DFS Alerts
An Under the Radar Elite Play
Kyle Lowry won’t get a ton of attention tonight. After all, the salary can spent on Russell Westbrook, James Harden, or LaMarcus Aldridge. The mid-range plays will get ignored to some degree, and that includes Lowry. While he isn’t having the season that he did a year ago, the potential is still there, and he gets a matchup against a perennial reserve in Tomas Satoransky. Lowry is a great pivot off the studs on tonight’s slate and the perfect part of a potentially under-owned balanced lineup approach in GPP formats.
Greg Monroe (undisclosed) ruled out Wednesday; Marquese Chriss (ankle) available to play
Monroe is currently not with the team and has been ruled out for tonight’s game against the Dallas Mavericks due to an undisclosed reason. He was never listed on the Phoenix Suns’ injury report, so his unavailability doesn’t appear to be injury related and a contract buyout may be imminent. Meanwhile, Marquese has been cleared to play and will suit up following his earlier questionable designation on the injury report with a sprained left ankle that had kept him sidelined for seven of the last eight games. The Suns are also without Alex Len for the third time in four games, so Dragan Bender will presumably absorb a significant role off the bench behind Chriss and Tyson Chandler in the frontcourt, while Jared Dudley is likely to enter the rotation and absorb some minutes at power forward. However, Triano refused to divulge his starting lineup to media members during his pregame availability and was noncommittal when asked if Booker would remain the team’s starting point guard for Wednesday’s contest.
As reported by: the Phoenix Suns via Twitter Other tagged players: Marquese Chriss
Devin Booker (rib contusion) will play Wednesday
Booker has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Dallas Mavericks after previously being listed as questionable on the Phoenix Suns’ injury report with a rib contusion that had forced him to miss one game. Meanwhile, Marquese Chriss remains questionable and will be a game-time decision, according to interim head coach Jay Triano, due to a sprained left ankle that has kept him sidelined for seven of the last eight games. The Suns are already without Alex Len for the third time in four games, so if Chriss remains out, Dragan Bender will presumably draw the start at power forward once again. However, Triano refused to divulge his starting lineup to media members during his pregame availability and was noncommittal when asked if Booker would remain the team’s starting point guard for Wednesday’s contest. The absence of Len also means that Greg Monroe will remain in the rotation as the backup center and will split minutes with Tyson Chandler, who returns from a one-game absence due to rest purposes.
As reported by: Scott Bordow via Twitter Shane Larkin (sore knee) available to play Wednesday
Larkin has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the New York Knicks after previously being listed as questionable on the Boston Celtics’ injury report with a sore right knee that had forced him to be a late scratch from Monday’s win. The news of his availability is a bit more pertinent than normal since the Celtics are already without Kyrie Irving and Marcus Smart, who is out for approximately another week or so, which means Terry Rozier will draw the start at point guard with Larkin serving as the primary guard off the bench behind Rozier and Jaylen Brown in the backcourt. The clear beneficiaries from a usage perspective with Irving and Smart off the court have been Al Horford and Jayson Tatum, as each own at least a massive +10.1% usage rate differential in this scenario, while Horford also leads the way with a 32.3% usage rate overall and has averaged 1.21 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.14 on FanDuel.
Tyreke Evans ruled out Wednesday
Evans is reportedly not with the team and has officially been ruled out for tonight’s game against the Indiana Pacers due to an organizational decision. It appears that the Memphis Grizzlies are nearing a trade involving Evans and have decided to shut him down until a deal is reached or until the trade deadline passes, whichever comes first. Dillon Brooks and Ben McLemore have been cleared to play and will suit up following their earlier questionable designations on the injury report, but the Grizzlies are also without Mario Chalmers, JaMychal Green, Deyonta Davis, James Ennis, Chandler Parsons, and Kobi Simmons, leaving them extremely shorthanded with a total of eight players inactive. Jarell Martin figures to continue starting at power forward for the duration of Green’s absence and has logged 30 minutes or more in four of his last six games played, making him one of the main players to target on this depleted Grizzlies roster.
As reported by: Rob Fischer via Twitter Mario Chalmers (hamstring), Deyonta Davis (knees), and JaMychal Green (ankle) ruled out Wednesday; Dillon Brooks (illness) and Ben McLemore (knee) available to play
Chalmers and Davis have both officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Indiana Pacers after previously being listed as questionable on the Memphis Grizzlies’ injury report with their respective ailments, while JaMychal Green will remain sidelined for the fifth consecutive game due to a sprained right ankle. Additionally, Dillon Brooks and Ben McLemore have been cleared to play and will suit up following their earlier questionable designations on the injury report. The Grizzlies are also still without James Ennis and Chandler Parsons, so Jarell Martin figures to continue starting at power forward for the duration of Green’s absence and has logged 30 minutes or more in four of his last six games played, making him one of the main players to target on this depleted Grizzlies roster.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR via Twitter D'Angelo Russell (return from injury management) will play Wednesday
Russell has officially been cleared and will play in tonight’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers after previously being listed as probable on the Brooklyn Nets’ injury report as part of his return from injury management on the second leg of a back-to-back set after logging 20 minutes in Tuesday’s contest. He’ll join Caris LeVert and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson among the Nets inactives for Wednesday’s contest, the latter still expected to miss at least a couple more games. Head coach Kenny Atkinson finally decided to replace Tyler Zeller in the starting lineup on Tuesday, allowing Jarrett Allen to make the first start of his career start at center, but he still only logged 19 minutes compared to Jahlil Okafor’s 24 minutes off the bench and every Nets rotational player was limited to fewer than 30 minutes, limiting their overall appeal in daily fantasy formats.
As reported by: Anthony Puccio via Twitter Nikola Mirotic ruled out Wednesday
Mirotic is a new addition to the Chicago Bulls’ injury report and has been ruled out for tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers due to an organizational decision. Mirotic was present at shootaround, and head coach Fred Hoiberg originally told reporters that Mirotic would play in Wednesday’s contest, but it appears that the Bulls are nearing a trade involving Mirotic and have decided to shut him down until a deal is reached or until the trade deadline passes, whichever comes first. This news leaves the Bulls without arguably their three best players with Lauri Markkanen and Kris Dunn already ruled out with their respective ailments, and will force Paul Zipser into the starting lineup at power forward. Despite still coming off the bench, Bobby Portis is still the clear winner of Mirotic and Markkanen’s absences and leads the Bulls with a 27.7% usage rate with the aforementioned trio off the court this season. Justin Holiday hasn’t played many minutes with all three off the court, but he does own a +7.4% usage rate differential and averaged 0.91 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and FanDuel in that time.
As reported by: Vincent Goodwill via Twitter Lance Stephenson (sore thigh) available to play Wednesday; Myles Turner will start
Stephenson is ready to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies after previously being listed as questionable on the Indiana Pacers’ injury report with a sore right thigh. Meanwhile, Myles Turner will displace Domantas Sabonis from the starting center position following a two-game stint off the bench and “demote” Sabonis back to a reserve role. Turner and Sabonis have basically been splitting the available minutes at the center position of late while playing alongside each other for stretches here and there, so it shouldn’t be expected for either big man’s role to change with this lineup change. As for Stephenson, he has seemingly settled into a low-20s minute role off the bench and has flashed upside on occasion but nothing consistent enough to be utilized in anything but a large-field tournament format.
As reported by: Tom Lewis via Twitter Other tagged players: Myles Turner Aaron Gordon (hip) ruled out Wednesday; Marreese Speights will start
Gordon has officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers 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 two consecutive games. Head coach Frank Vogel has opted to start Marreese Speights at power forward ahead of Mario Hezonja, who was solid from a daily fantasy perspective in 24 minutes of action, but he was outproduced by Speights in his 21 minutes off the bench. Despite the “promotion” to the starting unit, it’s unlikely that Speights see a significant increase in playing time, and Hezonja is still expected to log big minutes off the bench to match up with the Lakers small-ball lineups. With Gordon, Nikola Vucevic, Terrence Ross, and Jonathan Isaac off the court this season, Jonathon Simmons and D.J. Augustin own a +3.3% usage rate differential, while Simmons trails only Speights with a 26.4% usage rate in this scenario.
As reported by: Orlando Magic PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Marreese Speights Caris LeVert (groin) ruled out Wednesday; D'Angelo Russell probable
LeVert has officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers due to a sore left groin that has now forced him to miss three consecutive games, while Rondae Hollis-Jefferson also remains sidelined with a strained left groin. Additionally, D’Angelo Russell has been added to the injury and is listed as probable on the second leg of a back-to-back set as part of his return from injury management after logging 20 minutes in Tuesday’s contest. Head coach Kenny Atkinson finally decided to replace Tyler Zeller in the starting lineup, allowing Jarrett Allen to make the first start of his career start at center, but he still only logged 19 minutes compared to Jahlil Okafor’s 24 minutes off the bench and every Nets rotational player was limited to fewer than 30 minutes, limiting their overall appeal in daily fantasy formats.
As reported by: Alex Labidou via Twitter Other tagged players: D'Angelo Russell Alex Len (sore ankle) ruled out Wednesday
Len has officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Dallas Mavericks after previously being listed as questionable on the Phoenix Suns’ injury report with a sore right ankle that has now forced him to miss three of the last four games. Meanwhile, interim head coach Jay Triano did not provide an update on Devin Booker and Marquese Chriss, who both missed the Monday’s loss, and remain questionable with their respective ailments. If they’re eventually ruled out closer to tipoff, Isaiah Canaan and Dragan Bender would likely start at and powerpoint guard and power forward, respectively, once again. With Len, Booker, and Chriss off the court this season, Canaan, T.J. Warren, and Greg Monroe all own at least a +3.3% usage rate and would become the three primary players to target from this Suns squad if Booker and Chriss are ultimately deemed unavailable to play.
As reported by: Scott Bordow via Twitter J.J. Barea (oblique strain) remains out Wednesday
Barea has officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Phoenix Suns after previously being listed as questionable in the latest version of the Dallas Mavericks’ game notes with a strained left oblique that has now forced him to miss three consecutive games. In his absence, Yogi Ferrell and Devin Harris will continue to absorb a majority of the reserve guard minutes, while Kyle Collinsworth will pick up any leftover minutes that could be available. With Barea and Harris each sidelined for extended stretches recently, Dennis Smith Jr. has managed to log at least 30 minutes in each of the last 10 games and should continue to see that type of workload moving forward, especially for the duration of Barea’s absence. Additionally, in the Mavericks previous two games, Smith Jr. has led the team with a 34.1% usage rate and has averaged 0.91 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 0.87 on FanDuel.
As reported by: Eddie Sefko via Twitter Kyrie Irving (quad) ruled out Wednesday; Shane Larkin (knee) questionable
Irving has officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the New York Knicks after previously being listed as probable in the updated version of the Boston Celtics’ game notes due to a right quad contusion. Meanwhile, Shane Larkin has been listed as probable on the injury report with a sore right knee, and Guerschon Yabusele is listed as probable with an ankle issue. The Celtics are already without Marcus Smart for approximately another week or so, meaning Terry Rozier will likely draw the start at point guard with Larkin serving as the primary guard off the bench behind Rozier and Jaylen Brown if he’s cleared to return from his one-game injury absence. The clear beneficiaries from a usage perspective with Irving and Smart off the court have been Al Horford and Jayson Tatum, as each own at least a massive +10.1% usage rate differential, while Horford also leads the way with a 32.3% usage rate overall and has averaged 1.21 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.14 on FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: Adam Himmelsbach via Twitter Other tagged players: Shane Larkin J.J. Redick (leg) will start Wednesday; Jerryd Bayless (wrist) available to play
Redick has officially been cleared to play and will start in tonight’s game against the Brooklyn Nets after missing seven consecutive games with a left leg contusion, while Jerryd Bayless will also be available to play following a six-game absence due to a sore left wrist. The return of Redick will relegate Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot back to the bench to resume a reserve role and will now compete for minutes with Bayless, T.J. McConnell, and Justin Anderson in the second unit. Luwawu-Cabarrot was hit or miss as a daily fantasy commodity in Redick and Bayless’ absences, but he did average nearly 29 minutes per game in his starts, a number that should drastically change going forward. Joel Embiid will make his return from a one-game absence due to rest purposes on the second leg of a back-to-back set, but he is currently scheduled to play in back-to-back games for the first time in his career in Friday and Saturday’s games against the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers, respectively.
As reported by: Jessica Camerato via Twitter Other tagged players: Jerryd Bayless