DFS Alerts
Stanley Johnson (back spasms) ruled out Wednesday
Johnson didn’t go through the walkthrough portion of shootaround Wednesday morning and has officially been ruled of tonight’s game against the Toronto Raptors after previously being considered a game-time decision, according to Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy, with back spasms that flared up during Monday’s loss. Meanwhile, Luke Kennard is available to play and will start at shooting guard following his absence from Tuesday’s practice due to an illness. The Pistons also recalled Reggie Hearn from the G-League to provide some depth on the wing, which wasn’t a ringing endorsement of their optimism on the status of Johnson for tonight’s contest, making this news far from surprising. Johnson was recently replaced in the starting lineup by James Ennis, who has averaged 30 minutes per game over the Pistons last three games, but the minute allotments of him and Langston Galloway will largely depend on how much playing time Kennard is afforded with the starting unit.
As reported by: Rod Beard via Twitter
Chandler Parsons (personal) ruled out Wednesday
Parsons is not currently with the team and has officially been ruled out for Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Bulls due to personal reasons. Parsons wasn’t previously listed on the Memphis Grizzlies’ injury report, but he is reportedly away attending the funeral of Dan Fegan, who was his longtime agent. The Grizzlies are still without Tyreke Evans, Andrew Harrison, and Mario Chalmers because of their respective ailments, while Ben McLemore was removed from the injury report entirely and Jarell Martin remains questionable with a right knee injury that held him out of Monday’s loss. Xavier Rathan-Mayes ended up logging 25 minutes in his Grizzlies debut as the backup point guard behind Kobi Simmons and it would be far from surprising if he saw at least similar run with how shorthanded the team is in the backcourt, but particularly at point guard. Additionally, Wayne Selden remains on a minute restriction and has yet to eclipse 14 minutes in the two games since returning from injury, just further adding to the potential floor and ceiling of Rathan-Mayes if he can continue to eat into the minute share of Simmons at point guard.
As reported by: Michael Wallace via Twitter Skal Labissiere (sore knee) upgraded to probable Wednesday
Labissiere has officially been upgraded from questionable to probable on the Sacramento Kings’ injury report for Wednesday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans due to a sore right knee. Meanwhile, Willie Cauley-Stein was held out of Tuesday’s practice and has already been ruled out of tonight’s contest with a strained lower back that has now forced him to miss three consecutive games. Kosta Koufos has started each of the past two games at center and logged 25 minutes in each start, though Labissiere and Zach Randolph have alternated starts at power forward over that span, and Randolph is coming off of a DNP-CD that has become the norm for several Kings veterans. There continues to be no warning or detectable pattern from head coach Dave Joerger on when players will rest, but considering he’s played significant minutes in two straight games, Koufos is a candidate to draw a DNP-CD even with Cauley-Stein already deemed unable to play.
As reported by: James Ham via Twitter Jeff Green (sore back) will play Wednesday
Green has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Wednesday’s game against the Denver Nuggets after previously being listed as probable on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ injury report with a sore lower back that had forced him to miss two consecutive games. In the absence of Green, head coach Tyronn Lue utilized a 10-man rotation with both Ante Zizic and Jose Calderon logging significant playing time since the Cavaliers are still without Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love due to their respective ailments. Both Zizic and Calderon will see those minutes dwindle a bit with Green returning to the rotation, but Zizic will likely still absorb a meaningful role as the only center on the active roster outside of Larry Nance, who is more of a prototypical power forward than center, to begin with. That said, Nance will still be relied upon to anchor the Cavaliers frontcourt and is coming off an outstanding fantasy performance in 31 minutes in Monday’s win.
As reported by: Dave McMenamin via Twitter Derrick Favors (neck spasm) available to play Wednesday
Favors has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Wednesday’s game against the Indiana Pacers after previously being listed as questionable on the Utah Jazz’ injury report with neck spasms that had forced him to miss one game. Favors will almost certainly reclaim his normal starting power forward position right off the bat, which will send Jonas Jerebko back to the bench to resume his normal reserve role following his 20-minute performance where he exceeded salary-based expectations. However, he’ll see his playing time significantly reduced in tonight’s contest, and Ekpe Udoh should fall out the frontcourt rotation entirely once again after recording a productive 10 minutes off the bench in Monday’s win.
As reported by: the Utah Jazz via Twitter Back In The Lineup Again
The game after the NBA warned the Bulls about resting healthy players, Justin Holiday is expected to rejoin the starting lineup. The minutes are a complete guessing game at this point, but at his current price, there is a lot of risk/reward here. We have some other solid value plays tonight, but I don’t think a lot of people will take the risk with Holiday tonight. It’s an extremely risky play because he could easily play 10 minutes tonight, but I’m going for it.
Justin Holiday will start Wednesday
Holiday confirmed with reporters at shootaround Wednesday morning that he will play and start in tonight’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies after receiving a DNP-CD in five of the Chicago Bulls last six games. Head coach Fred Hoiberg did state that Holiday would start the first and third quarters, but it still remains unclear just how many minutes he’ll log with the Bulls still focusing on player development. Holiday will take the place of David Nwaba at small forward in the starting lineup, though Nwaba still may not see a huge reduction in minutes off the bench. Additionally, Robin Lopez will remain sidelined for and out of the rotation for another game, but Hoiberg has already confirmed that both he an Holiday will start against the Detroit Pistons on Friday night
As reported by: K.C. Johnson via Twitter Viable Wednesday Night Value
The Grizzlies will be a popular team to target tonight thanks to a friendly matchup against the tanking Bulls, combined with all of the injuries that Memphis is dealing with. This will likely be a game that both teams are trying to lose but won’t act like they are trying to lose, so that should be fun to see. In any case, Memphis will be without Chalmers, Harrison, and Evans tonight, which should leave the door open for Simmons to play a pile of minutes. He got saddled with foul trouble in the first half against the Spurs the other night, so the minutes should increase here, even with Ben McLemore back. I’ll gladly take a shot or two in GPPs given the cheap price tag.
Bounce Back Spot in a Good Matchup
Clint Capela was one of the biggest busts of last night’s slate. Steven Adams kept him off the glass and kept him from getting easy looks at the rim. When Oklahoma City got down big in the fourth quarter, they employed the hack-a-Capela strategy and he was quickly benched. This all led to Capela only playing 27 minutes, but look for him to play 30+ minutes tonight against the Bucks. This is one of the best matchups of the slate, as Milwaukee is ranked 28th in efficiency against centers and 26th in rebounding differential.
A Great Night Awaits for the Big Men in L.A.
With Larry Nance off (and thriving) in Cleveland, the opportunity is there for both Randle and Kyle Kuzma to shine down the stretch for the Lakers. Luke Walton has finally stopped playing games with their playing time, and the results are already starting to show. Randle is averaging 20.4 points per game and 9.4 rebounds per game over the last seven contests, and the minutes have become stable on a nightly basis. Throw in a favorable matchup tonight against the Magic, and you have the recipe for massive upside. He’s a fine pivot on the high end if you are looking to get away from the extreme price tag of Anthony Davis.
Ignore Last Night's Performance
Paul Millsap was expected to play 28 minutes last night against the Mavericks, but he got into early foul trouble. When he finally got back in the game in the fourth quarter, Dallas went on a quick run and Denver’s starters were quickly pulled. Millsap only logged 19 minutes, which actually makes me feel better about his minute projection tonight. He draws an elite matchup against the Cavaliers, who are ranked 25th or worse in points allowed per game, defensive efficiency, and rebounding differential this season.
The Last Man Standing in Memphis?
It’s hard to pay a premium for Marc Gasol, but he is simply their last offensive weapon left standing. The guards have been ravaged by injuries, and this is not a part of a back-to-back set. The Bulls’ interior defense is abysmal with Robin Lopez riding the pine now, and they have nobody capable of slowing Gasol down. Memphis continues to play him for heavy minutes on days that he does not rest, and I would not expect a rest day here. Gasol poured in a full line of 23/10/4 over 37 minutes the other night, and it would not shock me to see him put up another massive double-double in a favorable matchup here.
Elite Matchup and an Increased Role
Kyle Kuzma is close to a must play in my eyes. Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart are both out for tonight’s two games, which opens the door for Kuzma to play 35+ minutes in one of the best matchups on the board. In addition to playing at a fast pace, the Magic are ranked 27th in defensive efficiency and 29th in rebounding differential. After scoring 26+ fantasy points in four straight games (three were difficult matchups), fade Kuzma at your own risk.
Stanley Johnson (back) a game-time decision Wednesday; Luke Kennard (illness) will play
Johnson didn’t go through the walkthrough portion of shootaround Wednesday morning and will be a game-time decision for tonight’s game against the Toronto Raptors due to back spasms that flared up during Monday’s loss. Meanwhile, Luke Kennard is available to play and will rejoin the rotation, according to head coach Stan Van Gundy, after missing Tuesday’s practice with an illness. The Pistons have recalled Reggie Hearn from the G-League to provide some depth on the wing if they end up being shorthanded, which isn’t necessarily a ringing endorsement of their optimism on the status of Johnson for tonight’s contest. Johnson was recently replaced in the starting lineup by James Ennis, who has averaged 30 minutes per game over the Pistons last three games, and the minute allotment of Kennard and Langston Galloway will largely depend on the final determination of Johnson’s availability.
As reported by: Rod Beard via Twitter Other tagged players: Luke Kennard David West (arm) ruled out Tuesday; Jordan Bell (back) available to play
West is a late addition to the Golden State Warriors’ injury report and has officially been ruled out for Tuesday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets due to a cyst on his right arm. West was never given a designation on the injury report at any point throughout the day, but Jordan Bell will be available to play, as expected, after previously being listed as probable with a strained lower back. Kevon Looney will be active but may still not crack the rotation of head coach Steve Kerr, as Bell and Omri Casspi are more than capable of filling the void left behind by West in the frontcourt, and Looney has appeared in just one game and totaled five minutes for Golden State since the All-Star break. Bell is probably the only member of the aforementioned trio that is worth a look in tournaments on the late slates across the industry, but he still carries the risk of being eased back into the rotation by Kerr and not coming close to the 15-20 minutes he needs to have a realistic shot at exceeding salary-based expectations.
As reported by: Warriors PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Jordan Bell