DFS Alerts
Tyreke Evans (illness) and Ben McLemore (knee) ruled out Friday; Jarell Martin (knee, ankle) available to play
Evans and McLemore have officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers after previously being listed as questionable on the Memphis Grizzlies’ injury report with their respective ailments, and Evans will miss his second consecutive game due to an illness. Meanwhile, Jarell Martin will be available to play following his earlier questionable designation on the injury report and is likely to replace Ivan Rabb in the starting lineup at the power forward position for Friday’s contest. The Grizzlies are also without JaMychal Green, James Ennis, Chandler Parsons, and Mike Conley due to their respective ailments, leaving them shorthanded at essentially every position. Wayne Selden will likely replace Evans in the starting lineup alongside Andrew Harrison in the backcourt once again after logging 27 minutes on Wednesday night. There is obviously almost no sample size with the aforementioned players off the court this season, but Selden, Harrison, Mario Chalmers, and Dillon Brooks figure to benefit the most from a minutes and usage perspective.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Ben McLemore, Jarell Martin
Malcolm Brogdon (sore calf) officially ruled out Friday; Tony Snell will start
Brogdon has officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Brooklyn Nets after previously being listed as out in the latest version of the Milwaukee Bucks’ game notes with a sore right calf, while Eric Bledsoe was removed from the injury report following his previous probable designation.As speculated, Tony Snell will replace him in the starting lineup at the shooting guard spot, while Sterling Brown is available to play off the bench after getting himself into some legal trouble overnight Thursday, originally putting his availability for tonight’s matchup in some doubt. Giannis Antetokounmpo confirmed with reporters following shootaround this morning that he has been cleared to play with a sore right knee that had forced him to miss two consecutive games. Antetokounmpo continues to lead the Bucks with a 32.6% usage rate on the year and has averaged 1.39 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.41 on FanDuel to this point.
As reported by: Matt Velazquez via Twitter Other tagged players: Tony Snell Dwyane Wade (personal) ruled out Friday
Wade was absent from shootaround this morning and has officially been ruled out for tonight’s game against the Indiana Pacers after his status was previously considered uncertain as he deals with a personal matter. Wade was never given an official designation on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ injury report, and he remains without a timetable for his return to the team. Head coach Tyronn Lue has already confirmed that he will finally make a change to the starting lineup by inserting Tristan Thompson at the center spot and moving Kevin Love over to power forward. This means that the odd man out will be Jae Crowder, who will now head to the bench to assume a reserve role. Wade has logged 18 minutes or fewer in three of the last five games, so there won’t be a ton of playing time to go around with him unavailable this evening, but his absence will likely allow Derrick Rose to step into a larger role off the bench while a few minutes could trickle down to Jeff Green, Kyle Korver, or Channing Frye, who is available to play following a one-game absence, and could actually find the floor with Lue deciding to shake up the rotation a bit.
As reported by: Tom Withers via Twitter Evan Turner (personal) ruled out Friday
Turner did not travel with the Portland Trail Blazers to Dallas and has been officially been ruled out for tonight’s game against the Mavericks due to personal reasons. The last time Turner was unavailable, Shabazz Napier ended up drawing the start in a three-guard lineup alongside Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum and logged nearly 36 minutes, which would put him firmly in play for all formats at his price tag if that ends up being the case once again. The Mavericks don’t always roll with a three-guard starting lineup, but it’s a lineup combination they have out on the floor for extended stretches, even if Maxi Kleber starts at power forward, making it plausible for head coach Terry Stotts to start Napier this evening. On top of that, Napier owns a +1.6% usage rate differential, equating to a 23.1% usage rate overall with Turner off the court this season and has averaged 1.03 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.05 on FanDuel in this scenario as well.
As reported by: Joe Freeman via Twitter Don't Forget About Me!
The fact that James Harden is back is a bit of a worry with Eric Gordon, but that’s part of what makes him such a strong tournament play this evening. Gordon will not attract near the ownership that he did when Harden was out, and his price has also come down a lot in recent weeks. If this was a game taking place two weeks ago, Gordon would have been about 75% owned at this price. Therefore, we have to ask — what has changed? The only thing that has changed is that Harden is back. Gordon is still playing around 30 minutes per game off the bench, so his playing time hasn’t decreased all that much. This game has a massive 228 total and a close spread, so any cheap exposure to this game is very appealing in GPPs. Gordon will also likely get more usage as part of the second unit than he did as a starter. Gordon is one of my favorite tournament plays on the board this evening.
Exposure to a High Total at a Reasonable Price
Let’s get things started with Jrue Holiday this evening. The Pelicans and Rockets should be in store for a high scoring game here, as both teams rank inside the top eight in the NBA in both pace and offensive efficiency. These teams played a 130-123 game in their first meeting this season, and there’s no reason to shy away in the rematch. Holiday led the Pelicans with 37 points in that game, and he has taken double digit shot attempts in every game since the end of November. He’s a key piece on this team, even though he doesn’t get nearly the attention that the two big men do. With Rajon Rondo fading away a bit, Holiday is a steal at an affordable price tonight.
Easy Decision at Shooting Guard
The Suns are typically large underdogs, but are catching the Knicks at an opportune time. New York is playing their second road game in as many nights and the Suns are playing at home. They have a high implied total and I’m expecting a lot of their production to come from Devin Booker. He’s only $8,000 on FanDuel and $8,400 on DraftKings. He’s viable in both cash games and tournaments.
Intriguing GPP Upside
The Jazz desperately needed Gobert back in the lineup, as he does so much for this team on the defensive end and on the glass. Utah does not have a ton of strength on the interior outside of Gobert, so he is a welcome presence. His minutes bumped all the way up to 38 in the last game (though it went to overtime), but he should be clear for his normal workload going forward. He logged 15 points eight boards, and four blocks in the last game, and his presence will be needed against the Raptors. The $7,000 price tag is very reasonable, and Gobert always brings healthy GPP upside to the table. Fire him up with confidence in tournament formats.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (sore knee) will play Friday
Antetokounmpo confirmed with reporters following shootaround that he has been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Brooklyn Nets after previously being listed as probable in the Milwaukee Bucks’ game notes with a sore right knee that had forced him to miss two consecutive games. There has yet to be an official update on Eric Bledsoe, as he remains listed as probable in the aforementioned game notes due to a sore left ankle, but he should be expected to play barring any new information indicating otherwise. The return of Antetokounmpo to the starting lineup will send Sterling Brown back to the bench to resume his normal reserve role after averaging 33 minutes in his two spot starts, while Tony Snell will also likely see a reduction in his playing time with the second unit. Antetokounmpo continues to lead the Bucks with a 32.6% usage rate on the year and has averaged 1.39 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.41 on FanDuel to this point.
As reported by: Stephen Watson via Twitter Dwyane Wade (personal) misses shootaround, status uncertain Friday
Wade was absent from shootaround this morning as he tends to a personal matter and his playing status for tonight’s game against the Indiana Pacers has yet to be determined. Wade has not been given an official designation on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ injury report to this point, but he should be considered questionable until further information is provided. Head coach Tyronn Lue has already confirmed that he will finally make a change to the starting lineup by inserting Tristan Thompson at the center spot and moving Kevin Love over to power forward. This means that the odd man out will be Jae Crowder, who will now head to the bench to assume a reserve role. Wade has logged 18 minutes or fewer in three of the last five games, so there won’t be a ton of playing time to go around if he’s unavailable this evening, but his absence would likely allow Derrick Rose to step into a larger role off the bench while a few minutes could trickle down to Jeff Green and Kyle Korver as well.
As reported by: Chris Fedor via Twitter Few Extra Minutes for this Shooting Guard
Zach LaVine has been on a minute restriction since coming back from injury, but that has been upped to 26-28 minutes tonight. He has played very well so far, averaging 1.15 fantasy points per minute. With an increased minute restriction and a matchup against the Lakers, he has some serious upside at a very palatable price point.
Top Value Play
At this point, it is pretty clear that the Cavs need to make some changes with their rotations. They are playing awful basketball right now, particularly on the defensive end. There is no reason that a team with that much talent should be 3-10 over their last 13 games. Tyronn Lue has already announced that Thompson will start ahead of Jae Crowder tonight, and Thompson immediately enters the fantasy conversation. At a dirt cheap price, he will be the most popular value play tonight. Even though Thompson will be chalky, I will still happily target him in GPP formats. He is close to the minimum salary on DraftKings, and the minutes should drastically increase. He won’t be a volume shooter or scorer, but he is a solid rebounder and should be a very safe pick at this price.
Myles Turner (elbow sprain) ruled out Friday
Turner participated in practice on Thursday but 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 Indiana Pacers’ injury report with a sprained right elbow that has now forced him to miss nine consecutive games. Additionally, Darren Collison returned to practice yesterday and will be available to play in Friday’s matchup following a one-game absence due to personal reasons. His return will send Joe Young back to the bench to resume his normal reserve role after a dismal fantasy performance in 33 minutes of action on Wednesday night for his lone spot start. With Turner still sidelined, Domantas Sabonis will remain in the starting lineup at center for at least one additional game, but there have been reports that Turner will come off the bench once he’s cleared to return, opening the door for Sabonis to retain a starting role for the remainder of the season.
As reported by: Jeremiah Johnson via Twitter Gary Harris (bruised foot) expected to play Thursday
Harris will go through pregame warmups before an official determination on his status is made for tonight’s game against the New York Knicks, but is expected to play, according to head coach Mike Malone, after previously being listed as questionable on the Denver Nuggets’ injury report with a bruised right foot. Kenneth Faried does remain listed as questionable due to a sore left ankle, but he’s largely been out of the frontcourt rotation for most of the season. Malone also confirmed that Will Barton will remain in the starting lineup ahead of Wilson Chandler and that either Mason Plumlee or Trey Lyles will start alongside Nikola Jokic depending on the matchup. On Thursday night, they take on the Knicks frontcourt duo of Kristaps Porzingis and Enes Kanter, making Plumlee the leading candidate to start ahead of Lyles once again.
As reported by: Harrison Wind via Twitter De'Aaron Fox (abdominal) and Zach Randolph (knee) will start Thursday
Fox has officially been cleared to play and will start in tonight’s game against the Miami Heat after previously being listed as probable on the Sacramento Kings’ injury report with a tight abdominal that limited him to only 10 minutes in Tuesday’s win, while Zach Randolph will also start after missing one game with a sore left knee. There’s been no update from the Kings on the availability of Skal Labissiere, but he is active, making it highly likely he’ll play through his probable designation due to a strained left shoulder. He and Randolph have alternated starts at the power forward spot recently, but Labissiere continues to log more playing time no matter which role he assumes in a given game. There has yet to be a detectable pattern to which Kings veterans will be rested on a nightly basis, but in the four games since the Kings announced their plans to rest two or three veterans each game, Labissiere, Fox, Willie Cauley-Stein, and Bogdan Bogdanovic have been the only players to receive consistent playing time, all averaging at least 29 minutes per game over that span.
As reported by: James Ham via Twitter Other tagged players: Zach Randolph