DFS Alerts
Blake Griffin (knee) and Wesley Johnson (foot) questionable for Friday
Griffin has officially been listed as questionable on the Los Angeles Clippers’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers with a sprained left MCL that has forced him to miss 14 consecutive games, while Wesley Johnson has also been listed as questionable with a sore left foot that has kept him sidelined for five straight games. If Griffin is able to return on Friday night, he would be way ahead of schedule of his original eight-week timetable, so it’s difficult to imagine him seeing a heavy minute workload right out of the gate if the coaching and medical staffs clear him to suit up. Still, his presence in the rotation would have a huge impact on the other Clippers players, especially Lou Williams and Austin Rivers, both of whom have shouldered a large majority of the offensive usage in Griffin and Danilo Gallinari’s absences. The potential availability of Griffin would also negatively effect DeAndre Jordan’s fantasy value, as he would resume competing with Griffin for rebounding opportunities on both ends of the floor and will see less offensive touches in general. If both Griffin and Johnson are able to return tomorrow evening, head coach Doc Rivers would likely go back to his old starting lineup of Jordan, Griffin, Johnson, Rivers, and Milos Teodosic until Gallinari is healthy enough to play, a lineup change that would send Williams back to the bench to resume his normal sixth-man role.
As reported by: Michael Gallagher via Twitter Other tagged players: Wesley Johnson
Joel Embiid (back) questionable Thursday, but expected to play; Justin Anderson (shin) will play
Embiid has officially been listed as questionable on the Philadelphia 76ers’ injury report for tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers due to back tightness, but according to head coach Brett Brown, the team is approaching this road matchup as if Embiid will be playing. Meanwhile, Justin Anderson will be active and available off the bench after missing the last 19 games with shin splints in his left leg. Embiid was able to log 34 minutes in the Christmas Day win over the New York Knicks and has played in two straight games, increasing the likelihood he’ll be good to go coming off of a full two-days rest between games. It has essentially become the norm for the Sixers to list Embiid as questionable and as long he’s able to loosen up his back pregame, he’ll continue to play through the back tightness that has plagued him the last few weeks. The last time the Sixers faced off with the Trail Blazers, Embiid led the team with a 40.2% usage rate and averaged 1.63 fantasy points per minute, making him a fine tournament option on Thursday’s slate, if he suits up, at likely reduced ownership.
As reported by: Jessica Camerato via Twitter Other tagged players: Justin Anderson Jeff Teague (knee sprain) out indefinitely
Teague underwent an MRI on Thursday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, and he will be sidelined indefinitely with what’s been diagnosed as a sprained left knee. The tests revealed no structural damage in the knee but, obviously, this news effectively rules him out for tonight’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks, the second leg of a back-to-back set. With Teague sidelined for four games earlier in the season, Tyus Jones ended up starting at point guard and averaged 37.5 minutes of playing time in those contests, and is virtually guaranteed to do so once again, cementing him as an elite value option on Thursday’s slate for a minimal price tag across the industry. The other starters that stand to benefit from Teague’s absence are Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns, each of whom owns at least a +3.2% usage rate differential and lead the Timberwolves with 29.5% and 27.6% usage rates, respectively, in this scenario.
As reported by: Adrian Wojnarowski via Twitter All the Value Makes it Easy to Pay up for a Superstar
There are a number of elite value plays in tonight’s slate, which opens up a ton of cap space. It sets up as a stars and scrubs type of slate, so it makes sense to anchor your cash game lineups with James Harden. He doesn’t have a great matchup against the Celtics, but he should play around 40 minutes in a game that Chris Paul is going to miss. Even if Harden is held to 50 fantasy points, we may need those raw points in this slate.
I Love my Minutes in Cash Games
When it comes to projecting minutes, Trevor Ariza should be at the top of tonight’s slate. With all of the injuries to the Rockets, Ariza is being asked to play as many minutes as he can handle. Over his last four, he is averaging 43 minutes. I don’t care if he is facing the best defense in basketball, he should be able to reach salary in 40+ minutes at a price under $6,000 on both FanDuel and DraftKings.
Overlooked Value at Point Guard
Everyone is going to gravitate to Ish Smith and Tyus Jones tonight and rightly so. I will also be loading up on those two. One player that could get overlooked is Terry Rozier. With Jaylen Brown out last night, Rozier played 26 minutes and scored 36 fantasy points. He draws a favorable matchup against the Rockets at home and he should be locked into a 26-28 minute role off the bench.
Marcus Morris (knee) available to play Thursday; Jaylen Brown (knee) and Semi Ojeleye (back) remain out
Morris has been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Houston Rockets after missing Wednesday’s win over the Charlotte Hornets due to left knee rehabilitation. Meanwhile, Jaylen Brown and Semi Ojeleye will remain sidelined with their respective ailments and is the second consecutive game they’ve jointly missed. The availability of Morris is interesting because it gives head coach Brad Stevens another option for his starting lineup, as he has preferred to start Al Horford at center in past matchups with Houston, opening up the possibility of Morris or Daniel Theis starting alongside him and Jayson Tatum in the frontcourt. One thing for certain is that Marcus Smart will start at shooting guard in Brown’s place for the second time in as many games and continues to average just over 33 minutes per game when given the opportunity, but he has proven to be volatile in these situations, relegating him to a tournament-only option on Thursday’s slate. Smart, Tatum, and Horford stand to benefit the most with Brown and Ojeleye sidelined, as each own at least a +2.0% usage rate differential with them off the court this season, while Horford trails only Kyrie Irving for the team lead with a rate of 1.09 fantasy points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: the Boston Celtics via Twitter Other tagged players: Jaylen Brown, Semi Ojeleye Aaron Gordon (calf) and Evan Fournier (foot) will be game-time decisions Thursday; Jonathan Isaac (ankle) ruled out
Gordon and Fournier remain listed as questionable on the Orlando Magic’s injury report for tonight’s game against the Detroit Pistons and are on track to be game-time decisions due to their respective ailments. Meanwhile, head coach Frank Vogel confirmed that Jonathan Isaac has been ruled out with a sprained right ankle he reaggravated during Tuesday’s loss. Fournier managed to log 30 minutes in his first game back from a sore right foot and didn’t have a minute restriction, so if he’s able to suit up, he’ll be an interesting tournament option barring any announced limitations. The Magic are also still without Nikola Vucevic and Terrence Ross, meaning they are deprived of at least three key rotational pieces, and Bismack Biyombo will continue to start at center for the foreseeable future and saw 29 minutes in Tuesday’s blowout loss, indicating he should be in line for more playing time in a closer contest. If Gordon is ruled out, Mario Hezonja is the likeliest candidate to start at power forward, but Vogel has opted to start Marreese Speights at the four in certain matchups as well. With the aforementioned players off the court this season, Elfrid Payton and Johnathon Simmons have benefited the most from a usage standpoint, as each own at least a +4.1% usage rate differential, while Payton sees his production skyrocket to 1.26 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.29 on FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: Josh Robbins via Twitter Other tagged players: Evan Fournier, Jonathan Isaac Chris Paul (adductor strain) listed as out Thursday
Paul has been listed as out on the Houston Rockets’ injury report for tonight’s game against the Boston Celtics due to a strained left adductor that has now forced him to miss three consecutive games. The Rockets are still without key rotational pieces in Clint Capela and Luc Mbah a Moute as well, meaning Eric Gordon will remain in the starting lineup in Paul’s place and either Nene or P.J. Tucker will draw the start alongside Ryan Anderson and Trevor Ariza in the frontcourt. Nene is the likelier of the two to start with Aron Baynes starting for Boston, but Nene’s minutes may be capped on the first leg of a back-to-back since the Rockets will be without Capela for each of these contests, limiting his appeal in daily fantasy formats this evening. Gordon will make his third start in as many games at the two spot and has averaged 38 minutes of playing time over last two games, making him an elite option for all formats Thursday, despite underwhelming a bit on the Christmas Day slate. In fact, with Paul and Capela off the court this season, Gordon trails only James Harden for the team lead with a 28.5% usage rate. That said, Harden is a fine option himself and owns a +4.5% usage rate differential while averaging a lofty 1.79 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.69 on FanDuel in the aforementioned scenario.
As reported by: Jonathan Feigen via Twitter Lock Me In If I'm Starting
You really have to pay attention to the news on Jeff Teague for tonight, as if he misses the game, Tyus Jones becomes one of the best value plays on the slate. Jones is averaging .75 fantasy points per minute without Teague on the floor this season. Jones came in for Teague in the fourth quarter when he got hurt, and when the starting point guard missed four games in November, Jones played at least 32 minutes in each of those games, while racking up at least 30 fantasy points in all four starts.
The No Brainer Top Play
This is tonight’s free square. Similar to Lance Stephenson on Wednesday, the opportunity and cheap price are simply too much to ignore. With Reggie Jackson out for a couple of months, both Ish Smith and Langston Galloway will get sizable fantasy boosts. They also draw a great matchup with the Magic, who play at a fast tempo and don’t play much defense. Any way you slice it, Smith should have a fantastic game for his current price point. Don’t overthink this one.
Domantas Sabonis (sore toe) will play Wednesday
Sabonis has been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Dallas Mavericks after previously being listed as questionable on the Indiana Pacers’ injury report and was considered a game-time decision with a sore left big toe. Meanwhile, Victor Oladipo was ruled out with a sore right knee following his earlier questionable designation. With Oladipo unable to suit up, Lance Stephenson will draw the start on the wing alongside Bojan Bogdanovic and now becomes an elite option for all formats at his cheap price tag across the industry. As for Sabonis, his presence will keep Al Jefferson out of the rotation and cap any potential minutes ceiling Myles Turner may have had with him unavailable. With Oladipo off the court this season, it’s actually been Sabonis and Thaddeus Young that have benefited the most from a usage standpoint and each own at least a +3.7% usage rate differential in this scenario, while Turner leads the way with a rate of 1.12 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.10 FanDuel, a +0.11 increase over his season average.
As reported by: the Indiana Pacers via Twitter Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (illness) available to play Wednesday, as expected
Kidd-Gilchrist went through shootaround this morning and will start in tonight’s game against the Boston Celtics after previously being listed as questionable on the Charlotte Hornets’ injury report with an illness that had forced him to miss Tuesday’s practice. Kidd-Gilchrist’s availability means that Jeremy Lamb will remain in his usual reserve role off the bench, but he typically sees minutes in the high-20s or low-30s anyway, so Kidd-Gilchrist’s absence wouldn’t have allotted him a substantial bump in playing time regardless. The largest beneficiary in terms of minutes would have been Treveon Graham, who finally found his way into associate head coach Stephen Silas’ rotation after logging 28 minutes in the Hornets previous game. However, Graham is still a low-usage player and owns just a 12.1% usage rate with Cody Zeller off the court this season, making him the inferior option to Lamb, who has averaged 0.91 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 0.88 on FanDuel in this scenario, if looking for a contrarian target in tournaments, despite the price difference.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR via Twitter Victor Oladipo (sore knee) ruled out Wednesday
Oladipo has been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Dallas Mavericks after previously being listed as questionable on the Indiana Pacers’ injury report with a sore right knee. Meanwhile, Domantas Sabonis remains questionable and will be a game-time decision due to a sore left big toe. With Oladipo unable to suit up, Lance Stephenson will draw the start on the wing alongside Bojan Bogdanovic and now becomes an elite option for all formats at his cheap price tag across the industry. As for Sabonis, his potential absence would allow Al Jefferson to step into the backup center role and possibly allot Myles Turner some extra playing time over the typical low-30s minutes he sees on a night when the Pacers are at full strength health-wise. With Oladipo off the court this season, it’s actually been Thaddeus Young that’s benefited the most from a usage standpoint and owns a +4.7% usage rate differential in this scenario, while Turner leads the way with a rate of 1.12 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.10 FanDuel, a +0.11 increase over his season average.
As reported by: the Indiana Pacers via Twitter Tyreke Evans (knee) questionable Wednesday; Brandan Wright (quad) doubtful; JaMychal Green (knee) remains out
Evans has been added to the Memphis Grizzlies’ injury report and has been listed as questionable for tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers due to a right knee injury, while Brandan Wright is listed as doubtful with a left quad issue, and JaMychal Green will miss his third consecutive game with a sore right knee. Chandler Parsons will be back after resting Tuesday on the front-end of this back-to-back set and will likely replace Green and Wright in the starting lineup at power forward. If Evans is deemed unfit to suit up, either Kobi Simmons or Mario Chalmers would draw the start at point guard, but Simmons is probably the likelier candidate and has recently surpassed Chalmers in the backcourt rotation, logging at least 25 minutes off the bench in two consecutive games. The sample size with Evans, Wright, Green, and Mike Conley off the court this season isn’t great, but Andrew Harrison appears to be the clear beneficiary thus far, as he owns a +7.7% usage rate differential and has seen his per minute production skyrocket to 1.18 fantasy points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR via Twitter