonight’s contest, so his abrupt availability does come as a bit of surprise. The return of Jackson to the starting lineup will send Ish Smith back to the bench to reassume a reserve role and his viability in daily fantasy formats does take quite a hit even though Jackson is only expected to play 15-16 minutes in his first game back from an extended injury absence. Not necessarily right out of the gates, but once Jackson begins approaching full game speed, Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin are likely to see usage rates in the offense dip a significant amount, which would make them viable players to fade until their prices adjust to their potential updated rates.
As reported by: Rod Beard via Twitter Mike Muscala confirmed as starter for John Collins (ankle) on Tuesday; Damion Lee replaces Tyler Dorsey
Collins was officially ruled out and won’t play in Tuesday’s game against the Utah Jazz due to a sprained left ankle he sustained during Saturday’s loss. The Atlanta Hawks are hopeful he’ll be able to return to action this weekend, but he is unlikely to suit up the matchup with the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night. In his absence, Mike Muscala will draw the start at power forward, as expected, while head coach Mike Budenholzer has opted to shake up his starting backcourt by inserting Damion Lee at the shooting guard spot, sending Tyler Dorsey to the bench to reassume a reserve role. Lee is a bit of a wildcard since he’s only played in three games for the Hawks this season but has shown the ability to produce from a fantasy perspective thus far in a small sample. That said, Taurean Prince has been the real winner with Collins and Kent Bazemore off the court this season, as he owns a +11.8% usage rate differential and is averaging a massive, but unsustainable, 1.58 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.50 on FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: Annie Finberg via Twitter Other tagged players: Damion Lee ICYMI: Damian Lillard expecting birth of first child, currently on track to play but status subject to change Tuesday
Lillard remains on-call to leave the team for the birth of his first child but is on track to play in Tuesday’s game against the Houston Rockets barring any unforeseen changes in the situation. Lillard is currently on the floor at the Moda Center going through pregame warmups, so he appears to be guaranteed to at least start the game and has a great chance of seeing a full allotment of minutes, making him an intriguing tournament option this evening. Meanwhile, Shabazz Napier is still listed as questionable with a left great toe injury and his status is unlikely to be determined until closer to tip-off. Napier typically averages minutes in the low-20s off the bench, and if both he and Lillard were to be unavailable, the Trail Blazers would have a massive void to fill in the backcourt. The last time Napier was unavailable, Pat Connaughton logged 19 minutes in his absence but was dreadful from a fantasy perspective, essentially eliminating him from consideration if only Napier is ruled out
As reported by: NBC Sports Northwest via Twitter Tobias Harris (illness) will play Tuesday
Harris has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Tuesday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves after previously being listed as questionable on the Los Angeles Clippers’ injury report with an illness that had forced him to miss shootaround this morning. The availability of Harris is a hindrance to the potential viability of Montrezl Harrell, who was slated as the leading candidate to start at power forward if he was ruled out, and he’ll remain in his typical 15-20 minutes role off the bench assuming Harris is able to handle his normal minute workload. Additionally, Milos Teodosic ended up replacing Lou Williams in the starting lineup for Sunday’s loss but both guards’ minute allotments remained relatively similar, and Williams exceeded salary-based expectations in 31 minutes off the bench, scoring 30 actual, real-life points.
As reported by: Kristina Pink via Twitter Jonathon Simmons (wrist contusion) ruled out Tuesday; Arron Afflalo will start
Simmons has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Tuesday’s game against the Toronto Raptors after previously being listed as questionable on the Orlando Magic’s injury report and considered a game-time decision with a right wrist contusion. In his absence, Arron Afflalo will draw the start at shooting guard but has largely been out of the rotation since the All-Star break, appearing in just four games and logging 15 minutes or less in each contest. Meanwhile, Aaron Gordon has finally cleared the concussion protocol and will make his return to the starting lineup, which will send Mario Hezonja back to the bench to resume a reserve role and allow Jonathan Isaac to remain the starting small forward with Evan Fournier still sidelined with a left MCL sprain. However, Isaac has been subject to a strict 25-minute restriction, extremely limiting his floor and ceiling for all daily fantasy formats.
As reported by: Josh Robbins via Twitter Other tagged players: Arron Afflalo DeMar DeRozan (rest) and Fred VanVleet (hand) ruled out Tuesday
DeRozan has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Tuesday’s game against the Orlando Magic to rest a left thigh contusion on the front end of the Toronto Raptors upcoming back-to-back set, while Fred VanVleet will miss his second consecutive game with a right-hand contusion following his original questionable designation on the injury report. There’s still no word on who will start in place of DeRozan, but Norman Powell appears to the be the leading candidate in order to keep Delon Wright in his normal sixth-man role off the bench. That said, Wright is far and away the preferred player to target in all formats and has logged at least 31 minutes in each of the last two games en route to blowing away his salary-based expectations. There’s not a huge sample size with both DeRozan and VanVleet off the court together given the number of three-guard lineups head coach Dwane Casey utilizes, but Wright does average 0.88 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 0.89 on FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: Eric Smith via Twitter Other tagged players: Fred VanVleet Jrue Holiday (flu-like symptoms) ruled out Tuesday
Holiday is a late addition to the New Orleans Pelicans’ injury report and has officially been ruled out for Tuesday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks due to flu-like symptoms. Holiday was never given a designation on the injury report leading up to this news, so his unavailability does come as a bit of a surprise before taking into account that the Pelicans begin a stretch of three games in three nights to make up for a postponed game earlier in the season. There’s currently no confirmation on who will replace Holiday in the starting lineup, but DeAndre Liggins appears to be the likeliest candidate after he logged 20 minutes in a spot start over the weekend in place of Rajon Rondo, who was resting on the front end of a back-to-back set. Unsurprisingly, Anthony Davis and Nikola Mirotic have been the primary beneficiaries with Holiday and DeMarcus Cousins off the court this season, as each own at least a +6.6% usage rate differential and see production increases of at least +0.28 per minute on DraftKings and FanDuel in this scenario as well.
As reported by: Will Guillory via Twitter T.J. Warren (knee sprain) officially ruled out Tuesday
Warren has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Tuesday’s game against the Detroit Pistons after previously being listed as doubtful on the Phoenix Suns’ injury report with a sprained left knee he sustained late in Saturday’s loss and forced him to miss Monday’s practice. Meanwhile, Devin Booker remains questionable and, according to interim head coach Jay Triano, will be a game-time decision due to a sprained right hand. There’s yet to be an update on Tyson Chandler, but he appears on track to be held out for a fourth consecutive game because of a sore neck and shoulder, which would allow Alex Len to draw the start at center for the third time in as many games. Troy Daniels ended up drawing the start in place of Booker on Saturday and was effective from a fantasy standpoint in 28 minutes of action, while Josh Jackson had a career game in 36 minutes off the bench. 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 regardless of Booker’s availability. Jackson also sports a +3.7% usage rate differential with Warren and Chandler off the court this season and is averaging 1.06 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: Craig Grialou via Twitter Paying up at Center
The Wolves are currently eighth in the Western Conference standings. The team on their tail is the Clippers, who they face tonight. If Minnesota loses, they will be tied with the Clippers in the loss column. The Wolves will treat this as a must-win game, which means we can expect huge minutes for their superstar, Karl-Anthony Towns. I’m not worried about his matchup against DeAndre Jordan, as this game sets up as a potential shootout.
Taking Advantage of an Injury
T.J. Warren is not expected to play tonight (doubtful) and Devin Booker’s status is in question. Josh Jackson should draw the start at small forward and push for 35+ minutes in a favorable matchup against the Pistons. Not only has Detroit struggled defensively since the All-Star break, but they are one of the worst teams in basketball at defending small forwards. Jackson has had a great rookie season, averaging 0.90 fantasy points per minute. This time of year is all about taking advantage of increased opportunities.
Minutes are Gold in NBA DFS
Nemanja Bjelica’s price continues to climb, but that doesn’t mean that he’s a bad play. He is basically locked into minutes in the upper 30s every single night. Tonight’s matchup against the Clippers is an important game for both teams, as they are fighting for their playoff lives in the West. Both teams should have tight rotations and with such a small spread, this has all the makings of a shootout. Bjelica can score, he’s a great rebounder, and he can fill up the other stat categories as well.
J.J. Barea (rib) will play Tuesday; Dorian Finney-Smith (quad) available to play
Barea has been cleared and will try to play in Tuesday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans, according to head coach Rick Carlisle, after previously being listed as questionable in the Dallas Mavericks’ game notes with a strained right rib muscle that had forced him to miss one game. Meanwhile, Dorian Finney-Smith will also be available to play following a one-game absence and his earlier probable designation because of his return from injury management. Additionally, Harrison Barnes and Nerlens Noel will both make their returns from one-game absences due to rest purposes on the Mavericks most recent back-to-back set. Yogi Ferrell may end up ceding the starting point guard role to Barea in the absence of Dennis Smith Jr., but he still figures to be one of the main beneficiaries and is coming off of a solid fantasy performance in 32 minutes off the bench his last time out. Not only that, but Ferrell also owns a +4.8% usage rate differential with Smith Jr. and Wesley Matthews off the court this season while averaging 0.90 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 0.87 on FanDuel.
As reported by: Dwain Price via Twitter Other tagged players: Dorian Finney-Smith Tobias Harris (illness) questionable Tuesday
Harris was not present at shootaround Tuesday morning and has officially been listed as questionable on the Los Angeles Clippers’ injury report for tonight’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to an illness. If Harris eventually ruled out, either Wesley Johnson or Montrezl Harrell would be the leading candidates to draw the start alongside DeAndre Jordan in the frontcourt, while Sam Dekker would likely take on an expanded role in the rotation. Milos Teodosic ended up replacing Lou Williams in the starting lineup for Sunday’s loss but both of their minute allotments remained relatively similar, and Williams exceeded salary-based expectations in 31 minutes off the bench. Should Harrell start at power forward, he’d easily be one of the top players to target for all formats on the Clippers, as he owns a +3.7% usage rate differential with Harris, Danilo Gallinari, Avery Bradley, Tyrone Wallace, and C.J. Williams off the court this season and also averages a lofty 1.28 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: Brad Turner via Twitter