DFS Alerts
Extra Minutes Because Of Injury
With the news that Eric Bledsoe is out tonight, I’m expecting Brogdon to draw the start, and he should play over 30 minutes. Using CourtIQ and taking Bledsoe off the floor while putting Brogdon, Giannis, and Middleton on the floor, Brogdon is averaging .81 fantasy points per minute. That gives him a really nice floor, and the matchup presents solid upside too. Minnesota is 23rd in defensive efficiency against point guards, and they’re 24th in defensive real plus minus. This slate screams stars and scrubs, and that’s why I like the value of Brogdon at this price.
Caris LeVert probable for Friday
LaVert has been upgraded to probable for a Friday matchup vs. the Lakers. With Rondae Hollis Jefferson still expected to miss time with a strained right groin, the return of LaVert would be good news for the Nets. With D’Angelo Russell now back into the mix, LaVert would look to resume his back up role to Spencer Dinwiddie giving the Nets flexibility in the backcourt. While the return of LaVert is great news for the team, from a DFS standpoint it makes it much harder to nail down production and minutes.
As reported by: Brian Lewis Twitter
Isaiah Canaan to miss the rest of the season
Canaan suffered a gruesome injury in a win over the Mavericks last night. He was carted off the court on a stretcher last night and will now miss the remainder of the season with a fractured left ankle. Tyler Ulis will now serve as the primary backup at the point behind Devin Booker, with Josh Jackson and Troy Daniels both seeing a boost in minutes at the two guard.
As reported by: Scott Bordow Twitter Low Owned Pivot Off The Chalk
We have a lot of value tonight with the Memphis Grizzlies, and while I don’t mind playing them, I think John Henson is a great pivot. Henson has played at least 28 minutes in four of the last five games, and has at least 20 fantasy points in all four of those games. He draws an excellent matchup with Karl Anthony-Towns tonight. Minnesota ranks 24th in defensive efficiency this season, and Towns ranks 54th out of 74 qualified centers in defensive real plus minus.
Chris Paul plans to play, while Eric Gordon is unlikely to suit up on Thursday
Chris Paul now looks on track to play on Thursday, and the news could not have come at a better time. The Rockets have battled injuries a bunch this season and tonight they are expected to miss both Trevor Ariza and Eric Gordon. The Rockets draw a tough matchup on the road vs the Spurs tonight, so having a healthy Chirs Paul back will help dampen the blow of missing both Ariza and Gordon. Coach D’Antoni has played a very tight 8 man rotation this season, so we should expect to see a similar scenario this evening.
As reported by: Tim MacMahon Twitter Other tagged players: Eric Gordon Avery Bradley expected to play Saturday
Coach Doc Rivers announced today that Avery Bradley will make his Clippers debut on Saturday. Bradley had been battling a groin injury over the last month, but according to Rivers, he is “good to go” and will suit up and play vs the Bulls. With his role on this team yet to be defined, a wait and see approach should be in play for Bradley.
As reported by: Tomer Azarly Twitter Mason Plumlee out at least a couple of games
The Nuggets announced today that Mason Plumlee is out at least a couple of games. With no firm timetable in place for Plumlee to return the team could mix and match it’s starting roster depending on matchups. Darrell Arthur got the spot start on Tuesday as both Wilson Chandler and Kenneth Faried both received DNP-CD’s.
As reported by: Gina Mizell Twitter The Hornets list Marvin Williams as out for Friday, and both Frank Kaminsky and Cody Zeller listed as probable
Marvin Williams has been ruled out early for the second game in a row. Frank Kaminsky got the start in his absence on Wednesday scoring 11 points and 3 rebounds in 29 minutes of play. Treveon Graham saw 26 minutes of action off the bench and was able to score 14 points on 5 of 8 shooting. Cody Zeller looks ready to return after missing almost two months with a torn left medial meniscus. Zeller’s minutes should be restricted, but the addition of him to the rotation cuts into the value of any Hornets frontcourt player. Minus Marvin Williams, the Hornets are close to having a healthy frontcourt, and while that is great for the team the addition of healthy bodies makes it hard to find a clear path of value moving forward.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets Twitter Other tagged players: Frank Kaminsky, Cody Zeller Nikola Mirotic has been traded to the Pelicans
The trade that had originally surfaced early in the week has finally happened. Originally the Pelicans had reservations about guaranteeing the $12.5 million salary of Mirotic for the 2018-2019 season thus holding up the trade. After the team agreed to guarantee the salary, the deal quickly progressed and the trade was announced mid-morning on Thursday. The Bulls will receive Omer Asik, Tony Allen, Jameer Nelson and a protected 2018 first-round pick in exchange for Mirotic. Today’s trade also creates roster flexibility if the Pelicans decide to pursue free agent center, Greg Monroe. Mirotic will attempt to fill the void created by the loss of DeMarcus Cousins.
As reported by: Adrian Wojnarowski Twitter Lonzo Ball out at least two more games
Coach Luke Walton has ruled out Ball for the rest of the road trip. The two games missed over the weekend will mark ten consecutive games missed for Ball. The Lakers star rookie is battling an MCL sprain and has yet to return to practice.
As reported by: Shahan Ahmed Twitter Eric Bledsoe ruled out Thursday
Bledsoe will miss tonight’s game vs the Wolves due to a sore left ankle. The Bucks are in the midst of a four-game winning streak and that has seen Giannis Antetokounmpo average almost 65 DK points per game. The combination of Bledsoe’s injury combined with the nature of this five-game slate makes Antetokounmpo a top end cash play this evening. Sterling Brown or Tony Snell are the most likely candidates to see time as a starter in Bledsoe’s absence.
As reported by: Matt Velazquez Twitter Monitor Injury Status for Houston
Keep a close eye on the injury report tonight. If all of Houston’s guards are active, I’m not all that thrilled with paying a premium for James Harden in a matchup against the Spurs. However, if both Chris Paul and Eric Gordon are out tonight, we just can’t ignore him. He put up a massive triple-double with 60 actual points the other night, and his usage would be through the roof without those other two guards. Monitor this situation, as it has the potential to be a GPP difference-maker on a five game slate.
Chandler Parsons & Mario Chalmers ruled out Thursday, JaMychal Green, James Ennis and Deyonta Davis remain questionable
The Grizzlies will play the second end of a back to back tonight and will once again find themselves extremely thin in terms of healthy bodies as they prepare to play the Pistons on the road. Already down Tykee Evans, the team will play tonight’s game without Mario Chalmers and Chandler Parsons. With JaMychal Green, Deyonta Davis and James Ennis listed as questionable to suit up and play this evening the team could potentially only have 8 healthy bodies for tonight’s game. Last night vs the Pacers, the team ran a nine-man rotation with the all but one starter playing 30 plus minutes.
As reported by: Grizzles PR Other tagged players: Mario Chalmers, JaMychal Green, James Ennis III, Deyonta Davis Blake Griffin will start and make Pistons debut Thursday
Griffin will start and make his Detroit Pistons debut in tonight’s game against Memphis Grizzlies following Monday’s blockbuster trade that sent him, Willie Reed, and Brice Johnson to Detroit in exchange for Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic, and draft considerations. His presence will send Anthony Tolliver back to the bench to resume a reserve role, while Andre Drummond, Stanley Johnson, Reggie Bullock, and Ish Smith will round out the remainder of the starting lineup. Tolliver averaged a whopping 38 minutes over the past two games and easily exceeded salary-based expectations on both occasions, but he’s likely to see that playing time nearly cut in half with Griffin and Reed now in the frontcourt rotation. Head coach Stan Van Gundy was quoted following Wednesday’s practice that he plans to stagger the minutes of Griffin and Drummond in order to have one of the two on the court at all times, but it’ll still be interesting to see how much Griffin begins to eat into the rebounding opportunities of Drummond over time, as that is obviously one of his main sources of daily fantasy value on a nightly basis.
As reported by: James Edwards III via Twitter
The Obvious Value Selection
Value remains the name of the game with a banged-up Memphis squad. Over half of their normal roster is on the injury report, and now Tyreke Evans is being held out in advance of a potential trade. Wayne Selden stands out as the biggest beneficiary in the backcourt, and he exploded for 24 points in 31 minutes last night. Fire him up as your top value tonight. The outlook remains improved if Mario Chalmers is out again, so keep an eye on that as well.