DFS Alerts
Don't Overlook This Star Guard on the Road Tonight
Irving has been a point per minute machine over his last three games, averaging almost 48 FanDuel points per game – in only 27.3 MPG. Tonight he gets a matchup against a faster-paced Rockets team and Boston will need all of Kyrie’s scoring abilities as an 8-point underdog on the road. Kyrie may go overlooked tonight playing on the road, but he makes an excellent GPP play as he’s averaging more minutes, assists, points, and less turnovers on the road this season.
LaMarcus Aldridge (ankle) officially ruled out Saturday; Pau Gasol (knee) probable
Aldridge has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers after previously being listed as doubtful on the San Antonio Spurs’ injury report with a sprained right ankle he sustained during the first half of Wednesday’s loss. Meanwhile, Pau Gasol has been upgraded from questionable to probable on the injury report due to a left knee bone bruise. Aldridge was replaced by Joffrey Lauvergne, who exceeded salary-based expectations in just 19 minutes, to begin the second half of that contest, but assuming Gasol is cleared to play, he remains the likeliest candidate to start alongside Davis Bertans in the frontcourt. Rudy Gay has yet to eclipse 24 minutes in any of the three games he’s played since the All-Star break, but both he and Dejounte Murray own at least a +3.1% usage rate differential with Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard off the court, setting him up as an intriguing tournament option given his increased production of 1.21 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.23 on FanDuel in this scenario as well.
As reported by: Michael C. Wright via Twitter Other tagged players: Pau Gasol
Daniel Theis (sore hamstring) intends to play Saturday
Theis confirmed with reporters that he’ll play, barring a setback during shootaround, in Saturday’s game against the Houston Rockets after previously being listed as questionable on the Boston Celtics’ injury report with a sore right hamstring that had forced him to miss one game. Theis has been a key cog in the Celtics frontcourt rotation for stretches when Aron Baynes and Marcus Morris were sidelined with their respective injuries, but now that the Celtics are basically at full strength, there is a bit of a logjam at the center and power forward position, which led to Greg Monroe being a DNP-CD in the last game all three big men were active. However, head coach Brad Stevens has been adamant with reporters that Monroe will remain a part of the rotation and will just continue to muddy the playing time of him, Theis, and Baynes moving forward.
As reported by: Adam Himmelsbach via Twitter Brandon Ingram (hip flexor strain) ruled out Saturday
Ingram has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Saturday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs after previously being listed as questionable on the Los Angeles Lakers’ injury report with a strained left hip flexor that he sustained late in Thursday’s win. The Lakers recently agreed to a buyout with Corey Brewer and are also without Josh Hart, who underwent surgery on his fractured finger, so they’ll be relatively thin at the wing positions with Ingram sidelined this evening. In his absence, Kyle Kuzma will likely enter the starting lineup at small forward, while the 10-day contract signee, Travis Wear, should enter the rotation to help absorb some of the available minute allotment not already distributed to Kuzma, Julius Randle, Isaiah Thomas, and other key rotational players. Lonzo Ball appears to be off of his minute restriction after logging 33 minutes on Thursday, and he’ll more than likely be tasked with a similar workload in tonight’s contest in order to avoid relying on Wear, Tyler Ennis, or Gary Payton to play more meaningful minutes than necessary.
As reported by: Bill Oram via Twitter Tyler Johnson (quad), Wayne Ellington (quad), and Bam Adebayo (personal) ruled out Saturday
Johnson and Ellington have officially been ruled out and won’t play in Saturday’s game against the Detroit Pistons after previously being listed as doubtful on the Miami Heat’s injury report with their respective left quad contusions that have now forced them to miss two consecutive games. Meanwhile, Bam Adebayo is currently not with the team while he deals with a personal matter but, according to head coach Erik Spoelstra, is only expected to be sidelined for one game. Spoelstra already confirmed that Kelly Olynyk will come off the bench to serve as the primary reserve at center and power forward, but he was still noncommittal on who would actually start alongside Hassan Whiteside in the frontcourt. Spoelstra has also continued to reiterate that he prefers to keep Dwyane Wade primarily with the second unit, which means that someone like James Johnson is likely to start in place of Johnson, and this hypothetical move would slide Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson to the small forward and shooting guard spots, respectively. Even in his normal bench role, Wade may set up as an intriguing tournament option on Saturday’s slate, as he owns a massive 39.2% usage rate with Johnson and Ellington off the court, albeit, in an extremely limited sample size. That said, it does indicate his high probability of seeing increased usage when on the floor and should continue to be locked into minutes in the mid-20s regardless of starting lineup.
As reported by: Barry Jackson via Twitter Other tagged players: Wayne Ellington, Bam Adebayo Taj Gibson (hip contusion) will play Friday
Gibson is feeling better and told reporters that he will play in Friday’s game against the Utah Jazz after previously being listed as questionable on the Minnesota Timberwolves’ injury report with a left hip contusion that had forced him to exit early from Thursday’s loss. The Timberwolves are in the midst of a difficult stretch and are on the second night of a road back-to-back set, so even with Gibson available, it remains unclear just how far head coach Tom Thibodeau might extend the rotation with Jimmy Butler still sidelined with a torn meniscus, as Justin Patton, Amile Jefferson, and Anthony Brown were all recalled from the G-League and will be available, though not guaranteed, to play in tonight’s contest. If Gibson ends up being limited by his hip injury in any way, Gorgui Dieng would step into a larger role off the bench and could be an interesting leverage play in tournament formats on the late slates across the industry. Minnesota has played three full games since Butler went down with his knee injury and in that span, Karl-Anthony Towns and Jeff Teague have each recorded at least a 27.1% usage rate, while Teague has seen the larger increase in his production over that stretch and has averaged 1.21 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.24 on FanDuel.
As reported by: Jerry Zgoda via Twitter OG Anunoby (ankle sprain) officially ruled out Friday; Norman Powell will start
Anunoby has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Friday’s game against the Washington Wizards after previously being listed as doubtful on the Toronto Raptors’ injury report with a sprained right ankle he sustained during Wednesday’s win. Anunoby has taken on a less significant role in the rotation of late and has exceeded 13 minutes in just two of the last six games, meaning Norman Powell will have a difficult time becoming relevant in daily fantasy formats if simply assumes the minute allotment of Anunoby at the starting small forward spot. Powell has started 12 games this season and averaged just over 22 minutes in those contests, but this will be the first time he’s started in place of Anunoby, so expectations should be tempered for his fantasy outlook this evening.
As reported by: Blake Murphy via Twitter JaMychal Green (illness) and Andrew Harrison (wrist) ruled out Friday; Wayne Selden (knee) available to play
Green was absent from shootaround Friday morning and has officially been ruled out tonight’s game against the Denver Nuggets due to an illness, while Andrew Harrison will also be unavailable due to a right wrist injury following his original questionable designation on the injury report. However, as expected, Wayne Selden has been cleared to play after missing six consecutive games with a sore right knee but will only play limited minutes in his return. The Grizzlies are already without Tyreke Evans, Deyonta Davis, and Chandler Parsons due to their respective ailments, so they’ll be relatively shorthanded across the board from a positional depth perspective. Despite being replaced by Ben McLemore in the starting lineup last time out, Jarell Martin logged a whopping 36 minutes off the bench compared to just nine for McLemore, and he’ll be locked into a starting role no matter who starts for Harrison and Evans this evening. That said, the likeliest candidates appear to be Mario Chalmers and Ben McLemore, the latter’s playing time depending largely on how many minutes Selden is able to handle in his first game back.
As reported by: Peter Edmiston via Twitter Other tagged players: Andrew Harrison, Wayne Selden Cody Zeller (sore knee) ruled out Friday
Zeller has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Friday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers after previously being listed as questionable on the Charlotte Hornets’ injury report with a sore left knee that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. Meanwhile, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has been cleared to play and will suit up following a one-game absence and his original questionable designation on the injury report. The presumed return of Kidd-Gilchrist to the starting lineup will send Treveon Graham back to the bench to resume a reserve role after he logged a team-high 30 minutes but drastically underachieved from a daily fantasy perspective in his spot start. The Hornets were blown out by the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, which limited Jeremy Lamb and Frank Kaminsky to 25 minutes a piece off the bench, but with Zeller unavailable once again, Kaminsky now becomes an intriguing tournament target in a matchup with a Sixers squad that possesses a ton of length in the frontcourt in both their first and second units.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR via Twitter Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (hamstring strain) available to play Friday
Kidd-Gilchrist has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Friday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers after originally being listed as questionable on the Charlotte Hornets’ injury report with a strained left hamstring that had forced him to miss one game but was previously expected to play based on comments made by head coach Steve Clifford at shootaround this morning. Meanwhile, Cody Zeller remains questionable with a sore right knee that has also sidelined him for one game and will be a game-time decision. The return of Kidd-Gilchrist to the starting lineup will send Treveon Graham back to the bench to resume a reserve role after he logged a team-high 30 minutes but drastically underachieved from a daily fantasy perspective. The Hornets were blown out by the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, which limited Jeremy Lamb and Frank Kaminsky to 25 minutes a piece off the bench, but if Zeller is eventually ruled out, Kaminsky would become an intriguing tournament target in a matchup with a Sixers squad that possesses a ton of length in the frontcourt in both their first and second units.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR via Twitter Raul Neto (ankle sprain) available to play Friday
Neto has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Friday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves after initially being ruled out on the Utah Jazz’ injury report with a sprained right ankle that had forced him to miss three consecutive games. Neto had been typically averaging minutes in the mid-teens prior to his injury absence, so even if he steps directly into a full minute allotment right out of the gate, his presence won’t have much of an effect on the remaining members of the Utah backcourt. That said, he should be expected to siphon some minutes away from Alec Burks and head coach Quin Snyder may opt to manage the workload of Donovan Mitchell a bit, as the rookie has logged at least 36 minutes seven straight contests.
As reported by: Eric Woodyard via Twitter Taj Gibson (hip contusion) questionable Friday
Gibson has officially been listed as questionable on the Minnesota Timberwolves’ injury report for Friday’s game against the Utah Jazz due to a left hip contusion that forced him to exit early from Thursday’s loss. The Timberwolves are in the midst of a difficult stretch and are on the second night of a road back-to-back set, so if Gibson is unable to suit up, it remains unclear just how far head coach Tom Thibodeau would extend the rotation with Jimmy Butler still sidelined with a torn meniscus. Should Gibson eventually be ruled out, Gorgui Dieng would almost certainly draw the start at power forward and become one of the better salary-saving options on the board for all daily fantasy formats, though it is unlikely that his status is disclosed by the team or Thibodeau prior to lock on Friday’s main slate. That said, Jeff Teague and Karl-Anthony Towns would be the main beneficiaries from a usage standpoint, as each own at least a +4.5% usage rate differential with Gibson and Butler off the court this season, while Teague has averaged 1.04 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.05 fantasy points on FanDuel in this scenario as well.
As reported by: Jerry Zgoda via Twitter Shaun Livingston (rest) ruled out Friday
Livingston is a new addition to the Golden State Warriors’ injury report and has been ruled out for Friday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks due to planned rest. The Warriors are also still without Patrick McCaw, who will remain sidelined for at least a couple more weeks with a fractured left wrist, meaning that Quinn Cook could be in line for extensive playing time as the backup point guard with the Warriors currently projected as huge favorites over this tanking Hawks squad. Livingston consistently logs between 14-16 minutes with the second unit on a nightly basis, so the only way Cook will even have a chance at becoming relevant in daily fantasy formats is if Golden State gets out to a substantial enough lead to have the luxury of resting their starters for all or most of the fourth quarter.
As reported by: Warriors PR via Twitter T.J. Warren (tailbone) will start Friday; Tyson Chandler (neck) remains out
Warren has officially been cleared to play and will start in Friday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder after previously being listed as questionable on the Phoenix Suns’ injury report with a tailbone contusion that had forced him to miss one game. Meanwhile, Tyson Chandler will remain sidelined with a sore neck that has forced him to miss eight of the last nine games following his original questionable designation on the injury report, but the team is hopeful he’ll be able to return for Sunday’s upcoming matchup. The availability of Warren will likely send Josh Jackson back to the bench to resume his normal reserve role after putting together an impressive fantasy performance in a whopping 40 minutes of action. Alex Len has started the last five games in place of Chandler at center but both his production and playing time have been sporadic, at best, relegating him to the status of tournament-only option moving forward, especially in a matchup where the Suns will have the ability to utilize small-ball lineups more often than normal.
As reported by: Scott Bordow via Twitter Other tagged players: Tyson Chandler JaMychal Green (illness) a game-time decision Friday; Wayne Selden (knee) expected to play
Green was absent from shootaround Friday morning and is likely to be a game-time decision for tonight’s game against the Denver Nuggets due to an illness. Meanwhile, Wayne Selden has been upgraded to probable on the Memphis Grizzlies’ injury report with a sore right knee and, according to interim head coach JB Bickerstaff, is expected to play. There’s yet to be an update on Andrew Harrison, who remains questionable with a right wrist issue, but the Grizzlies will already be without Tyreke Evans, Deyonta Davis, and Chandler Parsons due to their respective ailments. Despite being replaced by Ben McLemore in the starting lineup last time out, Jarell Martin logged a whopping 36 minutes off compared to just nine for McLemore, and it remains unclear whether reclaim that starting role with Selden also being a candidate to start, health permitting. The way to attack the Grizzlies in daily fantasy formats will depend largely on the availability of Green and Harrison, but if they’re cleared to play, Harrison would remain a viable option, as both he and Dillon Brooks own at least +4.3% usage rate differential with Evans, Davis, Parsons, and Mike Conley off the court this season.
As reported by: Rob Fischer via Twitter Other tagged players: Wayne Selden