DFS Alerts
J.J. Redick (hamstring) will play Monday
Redick has been cleared to play and will suit up for today’s game against the New York Knicks after previously being listed as questionable on the Philadelphia 76ers’ injury report with right hamstring tightness that had forced him to miss two consecutive games. Meanwhile, Joel Embiid will also be good to go following his earlier questionable designation as well. The Sixers are now virtually fully healthy outside of Justin Anderson and Markelle Fultz, and Redick’s presence in the starting lineup will send Jerryd Bayless back to the bench to resume his normal reserve role and will cut into the playing time of both T.J. McConnell and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot with the second unit. Embiid was limited to just 23 minutes in Saturday’s loss after missing three straight games but that restriction was likely mostly due to the Sixers wanting the big man to be fresh for this Christmas Day matchup. When healthy, Embiid continues to lead the Sixers by a wide margin with a 35.6% usage rate and has averaged 1.46 fantasy points per minute in just over 31 minutes per game this season.
As reported by: Keith Pompey via Twitter
Joel Embiid (sore back) will play Monday
Embiid has been cleared to play and will suit up for today’s game against the New York Knicks after previously being listed as questionable on the Philadelphia 76ers’ injury report with a sore back that held him out of Sunday’s practice. The Sixers are now virtually fully healthy outside of Justin Anderson and Markelle Fultz, as J.J. Redick is set to make his return from a two-game absence due to right hamstring tightness. His presence in the starting lineup will send Jerryd Bayless back to the bench to resume his reserve role and will cut into the playing time of both T.J. McConnell and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot with the second unit. Embiid was limited to just 23 minutes in Saturday’s loss after missing three straight games but that restriction was likely mostly due to the Sixers wanting the big man to be fresh for this Christmas Day matchup. When healthy, Embiid continues to lead the Sixers by a wide margin with a 35.6% usage rate and has averaged 1.46 fantasy points per minute in just over 31 minutes per game this season.
As reported by: Keith Pompey via Twitter Kyle O'Quinn (calf, illness) will play Monday
O’Quinn has been cleared to play and will suit up for today’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers after previously being downgraded from probable to questionable on the New York Knicks’ injury report with an illness and a strained calf. Even so, this news doesn’t do much to impact the Christmas Day slate since O’Quinn’s playing time is relatively inconsistent when Kristaps Porzingis is healthy, though he does typically fall into the mid-to-upper teens in terms of minutes on a nightly basis and remains an unappealing option on most slates. Porzingis finally had a vintage game in Friday’s loss and exceeded salary-based expectations for the first time since returning from a groin injury in 38 minutes of action, a positive sign for his prospects for daily fantasy formats on Monday afternoon. Additionally, he continues to lead the Knicks with 37.2% usage rate differential with Tim Hardaway Jr. off the court this season.
As reported by: Laura Albanese via Twitter Opportunity Knocks
Lonzo Ball is going to be out for a week, so there will be more consistent playing time to go around in the Lakers’ backcourt. Both Josh Hart and Jordan Clarkson will be asked to step up, and Clarkson has been a reliable commodity when he has been on the court this year. The minutes should be much more secure now, making Clarkson a guy we can count on for all formats on a five game Christmas slate.
Paying up at Center
Center is arguably the thinnest position of the Christmas slate. There aren’t many options, but one has caught my eye. Kevin Love doesn’t have the same minute upside as Karl-Anthony Towns, but he’s significantly cheaper and is more productive on a per-minute basis. In what should be a competitive game against the Warriors, there’s a chance that Love could play 32-34 minutes instead of the 29-30 that he typically sees.
Finally Finding his Form
Paul George missed two games with an injury and has been fairly quiet ever since. He’s coming off of a nice outing against the Jazz, so perhaps he has finally turned a corner. He grades out as the top point-per-dollar small forward in my model, as he draws an excellent matchup against the Rockets. The best part is that George’s ownership shouldn’t be outrageous in a slate that features LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, and James Harden.
Prime Matchup on Christmas
Jeff Teague is finally starting to break out of his slump. Over his last four games, he is averaging over 30 fantasy points. He draws one of the best possible matchups on Christmas, as the Lakers are ranked 22nd in efficiency and 25th in DvP against point guards. This is also a pace-up spot for Teague and the Wolves, as the Lakers lead the NBA in possessions per 48 minutes.
Brandon Ingram (quads) ruled out Saturday
Ingram is a surprise late addition to the Los Angeles Lakers’ injury report and has been ruled out for tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers due to a right quadriceps contusion and left quadriceps tendinitis, despite never receiving an injury designation at any point throughout the day prior to now. Head coach Luke Walton has yet to confirm his replacement in the starting lineup and there’s a number of ways he could go, one of which would be reinserting Larry Nance at one of the forward positions alongside Kyle Kuzma and Andrew Bogut in the frontcourt, the latter having started the last two games in place of Brook Lopez at center. Jordan Clarkson is in the midst of a rough stretch, but he has been the main beneficiary with Ingram and Lopez off the court this season, owning a +4.7% usage rate differential and averaging 1.23 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.18 on FanDuel, making him worth a look in tournaments as contrarian option at one of the guard positions in daily fantasy rosters.
As reported by: Shahan Ahmed via Twitter Zaza Pachulia (shoulder) and Shaun Livingston (knee) ruled out Saturday
Pachulia has been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Denver Nuggets after previously being listed as questionable on the Golden State Warriors’ injury report with a sore left shoulder, while Shaun Livingston has also been ruled out with a sore right knee following his earlier questionable designation and has now missed three consecutive games. This means that Jordan Bell and Patrick McCaw will remain in the starting lineup for at least one additional game, and Bell has settled into a consistent mid-20s role as a starter and has flashed elite upside on occasion, evidenced by his performance in Friday’s contest. Stephen Curry was held out of Thursday’s practice and will miss his seventh consecutive game with a sprained right ankle, and with him off the floor, both Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson own at least a +3.9% usage rate differential while Durant paces the way with a rate of 1.60 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.58 on FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: Mark Medina via Twitter Other tagged players: Shaun Livingston Dennis Schroder (ankle) will play Saturday, as expected
Schroder went through pregame warmups and told reporters that he will play in tonight’s game against the Dallas Mavericks after previously being listed as questionable on the Atlanta Hawks’ injury report and considered likely to play, according to head coach Mike Budenholzer, with a left ankle injury that had forced him to miss one game. With Schroder unavailable for Friday’s loss, Marco Belinelli entered the starting lineup in his place at the shooting guard spot, a move that slid Kent Bazemore over to point guard. However, with Schroder back in the starting unit, Bazemore will transition back to his normal shooting guard spot and Belinelli will resume his normal reserve role off the bench. Schroder could carry some reduced ownership on Saturday’s slate and continues to lead to the Hawks with a 31.3% usage rate on the year, a metric should help him continue his fantastic play against the Mavericks this season and throughout his young career.
As reported by: Michael Cunningham via Twitter Dwight Howard (finger) and Kemba Walker (head) will start Saturday
Howard and Walker have both been cleared to play and will start in tonight’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks after previously being listed as questionable on the Charlotte Hornets’ injury report with a dislocated left ring finger and head contusion, respectively, while Treveon Graham remains questionable with back spasms, though his availability has little or no effect on the remaining players in the Hornets rotation. However, the presence of Howard and Walker in the starting lineup will keep Frank Kaminsky and Malik Monk in their normal reserve roles, essentially eliminating them from daily fantasy consideration on a massive 13-game slate. That said, the duo of Walker and Howard will be firmly in play at likely reduced ownership in tournaments and continue to lead the Hornets with 28.8% and 27.2% usage rate respectively.
As reported by: Ted Davis via Twitter Other tagged players: Kemba Walker Donovan Mitchell (great toe contusion) will start Saturday
Mitchell has been cleared to play and will start in tonight’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder after previously being listed as probable on the Utah Jazz’ injury report with a right great toe contusion that had forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Raul Neto will remain sidelined for the seventh straight game with a concussion. With Mitchell officially available to play, Rodney Hood will head back to the bench to resume his newly-acquired sixth-man role following some mixed results in his two spot starts, though he did log 34 minutes and exceed salary-based expectations his last time out. There’s been no word of a possible minute restriction for Mitchell, so he should step immediately back into his normal role in the offense and the rotation, and he trails only Hood for the team lead with a 28.8% usage rate with Neto and Rudy Gobert off the court this season while averaging 0.96 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 0.93 on FanDuel.
As reported by: Eric Woodyard via Twitter Dion Waiters (ankle) ruled out Saturday; Goran Dragic (elbow) questionable; James Johnson (ankle) will play
Waiters has been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans due to a sprained left ankle he sustained in the first half of Friday’s win, despite never appearing on the Miami Heat’s injury report at any point throughout the day. Meanwhile, Goran Dragic has been upgraded from out to questionable, and James Johnson has been upgraded from out to available to play, both surprising news as head coach Erik Spoelstra previously ruled out the duo prior to last night’s contest. There’s been no reported minute restriction for Johnson or Dragic, who will warm up with the intent to play, so they should be expected to be at full strength given their return to the lineup. Additionally, their presence will likely send Bam Adebayo and Tyler Johnson back to the bench to resume their normal reserve roles, limiting the appeal of Adebayo, Jordan Mickey, and Kelly Olynyk as tournament options on Saturday’s slate with the frontcourt becoming more of a logjam than recent games.
As reported by: the Miami Heat via Twitter Other tagged players: Goran Dragic, James Johnson Jaylen Brown (sore Achilles) will play Saturday
Brown has been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Chicago Bulls after previously being listed as probable on the Boston Celtics’ injury report with left Achilles soreness that had forced him to miss one game, while Shane Larkin remains questionable with left knee soreness that also kept him sidelined for one game. With Brown seemingly on track to suit up, Marcus Smart will head back to the bench to resume his normal reserve role and will join Terry Rozier, who logged 27 minutes in Thursday’s loss, as the primary guards off the bench. Rozier struggled despite his extra playing time sans Brown and Larkin in the previous game, but if Larkin sits for the second straight game, he figures to be locked into a 20-25 minute role behind Brown and Kyrie Irving in the backcourt, making him a viable contrarian punt option in tournaments. As for Brown, he’s been a consistent source of fantasy production when healthy this season and trails only Irving for the team lead with a 21.6% usage rate with Larkin and Marcus Morris off the court this season.
As reported by: Sean Grande via Twitter Giannis Antetokounmpo (sore knee) ruled out Saturday
Antetokounmpo is a surprise late addition to the Milwaukee Bucks’ injury report and has been ruled out for tonight’s game against the Charlotte Hornets due to a sore right knee, despite never being given an injury designation at any point throughout the day. In his absence, Matthew Dellavedova will draw the start at shooting guard, sliding Tony Snell and Khris Middleton over to the forward positions respectively. The only other time Antetokounmpo was sidelined with an injury, Middleton and Eric Bledsoe both easily exceeded salary-based expectations and logged at least 46 minutes in an overtime win, elevating them to elite options for all formats on Saturday’s slate. This is evidenced by each owning at least a +6.6% usage rate differential with Antetokounmpo off the court this season, and Middleton leads the team with a 37.0% usage rate differential while averaging 1.22 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.18 on FanDuel.
As reported by: Matt Velazquez via Twitter