DFS Alerts
Marvin Williams (migraine) questionable Tuesday
Williams did not participate in shootaround Tuesday morning and has officially been listed as questionable on the Charlotte Hornets’ injury report for tonight’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers due to a migraine headache. Meanwhile, Michael Carter-Williams has already been ruled out with a sprained right shoulder, which led the Hornets to recall Marcus Paige from the G-League to provide some depth at the point guard position. However, Paige is unlikely to see the court and Malik Monk will serve as the primary backup behind Kemba Walker at point guard. If Williams is eventually ruled out closer to tipoff, head coach Steve Clifford has already confirmed with reporters that Frank Kaminsky will start at power forward, putting him in play for all formats given his already decent minute floor in the mid-20s when Williams is active and available to play. This also means that Treveon Graham would see an increased role off the bench as the primary backup at the forward positions, but his fantasy production on a per minute basis is too low to be seriously considered an option in tournaments.
As reported by: Rick Bonnell via Twitter
High Usage Off The Bench
I really like high usage bench guys, and with a couple of guys out for the Rockets tonight, Gordon should play 27+ minutes tonight. This game has the second highest total on the slate, and I think Gordon presents really good value at his price. Gordon has played 27 and 28 minutes in the last two games since returning, and he’s put up at least 29 fantasy points in both games. He’s shooting well since returning as well, which is always good to see.
Maurice Harkless (patella tendon strain) ruled out Monday
Harkless has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers after previously being listed as questionable on the Portland Trail Blazers’ injury report with a strained left patella tendon that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. Harkless tested his injured knee during pregame warmups but it reportedly got progressively worse during his routine. Directly after Thursday’s game, head coach Terry Stotts stated that the team had no timetable for Harkless’ return to the lineup, which hinted at the possibility of this multiple-game absence. Evan Turner will draw the start at small forward for the second time in as many games after easily exceeding salary-based expectations in 32 minutes of action in Saturday’s win. However, it’d be far from surprising if Shabazz Napier soaked up some more of those available minutes and has typically been an indirect beneficiary when either Harkless or Turner have been sidelined this season, setting him up as an intriguing tournament option on Monday’s late slates.
As reported by: Jason Quick via Twitter Derrick Favors (neck spasm) ruled out Monday; Jonas Jerebko will start
Favors is a late scratch from the Utah Jazz lineup for Monday’s game against the Orlando Magic due to neck spasms that he apparently began experiencing during pregame warmups since he was never given a designation on the injury report at any point throughout the day. In his absence, Jonas Jerebko will draw the start at power forward and has averaged just over 15 minutes per game since the conclusion of the All-Star break. The Jazz rotation looks quite a bit different than it did earlier in the season, but in the 17 previous games Jerebko has started, he’s averaged nearly 21 minutes per game when Favors or Rudy Gobert were sidelined during their respective injury absences. Additionally, Ekpe Udoh will likely re-enter the rotation to serve as the primary backup center behind Gobert, but he won’t be allocated enough minutes to become relevant in daily fantasy formats barring injury or extreme foul trouble.
As reported by: Tony Jones Other tagged players: Jonas Jerebko Jarell Martin (knee) and Ben McLemore (personal) ruled out Monday; Deyonta Davis (ankle) now will play
Martin has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Monday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs despite originally being listed as probable on the Memphis Grizzlies’ injury report with a right knee injury, while Ben McLemore has also been ruled out as he tends to a personal matter even though was never given a designation on the injury report throughout the day. Additionally, Deyonta Davis has been cleared to play after previously being listed out in the latest version of game notes released earlier in the day. The Grizzlies will still also be without Tyreke Evans, Andrew Harrison, and Mario Chalmers leaving them thin at several positions, but especially at point guard, where Kobi Simmons will be forced into the starting lineup to man the point and also allow Xavier Rathan-Mayes to see significant rotational minutes in his Grizzlies debut as the only other true point guard on the active roster. Additionally, Wayne Selden and Chandler Parsons logged just 10 and 12 minutes, respectively, in their last games played as they work their way back from extended injury absences, so Bickerstaff will likely need to continue relying more on players like Simmons, Myke Henry, and Ivan Rabb to absorb substantial playing time at their respective positions.
As reported by: Ronald Tillery via Twitter Other tagged players: Ben McLemore, Deyonta Davis Tyler Johnson (quad contusion) available to play Monday
Johnson has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Monday’s game against the Phoenix Suns after previously being listed as questionable on the Miami Heat’s injury report with a left quad contusion that had forced him to miss two consecutive games. However, Johnson isn’t included in the Heat’s confirmed starting lineup and it’s unclear whether head coach Erik Spoelstra will allow him to actually see any minutes. Somewhat surprisingly, Spoelstra has opted to start James Johnson and Luke Babbitt at the forward positions even with Bam Adebayo back with the team and available to anchor the second unit as the backup center, which means that Kelly Olynyk and Justise will remain in reserve roles for the second time in as many games. Even in his normal bench role, Dwyane Wade is an intriguing bounce-back candidate on Monday’s slate, as he owns a massive 38.0% usage rate with Johnson and Ellington off the court, albeit, in an extremely limited sample size, but it still does indicate his high probability of seeing increased usage when on the floor and he should continue to be locked into minutes in the mid-20s regardless of lineup combinations.
LaMarcus Aldridge (ankle sprain) will play Monday
Aldridge has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Monday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies, according to head coach Gregg Popovich, after previously being listed as questionable on the San Antonio Spurs’ injury report with a sprained right ankle that had forced him to miss one game. There’s been no reported minute restriction for Aldridge, so he’ll almost certainly reclaim his typical starting power forward position in his return, sending Davis Bertans back to the bench to resume his normal reserve role after averaging nearly 19 minutes per game over the course of his two spot starts.That said, the main beneficiary of Aldridge’s absence was Pau Gasol, who smashed his salary-based expectations in 32 minutes of action in Saturday’s loss.
As reported by: Paul Garcia via Twitter Troy Daniels (hyperextended knee) officially ruled out Monday
Daniels has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Monday’s game against the Miami Heat after previously being listed as doubtful on the Phoenix Suns’ injury report with a hyperextended right knee that he apparently sustained during Sunday’s loss. His minutes have been a bit deflated the last two games, but he’s still averaged 22 minutes per game since the All-Star break, which will open up the additional opportunity for the starters on the wing and reserve players like Shaquille Harrison, who just signed a second 10-day contract with the Suns over the weekend. That said, outside of a minimal minute bump for Devin Booker, T.J. Warren, and Josh Jackson, there is not much other daily fantasy impacts of note on a slate already loaded with value options more optimal than Harrison that also possess higher ceiling and floor combinations.
As reported by: the Phoenix Suns via Twitter Shane Larkin will start for Kyrie Irving (knee) on Monday
Irving had previously been added to the Boston Celtics’ injury report and was officially ruled out for Monday’s game against the against the Chicago Bulls due to a sore left knee that has now forced him to miss two separate games this season. Meanwhile, Daniel Theis remains probable with a sore right hamstring and was a DNP-CD in Saturday’s loss despite initially being medically cleared to play. The last time Irving was unavailable Marcus Smart was also sidelined with a hand laceration, which enabled Terry Rozier to start at point guard and put together some monster daily fantasy performances. Because of that, Rozier was considered the leading candidate to draw the start in place of Irving, but head coach Brad Stevens has opted to go in a different direction by starting Shane Larkin in order to keep the cohesiveness of the second unit intact. Regardless of the starter, both Rozier and Smart will see enough playing time and are inexpensive enough to jointly exceed salary-based expectations off the bench, though Smart has seen the larger usage increase with Irving off the court this season, and he, Greg Monroe, Marcus Morris, and Al Horford all own at least a +3.8% usage rate differential in the aforementioned scenario.
As reported by: Sean Grande via Twitter Wayne Ellington (quad contusion) officially ruled out Monday
Ellington has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Monday’s game against the Phoenix Suns after previously being downgraded from questionable to doubtful on the Miami Heat’s injury report with a left quad contusion that has now forced him to miss three consecutive games. Meanwhile, Tyler Johnson remains questionable with a left quad contusion and is trending towards a true game-time decision. Justise Winslow is likely to re-enter the starting lineup, but will be virtually guaranteed to start at small forward if Johnson is eventually ruled out, as it appears unnecessary for head coach Erik Spoelstra to start James Johnson and Luke Babbitt at the forward positions now that Bam Adebayo is back with the team and available to anchor the second unit while assuming his normal role as the backup center, which would free up Kelly Olynyk to start at power forward in this scenario. Even in his normal bench role, Dwyane Wade is an intriguing bounce-back candidate on Monday’s slate, as he owns a massive 38.0% usage rate with Johnson and Ellington off the court, albeit, in an extremely limited sample size, but it still does indicate his high probability of seeing increased usage when on the floor and he should continue to be locked into minutes in the mid-20s regardless of lineup combinations.
As reported by: Tom D'Angelo via Twitter Khris Middleton (sore knee) will play Monday
Middleton has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Monday’s second game of a back-to-back set against the Indiana Pacers after previously being listed as a game-time decision in the latest updated version of the Milwaukee Bucks’ game notes with a sore right knee. Meanwhile, Tyler Zeller and Matthew Dellavedova have both been listed out with their respective ailments, the latter missing his 1tth consecutive game with a sprained right ankle. With Zeller sidelined, Thon Maker will likely assume a significantly larger role as the primary backup center behind John Henson after logging just four minutes in back-to-back games, while Henson should see his playing time elevated back into the upper-20s with one less warm body in the frontcourt. Shabazz Muhammad was a DNP-CD in his Bucks debut, but it’ll be interesting to see if he begins to siphon playing time away from Tony Snell and Sterling Brown as he becomes more accustomed to interim head coach Joe Prunty’s playbook and builds a report with his new teammates.
As reported by: Matt Velazquez via Twitter Khris Middleton (knee) listed as a game-time decision Monday; Tyler Zeller (hip, back) listed out
Middleton has been listed as a game-time decision in the latest updated version of the Milwaukee Bucks’ game notes for Monday’s game against the Indiana Pacers due to a sore right knee. Meanwhile, Tyler Zeller and Matthew Dellavedova have both been listed out with their respective ailments, the latter on track to miss his 11th consecutive game with a sprained right ankle. With Zeller sidelined, Thon Maker will likely assume a significantly larger role as the primary backup center behind John Henson after logging just four minutes in back-to-back games, while Henson should see his playing time elevated back into the upper-20s with one less warm body in the frontcourt. Shabazz Muhammad was a DNP-CD in his Bucks debut, but it’ll be interesting to see if he begins to siphon playing time away from Tony Snell and Sterling Brown as he becomes more accustomed to interim head coach Joe Prunty’s playbook and builds a report with his new teammates.
As reported by: NBA.com Game Notes Other tagged players: Tyler Zeller Marc Gasol (ankle, quad) will play Monday
Gasol is set to make his return from a one-game absence due to planned rest and will play in Monday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs after previously being listed as questionable on the Memphis Grizzlies’ injury report with left and right quad injuries. The Grizzlies will already be without Deyonta Davis, Tyreke Evans, Andrew Harrison, and Mario Chalmers leaving them thin at several positions, but especially at point guard, where Kobi Simmons is likely to be forced into the starting lineup to man the point and also allow Xavier Rathan-Mayes to see significant rotational minutes in his Grizzlies debut as the only other true point guard on the active roster. The absence of Davis will most directly affect Ivan Rabb, who will be thrust into the backup center role, though interim head coach JB Bickerstaff does have the ability to shuffle JaMychal Green and Jarell Martin around all three positions in the frontcourt, restricting his total minute floor. Additionally, Wayne Selden and Chandler Parsons logged just 10 and 12 minutes, respectively, in their last games played as they work their way back from extended injury absences, so Bickerstaff will likely need to continue relying more on players like Simmons, Martin, and Ben McLemore to absorb substantial playing time at their respective positions.
As reported by: Michael Wallace via Twitter Might not be Smart to Fade this Shooting Guard
Marcus Smart tends to bust when he becomes a popular DFS target, but that’s not exactly a reason to fade him. We have to treat each situation separately. With Kyrie Irving out tonight, there are plenty of minutes that have opened up in the rotation and Smart should also see a significant minute boost. Terry Rozier is my favorite of the two, but I like the idea of playing the two together, especially if Smart ends up coming off the bench. That would naturally lower his ownership in a favorable matchup against the Bulls and he would still push for 30+ minutes of playing time.
Deyonta Davis (ankle) listed out Monday
Davis has been listed out on the latest updated version of the Memphis Grizzlies’ game notes for Monday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs after previously being listed as questionable on the original injury report with a lingering left ankle issue that has now forced him to miss four consecutive games. While game notes can be relatively unreliable depending on the team, it’s probably best to approach Monday’s slate as if Davis will be unavailable given the length of time he’s already been sidelined with the aforementioned ankle injury. The Grizzlies will already be without Deyonta Davis, Tyreke Evans, Andrew Harrison, and Mario Chalmers leaving them thin at several positions, but especially at point guard, where Kobi Simmons is likely to be forced into the starting lineup to man the point and also allow Xavier Rathan-Mayes to see significant rotational minutes in his Grizzlies debut as the only other true point guard on the active roster. The absence of Davis will only directly affect Ivan Rabb, who will be thrust into the backup center role at a minimum, depending on the status of Marc Gasol, who currently remains listed as questionable with left and right quad injuries.
As reported by: NBA.com Game Notes