DFS Alerts
Will Barton (back) ruled out Wednesday; Nikola Jokic (ankle) available to play
Barton has been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Boston Celtics after previously being listed as probable on the Denver Nuggets’ injury report with a lower back contusion, while Nikola Jokic will make his return from a five-game absence following his earlier questionable designation. Jokic has not been listed as a starter for Wednesday’s contest and is expected to come off the bench, though it does still remain unknown if he will be subject to a minute restriction. Trey Lyles is slated to start at power forward alongside Plumlee in the frontcourt, while Kenneth Faried will be available off the bench and 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.
As reported by: Chris Dempsey via Twitter Other tagged players: Nikola Jokic
Tyreke Evans (sore hip) ruled out Wednesday
Evans is a late scratch after experiencing some soreness in his right hip during pregame warmups and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Washington Wizards, and even though interim head coach J.B. Bickerstaff failed to name his starting lineup, Mario Chalmers is by far the leading candidate to draw the start at point guard in his absence with Mike Conley still sidelined with his Achilles issue. The unavailability of Evans is a big loss for this Grizzlies squad, as they will now be without their top two playmakers in the backcourt. The players that stand to benefit the most with Evans sidelined are Marc Gasol and Andrew Harrison, as each own at least a +4.4% usage rate differential with him, Conley, Brandan Wright, and Wayne Selden off the court this season and Harrison has seen a substantial increase in his per minute production, averaging 0.98 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 0.95 on FanDuel.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR via Twitter Maurice Harkless (quad contusion) available to play Wednesday
Harkless has been cleared to play and will be available for tonight’s game against the Miami Heat after previously being upgraded to probable from questionable on the Portland Trail Blazers’ injury report with a left quad contusion that had forced him to miss two consecutive games. Meanwhile, Jusuf Nurkic will miss his third straight game with a sprained right ankle and Meyers Leonard remains listed as questionable with an illness. 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 Zach Collins and Ed Davis combined to average nearly 33 minutes of the bench, indicating that the center position will likely be filled by a full-blown timeshare for the duration of Nurkic’s absence. However, if Leonard is ruled out, Collins would then become an extremely interesting salary saver after logging 25 minutes and easily exceeding salary-based expectations in Portland’s previous game. It remains to be seen whether Evan Turner will remain in the starting lineup at small forward with Harkless back in the fold, but Damian Lillard will continue to be an elite option no matter what, 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: NBC Sports Northwest via Twitter Tyler Johnson (migraine) downgraded to doubtful Wednesday
Johnson is a late addition to the Miami Heat’s injury report and has been listed as doubtful for tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers due to a migraine and, according to head coach Erik Spoelstra, is not currently at the arena. In his likely 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, 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 James Johnson and Kelly Olynyk 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 Kyrie Irving (quad contusion) will play Wednesday
Irving has been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Denver Nuggets after previously being listed as probable on the Boston Celtics’ injury report with a left quad contusion that had forced him to miss one game. Meanwhile, with Al Horford sitting out Wednesday’s contest for rest purposes, Marcus Smart will draw the start at the shooting guard spot, sliding Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum over to small forward and power forward, respectively, in a small-ball starting lineup. The Celtics are still without Marcus Morris, who remains sidelined indefinitely with a sore knee, so Aron Baynes will remain as the Celtics’ starting center for the foreseeable future. Smart now remains in play as a value option on Wednesday’s slate despite his lackluster performance in 31 minutes of action on Monday night. The player that has benefited the most from Horford and Morris’ absences from usage and production standpoints is Jayson Tatum, as he and Smart own at least a +5.7% usage rate differential in the aforementioned scenario, while Tatum has averaged 1.06 fantasy points per minute.
As reported by: the Boston Celtics via Twitter Marcus Smart will start for Al Horford (rest) on Wednesday
Horford had been ruled out on the Boston Celtics’ injury report in advance of tonight’s game against the Denver Nuggets due to rest purposes, while Kyrie Irving will play, as expected, after previously being listed as probable with a left quad contusion that had forced him to miss one game. In his absence, Marcus Smart will draw the start at the shooting guard spot, sliding Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum over to small forward and power forward, respectively, in a small-ball starting lineup. The Celtics are still without Marcus Morris, who remains sidelined indefinitely with a sore knee, so Aron Baynes will remain as the Celtics’ starting center for the foreseeable future. Smart now remains in play as a value option on Wednesday’s slate despite his lackluster performance in 31 minutes of action on Monday night. The player that has benefited the most from Horford and Morris’ absences from usage and production standpoints is Jayson Tatum, as he and Smart own at least a +5.7% usage rate differential in the aforementioned scenario, while Tatum has averaged 1.06 fantasy points per minute.
As reported by: Sean Grande via Twitter Other tagged players: Al Horford John Wall (knee) will play Wednesday, but limited to minutes in the mid-20s
Wall has been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies after missing nine consecutive games due to PRP and viscosupplementation injections he received in his left knee to reduce the inflammation, while Ian Mahinmi is expected to be a game-time decision with a sore right knee that kept him sidelined for Tuesday’s contest. 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. If he’s ruled out, Jason Smith will likely step into the backup center role behind Marcin Gortat, along with Mike Scott to a lesser extent, and absorb a larger role in the Wizards frontcourt rotation. With 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: Ben Standig via Twitter Darren Collison (knee) and Cory Joseph (shoulder) will play Wednesday
Collison has been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder after previously being listed as questionable on the Indiana Pacers’ injury report with a sore left shoulder that had forced him to miss one game, while Cory Joseph will also be available to play following his earlier questionable designation. Joseph took over as the starting point guard in Collison’s absence but was largely ineffective in 31 minutes of action, and he won’t be a viable fantasy option with Collison active and expected to be at full strength. Additionally, the availability of Collison and Joseph will relegate Joe Young back into his fringe reserve role in the rotation and has eclipsed 10 minutes in a game just once all year.
As reported by: the Indiana Pacers via Twitter Other tagged players: Cory Joseph Arron Afflalo (back spasms) ruled out Wednesday
Afflalo has been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers after previously being listed as questionable on the Orlando Magic’s injury report with back spasms. He’ll join Aaron Gordon among the Magic’s recent additions to the inactive list, and Gordon remains in the final phases of the concussion protocol and will miss his second consecutive games. The Magic are also without Evan Fournier, Jonathan Isaac, and Terrence Ross, which has led the team to recall Adreian Payne, Jamel Artis, and Khem Birch from the G-League and all will be available to play, though Payne and Marreese Speights were DNP-CDs in the previous game with Gordon sidelined. 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 +5.6% usage rate differential and see substantial increases to their per minute fantasy production, adding to their appeal in all formats on Wednesday’s slate.
As reported by: Orlando Magic PR via Twitter John Collins (shoulder sprain) upgraded to probable for Thursday
Collins has officially been listed as probable on the Atlanta Hawks’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Detroit Pistons due to a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder that has forced him to miss six consecutive games, while Luke Babbitt has been listed as probable for the eighth straight game and Mike Muscala and Dewayne Dedmon remain sidelined with their respective injuries. Assuming Collins is at least close to full strength and not subject to a minute restriction, he’ll likely take over the starting center role from Tyler Cavanaugh, who easily exceeded salary-based expectations in 28 minutes in his lone spot start, and will relegate Miles Plumlee from the frontcourt rotation with Babbitt and Ersan Ilyasova absorbing a majority of the playing time at power forward for the remaining duration of Muscala and Dedmon’s absences.
As reported by: Michael Cunningham via Twitter Draymond Green (shoulder) and Zaza Pachulia (shoulder) doubtful for Thursday
Green did not practice and has been listed as doubtful on the Golden State Warriors’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Dallas Mavericks due to a sore right shoulder that forced him to be a surprise late scratch for Monday’s contest, while Zaza Pachulia has also been listed as doubtful due to sore left shoulder and Nick Young didn’t participate in practice and remains in the concussion protocol, effectively ruling him out for Thursday’s contest. The Warriors will still be without Stephen Curry and with Green and Pachulia appearing unlikely to play, 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 start JaVale McGee at center again. Either way, barring a significant price increase, 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: Anthony Slater via Twitter Other tagged players: Zaza Pachulia, Nick Young Jusuf Nurkic (ankle) ruled out Wednesday; Meyers Leonard (illness) questionable; Maurice Harkless (quad) now probable
Nurkic has been ruled out and won’t suit up for tonight’s game against the Miami Heat after previously being listed as questionable on the Portland Trail Blazers’ injury report with a sprained right ankle that has now forced him to miss three consecutive games. Meanwhile, Meyers Leonard has been downgraded to questionable with an illness, and Maurice Harkless has been upgraded to probable and appears likely to make his return from a two-game absence due to a left quad contusion. In the previous games Nurkic has been sidelined, Meyers Leonard has drawn the start at center and has been inconsistent in his 19 minutes per game average, while Zach Collins and Ed Davis combined to average nearly 33 minutes of the bench, indicating that the center position will likely be filled by a full-blown timeshare in Nurkic’s absence. However, if Leonard is ruled out, Collins would then become an extremely interesting salary saver after logging 25 minutes and easily exceeding salary-based expectations in Portland’s previous game. It remains to be seen whether Evan Turner will remain in the starting lineup at small forward with Harkless likely back, but Damian Lillard will continue to be an elite option no matter what, 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: Casey Holdahl via Twitter Joe Johnson (wrist) ruled out Tuesday; Jonas Jerebko (illness) available to play
Johnson has officially been ruled out and won’t suit up for tonight’s game against the Chicago Bulls after previously being listed as questionable on the Utah Jazz injury report with right wrist instability, while Jonas Jerebko will be available to play following his earlier probable designation due to a minor illness. Additionally, Rodney Hood has been cleared to play after missing seven consecutive games with a sore left ankle, and Raul Neto has officially been ruled out with a concussion. Hood told reporters at shootaround that he expects to have a minute restriction for his return but is still unsure of the exact amount. Prior to his injury, Hood had been demoted to the bench in favor of Donovan Mitchell and is more than likely to remain in that role given the emergence of Mitchell in the early portion of this young season. In Hood’s absence, Alec Burks ended up being the largest beneficiary since he was able to assume the role as the primary scoring option off the bench and now he and Hood are expected to lead the second unit and serve as the primary guards off the bench behind Mitchell and Ricky Rubio in the frontcourt, effectively limiting each player’s overall floor and ceiling combination on a nightly basis.
As reported by: Kyle Goon via Twitter Other tagged players: Jonas Jerebko Lauri Markkanen (back spasms) will play Wednesday
Markkanen has been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Utah Jazz after missing one game due to back spasms. Head coach Fred Hoiberg also added that Markkanen will receive treatment on his ailing back following shootaround in preparation for Wednesday’s contest. With Markkanen available, Nikola Mirotic will likely head back to the bench to resume his normal reserve role after easily exceeding salary-based expectations in 31 minutes of action in his spot start Monday night. It’s yet to be confirmed whether Markkanen will be limited by a minute restriction for his return, but if he is, it’s possible that Mirotic sees extended run once again. That said, he’d only be viable as an ultra contrarian option in tournaments given the difficult matchup with the Jazz defensive unit and the increase in the price tag for his expected minute workload.
As reported by: Vincent Goodwill via Twitter Price is Up, but so is the Opportunity
In NBA DFS, I try not to pay a premium for players unless they are 1) in a great matchup or 2) have a new role in the offense thanks to an injury. With Evan Fournier and Aaron Gordon ruled out, Simmons becomes the second best option offensively behind Nikola Vucevic. While the price on Simmons seems a bit too high, he could play 40 minutes with a high usage rate against the Clippers, who have struggled to defend wing players all season.
