DFS Alerts
Steven Adams (hip) ruled out Tuesday, Dakari Johnson will start
Adams has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Tuesday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks after previously being listed as questionable on the Oklahoma City Thunder’s injury report with a left hip contusion he sustained during the second half of Monday’s win. This was the second consecutive game Adams was deemed as questionable with an injury, but he obviously managed to play through a sprained left ankle in the Thunder’s front end of a back-to-back set yesterday evening. With Adams unavailable, Dakari Johnson will draw the start at center as he normally does when Adams is sidelined, but he’s only averaged 17 minutes per game in those starts, keeping him irrelevant for daily fantasy formats. Instead, Patrick Patterson, Jerami Grant, and sometimes Nick Collison typically form a center-by-committee with Johnson to absorb the role of Adams in the frontcourt rotation. Somewhat surprisingly, Russell Westbrook and Paul George both own at least a +3.4% usage rate differential with Adams and Andre Roberson off the court this season, while Westbrook has averaged 1.69 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.64 on FanDuel in this scenario as well.
As reported by: Royce Young via Twitter Other tagged players: Dakari Johnson
Lauri Markkanen (back) ruled out Tuesday; Noah Vonleh will start
Markkanen is a late scratch and won’t play in Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers due to back spasms. Markkanen was previously confirmed in the Chicago Bulls starting lineup and was never listed on the injury report, so it remains unclear when he exactly began experiencing the aforementioned back issue. In his absence, Noah Vonleh will draw the start at power forward alongside Robin Lopez in the frontcourt, though Lopez was originally only expected to play the first quarter as he’s done each of the last two games. Justin Holiday is active, but his role remains unclear moving forward after Antonio Blakeney logged 18 minutes and essentially replaced him in the rotation during Sunday’s win. Bobby Portis doesn’t really have any competition for minutes or usage in the frontcourt with Markkanen sidelined and Lopez limited, so he’ll be an intriguing option for all formats considering he and Denzel Valentine both own at least a +4.2% usage rate differential with Markkanen off the court this season. On top of that, Portis has seen his production spike to 1.34 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.31 on FanDuel in this scenario as well.
As reported by: the Chicago Bulls via Twitter Other tagged players: Noah Vonleh Dante Cunningham will start in place of Jarrett Allen (foot) on Tuesday
Allen was officially ruled out and won’t play in Tuesday’s game against the Toronto Raptors after previously being listed as questionable on the Brooklyn Nets’ injury report with a sore left foot that he presumably sustained during Sunday’s blowout loss. Neither the team or head coach Kenny Atkinson initially confirmed his replacement in the starting lineup, but Dante Cunningham will surprisingly draw his first career start as a member of the Nets in a small-ball starting combination. Cunningham had been serving as the primary backup center of late, but him moving into the starting lineup didn’t make a ton of sense given the matchup with Jonas Valancunias on the defensive end of the floor. Outside of Quincy Acy, who logged just six minutes on Sunday one of Jahlil Okafor or Timofey Mozgov will likely enter the frontcourt rotation in at least some capacity, though Atkinson still seems adamant about running out plenty of small-ball lineups with Cunningham at center and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson at power forward, eliminating the need for as many minutes to be absorbed by the more traditional big men
As reported by: Alex Labidou via Twitter Cody Zeller (sore knee) officially ruled out Tuesday
Zeller has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Tuesday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans after previously being listed as doubtful on the Charlotte Hornets’ injury report with a sore left knee that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. Dwight Howard ended up logging a whopping 37 minutes in Saturday’s win with Zeller sidelined, but it would be surprising to see him continue to record that type of playing time, and Guillermo Hernangomez could end up being a larger factor in the frontcourt rotation than he was the other night. Frank Kaminsky is also a candidate to assume a larger role off the bench after playing just 20 minutes in the aforementioned contest, and he’d set up as an intriguing tournament target if he can absorb some additional backup center minutes to go along with his typical backup forward gig.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR via Twitter Isaiah Taylor (ankle sprain) available to play Tuesday
Taylor has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Tuesday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder after previously being listed as probable on the Atlanta Hawks’ injury report with a sprained left ankle. With Kent Bazemore sidelined for the remainder of the season with a right knee bone bruise, head coach Mike Budenolzer confirmed with reporters that Tyler Dorsey will draw the start at shooting guard alongside Schroder in the backcourt, while Damion Jones was signed to a 10-day contract to take the place of Bazemore on the active roster. The Hawks are also still without Malcolm Delaney because of an ankle injury, so Taylor will continue to serve as the primary backup point guard after logging 27 minutes in a spot start on Sunday afternoon. The sample size isn’t drastic, but Dennis Schroder and Taurean Prince have been the clear beneficiaries with Bazemore off the court this season as each own at least a +8.6% usage rate differential in this scenario, while Schroder has also averaged 1.55 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.51 on FanDuel.
As reported by: Brad Rowland via Twitter Enes Kanter (back) and Lance Thomas (thumb) available to play Tuesday
Kanter has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Tuesday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks after previously being listed as questionable on the New York Knicks’ injury report with back spasms that had forced him to miss Sunday’s blowout loss. Meanwhile, Lance Thomas will also be available to play following his original questionable designation on the injury report due to a sprained right thumb that also kept him sidelined for one game. Their return will likely displace Luke Kornet and Michael Beasley from the starting lineup after each player logged at least 30 minutes in their spot starts, though Kornet was the only one of the two to easily exceed his salary-based expectations. On Sunday afternoon, Courtney Lee played just 19 minutes and off the bench for the first time since head Jeff Hornacek opted to shake up the starting lineup by inserting Thomas and Frank Ntilikina at the starting power forward and shooting guard positions, respectively.
As reported by: Al Iannazzone via Twitter Other tagged players: Lance Thomas Jarrett Allen (sore foot) ruled out Tuesday
Allen 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 Brooklyn Nets’ injury report with a sore left foot that he presumably sustained during Sunday’s blowout loss. Neither the team or head coach Kenny Atkinson have confirmed his replacement in the starting lineup, but Quincy Acy appears to be the likeliest candidate even though he logged just six minutes in the Nets last game. Dante Cunningham has been serving as the primary backup center of late, but him moving into the starting lineup doesn’t make a ton of sense given the matchup with Jonas Valancunias on the defensive end of the floor. Outside of Acy, one of Jahlil Okafor or Timofey Mozgov will likely enter the frontcourt rotation in at least some capacity, though Atkinson still seems adamant on running out plenty of small-ball lineups with Cunningham at center and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson at power forward, eliminating the need for as many minutes to be absorbed by traditional big men
As reported by: Brian Lewis via Twitter Dario Saric (gastroenteritis) will start Tuesday
Saric has officially been cleared to play and will start in Tuesday’s game against the Indiana Pacers, according to head coach Brett Brown, after previously being listed as questionable on the Philadelphia 76ers’ injury report with gastroenteritis that forced him to miss shootaround this morning. Meanwhile, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot remains questionable with right knee patellar tendinitis. However, Luwawu-Cabarrot is still out of head coach Brett Brown’s rotation following the addition of Marco Belinelli and return of Justin Anderson from an extended injury absence, so his availability won’t have any impact on the remaining members of the Sixers active roster. There’s been no reported minute restriction for Saric, and Brown will utilize his normal starting lineup, which means that Ersan Ilyasova will maintain his normal bench role and has averaged 23 minutes of action over the last three games.
As reported by: Keith Pompey via Twitter Devin Booker (triceps), T.J. Warren (back), and Josh Jackson (knee) will play Tuesday
Booker, Warren, and Jackson all participated in practice on Monday and will play, as expected, in Tuesday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers after previously being listed as probable on the Phoenix Suns’ injury report with the respective ailments that had forced them to miss one game. Meanwhile, Alan Williams won’t make his season debut despite going through 5-on-5 drills for the first time since suffering a partially torn meniscus in a September practice. There’s been no reported minute restriction for the aforementioned trio, but the return of Booker and Warren to the starting lineup will send Shaquille Harrison and Troy Daniels back to the bench to resume their normal reserve roles. Jared Dudley and Davon Reed also played a combined 52 minutes off the bench to compensate for the absence of Jackson and Warren, but they’ll almost certainly find themselves out of the regular rotation once again for tonight’s contest.
As reported by: Craig Grialou via Twitter Other tagged players: TJ Warren, Josh Jackson Paying up at Center
We have a massive 11-game slate on tap tonight and yet the center position is extremely thin. It might be a good night to pay up for the likes of Joel Embiid. He is priced below $10,000 on both FanDuel and DraftKings and draws an excellent matchup against the Pacers, who are ranked 25th in efficiency and 22nd in DvP against centers this season.
Big Minutes in a Potential Shootout
The Lakers don’t own their first round pick in the upcoming draft and they are currently playing short-handed. This has led to a very predictable rotation and an incentive to win basketball games. Lonzo Ball has been playing 35+ minutes on a regular basis and he draws a great matchup against the Nuggets, who are ranked 26th in efficiency and 29th in DvP against point guards.
Stanley Johnson (back) will play Tuesday; Reggie Bullock (back) doubtful; Dwight Buycks (ankle) ruled out
Johnson participated in practice each of the last two days and will play in Tuesday’s game against the Utah Jazz after previously being listed as questionable in the Detroit Pistons’ game notes with back spasms that had forced him to miss two consecutive games. Meanwhile, Reggie Bullock has been listed as doubtful with back tightness stemming from a car accident over the weekend, and Dwight Buycks is ruled out following his original questionable designation due to a sprained left ankle. Since Bullock is unlikely to play, Johnson appears to be the likeliest candidate to start alongside James Ennis on the wing, though Luke Kennard certainly remains a contender after logging at least 30 minutes in both games Johnson was sidelined with his injury. Additionally, with Buycks missing his second straight game, Jameer Nelson will remain as the primary backup point guard behind Ish Smith and ended up recording 16 minutes in that role in Friday’s win.
As reported by: Rod Beard via Twitter Aaron Gordon (concussion) remains out Tuesday
Gordon still hasn’t cleared the NBA’s concussion protocol and has officially been ruled out for Tuesday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs after previously being listed as questionable on the Orlando Magic’s injury report with the aforementioned concussion that has now forced him to miss three consecutive games. Meanwhile, Evan Fournier has also missed the last two games with a sprained left MCL and remains without a timetable for return, which continues to feed into rumblings that the Magic may need (want) to shut him down for the remainder of the season. In their absences, Mario Hezonja and Jonathan Isaac will likely continue to start at the forward positions, though Isaac has had his minutes capped at 25 as he continues to work his way back from lingering ankle injuries, reserving him to consideration in only tournament formats. On the other hand, Jonathon Simmons and Nikola Vucevic both own at least a +5.2% usage rate differential with Gordon and Fournier off the court this season, while Simmons has also seen his production spike to 0.97 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 0.94 on FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: John Denton via Twitter Steven Adams (hip contusion) questionable Tuesday
Adams has officially been listed as questionable on the Oklahoma City Thunder’s injury report for Tuesday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks due to a left hip contusion he sustained during the second half of Monday’s win. This is the second consecutive game Adams has been deemed questionable with an injury, but he obviously managed to play through a sprained left ankle in the Thunder’s front end of a back-to-back set yesterday evening. If Adams is eventually ruled out, Dakari Johnson would likely start at center like he normally does when Adams is unavailable, but he’s only averaged 17 minutes per game in those starts, keeping him irrelevant for daily fantasy formats. Instead, Patrick Patterson, Jerami Grant, and sometimes Nick Collison typically form a center-by-committee with Johnson to absorb the role of Adams in the frontcourt rotation. Somewhat surprisingly, Russell Westbrook and Paul George both own at least a +3.4% usage rate differential with Adams and Andre Roberson off the court this season, while Westbrook has averaged 1.69 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.64 on FanDuel in this scenario as well.
As reported by: Royce Young via Twitter Dennis Schroder (elbow sprain) will start Tuesday
Schroder has been cleared to play and will start in Tuesday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, according to head coach Mike Budenholzer, after previously being listed as probable on the Atlanta Hawks’ injury report with a sprained left elbow that had forced him to miss one game. With Kent Bazemore sidelined for the remainder of the season with a right knee bone bruise, Budenolzer confirmed with reporters that Tyler Dorsey would draw the start at shooting guard alongside Schroder in the backcourt, while Damion Jones was signed to a 10-day contract to take the place of Bazemore on the active roster. The Hawks are also still without Malcolm Delaney because of an ankle injury, so Isaiah Taylor would continue to serve as the primary backup point guard if he’s cleared to play from his probable designation on the injury report with a sprained left ankle. The sample size isn’t drastic, but Schroder and Taurean Prince have been the clear beneficiaries with Bazemore off the court this season and each own at least a +8.6% usage rate differential in this scenario, while Schroder has also averaged 1.55 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.51 on FanDuel.
As reported by: Michael Cunningham via Twitter