DFS Alerts
Mike Scott (illness) will play Monday
Scott is back at shootaround Monday morning and will play in tonight’s game against the Indiana Pacers after missing the Washington Wizards’ previous game due to an undisclosed illness. His return from a one-game absence will more than likely relegate Jason Smith from the frontcourt rotation after logging 14 minutes in Scott’s place on Saturday night. Scott typically is allotted minutes in the high-teens off the bench, so his presence will make Otto Porter and Kelly Oubre less desirable options in daily fantasy formats on Monday’s slate, but they both still own a +4.1% usage rate differential with John Wall off the court this season, which leaves Porter, at the very least, in consideration for tournaments.
As reported by: Candace Buckner via Twitter
A Fantastic GPP Option
Don’t look now, but Gallinari is back for the Clippers, and he should be tasked with leading the offense with Blake Griffin off to Detroit. He is coming off a 40 fantasy point game, seems healthy for the first time in a while, and remains cheap for DFS purposes. That’s a heck of a set of circumstances, and I love him for GPP formats tonight. His name carries a negative connotation in the DFS world, but use that lower ownership to your advantage.
Donovan Mitchell (illness) probable Monday
Mitchell has officially been upgraded to probable on the Utah Jazz’ injury report for tonight’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans after originally being listed as questionable on the injury report with flu-like symptoms that forced him to be a late scratch from Saturday’s win. Meanwhile, Rodney Hood is also listed as probable following his 15-minute return to action in the previous contest, and Joe Johnson will be available to play after sitting for planned rest on Saturday evening. Hood came off the bench in his first game back from a six-game absence due to a lower left leg contusion, which allowed Joe Ingles to remain in the starting lineup at small forward and log 29 minutes of court time. Alec Burks ended up drawing the start at the shooting guard spot and playing 24 minutes but with Mitchell on track to play, he’ll likely see his role with the second unit drastically reduced now that Hood is also healthy.
As reported by: Andy Larsen via Twitter Tough Matchup, but Elite Upside
It’s never fun to target players against a slow-paced Jazz squad, but that will keep ownership on the New Orleans studs lower than it would otherwise be tonight. With DeMarcus Cousins off the floor, we all know that Holiday sees a huge bump in usage. That will likely dip to some degree with Nikola Mirotic in town now, but Holiday should still flirt with 30% usage on a nightly basis. He has 50+ fantasy point upside, and the price tag isn’t super outrageous in this matchup. I’ll gladly bite for some shares in GPP formats.
Hassan Whiteside (illness) expected to play Monday
Whiteside was absent from shootaround Monday morning but is still expected to play in tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic after originally being listed as questionable on the Miami Heat’s injury report with an illness that forced him to miss Saturday’s loss. In his absence, head coach Erik Spoelstra opted to start Bam Adebayo and Kelly Olynyk in the frontcourt while bringing James Johnson off the bench. However, with Whiteside likely to return, both Adebayo and Olynyk should resume their normal reserve roles with Johnson reclaiming his typical starting power forward spot. The Heat also made a change to the starting lineup at the wing positions, inserting Justise Winslow at small forward and moving Josh Richardson to the shooting guard position, a move that sent Tyler Johnson to the bench to assume his former sixth-man role. Olynyk logged a team-high 40 minutes on Saturday, as Spoelstra utilized just an eight-man rotation, but his playing time should be expected to return to their typical 20-24 minutes levels with Whiteside on track to play this evening.
As reported by: Tom D'Angelo via Twitter Aaron Gordon (hip flexor strain) ruled out for at least two more games
Gordon has officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Miami Heat after previously being listed as questionable on the Orlando Magic’s injury report with a strained left hip flexor. Gordon will also be unavailable for Tuesday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers, meaning that he will miss at least five consecutive games due to the aforementioned injury. In his absence, Mario Hezonja and Marreese Speights have alternated starts at power forward over the last three games, but regardless of starter, head coach Frank Vogel has essentially split playing time right down the middle for the most part, as Hezonja eclipsed 25 minutes for just the first time with Gordon unavailable in Saturday’s contest. So, if Hezonja starts, he’ll be the preferred tournament option over Speights since he appears to be distancing himself from Speights in the right matchups. That said, the starters that still stand to benefit the most from Gordon’s continued absence are Elfrid Payton and Jonathon Simmons, as each owns at least a +2.8% usage rate differential with him off the court this season, while Payton averages 1.19 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.25 on FanDuel in this scenario as well.
As reported by: John Denton via Twitter Dwight Buycks (illness) ruled out Monday; Luke Kennard (toe) questionable
Buycks has officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers after previously being listed as questionable on the Detroit Pistons’ injury report with an illness that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. Meanwhile, Luke Kennard remains questionable with a sore left great toe that has already kept him sidelined for one game. Head coach Stan Van Gundy opted to utilize a tight seven-man rotation for the most part in Saturday’s contest with Buycks and Kennard unavailable, forcing Anthony Tolliver into extensive minutes at both forward positions. In their absences, Langston Galloway served as the primary backup point guard behind Ish Smith and had a significant role in the backcourt rotation. The massive minute allotments of the starting unit in the previous game may be in some doubt for Monday’s contest, as the Pistons have recalled Kay Felder and Reggie Hearns from the G-League to provide some depth at the guard positions, though it does remain unclear whether they will actually see any playing time if Kennard is ruled out closer to tipoff.
As reported by: Rod Beard via Twitter Other tagged players: Luke Kennard Shabazz Napier (toe) and Evan Turner (calf) questionable Monday
Napier has officially been listed as questionable on the Portland Trail Blazers’ injury report for tonight’s game against the Detroit Pistons due to a sore left great toe that had forced him to miss Sunday’s loss, while Evan Turner is also listed as questionable with a sore left calf despite playing 23 minutes in yesterday’s contest. Assuming he didn’t suffer a setback and is cleared to play, Turner will likely remain in his normal starting role at small forward but has struggled of late, coming off three consecutive games where he’s severely failed to exceed salary-based expectations. Moe Harkless surprisingly logged a whopping 31 minutes filling in for Napier and Turner and performed well from a fantasy perspective, setting him up as a popular option for daily fantasy formats if one, or both, are unavailable once again. Pat Connaughton didn’t see an increase in his role with the second unit, playing just 18 minutes, so he’s probably best avoided on all sites across the industry should the Trail Blazers end up being shorthanded at the wing positions this evening.
As reported by: Casey Holdahl via Twitter Other tagged players: Evan Turner Victor Oladipo (illness) and Darren Collison (knee) questionable Monday
Oladipo and Collison have been added to the Indiana Pacers’ injury report for tonight’s game against the Washington Wizards due to an illness and bruised left knee, respectively, while Myles Turner and Glenn Robinson remain questionable with their respective ailments as well, the latter aiming to make his season debut following left ankle surgery during the preseason. The Pacers are typically cautious with their injury reporting, so it’s unlikely all four players miss Monday’s contest, in fact, this is the third straight game Turner has been listed as questionable despite playing in each of the previous two occasions. That said, if either Oladipo or Collison are unavailable, Lance Stephenson and Cory Joseph stand to benefit the most from a playing time perspective. On top of that, they both own at least a +3.6% usage rate differential with Oladipo and Collison off the court this season, while Stephenson has also seen his production spike to 1.03 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.00 on FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: the Indiana Pacers via Twitter Other tagged players: Darren Collison Alex Len (sore ankle) available to play Sunday
Len has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for today’s game against the Charlotte Hornets after previously being listed as questionable in the Phoenix Suns’ game notes with a sore right ankle that had forced him to miss five of the last six games. Marquese is currently not with the team for a “cooling off period” following an altercation with a Suns assistant coach, so Dragan Bender will draw the start at power forward in his absence and be locked into a secure minute workload this afternoon. Jared Dudley will also absorb a significant amount of playing time off the bench after logging 25 minutes in Friday’s contest, and Alec Peters may end up seeing some minutes at backup center if Len ends up being limited in any way. As for Bender, he seemingly broke out of his recent slump in 28 minutes on Friday, easily exceeding salary-based expectations, and is likely to be a popular option at power forward and center on Sunday’s late slates across the industry.
As reported by: Craig Grialou via Twitter Brandon Ingram (tight groin) will play Sunday
Ingram has been cleared to play and will start in today’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder after previously being listed as questionable on the Los Angeles Lakers’ injury report with right groin tightness. The Lakers are still without Lonzo Ball, who remains without a specific timetable for return due to a sprained left MCL, so head coach Luke Walton has confirmed with reporters during his pregame media availability that he will stick with Josh Hart at the point guard position for at least one additional game, meaning Tyler Ennis will remain in a reserve role and was actually a DNP-CD in the Lakers previous game. This starting lineup hasn’t spent a ton of time on the court together, but in that limited sample, Ingram and Julius Randle each own at least a +6.1% usage rate differential, while has also seen his production spike to 1.36 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.28 on FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: Tania Ganguli via Twitter Shabazz Napier (toe) ruled out Sunday; Evan Turner (calf) available to play
Napier has officially been ruled out and won’t play in today’s game against the Boston Celtics after previously being listed as questionable on the Portland Trail Blazers’ injury report with a sore great left toe, while Evan Turner is available to play following his original probable designation on the injury report due to a sore left calf. Turner will resume his normal starting role at small forward but has struggled of late, coming off back-to-back games where he’s failed to exceed salary-based expectations. With Napier sidelined, Pat Connaughton will likely soak up additional playing time on the wing with the second unit and typically logs minutes in the low-20s to start with, meaning Connaughton may creep up into the mid-20s or even upper-20s in his absence. Moe Harkless will also likely enter the rotation and absorb any minutes that don’t get allocated to Connaughton, Turner, or other the other starters.
As reported by: Casey Holdahl via Twitter Other tagged players: Evan Turner C.J. Miles (sore knee) will play Sunday
Miles has been cleared to play and will suit up for today’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies after previously being listed as questionable in the Toronto Raptors’ game notes with a sore right knee that had forced him to miss three consecutive games. The return of Miles to the rotation puts the role of Norman Powell in serious doubt after averaging 21 minutes over the last three games with him sidelined. Miles will likely reassume his typical role off the bench barring some type of minute restriction, but he typically isn’t relevant for daily fantasy formats on most slates anyway, so the news of his availability shouldn’t alter anyone’s approach to Sunday’s main-four-game slate.
As reported by: Blake Murphy via Twitter Deyonta Davis (sore knees) available to play Sunday
Davis has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for today’s game against the Toronto Raptors after previously being listed as probable on the Memphis Grizzlies’ injury report with sore left and right knees that had forced him to miss one game last week. The Grizzlies are now as healthy as they’ve been in quite some time, as Chandler Parsons, Tyreke Evans, and Mike Conley are the only players expected to be unavailable. Evans is still away from the team and will be held out of the lineup until the trade deadline passes or a deal is reached with another team, whichever comes first. Mario Chalmers has been removed from the injury report and will now serve as the primary guard off the bench behind Andrew Harrison and Wayne Selden in the backcourt after missing two consecutive games with a left hamstring injury. As for Davis, he’ll continue his role as the backup center behind Marc Gasol, while JaMychal Green will displace Jarell Martin as the starting power forward in Sunday’s contest.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR via Twitter Ersan Ilyasova (illness) ruled out Sunday; Dewayne Dedmon will start
Ilyasova is a surprise late addition to the Atlanta Hawks’ injury report and has officially been ruled out for today’s game against the New York Knicks due to an illness, while Tyler Cavanaugh will also be inactive due to a sprained right ankle. In Ilyasova’s absence, head coach Mike Budenholzer has opted to go big in the frontcourt by starting Dewayne Dedmon alongside Miles Plumlee at center. For whatever reason, head coach Mike Budenholzer continues to start Plumlee at center, despite playing him nominal minutes, so the absence of Ilyasova will open up more playing time for Dedmon, John Collins, and Mike Muscala in the Hawks frontcourt.
As reported by: Michael Cunningham via Twitter Other tagged players: Dewayne Dedmon