DFS Alerts
Derrick Rose (ankle) probable Thursday; Iman Shumpert (knee) remains out
Rose has officially been listed as probable on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ injury report for tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic due to a sprained right ankle that has forced him to be sidelined since early November and miss 32 consecutive games. Additionally, Iman Shumpert participated in Wednesday’s practice but remains out with a left knee effusion for Thursday’s contest.There’s been no reported minute restriction for Rose in his first game back, but he will almost certainly come off the bench in his potential return to action this evening, though he should be expected to log minimal minutes out of the gate. This would be the first game all season that Rose and Isaiah Thomas are jointly active and it remains to be seen how head coach Tyronn Lue alters the rotation once Rose is back up to game-speed.
As reported by: Chris Fedor via Twitter Other tagged players: Iman Shumpert
Solid Tournament Upside in a Plus Matchup
Damian Lillard hasn’t been posting explosive lines much of late, as injuries have bogged down his season to a large degree. However, he looks healthy again and has posted some solid numbers over the last two weeks, and he is coming off a 31/5/7 line against the Suns in the last game. This is a similarly good matchup against a Pacers team that is pushing the tempo at times, and the Pacers also don’t have much for point guard defenders. With Victor Oladipo likely clamping down on McCollum, I expect Lillard to have a big game tonight.
Bottom of the Barrel Value
Both Trevor Ariza and Gerald Green have been suspended for tonight’s game, so Houston will be thin on the wing despite getting James Harden back. Both P.J. Tucker and Luc Richard Mbah A Moute should be looking at heavy minutes this evening, and they are both logical value plays in all formats. While neither player is a high usage guy, the minutes will be there, and both come dirt cheap on all sites. Tucker is my preferred option between the two. Keep an eye out for news here regarding a potential starting lineup.
Taking Advantage of an Injury
The Sixers may not have the best matchup on the schedule, but they are catching the Celtics in the second half of a back-to-back. With J.J. Redick out, there are over 30 minutes open in the rotation. While that will be spread out to a number of player, we can project T.J. McConnell to play 28-30 minutes off the bench. He’s been in good form recently and his ability to fill up the stat sheet helps in difficult matchups.
The Top Overall Play of the Night
LeBron James is my favorite play on the slate. There is plenty of value down on the cheap end, and I don’t love a lot of the other high dollar plays. Chris Paul loses a lot of appeal with James Harden back. Harden will be on a minutes limit tonight, so he isn’t in play. It’s all about LeBron tonight. While the risk of a potential blowout is there, James should have his way against an Orlando team that plays fast and doesn’t offer a ton in the way of defense. He’s a cash game lock and a great tournament play for his monster upside as well.
Consistency Pays Off in Cash Games
I like to look at recent trends, but I always want to know the story behind them. If you look at Gibon’s minutes over his last five games, they have been down. However, he played 28 minutes in two of those games thanks to foul trouble and a blowout. He should play close to 35 minutes tonight against the Rockets in what is expected to be a shootout. Gibson has a high floor, which is great for cash games.
Lot of Minutes Available in Houston
James Harden will return to the lineup tonight, but he is going to be on a 25-minute restriction. With Trevor Ariza and Gerald Green suspended, there are a lot of minutes open on the wing. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is close to minimum salary across the industry and will likely play 30 minutes. We don’t have to overthink this one — he’s one of the best values on the board.
Avery Bradley (groin) and Luke Kennard (thumb) available to play Wednesday; Stanley Johnson (hip) remains out
Bradley and Kennard have been cleared to play and are available for tonight’s game against the Charlotte Hornets after originally being listed as questionable on the Detroit Pistons’ injury report with their respective ailments. Meanwhile, Stanley Johnson was absent from shootaround this morning and will miss his eighth game in the last nine due to a strained right hip flexor. Johnson and Reggie Jackson have jointly missed seven games, and in those contests, Kennard and Anthony Tolliver have both averaged north of 20 minutes per game, while Dwight Buycks has displaced Langston Galloway as the primary backup behind Ish Smith at point guard. Buycks could actually be an interesting deep flier in tournaments now that Johnson is officially ruled out, as he leads the Pistons with a 30.4% usage rate with the aforementioned players off the court this season and is averaging 0.90 fantasy points on DaftKings and 0.84 on FanDuel, putting him in position to exceed salary-based expectations if he can siphon enough playing time away from Smith and the other ancillary backcourt members and log in the ballpark of 22-26 minutes this evening.
As reported by: Blake Murphy via Twitter Other tagged players: Luke Kennard, Stanley Johnson Andre Roberson (patellar tendinitis) will start Wednesday
Roberson has been cleared to play and will start in tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers, according to head coach Billy Donovan, after previously being upgraded to questionable on the Oklahoma City Thunder’s injury report with left patellar tendinitis that had forced him to miss eight consecutive games. Roberson won’t have a strict minute restriction in his first game back, but his minutes will be monitored by the Thunder coaching and medical staffs to ensure his knee is responding normally. However, his presence will still displace Terrance Ferguson from the starting shoot guard position and also eat into the playing time of Josh Huestis off the bench. After a couple of outlier performances, Ferguson had essentially settled into a timeshare on the wing with Huestis and Alex Abrines while Roberson was sidelined, and he’s failed to exceed 10 fantasy points in four of the last five games. That said, it’s safe to say that all of the Thunder’s ancillary wing players can now be avoided in daily fantasy formats with Roberson available to play this evening.
As reported by: Royce Young via Twitter Marc Gasol (illness) and Brandan Wright (illness) ruled out Wednesday
Gasol has officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the New York Knicks after previously being listed as questionable on the Memphis Grizzlies’ injury report with an illness, while Brandan Wright is a new addition to the injury report and has also been ruled out due to an illness. Meanwhile, James Ennis is still listed as questionable with a right calf injury and Chandler Parsons is still sidelined with a sore right knee. With Gasol and Wright officially unavailable, Deyonta Davis will almost certainly draw the start at center in Gasol’s place and should be locked into a heavy minute workload regardless of starting lineup. As for Ennis’ potential absence, it would allow Wayne Selden and Ben McLemore some additional minutes with the second unit on the wing. With the aforementioned players and Mike Conley off the court this season, Tyreke Evans owns a massive +9.3% usage rate differential in just 91.5 minutes and has averaged 1.47 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.38 on FanDuel in this scenario, making him an elite option for all formats now that Gasol has been deemed unable to suit up this evening.
As reported by: Michael Wallace via Twitter Other tagged players: Brandan Wright Fred VanVleet (knee contusion) ruled out Wednesday
VanVleet has officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Detroit Pistons after previously being considered a game-time decision, according to head coach Dwane Casey, after originally being considered day-to-day on the Toronto Raptors’ injury report with a right knee contusion he sustained in Monday’s loss. Casey stated that the team plans to be cautious with VanVleet and reportedly cast a bit of doubt on VanVleet’s status for Wednesday’s contest when answering questions during his pregame media availability, so this news should be far from unexpected. His absence will open up additional backup point guard minutes for Delon Wright, while Norman Powell will likely re-enter the rotation in a minimal role, though he did average just over 23 minutes in the three games Kyle Lowry was recently sidelined with a bruised tailbone.
As reported by: RaptorsMR via Twitter Jamal Murray (concussion) ruled out Wednesday
Murray is a new addition to the Denver Nuggets’ injury report and has been ruled out for tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers due to a concussion he sustained during Tuesday’s win and remains without a timetable for a return since he’s currently in the league-mandated concussion protocol. Additionally, Mason Plumlee is available to play following his earlier probable designation because of a strained lateral trunk, marking the second straight game he’s been listed as probable and was still able to suit up. Will Barton displaced Plumlee from the starting lineup in the previous game and he’ll likely remain there for at least one additional game, but there are definitely a number of different lineup combinations head coach Mike Malone can go with to replace Murray in the starting lineup. One thing is certain, however, that Barton will be locked into a heavy minute workload, regardless of starting lineup, and Emmanuel Mudiay will step into the rotation at point guard and is also a candidate to start in Murray’s absence.
As reported by: the Denver Nuggets via Twitter Skal Labissiere (shoulder strain) ruled out Wednesday
Labissiere has officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Utah Jazz after previously being listed as questionable on the Sacramento Kings’ injury report with a strained left shoulder. Labissiere ended up displacing Zach Randolph from the starting lineup for Monday’s contest and logged 28 minutes while Randolph was a DNP-CD, a lineup decision that appears will be a trend moving forward with the Kings fully embracing a youth movement and planning on resting at least two veterans every game for the rest of the season. It’ll be safe to assume that Randolph will be immune from the DNP-CD for Wednesday’s matchup given Labissiere’s unavailability, but George Hill, Garrett Temple, Vince Carter, and Kosta Koufos remain candidates, and it’s unlikely head coach Dave Joerger or the Kings notify the media who will be “resting” prior to tipoff.
As reported by: James Ham via Twitter Andre Roberson (patellar tendinitis) questionable Wednesday
Roberson has officially been listed as questionable on the Oklahoma City Thunder’s injury report for tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers due to left patellar tendinitis that has forced him to miss eight consecutive games. If Roberson is able to make his return for Wednesday’s contest, there’s currently been no confirmation whether or not he’ll be subject to a minute restriction. However, he will almost certainly displace Terrance Ferguson from the starting shoot guard position and also eat into the playing time of Josh Huestis off the bench. After a couple of outlier performances, Ferguson has essentially settled into a timeshare on the wing with Huestis and Alex Abrines while Roberson has been sidelined, and he’s failed to exceed 10 fantasy points in four of the last five games. That said, it’s safe to say regardless of Roberson’s availability, that all of the Thunder’s ancillary wing players can avoided in daily fantasy formats this evening.
As reported by: Brett Dawson via Twitter Kawhi Leonard (quadriceps tendinopathy) out indefinitely
The San Antonio Spurs announced this afternoon that Kawhi Leonard will be sidelined for an indefinite period of time as he continues his rehabilitation process from right quadriceps tendinopathy, effectively ruling him out for tonight’s game against the Brooklyn Nets, despite not previously being listed on the injury report. Meanwhile, Manu Ginobili was also ruled out with a right thigh contusion, and Pau Gasol technically remains listed as questionable but plans to play through his troublesome sprained right wrist Wednesday evening. Kyle Anderson will draw the start at small forward, likely for the duration of Leonard’s absence and should see an uptick in playing time Wednesday with Ginobili also joining Leonard and Rudy Gay on the Spurs’ inactive list. LaMarcus Aldridge remains the main beneficiary from usage and fantasy production standpoints with Leonard off the court this season, and he owns a +31.9% usage rate en route to an average of 1.13 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: the San Antonio Spurs via Twitter