DFS Alerts
Josh Richardson (foot) doubtful Wednesday; Hassan Whiteside (hip) and Dwyane Wade (hamstring) remain out
Richardson is a new addition to the Miami Heat’s injury report and has been listed as doubtful for Wednesday’s game against the Sacramento Kings due to a sore left foot. Meanwhile, Hassan Whiteside and Dwyane Wade will jointly miss their second consecutive game because of their respective ailments, which will allow Bam Adebayo to start at center for the third time in as many games and has averaged 20 minutes per contest over his last two starts. Neither the Heat or head coach Erik Spoelstra have announced who would replace Richardson in the starting lineup if he’s ruled out, but Justise Winslow or Wayne Ellington figure to be the top candidates. However, it’s certainly possible Spoelstra opts to make Luke Babbitt a starter in name only in order to keep the normal second unit and rotation as intact as possible. Either way, Winslow has sported a solid minute floor of late, and he owns a +3.2% usage rate differential with the aforementioned players off the court this season, making him an intriguing tournament target if he’s able to convert that usage into additional fantasy production.
As reported by: Ira Winderman via Twitter Other tagged players: Hassan Whiteside, Dwyane Wade
Andre Iguodala (wrist sprain) available to play Wednesday
Iguodala has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers after previously being downgraded to questionable from probable on the Golden State Warriors’ injury report with a sprained left wrist. The Warriors are already without Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and David West, which should allow Jordan Bell, who is returning from a four-game absence due to a sprained right ankle, to enter the starting lineup at power forward. In Curry’s absence, Quinn Cook figures to continue starting at point guard but is coming off of two straight disappointing fantasy performances despite logging at least 29 minutes of action in each start. As is the case anytime Curry is sidelined, Kevin Durant begins to flirt with must-play status and owns a massive +13.5% usage rate differential with Curry, Thompson, Draymond Green, David West, and Patrick McCaw off the court this season. Not only does his usage rate skyrocket to 44.8% in that scenario, but Durant also has averaged 1.80 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.77 on FanDuel, just further cementing his case as an elite option on Wednesday’s slate and the duration of Curry and Thompson’s absences.
As reported by: Warriors PR via Twitter Nice Value At Current Price
There is a lot of value for the Celtics tonight, and figuring out that right value will be the key to winning a GPP. Rozier has the biggest sample with everyone off the floor, and it’s only a 47.1-minute sample size. Jayson Tatum has played 36.9 minutes without everyone on the floor, and he has a 37.7% usage rate and is averaging 1.14 fantasy points per minute. In the game on Sunday, Tatum played the whole fourth quarter and logged almost 18 total second-half minutes. He had 20.9 fantasy points in the second half. I like Tatum’s chances to play 35 minutes tonight.
Jordan Bell (ankle) available to play Wednesday; Andre Iguodala (wrist) now questionable
Bell has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers after previously being listed as probable on the Golden State Warriors’ injury report with a sprained right ankle. Meanwhile, Andre Iguodala has been downgraded from probable to questionable on the injury report due to a sprained left wrist. The Warriors also announced that Stephen Curry won’t have his tweaked right ankle re-evaluated until March 20th, which essentially rules him out for four games as well. The injury is still not considered serious, so Golden State just appears to be erring on the side of caution with their sights currently set on the postseason and ultimately another championship. In Curry’s absence, Quinn Cook figures to continue starting at point guard but is coming off of two straight disappointing fantasy performances despite logging at least 29 minutes of action in each start. As is the case anytime Curry is sidelined, Kevin Durant begins to flirt with must-play status and owns a massive +13.5% usage rate differential with Curry, Thompson, Draymond Green, David West, and Patrick McCaw off the court this season. Not only does his usage rate skyrocket to 44.8% in that scenario, but Durant also has averaged 1.80 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.77 on FanDuel, just further cementing his case as an elite option on Wednesday’s slate and the duration of Curry and Thompson’s absences.
As reported by: Mark Medina via Twitter Other tagged players: Andre Iguodala Klay Thompson (fractured thumb) ruled out at least four games
Thompson has been diagnosed with a fractured right thumb and won’t be re-evaluated until next Thursday, March 22nd, according to ESPN’s Chris Haynes, effectively ruling him out for Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers due to the aforementioned thumb injury. The Warriors also announced that Stephen Curry won’t have his tweaked right ankle re-evaluated until March 20th, which essentially rules him out for four games as well. The injury is still not considered serious, so Golden State just appears to be erring on the side of caution with their sights currently set on the postseason and ultimately another championship. In Curry’s absence, Quinn Cook figures to continue starting at point guard but is coming off of two straight disappointing fantasy performances despite logging at least 29 minutes of action in each start. As is the case anytime Curry is sidelined, Kevin Durant begins to flirt with must-play status and owns a massive +13.5% usage rate differential with Curry, Thompson, Draymond Green, David West, and Patrick McCaw off the court this season. Not only does his usage rate skyrocket to 44.8% in that scenario, but Durant also has averaged 1.80 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.77 on FanDuel, just further cementing his case as an elite option on Wednesday’s slate and the duration of Curry and Thompson’s absences.
As reported by: Chris Haynes via Twitter Al Horford (illness) ruled out Wednesday; Jayson Tatum (back) probable
Horford has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Wednesday’s game against the Washington Wizards after previously being listed as questionable on the Boston Celtics’ injury report due to an illness, while Jayson Tatum is a new addition to the injury report and is listed as probable with low back tightness. The Celtics are also already without Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and Daniel Theis, the latter two in danger of missing the remainder of the season, while Brown is slated to miss at least two additional games following tonight’s contest. In a corresponding move, the Celtics will recall Guerschon Yabusele from the G-League to provide some depth in the frontcourt. Irving is expected to sit for multiple games to rest a sore left knee and Terry Rozier will be the main beneficiary of his and Smart’s absences, no matter if he starts or comes off the bench. There’s obviously almost no sample size with all of the aforementioned players off the court this season, but in that limited time, Rozier, Marcus Morris, and Jayson Tatum all own at least a +11.4% usage rate differential, possibly indicating they may be the top three Celtics to target in all daily fantasy formats this evening.
As reported by: the Boston Celtics via Twitter Other tagged players: Jayson Tatum Best Play of the Day?
Well, the Celtics have some problems right now. Kyrie Irving might not play at all this week. Marcus Smart might be out for the rest of the season. Al Horford is still battling an illness. Jaylen Brown is out with a concussion. There aren’t a lot of healthy bodies left in the mix. That should all add up to about 40 minutes of playing time for Terry Rozier, as the team is particularly thin in the backcourt. We have seen him fill in admirably this season, and he is almost a must play for me in all formats tonight — despite his elevated price tag.
This Value Play gets Better and Better
Stephen Curry and Draymond Green were ruled out well ahead of tonight’s game against the Lakers. This opened the door for Kevin Durant, who is easily the top overall play tonight. Klay Thompson has seen been ruled out, which should open the door for Andre Iguodala to play 30+ minutes and potentially see a higher usage rate as well. Iguodala can fill up all areas of the stat sheet and draws an elite matchup, as the Lakers are missing one of their best wing defenders in Brandon Ingram.
Paying Down at Center could be Contrarian
With so much value available tonight, it will be a popular strategy to pay up at center. I’m not a huge fan of Brook Lopez or Nikola Vucevic, so I will be looking to pay down for one of the Celtics’ centers. Greg Monroe has averaged 1.11 fantasy points per minute this season and has been productive time and time again in these situations. The Celtics are basically playing without half of their roster, so I’m expecting Monroe to see minutes in the mid-20s, as they square off against the Wizards.
Find the Value to Fit Him In
There will be plenty of value out there tonight, especially in Miami and Boston. Given the presence of those value plays, it makes sense to spend up on the guy that you project to be the highest scoring player on the board. Salary should not be a troublesome factor this evening. Durant should carry a ton of the offensive load for Golden State here, and he might even grab a few more rebounds with Draymond Green out. Klay Thompson is also questionable, and the matchup is golden against a similarly up tempo Lakers team. The only risk here is a blowout, but even if it turns into a blowout, that will likely be because Durant has done a lot of damage already.
Big Minutes in a Potential Shootout
Kyle Kuzma has played at least 37 minutes in each of his last five games, averaging 35 fantasy points per game during that stretch. With Brandon Ingram still out, we can expect 38-40 minutes from Kuzma again tonight, as the Lakers take on the Warriors. This game would typically have the potential to turn into a blowout, but Golden State will be without Draymond Green, Stephen Curry, and Klay Thompson.
Sneaky Value Play
With Boston being so thin tonight, especially in the backcourt, don’t sleep on guys like Larkin and Nader as value plays. There are going to be minutes available with Irving, Smart, and Brown all out, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Nader eclipse 26-28 minutes here. Give him a look as a guy who might be surprisingly under-owned on a four game slate.
Stephen Curry (ankle), Draymond Green (shoulder), and David West (arm) ruled out for Wednesday
Curry, Green, and West have all been listed out on the Golden State Warriors’ injury report and won’t play in Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers due to their respective ailments. Meanwhile, Klay Thompson is listed as questionable with a sprained right thumb, and Andre Iguodala and Jordan Bell are listed as probable with a sprained left wrist and a sprained right ankle, respectively, but both are ultimately expected to play at this time. The Warriors also announced that Curry won’t have his tweaked right ankle re-evaluated until March 20th, which essentially rules him out for three additional games following tomorrow’s contest. The injury is still not considered serious, so Golden State just appears to be erring on the side of caution with their sights currently set on the postseason and ultimately another championship. In Curry’s absence, Quinn Cook figures to continue starting at point guard but is coming off of two straight disappointing fantasy performances despite logging at least 29 minutes of action in each start. As is the case anytime Curry is sidelined, Kevin Durant begins to flirt with must-play status and owns a massive +9.4% usage rate differential with Curry, Green, West, and Patrick McCaw off the court this season. Not only does his usage rate skyrocket to 40.7% in that scenario, but Durant also has averaged 1.64 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.61 on FanDuel, just further cementing his case as an elite option on Wednesday’s slate and the duration of Curry’s absence.
As reported by: Mark Medina via Twitter Other tagged players: Draymond Green, David West, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Jordan Bell Rodney Hood (back) ruled out Tuesday; Kyle Korver will start ahead of J.R. Smith
Hood has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Tuesday’s game against the Phoenix Suns after previously being listed as questionable in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ game notes with a strained lower back that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. In his and Cedi Osman’s absences, Jeff Green will remain in the starting lineup alongside LeBron James at one of the forward positions but is coming off of a disappointing daily fantasy performance in 22 minutes of action in Sunday’s loss. Head coach Tyronn Lue has also opted to make a change at the shooting guard spot by inserting Kyle Korver in place of J.R. Smith, who Lue says will come off the bench for the foreseeable future. Korver could make for a solid speculative tournament play on the late slates on Tuesday evening, but he won’t be the long-term answer on the wing, as Lue also clarified with reporters during his pregame media availability that the two-spot is Hood’s to lose once he returns from his back injury and is fully healthy.
As reported by: Marla Ridenour via Twitter Other tagged players: Kyle Korver Reggie Bullock (tight back) officially ruled out Tuesday
Bullock has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Tuesday’s game against the Utah Jazz after previously being listed as doubtful on the Detroit Pistons’ injury report with back tightness stemming from a car accident over the weekend, while Dwight Buycks will miss his second consecutive game with a sprained left ankle. Stanley Johnson participated in practice each of the last two days and will return from a two-game injury absence following his original questionable designation on the injury report. With Bullock unavailable, Johnson will draw the start alongside James Ennis on the wing, though Luke Kennard will certainly remain in the mix with the second unit after logging at least 30 minutes in both games Johnson was sidelined with back spasms. Additionally, with Buycks sidelined, Jameer Nelson will remain the primary backup point guard behind Ish Smith for the second time in as many games and ended up recording 16 minutes in that role in Friday’s win.
As reported by: Keith Langlois via Twitter