DFS Alerts
Donovan Mitchell (illness) officially ruled out Saturday; Alec Burks will start
Mitchell has officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the San Antonio Spurs after previously being a surprise late addition to the Utah Jazz’ injury report with flu-like symptoms. Even before he was deemed unable to play, the Jazz announced that Alec Burks would start at shooting guard in his place, vaulting Burks into tournament consideration on the late slates across the industry. Meanwhile, Rodney Hood will make his return from a six-game absence due to a lower left leg contusion, but Joe Johnson was ruled out earlier in the day for planned rest on the second leg of a back-to-back set. Prior to his injury absence, Hood had taken over as the starting small forward ahead of Joe Ingles, and he will reportedly resume that role right out of the gate, sending Ingles back to the bench to resume a reserve role. Since Johnson is resting, Jonas Jerebko will likely be the beneficiary of increased playing time at the four spot and consistently records minutes in the mid-teens even with him active, meaning he’ll likey push the 20-minute mark this evening.
As reported by: Andy Larsen via Twitter Other tagged players: Alec Burks
Wilson Chandler (illness) available to play Saturday
Chandler has officially bee cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Golden State Warriors after previously being listed as probable on the Denver Nuggets’ injury report with an illness. Chandler started at power forward in Thursday’s win and logged 34 minutes with Mason Plumlee still sidelined with a strained right calf and remains without a timetable for a return. However, Darrell Artur surprisingly started the first game Plumlee was sidelined, which just illustrates how unpredictable head coach Mike Malone can be with his starting lineup combinations and rotations. It’s highly doubtful that Malone will reveal who he plans to start at power forward in advance of Saturday’s contest, but Chandler still figures to be the likeliest candidate to start in a matchup with a Warriors squad that typically prefers to go small and play uptempo whenever possible.
As reported by: the Denver Nuggets via Twitter Rodney Hood (leg contusion) will play Saturday
Hood has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the San Antonio Spurs after previously being listed as probable on the Utah Jazz’ injury report with a lower left leg contusion that had forced him to miss six consecutive games. Meanwhile, Joe Johnson has been ruled out on the second leg of a back-to-back set due to rest purposes following a 21-minute effort in Friday’s blowout win. Prior to his injury absence, Hood had taken over as the starting small forward ahead of Joe Ingles, and he will reportedly resume that role right out of the gate, sending Ingles back to the bench to resume a reserve role. Additionally, Alec Burks will see his role in the rotation reduced after averaging 25 minutes with the second unit over the last two games. Since Johnson is resting, Jonas Jerebko will likely be the beneficiary of increased playing time at the four spot and consistently records minutes in the mid-teens even with Johnson active, meaning he may push the 20-minute mark this evening.
As reported by: Andy Larsen via Twitter Patrick McCaw (bruised toe) available to play Saturday
McCaw has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Denver Nuggets after previously being listed as questionable on the Golden State Warriors’ injury report with a bruised toe, while David West will miss his second straight game as he tends to a personal matter. On the other hand, Andre Iguodala (rest) and Shaun Livingston (personal) will return to the lineup following their one-game absences from Friday’s win. McCaw managed to log 27 minutes off the bench with both Iguodala and Livingston unavailable in the previous game, but he’s likely to see his playing time diminish to nominal levels, that is if he sees the court at all during Saturday’s matchup
As reported by: Connor Letourneau via Twitter Mike Scott (illness) ruled out Saturday
Scott has officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic after previously being considered questionable and a game-time decision on the Washington Wizards’ injury report with an illness that forced him to miss this morning’s shootaround. With Scott unavailable, head coach Scott Brooks may opt to utilize a nine-man rotation, just as he did in the previous game Scott was sidelined this season. In that contest, Otto Porter logged 40 minutes at both the small and power forward positions, so Kelly Oubre would be in line for additional playing time off the bench in these small-ball lineups as well. On top of that, Oubre and Porter both own at least a +4.0% usage rate differential with John Wall off the court this season, while Porter has averaged 1.01 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.02 on FanDuel in this scenario as well.
As reported by: Ben Standig via Twitter Myles Turner (sore knee) will play Saturday
Turner has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers after previously being listed as questionable on the Indiana Pacers’ injury report with a sore right knee. Turner had also been listed as questionable for Friday’s contest but ended up playing 31 minutes in that game, so the only real concern for his status was if he reaggravated the injury or if the team decided to rest him on the second leg of a back-to-back set. Turner finally displaced Domantas Sabonis from the starting lineup in Wednesday’s win and played extremely well in 33 minutes of action, his highest total in over a month, so it is beginning to appear as if Turner is distancing himself from Sabonis in the frontcourt rotation. Sabonis has averaged just 18.5 minutes per game since heading to the bench, so it’ll be interesting to see if this minute allocation continues to be a trend moving forward, as he had typically split the center minutes with Turner for most of the season.
As reported by: the Indiana Pacers via Twitter Luke Kennard (foot) and Dwight Buycks (illness) ruled out Saturday
Kennard and Buycks have both officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Miami Heat due to their respective ailments despite never appearing on the Detroit Pistons’ injury report at any point throughout the day. Head coach Stan Van Gundy opted to utilize an eight-man rotation for the most part in Thursday’s win with Blake Griffin making his Pistons debut, but Kennard and Buycks were integral parts of that rotation, each logging roughly 20 minutes off the bench. In their absences, Langston Galloway figures to serve as the primary backup point guard behind Ish Smith and step into a sizable role in the backcourt rotation. It seems unlikely that Van Gundy would insert anyone else into the rotation to absorb minutes on the wing, so Reggie Bullock and Stanley Johnson figure to be allotted all the minutes they can handle, leaving them in consideration for daily fantasy formats, despite elevated price tags across the industry.
As reported by: James Edwards III via Twitter Other tagged players: Dwight Buycks Wilson Chandler (illness) probable Saturday
Chandler has been added to the Denver Nuggets’ injury report and is listed as probable for tonight’s game against the Golden State Warriors due to an illness, but he is ultimately expected to play. Chandler started at power forward in Thursday’s win and logged 34 minutes with Mason Plumlee still sidelined with a strained right calf and without a timetable for a return. However, Darrell Artur surprisingly started the previous game Plumlee was sidelined, which just illustrates how unpredictable head coach Mike Malone can be with his starting lineup combinations and rotations. It’s highly doubtful that Malone would reveal who he plans to start at power forward in advance of Saturday’s contest, but Chandler still figures to be the likeliest candidate to start in a matchup with a Warriors squad that typically prefers to go small and play uptempo whenever possible.
As reported by: Christian Clark via Twitter Myles Turner (sore knee) questionable Saturday
Turner has been listed as questionable on the Indiana Pacers’ injury report for tonight’s game against the Philadelphia 76ersdue to a sore right knee. Turner had been listed as questionable for Friday’s contest as well, but he ended up playing 31 minutes in that game, so the only concern for his unavailability would be if he reaggravated the injury or if the team decides to rest him on the second leg of a back-to-back set. Turner finally displaced Domantas Sabonis from the starting lineup in Wednesday’s win and played extremely well in 33 minutes of action, his highest total in over a month, so it’s beginning to appear as if Turner is distancing himself from Sabonis in the frontcourt rotation. Sabonis has averaged just 18.5 minutes per game since heading to the bench, so it’ll be interesting to see if this minute allocation continues to be a trend moving forward, as he had typically split the center minutes with Turner for most of the season.
As reported by: the Indiana Pacers via Twitter Rodney Hood (leg) probable Saturday; Joe Johnson (rest) ruled out
Hood has officially been upgraded to probable on the Utah Jazz’ injury report for tonight’s game against the San Antonio Spurs after missing six consecutive games with a lower left leg contusion. Meanwhile, Joe Johnson has been ruled out on the second leg of a back-to-back set due to rest purposes following a 21-minute effort in Friday’s blowout win. Prior to his injury absence, Hood had taken over as the starting small forward ahead of Joe Ingles, so it’ll be interesting to see if Hood is reinserted into the starting lineup if he’s cleared to play, but either way, Alec Burks will see his role in the rotation reduced. Since Johnson is resting, Jonas Jerebko will likely be the beneficiary of increased playing time at the four spot and consistently records minutes in the mid-teens with Johnson active, meaning he may push the 20-minute mark this evening.
As reported by: Andy Larsen via Twitter Other tagged players: Joe Johnson Hassan Whiteside (illness) ruled out Saturday
Whiteside has officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Detroit Pistons after previously being considered questionable on the Miami Heat’s injury report with an illness that limited him just 18 minutes in Friday’s loss. In his absence, Bam Adebayo is likely to draw the start at center and logged 29 minutes in relief of Whiteside in last night’s contest, firmly elevating him into consideration for all daily fantasy formats if he is confirmed in the starting lineup. This would also enable Kelly Olynyk to serve as the primary big man off the bench for Miami, and he, Goran Dragic, James Johnson, and Josh Richardson all own at least +2.1% usage rate differential with Whiteside and Dion Waiters off the court this season, while Dragic leads the way with a rate of 1.09 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.05 on FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: the Miami Heat via Twitter Mike Scott (illness) will be a game-time decision Saturday
Scott was absent from shootaround this morning and will be a game-time decision for tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic due to flu-like symptoms. While Scott hasn’t been given a specific designation on the Washington Wizards’ injury report, he should be considered as questionable for the time being. If Scott ends up being unavailable, head coach Scott Brooks may opt to utilize a nine-man rotation, just as he did in the previous game Scott was sidelined this season. In that contest, Otto Porter logged 40 minutes at both the small and power forward positions, and Kelly Oubre would be in line for additional playing time off the bench if Scott is ruled out closer to tipoff. On top of that, Oubre and Porter both own at least a +4.0% usage rate differential with John Wall off the court this season, while Porter has averaged 1.01 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.02 on FanDuel in this scenario as well.
As reported by: Candace Buckner via Twitter Eric Gordon (stiff back) ruled out Saturday
Gordon has officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers after previously being listed as questionable on the Houston Rockets’ injury report with a stiff lower back that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. The Rockets have two full days of rest following Saturday’s contest, so they are relatively confident that Gordon will be ready to return in time for their next tilt on Tuesday and are likely holding him out for precautionary reasons. Trevor Ariza is still sidelined for at least three more games, paving the way for Luc Mbah a Moute to continue starting at small forward and seeing a heavy minute share, as he has averaged 37 minutes over his last two spot starts. Not only that, but with Gordon and Ariza off the court this season both Mbah a Moute and James Harden own at least a +2.1% usage rate differential, though Harden has done much more from a fantasy perspective with his increased usage and has averaged 1.69 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.63 on FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: Jonathan Feigen via Twitter Aaron Gordon (hip flexor strain) ruled out Saturday
Gordon has officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Washington Wizards after previously being listed as questionable on the Orlando Magic’s injury report with a strained left hip flexor that has now forced him to miss three consecutive games. Mario Hezonja and Marreese Speights have alternated starts at power forward over the last two games, but regardless of starter, head coach Frank Vogel has essentially split playing time right down the middle, as neither player has logged more than 25 minutes in either contest. So, essentially, the Magic’s starting lineup on Saturday should not influence a roster decision in daily fantasy formats since Hezonja and Speights’ minutes are likely to be extremely similar. That said, the starters that still stand to benefit the most from Gordon’s absence are Jonathon Simmons and Elfrid Payton, as each owns at least a +2.1% usage rate differential with him off the court this season, while Payton averages 1.17 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.22 on FanDuel in this scenario as well.
As reported by: Orlando Magic PR via Twitter Injuries Opening Up Time For This Forward
With Trevor Ariza out with an injury and Eric Gordon ruled out this morning, Luc Mbah a Moute should continue to start. He’ll likely match up against LeBron James, which is not as scary as it sounds. The Cavs are dead last in DvP against small forwards, and given Mbah a Moute has seen 31 or more minutes in three straight games, he should see another heavy workload tonight to try and contain King James.
