DFS Alerts
Injuries Opening Up Minutes For This Guard
We just learned this morning that J.J. Barea and Wesley Matthews are resting. That leaves the Mavericks thin at guard, mainly with Dennis Smith Jr. and Yogi Ferrell. DSJ has the tougher matchup against Chris Paul, and Ferrell gets to face James Harden defense at a cheap price tag. He’s my guy for cash.
Harrison Barnes (ankle sprain) will play Saturday
Barnes has officially been cleared to play and will start, as expected, for Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers after previously being listed as probable in the Dallas Mavericks’ game notes with a sprained left ankle that had forced him to miss two consecutive games. In his absence, Yogi Ferrell and J.J. Barea alternated starts at the shooting guard spot, but even with Barnes back in the fold, head coach Rick Carlisle has opted to keep Barea in the starting lineup, meaning Dwight Powell will head back to the bench to resume a reserve role and Dirk Nowitzki will take over at the center position. Carlisle also confirmed that Doug McDermott will be available to make his Mavericks debut and will see playing time at small forward in the unit and eventually at the four spot in small-ball lineups.
As reported by: Mike Peasley via Twitter
Joel Embiid (sore ankle) will play Saturday
Embiid has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers after originally being listed as questionable in the Philadelphia 76ers’ game notes and was previously considered a game-time decision with a sore right ankle. Meanwhile, J.J. Redick is available to play and will start in tonight’s contest following his earlier probable designation in the game notes. Embiid was recently cleared to play in back-to-back to days, and his injury designation reportedly had nothing to do with the fact that the Sixers are gearing up to play the second game of a back-to-back set this evening. With Embiid available, Amir Johnson will remain in his normal backup center role, as he has started the previous eight games Embiid was been sidelined this year. Richaun Holmes typically has averaged more playing time off the bench than Johnson in these instances, but he’s largely been out of the frontcourt rotation recently with Trevor Booker assuming a larger role with the second unit.
As reported by: Keith Pompey via Twitter Markieff Morris (illness) ruled out Saturday; Kelly Oubre will start
Morris is a late addition to the Washington Wizards’ injury report and has been ruled out for Saturday’s game against the Chicago Bulls, according to head coach Scott Brooks, due to flu-like symptoms. In his absence, Kelly Oubre will draw the start at small forward, a lineup change that will slide Otto Porter down to the power forward position in Morris’ place. This will also allow Mike Scott to step into an extended role off the bench, and he typically logs minutes anywhere from the mid-to-high teens to low-20s depending on the night and particular matchup. Not only does Porter lead the Wizards in playing time in games Morris has missed this season at just over 33 minutes per contest, but he, Oubre, and Bradley Beal all own at least a +4.6% usage rate differential with Morris and John Wall off the court, while Beal also has seen his production skyrocket to 1.32 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.28 on FanDuel in this scenario as well.
As reported by: the Washington Wizards via Twitter Other tagged players: Kelly Oubre Milos Teodosic (sore foot) ruled out Saturday
Teodosic has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers after previously being listed as questionable on the Los Angeles Clippers’ injury report with a sore right foot that also forced him to miss Friday’s win. In that contest, Austin Rivers returned from an 18-game absence due to a right ankle impingement and ended up logging 31 minutes, surprisingly, in his start in place of Teodosic at point guard. There’s been no reported minute restriction for Rivers on the second leg of the back-to-back set, but given the nature of his injury, it’s certainly possible he could have his playing time limited in some regard. Either way, Tyrone Wallace will remain in the backcourt rotation for at least one more game, while Lou Williams will still be a key piece in the Clippers guard rotation as he normally is, logging 32-36 minutes off the bench on a regular basis.
As reported by: Lucas Hann via Twitter Tyler Ulis (back spasms) listed out Saturday
Ulis is currently listed out on the latest version of the Phoenix Suns’ game notes for Saturday’s game against the Denver Nuggets due to lingering effects from back spasms, despite previously being called a game-time decision by interim head coach Jay Triano following the team’s morning shootaround. Additionally, the Suns will be without both Devin Booker and Tyson Chandler for the second consecutive game, while Booker is missing his third straight games with a left hip pointer. The absence of Booker and Ulis will be mitigated a bit by the Suns’ addition of Elfrid Payton at the trade deadline, who will be available to make his Suns debut this evening, and he’ll likely start at point guard even once Booker is healthy enough to make a return to game action. The presence of Payton will likely throw a bit of a wrench into the Suns’ recent usage dispersion with Booker sidelined, but Josh Jackson continues to lead the way with a +4.7% usage rate differential with Booker and Chandler off the court this season and has averaged 1.02 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 0.99 on FanDuel in this scenario as well.
As reported by: NBA.com Game Notes Joel Embiid (sore ankle) a game-time decision Saturday
Embiid will go through pregame warmups to test his ailing right ankle and is expected to be a game-time decision for Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers after previously being listed as questionable in the Philadelphia 76ers’ game notes. Meanwhile, there’s been no official update on J.J. Redick and he remains listed as probable in the game notes. Embiid was recently cleared to play in back-to-back to days, and his injury designation reportedly has nothing to do with the fact that the Sixers are gearing up to play their second of a game of a back-to-back set this evening. If Embiid is ultimately unavailable, Amir Johnson would likely draw the start at center once again, just as he has the previous eight games Embiid has been sidelined this year. Richaun Holmes typically averages more playing time off the bench than Johnson in these instances, but he’s largely been out of the frontcourt rotation recently with Trevor Booker assuming a larger role with the second unit. That said, the Sixers starter that has been the clear beneficiary of Emiid’s absences is Dario Saric, as he owns a +5.2% usage rate differential with him off the court this season and averages 1.21 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.16 on FanDuel in this scenario as well.
As reported by: Jon Johnson via Twitter Devin Booker (hip) and Tyson Chandler (neck) ruled out Saturday; Tyler Ulis (back) a game-time decision
Booker has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Saturday’s game against the Denver Nuggets after originally being listed as doubtful on the Phoenix Suns’ injury report with a left hip pointer that has now forced him to miss three consecutive games, while Tyson Chandler will remain sidelined for the second straight game due to a sore neck. Additionally, Tyler Ulis has been classified as a game-time decision with back spasms even though he was previously considered unlikely to play. The absence of Booker and possibly Ulis will be mitigated a bit by the Suns’ addition of Elfrid Payton, who will be available to make his Suns debut this evening, and he’ll likely start at point guard even once Booker is healthy enough to make a return to game action. The presence of Payton will likely throw a bit of a wrench into the Suns’ recent usage dispersion with Booker sidelined, but Josh Jackson continues to lead the way with a +4.7% usage rate differential with Booker and Chandler off the court this season and has averaged 1.02 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 0.99 on FanDuel in this scenario as well.
As reported by: Scott Bordow via Twitter Other tagged players: Tyson Chandler, Tyler Ulis Jabari Parker (rest) and John Henson (hamstring) listed out Saturday
Parker has been listed out in the latest version of the Milwaukee Bucks’ game notes for Saturday’s game against the Orlando Magic due to planned rest on the second night of a back-to-back set after logging 18 minutes in Friday’s loss. Meanwhile, John Henson is also listed out with a sore right hamstring that has now forced him to miss two of the last three games. While game notes have a tendency of being inaccurate with a lot of NBA teams, the Bucks’ game notes seem to have been reliable in recent weeks, meaning that tonight’s slate should be approached as if Parker and Henson will be unavailable, even though there hasn’t yet been an official update from interim head coach Joe Prunty or the team. In Henson’s absence, Thon Maker will likely draw the start at center once again and recorded 22 minutes in his spot start on Tuesday, while Tyler Zeller should absorb a large majority of the remaining available minutes at center off the bench.
As reported by: NBA.com Game Notes Other tagged players: John Henson The Elf Has Left The Shelf
With Elfrid Payton shipped out of Orlando, it’s now D.J. Augustin’s show to run. On Thursday, there was plenty of debate on which Magic guard would be the better play, Augustin or teammate Shelvin Mack. Augustin separated himself from Mack by playing 35 minutes compared to Mack’s 22 minutes. Things could certainly shift game-from-game as to which guard has the better night, but it seems like the Magic want Augustin as their starting point guard.
Injuries Opening Up Minutes For This Guard
Jerian Grant has now played 36 or more minutes in three straight games, and the Bulls are missing Kris Dunn and Zach LaVine for tonight’s game. That will force the Bulls to give Grant heavy minutes once again. The matchup is also good on paper, as Tomas Satoansky isn’t an elite defender. Grant is cheap across the industry and someone I’ll have exposure to.
Shabazz Napier (great toe) available to play Friday
Napier has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Friday’s game against the Sacramento Kings after previously being listed as questionable on the Portland Trail Blazers’ injury report with his ailing left great toe that had forced him to miss a game earlier in the week and appear on the injury report several times since his one-game absence. The Trail Blazers are on the second night of a back-to-back set and there’s yet to be any confirmation if Evan Turner will be subject to a minute restriction that limited him to 20 minutes off the bench in Thursday’s contest. In his place, Maurice Harkless drew the start at small forward for the second time in three games and logged 31 minutes, possibly distancing himself from the remaining members of the wing and backcourt rotations, as Napier and Pat Connaughton recorded just 23 minutes combined off the bench.
As reported by: Casey Holdahl via Twitter Wayne Ellington (shoulder) available to play Friday; Derrick Jones Jr. inactive
Ellington has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Friday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks after previously being downgraded to questionable from probable on the Miami Heat’s injury report with a sore right shoulder that had forced him to miss one game. Meanwhile, Derrick Jones Jr. will be inactive as the Heat try to conserve the NBA days remaining on his two-way contract. The Heat will be without Kelly Olynyk, who will miss his second straight game due to a strained left shoulder, but Dwyane Wade and Luke Babbitt will be available to make their Heat debuts following separate trades before Thursday’s trade deadline. Head coach Erik Spoelstra already confirmed that Wade will play off the bench in his return to Miami this evening, meaning that Tyler Johnson will draw the start at the shooting guard spot, even though Ellington is available to play. That said, the main beneficiaries of Olynyk and Dion Waiters’ absences continue to be Hassan Whiteside and Goran Dragic, as each own at least a +2.0% usage rate differential, making them intriguing targets in tournaments, even with Wade, who should soak up a decent amount of usage, available to play off the bench
As reported by: MikeInglisHeat via Twitter Ryan Anderson (ankle sprain) will play Friday; Eric Gordon (back) expected to play
Anderson has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Friday’s game against the Denver Nuggets after previously being listed as questionable in the Houston Rockets’ game notes with a sprained right ankle that had forced him to miss one game. Meanwhile, Eric Gordon is still expected to play following his prior questionable designation in the game notes due to a sore lower back that’s kept him sidelined three of the last four games. Despite Anderson’s availability, P.J. Tucker will draw the start at power forward for the second time in as many games but has been largely unproductive from a fantasy perspective, even with a hefty minute workload the past two games. Additionally, there’s still no specific timetable for Trevor Ariza to return from his strained left hamstring and will remain sidelined for at least one additional game. In his absence, Luc Mbah a Moute will continue to start at small forward but remains a low-ceiling option for daily fantasy formats, despite logging plenty of minutes on a nightly basis.
As reported by: Jonathan Feigen via Twitter Joel Embiid (sore ankle) will play Friday
Embiid has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Friday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans after previously being listed as questionable on the Philadelphia 76ers’ injury report with a sore right ankle. Embiid was recently cleared to play in back-to-back to days, and his injury designation reportedly had nothing to do with the fact that the Sixers are gearing up to play the first game of a back-to-back set tonight. With Embiid available, Amir Johnson will remain in his normal backup center role, as he has started the previous eight games Embiid was been sidelined this year. Richaun Holmes typically averaged more playing time off the bench than Johnson in these instances, but he’s largely been out of the frontcourt rotation recently with Trevor Booker assuming a larger role with the second unit.
As reported by: Jessica Camerato via Twitter