DFS Alerts
Solomon Hill (hamstring tear) will play Sunday
Hill has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Sunday’s game against the Boston Celtics after previously being listed as questionable on the New Orleans Pelicans’ injury report with a torn left hamstring he sustained over the offseason. This news isn’t all that surprising since head coach Alvin Gentry mentioned during his pregame media availability prior to Saturday’s loss that Hill could be available to make his season debut and play 8-10 minutes in tonight’s contest. Obviously, the presence of Hill in the rotation won’t have a huge impact right away, but as he begins to get up to game speed, players like DeAndre Liggins and Darius Miller will have their minutes drastically affected, while Liggins should eventually be relegated from the rotation altogether. Additionally, Rajon Rondo will make his return from a one-game absence due to rest purposes on the front end of this current back-to-back set, sending Liggins back to the bench to resume his normal reserve role.
As reported by: Will Guillory via Twitter
Kyrie Irving (sore knee) ruled out Sunday
Irving has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans after previously being listed as questionable in the latest updated version of the Boston Celtics’ game notes with left knee soreness that has now forced him to miss three consecutive games. The Celtics are also still without Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and Daniel Theis, which should allow Terry Rozier and Marcus Morris to remain the starting lineup for at least one additional game and each has logged at least 33 minutes in both games Irving has been sidelined. There isn’t a huge sample size with the aforementioned players off the court this season, but Al Horford and Jayson Tatum each own at least a +8.4% usage rate differential, while Horford has seen his production spike to 1.15 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.13 on FanDuel in this scenario as well. This makes him the top Celtic to target in all formats, especially with the salary of Rozier skyrocketing across the industry for Sunday’s main slate.
As reported by: the Boston Celtics via Twitter Guard Looks to Continue Hot Play Tonight at Home
Jrue Holiday has had four straight games exceeding 43 FanDuel points, averaging over 48 FanDuel points during that span. He has also averaged over 1.2 Fantasy-Points-Per-Minute over the last four weeks on 28% usage, marks that are elevated from his 1.0 Fantasy-Point-Per-Minute and 24% usage on the season, as he has taken a larger role in the offense with DeMarcus Cousins off the floor. Tonight Holiday gets the benefit of playing at home in what is projected to be a close game against Boston, with the Pelicans favored by 1.5 points.
This Forward Looks to Continue Exceeding Value Tonight
There are limited options at forward tonight on a three-game slate, and Tobias Harris sticks out as an appealing option at power forward on FanDuel and small or power forward on DraftKings. Harris has averaged 40 DraftKings points over his last three games, almost identical to his 39.5 average over his last ten games. At $7,400 on DraftKings and $8,000 FanDuel, just hitting those averages would give good value for Harris, and he could even exceed those marks with the Clippers playing at home and favored by two points.
This Center Looks to Continue His Success Tonight
On a small three-game slate, it’s important not to overthink things. Karl-Anthony Towns is the primary scorer on a Minnesota team that is playing at home against Houston in the game with the highest Vegas total at 222.5. He has also averaged 56.25 DraftKings and 56.9 FanDuel points in three previous matchups against Houston this season. At $10,400 on FanDuel and a particularly cheap $9,400 on DraftKings, Towns is looking like the primary option at the center position tonight in GPPs.
Solomon Hill (hamstring tear) questionable Sunday
Hill has officially been listed as questionable on the New Orleans Pelicans’ injury report for Sunday’s game against the Boston Celtics due to a torn left hamstring he sustained over the offseason. Head coach Alvin Gentry also mentioned during his pregame media availability prior to Saturday’s loss that Hill could be available to make his season debut and play 5-10 minutes in tonight’s contest. Obviously, the presence of Hill in the rotation won’t have a huge impact right away, but as he begins to get up to game speed, players like DeAndre Liggins and Darius Miller will have their minutes drastically affected, while Liggins should eventually be relegated from the rotation altogether. Additionally, Rajon Rondo is expected to make his return from a one-game absence due to rest purposes on the front end of this current back-to-back set.
As reported by: Pelicans PR via Twitter Fred VanVleet (wrist) ruled out Sunday; Norman Powell (ankle) available to play
VanVleet has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Sunday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to a right wrist contusion, though he was never previously listed on the Toronto Raptors’ injury report. However, Norman Powell will be available to play despite originally being listed as doubtful in the Raptors’ game notes with a sprained left ankle that had forced him to miss two consecutive games. Even though Powell is available, he may end up out of the rotation with OG Anunoby back healthy and in the starting lineup. Lorenzo Brown was also recalled from the G-League to provide some depth in the backcourt but remains highly unlikely to play if he’s active. Additionally, Kyle Lowry will make his return from a one-game absence due to rest purposes, and head coach Dwane Casey reiterated during his pregame media availability that no players will be rested for this afternoon’s second leg of a back-to-back set.
As reported by: Josh Lewenberg via Twitter Devin Booker (hand) officially ruled out Saturday; Tyson Chandler (neck, shoulder) remains out
Booker initially confirmed with reporters following pregame warmups that he “probably won’t” play and has now officially been ruled out of Saturday’s game against the Golden State Warriors after previously being listed as questionable on the Phoenix Suns’ injury report with a sprained right hand. Meanwhile, Tyson Chandler will miss his third consecutive game, according to interim head coach Jay Triano, due to a sore neck and sore shoulder. Alex Len drew the start in place of Chandler on Thursday and will do so for a second straight game, though he was relatively underwhelming from a fantasy perspective in 23 minutes of action, making him an intriguing bounce-back candidate for tournament formats. In Booker’s absence, Troy Daniels will enter the starting lineup at the shooting guard position in order to keep Josh Jackson in his normal sixth-man role off the bench. In fact, Jackson owns a +2.8% usage rate differential with Booker and Chandler off the court this season and is averaging 1.08 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.07 on FanDuel in this scenario as well.
As reported by: Scott Bordow via Twitter Other tagged players: Tyson Chandler Andre Iguodala (knee contusion) available to play Saturday
Iguodala has officially been cleared to play and will start in Saturday’s game against the Phoenix Suns after previously being listed as probable on the Golden State Warriors’ injury report with a left knee contusion. However, the rest of the injury report is rather lengthy, as the Warriors will be without Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Omri Casspi, and Patrick McCaw due to their respective ailments. Casspi logged just six minutes in Friday’s loss, so his absence won’t have much of an effect on the minute allotments that were recorded by the other ancillary rotation players in that contest. The Warriors are clearly extremely thin at the wing positions, and head coach Steve Kerr may be forced to utilize more big lineup combinations with Draymond Green at small forward, something they rarely, if ever, do when the roster is at or close to full strength. Nick Young is coming off of a disappointing fantasy performance on Friday night, but he and Iguodala each own at least a +7.5% usage rate differential with the aforementioned players off the court this season, making them two of the top tournament targets on the late slates across the industry.
As reported by: Warriors PR via Twitter Vince Carter (personal) remains out Saturday
Carter has been officially ruled out and won’t play in Saturday’s game against the Utah Jazz as he tends to a personal matter that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. The Sacramento Kings are currently in the midst of a brutal stretch of five games in seven nights, so it’d be far from surprising to see one or two of their veteran players rested on the second leg of a back-to-back set, but in all likelihood, the status of players like Zach Randolph, Garrett Temple, and Kosta Koufos won’t be known prior to game time per usual. That said, if the Kings starting lineup is confirmed before tip-off without Randolph included, it’ll be a fair assumption that he’s unlikely to play.
As reported by: James Ham via Twitter Lance Thomas (personal) will start for Courtney Lee (personal) on Saturday
Lee is not currently with the team and has been listed out on the New York Knicks’ injury report for Saturday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets as he tends to a personal matter. This will be the third game that Lee has missed recently and Frank Ntilikina drew the start at the shooting guard spot on both prior occasions, however, head coach Jeff Hornacek has opted to start Lance Thomas at small forward alongside Tim Hardaway Jr. on the wing this evening, meaning Michael Beasley will remain in the starting lineup at power forward for at least one additional game. Even though Ntilikina wasn’t included in the starting five, it’s still difficult to imagine him not playing a significant role in the backcourt and wing rotations, as he has averaged just under 31 minutes in the two most recent games Lee has been sidelined.
As reported by: Ian Begley via Twitter Other tagged players: Courtney Lee Mario Chalmers (hamstring) available to play Saturday; Andrew Harrison (wrist) remains out
Chalmers has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Saturday’s game against the Denver Nuggets after previously being listed as questionable on the Memphis Grizzlies’ injury report with a right hamstring injury that had forced him to miss six consecutive games. Meanwhile, Andrew Harrison will remain out with a right wrist injury that has kept him sidelined for nearly three weeks. Tyreke Evans returned to the starting lineup on Thursday and easily exceeded salary-based expectations in 32 minutes of action, while former fill-in starting point guard Kobi Simmons was demoted to the bench and logged only seven minutes compared to the 20 minutes allocated to Briante Weber, who was recently signed to a 10-day contract. However, with Chalmers back in the fold, Weber should see his role drastically reduced and Simmons will likely find himself out of the rotation altogether.
As reported by: Rob Fischer via Twitter Other tagged players: Andrew Harrison Zach LaVine (sore knee) ruled out Saturday
LaVine has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Saturday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers after previously being listed as questionable on the Chicago Bulls’ injury report with a sore knee. He’ll join Kris Dunn and Lauri Markkanen among the Bulls inactives, which means that Chicago will be without three of their normal starters and forcing head coach Fred Hoiberg to make some serious changes to the starting lineup by rolling with a unit that consists of Cameron Payne, Justin Holiday, Denzel Valentine, Paul Zipser, and Christiano Felicio this evening. Most notably, Noah Vonleh wasn’t included in this confirmed starting lineup and remains without an official update on his questionable status due to a toe injury. Among the players with projectable minutes floors, Valentine and Bobby Portis stand to benefit the most, as each own at least a +6.2% usage rate differential with the aforementioned players off the court this season, while Portis leads the way with rates of 1.39 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.37 on FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: Chuck Swirsky via Twitter Nerlens Noel (rest) and J.J. Barea (rib) ruled out Saturday
Noel has been ruled out and won’t play in Saturday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets due to rest purposes on the second leg of a road back-to-back set, while J.J. Barea has also officially been ruled out following his earlier doubtful designation on the Dallas Mavericks’ game notes because of a strained left rib muscle. The Mavericks will also be without Harrison Barnes, Dorian Finney-Smith, Salah Mejri, and Wesley Matthews, which should enable Yogi Ferrell to start at the shooting guard spot alongside Dennis Smith Jr. in the backcourt, while Doug McDermott is the leading candidate to start at small forward in place of Barnes and was listed as the probable starter in the game notes. When the aforementioned players have been off the court this season, Ferrell has recorded the most playing time and owns a +11.8% usage rate differential while averaging 1.29 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.22 on FanDuel in this scenario, making him one of the top players to target on the Mavericks for Saturday’s slate.
As reported by: Eddie Sefko via Twitter Other tagged players: J.J. Barea Allen Crabbe (illness) officially ruled out Saturday
Crabbe has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Saturday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks after previously being listed as doubtful on the Brooklyn Nets’ injury report with an illness that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. Meanwhile, Dante Cunningham was diagnosed with a concussion and will also be unavailable for tonight’s contest. Cunningham has been serving as the Nets primary backup center behind Jarrett Allen of late, so Quincy Acy and Jahlil Okafor should see an uptick in minutes to help fill the void Cunningham leaves behind in the rotation. In Crabbe’s absence, Joe Harris will draw the start at the shooting guard spot once again after logging 35 minutes last night, while Rondae Hollis-Jefferson finally rejoined the starting lineup at power forward, sliding DeMarre Carroll over to small forward and relegating Spencer Dinwiddie to the bench to assume a reserve role. Given the inefficiency of Harris on a per minute basis, Caris LeVert could end up being the more intriguing target in tournament formats as he’s averaged approximately 28 minutes per game when Crabbe has been sidelined this season.
As reported by: Anthony Puccio via Twitter