DFS Alerts
Keep An Eye on Houston Injury News
Keep an eye on the injury situation in Houston as James Harden is currently listed as questionable. He really struggled last game due to a bruised foot, so there’s a good chance he gets tonight off. If he’s out, Eric Gordon becomes a strong play as he’s sporting a 34.8% usage rate with Harden off the floor. The matchup against the Lakers would push him into must play territory.
James Harden (foot) questionable Sunday; Ryan Anderson (back) probable
Harden has been listed as questionable on the Houston Rockets’ injury report for tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers due to a right foot contusion, while Ryan Anderson and Clint Capela are listed as probable with their respective ailments, though head coach Mike D’Antoni confirmed following Friday’s loss that Capela would return for Sunday’s contest. Harden always seemingly plays through injuries, as he’s missed two games combined over the past three season, so it would be shocking to see him ruled out with just a contusion on his foot. Chris Paul was limited to just 25 minutes in Friday’s loss after missing the previous three games due to a strained left adductor and it still remains unclear if he’ll see that minute restriction lifted or increased for tonight’s game. If Harden is somehow unavailable, Paul and Eric Gordon would become elite options as each own at least a +7.5% usage rate differential with him off the court this season, while Paul has averaged an insane 1.78 fantasy points per minute in this scenario, making him a virtual must-play if cleared for a full minute workload this evening.
As reported by: Jonathan Feigen via Twitter Other tagged players: Ryan Anderson
Pay Up For This Point Guard
Even though he’s priced through the roof against a slow-paced Dallas Mavericks team, I will take Russell Westbrook with Paul George and Andre Roberson out. Westbrook saw an insane 45.9% usage rate in his last game against the Bucks where George was also out. We all expected Carmelo Anthony to see an uptick in usage, but he ended up seeing a pitiful 17% usage rate. This should be the Russell Westbrook show again on Sunday, and I wouldn’t recommend fading him in cash games.
Opporunity For This Guard
With Kentavious Caldwell-Pope unable to play in Sunday’s game because it’s in Houston and outside the state of California, we’ll likely see Josh Hart slide into the starting role. Hart has started both times KCP was unable to flee the state, once against the Cavaliers and another against these Rockets. In those two starts, he averaged 30.5 minutes and roughly a fantasy point per minute. He’ll be tasked with guarding James Harden and with the Lakers thin at guard with both KCP and Lonzo Ball out, Hart should see a solid minutes in this game.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (personal) will miss next two games, as expected
Caldwell-Pope is still not permitted to leave the state of California and will not travel with the team on their upcoming two-game road trip, effectively ruling him out for Sunday and Monday’s matchups against the Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves, respectively. The Lakers are also without Lonzo Ball and Brook Lopez, so Jordan Clarkson will likely re-enter the starting lineup at point guard alongside Josh Hart, who replaced him prior to Friday’s contest. Julius Randle also displaced Andrew Bogut from the starting lineup and appears to be the leading candidate to start once again, though it wouldn’t be shocking to see head coach Luke Walton go back to Bogut again in this matchup. With Caldwell-Pope, Ball, and Lopez off the court this season, Randle, Clarkson, and Larry Nance all own at least a +2.6% usage rate differential, while Clarkson and Randle also lead the team with 30.8% and 28.4% usage rates, respectively, in this scenario.
As reported by: Eric Pincus via Twitter Stephen Curry (ankle) expected to play around 20-25 minutes on Saturday
Curry has been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies after previously being listed as probable on the Golden State Warriors’ injury report with a sprained right ankle that has forced him to miss 11 consecutive games, while Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, and Omri Casspi all remain listed as probable with their respective ailments, though Casspi was the only one that was unable to suit up for Friday’s loss and status might be in question. Curry was always expected to make his return for Saturday’s contest and his presence will send Shaun Livingston back to the bench to resume his normal reserve role, though head coach Steve Kerr did add that he’d like to keep him under 30 minutes of playing time in his first game back, with 20-25 minutes being ideal. With Curry available, Thompson and Kevin Durant are due for some regression to their fantasy production, as each owns at least a -2.5% usage rate differential with Curry on the court this season and expectations for Durant, especially, should be tempered until his price tag adjusts across the industry.
As reported by: Connor Letourneau via Twitter Damian Lillard (hamstring strain) ruled out Saturday
Lillard has been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Atlanta Hawks after previously being listed as questionable on the Portland Trail Blazers’ injury report with a strained right hamstring that has now forced him to miss four consecutive games. Meanwhile, Meyers Leonard and Noah Vonleh remain probable due to their respective ailments. Shabazz Napier has started at point guard in the Trail Blazers’ last two games and should continue to do so for the duration of Lillard’s absence following a string of solid performances in just under 36 minutes per games. While Napier sees the largest bump in playing time with Lillard sidelined, it’s C.J. McCollum that benefits the most from a usage standpoint and owns a +6.6% usage rate differential with Lillard off the court this season, while he also leads the team with a 33.6% usage rate overall.
As reported by: Jason Quick via Twitter Dennis Schroder (quad contusion) available to play Saturday
Schroder has been cleared to play and will be available for tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers after previously being listed as probable on the Atlanta Hawks’ injury report with a left quad contusion. The Hawks are still without Dewayne Dedmon and Mike Muscala, who is currently on a G-League assignment rehabbing a sprained right ankle that has kept him sidelined for an extended period of time. The fact that Atlanta is typically liberal with their injury reporting boded well for the availability of Schroder for Saturday’s contest despite the injury designation and his availability means that Malcolm Delaney and Marco Belinelli remain in their normal reserve roles in the rotation. Schroder continues to lead the Hawks with a 31.0% usage rate and has averaged 1.09 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.07 on FanDuel this season.
As reported by: Chris Vivlamore via Twitter Jonathon Simmons (illness) will start Saturday
Simmons missed shootaround this morning but will play and start in tonight’s game against the Miami Heat after previously being considered a game-time decision due to an illness, while Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier have also been confirmed in the starting lineup for Saturday’s matchup, as expected. The Magic are still without Nikola Vucevic, Jonathan Isaac, and Terrence Ross, meaning they are deprived of three key rotational pieces, and Bismack Biyombo will continue to start at center for the foreseeable future and has averaged 30.5 minutes per game in his first two starts. With the aforementioned players off the court this season, Gordon, Simmons, and Elfrid Payton have benefited the most from a usage standpoint, as each own at least a +2.5% usage rate differential, while Payton sees his production skyrocket to 1.22 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.25 on FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: Josh Robbins via Twitter Stanley Johnson (hip flexor) ruled out Saturday
Johnson has been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the San Antonio Spurs due to a strained left hip flexor, despite never appearing on the Detroit Pistons’ injury report at any point throughout the day. Additionally, head coach Stan Van Gundy has also opted to start Anthony Tolliver over Luke Kennard in order to better matchup with Pau Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge on the defensive end, a lineup change that will slide Tobias Harris and Reggie Bullock over to small forward and the shooting guard spot, respectively. The Pistons are relatively thin on the wing with Avery Bradley still sidelined, and Van Gundy did say that Dwight Buycks could see some additional playing time as the backup point guard behind Ish Smith with Lanston Galloway now needed to absorb some more minutes on the wing. Smith logged a season-high 32 minutes in his first start in place of the injured Reggie Jackson, so he’ll remain in play as a value option despite the suboptimal matchup with San Antonio, and he Tobias Harris, and Andre Drummond all own at least a +2.4% usage rate differential with Johnson, Jackson, and Bradley off the court this season, while Drummond has averaged a lofty 1.58 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.63 on FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: Rod Beard via Twitter Other tagged players: Anthony Tolliver Stephen Curry (ankle), Klay Thompson (back), Omri Casspi (ankle), and Andre Iguodala (knee) probable Saturday
Curry remains listed as probable on the Golden State Warriors’ injury report for tonight’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies due to a sprained right ankle that has forced him to miss 11 consecutive games, while Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, and Omri Casspi have all been listed as probable with their respective ailments, though Casspi was the only one that was unable to suit up for Friday’s loss. Curry is expected to make his return for Saturday’s contest and his presence will send Shaun Livingston back to the bench to resume his normal reserve role, though head coach Steve Kerr did add that Curry is likely to be subject to a minute restriction in his first game back. With Curry likely available, Thompson and Kevin Durant are due for some regression to their fantasy production, as each own at least a -2.5% usage rate differential with Curry on the court this season and expectations for Durant, especially, should be tempered until his price tag adjusts across the industry.
As reported by: Mark Medina via Twitter Other tagged players: Klay Thompson, Omri Casspi, Andre Iguodala Robert Covington (finger) available to play Saturday
Covington has been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Denver Nuggets after previously being listed as doubtful in the Philadelphia 76ers’ game notes with a left middle finger injury he sustained in the closing moments of Thursday’s loss. Meanwhile, Justin Anderson is questionable due to shin splints and Joel Embiid will be rested as part of his back-to-back load management plan, meaning he is still expected to suit up for the matchup with the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night. Amir Johnson and Richaun Holmes have absorbed a majority of the playing time at center in the prior games Embiid has missed this season, though Holmes has flashed the more consistent ceiling on these occasions, making him the preferred target for daily fantasy formats even coming off the bench. With Embiid off the court this season, it’s been Dario Saric, Ben Simmons, and Robert Covington that have benefited the most from a usage standpoint, each averaging at least +3.1% usage rate differential in this scenario, but Saric has actually capitalized on this extra usage the most thus far and has averaged 1.10 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.04 on FanDuel.
As reported by: Jessica Camerato via Twitter Not Looking to Spend at Small Forward
Josh Richardson has been stellar while the Heat have been dealing with various injuries. Justise Winslow, Dion Waiters, and James Johnson are all out tonight, meaning we should see Richardson play minutes in the mid 30s and continue his solid run. He’ll face an up tempo Magic team that should look to push the pace, creating additional opportunities for Heat players. Richardson has been producing nearly a fantasy point per minute with the aforementioned players off the floor, making him a strong play on a night where the top dollar small forward options aren’t particularly appealing.
Monitor Injury New for a Potential Must Play
Damian Lillard is officially questionable tonight, and it’s looking like he’s going to be a game-time decision. If he’s out, Napier becomes the top per dollar play on the slate as he has been on fire as the starting point guard. He’s still too cheap across the industry and should easily crush value once again if Lillard is out. If you’re busy tonight and unable to pay attention to news before lock, you’re going to be at a potential major disadvantage, so tread carefully.
Dennis Schroder (quad contusion) probable Saturday
Schroder has officially been listed as probable on the Atlanta Hawks’ injury report for tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers due to a left quad contusion. The Hawks are still without Dewayne Dedmon and Mike Muscala, who is currently on a G-League assignment rehabbing a sprained right ankle that has kept him sidelined for an extended period of time. The fact that Atlanta is typically liberal with their injury reporting bodes well for the availability of Schroder for Saturday’s contest, but if he were to be ruled out, either Malcolm Delaney or Marco Belinelli will draw the start in his place, the latter starting the previous time Schroder was unavailable and logged nearly 33 minutes en route to easily exceeding salary-based expectations. Schroder continues to lead the Hawks with a 31.0% usage rate and has averaged 1.09 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.07 on FanDuel this season.
As reported by: KL Chouinard via Twitter