DFS Alerts
Aaron Gordon (concussion), Arron Afflalo (back), and Jonathan Isaac (ankle) questionable for Friday
Gordon participated in Thursday’s practice and has been listed as questionable on the Orlando Magic’s injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers due to a concussion that has forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Arron Afflalo has been listed as questionable with back spasms that kept him sidelined for Wednesday’s loss and Jonathan Isaac has been upgraded to questionable due to a sprained right ankle that has forced him to miss 16 straight games. The Magic are still without Evan Fournier and Terrence Ross, which led the team to recall Adreian Payne, Jamel Artis, and Khem Birch from the G-League on Wednesday, but the trio failed to see the court and will likely only do so in the event of an emergency if Gordon, Afflalo, and Isaac remain out once again. The sample size with the aforementioned players off the court this season is extremely limited, but in that short time both Nikola Vucevic and Jonathon Simmons own at least a +4.2% usage rate differential and see substantial increases to their per minute fantasy production, adding to their appeal in all formats on Friday’s slate if Orlando’s injury situation plays out as depicted.
As reported by: Josh Robbins via Twitter Other tagged players: Arron Afflalo, Jonathan Isaac
Jusuf Nurkic (ankle sprain) questionable for Friday
Nurkic has been listed as questionable on the Portland Trail Blazers’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Orlando Magic due to a sprained right ankle that has already forced him to miss three consecutive games. Meyers Leonard is no longer on the injury report after missing Wednesday’s win due to an illness and has drawn the start at center in two of the three games Nurkic has been sidelined. However, Leonard has been inconsistent in just 19 minutes per game on average in his starts, while Zach Collins and Ed Davis combined to average nearly 33 minutes of the bench. Collins has actually been the better fantasy option when all three big men are available and logged 25 minutes and easily exceeded salary-based expectations in Monday’s contest. Evan Turner remained in the starting lineup at small forward even with Maurice Harkless back from injury, but Damian Lillard will continue to be an elite option no matter the starting lineup, as he owns a +7.9% usage rate differential with Nurkic off the court this season. Not only that, but he also leads the Trail Blazers by a wide margin with a 39.5% usage rate and has averaged 1.27 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.20 on FanDuel in the aforementioned scenario.
As reported by: NBC Sports Northwest via Twitter Justise Winslow (knee) ruled out for Friday; Hassan Whiteside (knee) remains out
Winslow will not travel with the team and has been ruled out for tomorrow’s game against the Charlotte Hornets due to a strained left knee, while Hassan Whiteside will also stay behind in Miami and will miss his eighth consecutive game due to a left knee bone bruise. However, he appears to be nearing a return as he was spotted doing some court work at Thursday’s practice and both he and Winslow will be reevaluated when the Heat return from their brief road trip. Additionally, Tyler Johnson was not included on the injury report and is set to return to a full minute workload following a one-game absence due to migraines. With Whiteside sidelined the Heat have opted to roll with Kelly Olynyk and James Johnson as the starting frontcourt duo in recent games and each will likely see an uptick in minutes with Winslow unavailable, as head coach Erik Spoelstra tends to just tighten his rotation when dealing with a short-term injury absence opposed to inserting an unproven player into key rotational minutes. That said, it’s possible Jordan Mickey sees some run off the bench behind Olynyk, Johnson, and Bam Adebayo but nothing substantial enough to be even be considered as a factor for daily fantasy formats.
As reported by: Anthony Chiang via Twitter Other tagged players: Hassan Whiteside Robert Covington (back contusion) will play Friday
Covington has been cleared to play and will suit up for tomorrow’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder after missing two consecutive games with a lower back contusion. In his absence, Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown opted to alternate starts between Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Richaun Holmes, both of whom will now head back to the bench to resume their normal reserve roles. Covington has been much more consistent this season than in years past now that he’s playing with an elite ball distributor like Ben Simmons at point guard. Not only that, but he owns a 19.9% usage rate thus far en route to averaging a fantasy point per minute with a solid mid-30s minute floor.
As reported by: Keith Pompey via Twitter Draymond Green (shoulder) and Zaza Pachulia (shoulder) ruled out Thursday
Green has officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Dallas Mavericks after previously being listed as doubtful on the Golden State Warriors’ injury report with a sore right shoulder that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Zaza Pachulia has also been ruled out due to sore left shoulder and Nick Young remains in the concussion protocol, effectively ruling him out for Thursday’s contest as well. The Warriors will still be without Stephen Curry, and with Green and Pachulia unavailable, Omri Casspi and Jordan Bell figure to remain in the starting lineup for the second time in as many games, though it’s certainly possible head coach Steve Kerr opts to go back to JaVale McGee at center again. Either way, Bell figures to provide great value on Thursday’s slate after easily exceeding salary-based expectations in 25 minutes of action on Monday evening. Meanwhile, Kevin Durant continues to produce in Curry’s absence and both he and Klay Thompson own at least a +3.4% usage rate differential with the aforementioned players off the court this season, adding to their appeal in all formats while Curry, Green, and Pachulia remain sidelined with their respective ailments.
As reported by: Mark Medina via Twitter Other tagged players: Zaza Pachulia Lauri Markkanen (back spasms) questionable for Friday
Markkanen only participated in the non-contact portion of practice on Thursday and has officially been listed as questionable on the Chicago Bulls’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks due to back spasms that have forced him to miss two consecutive games. Markkanen was initially cleared to play and was even confirmed in the Bulls starting lineup for Wednesday’s win but ended up being a late scratch after he experienced some discomfort following pregame warmups. If he’s unable to suit up, Nikola Mirotic will draw the start at power forward for the third time in as many games and has averaged 33 minutes per game in his two previous spot starts while easily exceeding salary-based expectations on both occasions. Not only that, but Mirotic trails only Kris Dunn for the team lead with a 27.3% usage rate and will be firmly in play for Friday’s slate should Markkanen be ruled out, barring an astronomical price increase, of course.
As reported by: K.C. Johnson via Twitter Allen Crabbe (sore knee) questionable Thursday
Crabbe has officially been listed as questionable on the Brooklyn Nets’ injury report for tonight’s game against the New York Knicks due to left knee soreness. If he’s unable to suit up, Joe Harris should be expected to enter the starting lineup and has averaged nearly 32 minutes per game in the previous games Crabbe has been sidelined, but with the acquisition of Nik Stauskas his minute floor could be lowered if the former Philadelphia 76er finally makes his Nets debut this evening. Isaiah Whitehead is still on a G-League assignment, so if Crabbe is eventually ruled out, Caris LeVert could see a few minutes extra minutes as the backup point guard and the backup shooting guard in the Brooklyn backcourt rotation. On top of that, both he and DeMarre Carroll each own at least a +2.6% usage rate differential with Crabbe, Whitehead, D’Angelo Russell, and Jeremy Lin off the court this season, adding to their tournament appeal should the aforementioned scenario play out.
As reported by: Anthony Puccio via Twitter I Can't Believe I Like This Guy
I haven’t played Doug McDermott all season, but I’ll be playing him tonight against the Nets. I don’t love a lot of value plays tonight, but I want to get in the studs, so I’m willing to take a chance on some of these value plays. Hardaway Jr. has missed the last six games, and McDermott has played at least 29 minutes in four of those games. He’s a guy that can put up 20+ fantasy points if he’s shooting the ball well, and Brooklyn ranks 25th in defensive efficiency this season.
Starting Because Of Injury
With Dennis Smith Jr. out again tonight, Yogi Ferrell should continue to start for Dallas. He’s started the last two games for Dallas, and he’s played 32 and 35 minutes. Without Curry and with Draymond doubtful, I expect this game to stay close. We don’t have a lot of value tonight, so I really like the idea of locking in a situation that we can predict. Ferrell should play 30+ minutes in a pace up game, and I like his chances to hit value.
High Usage Off The Bench
Willie Cauley-Stein played 30 minutes off the bench in his return from injury, and draws a great matchup against Minnesota tonight. The 30 minutes in his return is a very positive sign, and I’m not worried about his minutes tonight. Karl-Anthony Towns continues to rank in the bottom five in defense real plus minus this season. He only has a 21% usage rate this season, but it goes up 4% when he’s with the second unit. I think he’s priced right on FD, but I like his price on DraftKings tonight.
Anthony Davis (adductor), Jameer Nelson (ankle), and Dante Cunningham (knee) expected to play Wednesday
Davis is expected to play in tonight’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks after previously being listed as questionable on the New Orleans Pelicans’ injury report with a strained left adductor that had forced him to miss four of the last six games, while both Jameer Nelson and Dante Cunningham are also expected to play despite their prior questionable designations due to their respective ailments. The Pelicans are now as close to full strength as they’ve been in recent games with only Tony Allen expected to be unavailable. This means that someone like Rajon Rondo may begin to see his minutes reduced to some extent with Nelson back in the fold to absorb guard minutes off the bench, which makes him an interesting fade candidate after smashing his salary-based expectations in each of the past two games Nelson and Davis have been sidelined.
Other tagged players: Jameer Nelson, Dante Cunningham Meyers Leonard (illness) available Wednesday, but unlikely to play
Leonard will be available off the bench for tonight’s game against the Miami Heat after previously being listed as questionable on the Portland Trail Blazers’ injury report with an illness, but he is unlikely to play and will only see minutes on an emergency basis. This means that Zach Collins will draw the start at center in place of both Leonard and Jusuf Nurkic, who will miss his third consecutive game. In the previous games Nurkic has been sidelined, Leonard has drawn the start at center and has been inconsistent in his 19 minutes per game average, while Collins and Ed Davis combined to average nearly 33 minutes of the bench. However, with Leonard ruled out, Collins now becomes an extremely interesting salary saver after logging 25 minutes and easily exceeding salary-based expectations in Portland’s previous game. Evan Turner will remain in the starting lineup at small forward even with Maurice Harkless back in the fold, but Damian Lillard will continue to be an elite option no matter the starting lineup, as he owns an insane +10.8% usage rate differential with Nurkic off the court this season. Not only that, but he also leads the Trail Blazers by a wide margin with a 42.6% usage rate and has averaged 1.40 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.33 on FanDuel in the aforementioned scenario.
As reported by: Jason Quick via Twitter Nikola Jokic (ankle sprain) will come off the bench on Wednesday
Jokic will suit up for tonight’s game against the Boston Celtics after previously being listed as questionable on the Denver Nuggets’ injury report with a sprained right ankle that had forced him to miss five consecutive games, while Will Barton has been ruled out despite only carrying a probable designation earlier in the day. However, Jokic has not been listed as a starter for Wednesday’s contest and is expected to come off the bench, though it still remains unknown if Jokic will be subject to a minute restriction. Trey Lyles is slated to start at power forward alongside Mason Plumlee in the frontcourt, while Kenneth Faried will be available off the bench but was a DNP-CD on Tuesday and, despite a crowded backcourt, stands a better chance of seeing floor time with Jokic available to play, as head coach Mike Malone rarely utilizes Faried alongside Plumlee in the Nuggets backcourt. With Barton and Paul Millsap off the court this season, Gary Harris and Malik Beasley each own at least a +5.7% usage rate differential while Harris has averaged 0.94 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 0.96 on FanDuel, leaving him firmly in play at his expected minute workload sans Barton.
Tyler Johnson (migraine) officially ruled out Wednesday
Johnson has officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers after previously being downgraded to doubtful on the Miami Heat’s injury report with a migraine. In his absence, Wayne Ellington should see a bump in playing time, but it’s just as likely that Goran Dragic and Dion Waiters could be asked to have their minutes extended over their normal starters’ workload, which would obviously add to their appeal in daily fantasy formats on Wednesday’s slates across the industry. That said, with Johnson and Hassan Whiteside off the court this season, it’s been James Johnson and Kelly Olynyk that have been the players to lead the Heat in per minute production, both averaging roughly around a fantasy point per minute in the aforementioned scenario.
As reported by: the Miami Heat via Twitter Markieff Morris (hip) and Ian Mahinmi (knee) ruled out Wednesday
Morris is a surprise late scratch and has been ruled out for tonight’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies due to a sore right hip, despite never appearing on the Washington Wizards’ injury report at any point, while Ian Mahinmi will miss his second consecutive game with a strained right knee. In Morris’ absence, Mike Scott will enter the starting lineup at power forward and should be expected to see big minutes with how depleted the Wizards frontcourt is this evening. Mahinmi had been the beneficiary of additional playing time in recent games and has logged at least 23 minutes off the bench in four of the last seven games. Now that he’s ruled out, Jason Smith will likely step into the backup center role behind Marcin Gortat and absorb a larger role in the Wizards frontcourt rotation. With John Wall set to make his return, Tim Frazier will head back to the bench, and likely out of the rotation altogether, as Tomas Satoransky has seemingly overtaken the backup point guard role and has consistently seen more playing time while Wall was sidelined.
As reported by: the Washington Wizards via Twitter Other tagged players: Ian Mahinmi