DFS Alerts
Kyrie Irving (quad) ruled out Monday; Al Horford (knee) questionable
Irving is a new addition to the Boston Celtics’ injury report and has been ruled out for tonight’s game against the Chicago Bulls due to a left quad contusion, while Al Horford has been listed as questionable with a left knee contusion. The Celtics are still without Marcus Morris, who remains sidelined with a sore knee, so he can be eliminated as a possible starter alongside Aron Baynes if Horford is eventually ruled out. Marcus Smart will almost assuredly enter the starting lineup in Irving’s place and immediately becomes one of the better value options on Monday’s slate and saw nearly 36 minutes of action in the only other game Irving has missed this season. There are a wide cast of characters that would benefit from Horford’s unavailability, in fact, Smart, Baynes, Jayson Tatum, and Terry Rozier all own at least a +5.1% usage rate differential with Horford, Irving, and Morris off the court this season, while Tatum has been the most productive with that extra usage and has averaged 1.10 fantasy points per minute in this scenario.
Other tagged players: Al Horford
Maurice Harkless (quad contusion) ruled out Monday
Harkless has been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Golden State Warriors after previously being listed as questionable on the Portland Trail Blazers’ injury report with a left quad contusion that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. Meanwhile, Jusuf Nurkic had already been ruled out and will also miss his second straight game with a sprained right ankle. In the previous game, Meyers Leonard ended up drawing the start at center and was solid in 20 minutes of action, while Zach Collins and Ed Davis combined for nearly 34 minutes of the bench, indicating that the center position will likely be filled by a full-blown timeshare in Nurkic’s absence. With Harkless ruled out, Pat Connaughton will likely remain in the starting lineup at small forward, and Damian Lillard now approaches must play territory once again, as he owns an insane +12.2% usage rate differential with Harkless and Nurkic off the court this season. Not only that, but he also leads the Trail Blazers by a wide margin with a 43.7% usage rate and has averaged 1.44 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.35 on FanDuel in the aforementioned scenario.
As reported by: Casey Holdahl via Twitter Can He Do It Again?
David Nwaba was playing really well before going down with an injury, and now he’s starting to get his minutes back. Since returning from injury, Nwaba has played five games, and over the last two games, he’s played at least 30 minutes in both games. I’m a huge fan of this guy, so I’m a little biased when I recommend him, but he’s gone for 28 and 30 fantasy points in his last two. If he’s going to play 30 minutes, he’s a great play at this price, but there is risk that he goes back down to 22-25 minutes tonight. At this price though, I’m willing to take a shot on him to fit in Durant and/or Westbrook.
Expecting This Game To Go Small
Like the title says, I think this game goes small tonight, and I would expect Aminu to play 30+ minutes tonight. He sees a nice bump in rebounds and points without Nurkic on the floor, and he’s averaging .97 fantasy points per minute without Nurkic. There isn’t a lot of value I trust on this slate, and if you want to pay up for a stud, you’re going to need some value. With that said, I think Aminu is smart value tonight, and he’s a guy I’m locking into my lineups.
Tristan Thompson (calf) expected to play Tuesday, would come off the bench
Thompson is on track to make his return for tomorrow’s game against the Atlanta Hawks, according to Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue, after missing 19 consecutive games with a strained left calf. The current plan is for Thompson to come off the bench on Tuesday, but there has been no official word on whether he will have a strict minute restriction in his first game back. This means that Kevin Love is slated to remain the Cavaliers’ starting center for at least one additional game, but he was a late scratch from Saturday’s contest due to a sore hip and there has yet to be an update provided by the team on his status for tomorrow’s matchup.
As reported by: Jason Lloyd via Twitter Nicolas Batum (elbow) ruled out Monday; Jeremy Lamb (shin) and Frank Kaminsky (ankle) will play
Batum has been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder after previously being listed as questionable on the Charlotte Hornets’ injury report with a left elbow soreness, while both Jeremy Lamb and Frank Kaminsky have been cleared to play and will suit up following their prior questionable designations due to their respective ailments. Prior to Saturday’s loss, Batum had been listed as doubtful on the injury report but ended up trying to play through the pain and was limited to just 19 minutes of action due to his sore elbow. Now that he’s officially unavailable, Jeremy Lamb will likely draw the start at shooting guard while Dwayne Bacon will absorb a larger role off the bench at the wing positions in his absence. Since Batum made his season debut in mid-November, it’s been Lamb that predictably has benefited the most from playing time and usage standpoints, as he owns a +2.1% usage rate differential with Batum off the floor and has averaged has averaged 1.10 fantasy points per minute, putting him firmly in play for all formats at his price tag across the industry.
As reported by: the Charlotte Hornets via Twitter Other tagged players: Jeremy Lamb, Frank Kaminsky Anthony Davis (adductor) questionable Monday; Jameer Nelson (ankle) and Tony Allen (knee) ruled out
Davis has officially been listed as questionable on the New Orleans Pelicans’ injury report for tonight’s game against the Houston Rockets due to a left adductor injury he re-aggravated during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s win, while Jameer Nelson and Tony Allen have each been ruled out with their respective ailments, the former missing his second consecutive game. Head coach Alvin Gentry opted to roll with a tighter rotation in Sunday’s contest rather than disperse Nelson’s minutes to other reserve players like Ian Clark, as every starter other than DeMarcus Cousins ended up playing at least 37 minutes. That said, he’s much likelier to extend the rotation on the second night of a back-to-back set in a game that has serious blowout risk if Davis is eventually ruled out. As is the case anytime Davis is unavailable, Cousins would become an elite option for all formats on Monday’s slate and owns a +5.1% usage rate differential while leading the Pelicans by a wide margin with a 40.2% usage rate with Davis, Nelson, and Allen off the court this season.
As reported by: Pelicans PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Jameer Nelson, Tony Allen An Under the Radar Top Play?
Danilo Gallinari isn’t getting a lot of buzz, but his return is huge for the Clippers. They lacked any semblance of primary scorers outside of Lou Williams since Blake Griffin got hurt, and Gallinari returned from injury the other night while immediately logging 36 minutes of court time. He was second to Williams in scoring in that game with 25 points, and the workload is going to undoubtedly be there. Fire up Gallinari as one of the best point per dollar options on tonight’s slate.
James Harden (calf) probable Monday; Zhou Qi (calf) doubtful
Harden has been added to the Houston Rockets’ injury report and has been listed as probable for tonight’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans due to a bruised left calf, Zhou Qi has been upgraded from out to doubtful with a sore left calf. The status of Qi is essentially irrelevant as the reserve big man has eclipsed the 8-minute mark just once this season and hasn’t even seen the court for a few weeks. As for Harden’s injury, it doesn’t all too serious and it appears the Rockets are just being cautious with his injury designation in case he suffers a setback in shootaround or pregame warmups. Harden logged 37 minutes en route to an impressive fantasy performance in Saturday’s win, so the bruised calf doesn’t seem to be giving him too many issues. The Rockets’ star guard sets up to be an intriguing tournament pivot away from Kevin Durant on Monday’s slate, as he continues to lead the team with a 38.3% usage rate and draws an exploitable matchup against the Pelicans backcourt defense.
As reported by: Jonathan Feigen via Twitter Other tagged players: Zhou Qi Jusuf Nurkic (ankle) ruled out for Monday; Maurice Harkless (quad) questionable
Nurkic has officially been ruled out and won’t play in tomorrow’s game against the Houston Rockets due to a sprained right ankle that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Maurice Harkless has been listed as questionable on the Portland Trail Blazers’ injury report with a left quad contusion that also kept him sidelined for Saturday’s contest. Meyers Leonard ended up drawing the start at center and was solid in 20 minutes of action, while Zach Collins and Ed Davis combined for nearly 34 minutes of the bench, indicating that the center position will likely be filled by a full-blown timeshare in Nurkic’s absence. If Harkless is eventually ruled out, Pat Connaughton will likely remain in the starting lineup at small forward, and Damian Lillard would approach must play territory once again, as he owns an insane +12.2% usage rate differential with Harkless and Nurkic off the court this season. Not only that, he leads the Trail Blazers by a wide margin with a 43.7% usage rate and has averaged 1.44 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.35 on FanDuel in the aforementioned scenario.
As reported by: Casey Holdahl via Twitter Other tagged players: Maurice Harkless Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot will start for Robert Covington (back) on Sunday; T.J. McConnell (shoulder) remains out
Covington has officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans’ after previously being listed as doubtful on the Philadelphia 76ers’ injury report with a lower back contusion he sustained during Saturday’s loss, while T.J. McConnell will remain sidelined with a sprained left shoulder AC joint that has now forced him to miss four of the last five games. The Sixers are now relatively thin at the wing positions with Justin Anderson still sidelined with an injury and Nik Stauskas now longer with the team, and Brown could have gone several different directions with his starting lineup but opted to start Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot at small forward in order to keep the remaining starters at their natural positions. Luwawu-Cabarrot will obviously see an increase in minutes over his typical mid-teens role off the bench, but he still remains a low-usage player, especially in the starting unit. Not only that, but Jerryd Bayless and Trevor Booker also figure to absorb additional playing time in different lineup configurations. That said, the starters that see a noteworthy uptick in usage with Covington, Anderson, and McConnell off the court are Joel Embiid and J.J. Redick, as each owns at least a +2.1% usage rate, while Embiid leads the Sixers by a wide margin with a 39.5% usage rate in the aforementioned scenario.
As reported by: Keith Pompey via Twitter Other tagged players: T.J. McConnell Jameer Nelson (ankle) officially ruled out Sunday
Nelson has officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers after previously being listed as doubtful on the New Orleans Pelicans’ injury report with a left ankle issue, while Anthony Davis wasn’t included on the injury report after playing 30 minutes in Friday’s overtime loss and Rajon Rondo will return from a one-game absence due to rest. Davis will have his minute restriction lifted for Sunday’s contest and actually exceeded his reported 25-minute limit in Friday’s overtime loss. With Nelson unavailable, Ian Clark should end up remaining in the rotation following his solid performance in 27 minutes in his spot start for Rondo and will likely be needed to absorb most of Nelson’s typical high-teens-to-low-20s minutes off the bench.
As reported by: Will Guillory via Twitter Robert Covington (back) officially ruled out Sunday
Covington has officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans’ after previously being listed as doubtful on the Philadelphia 76ers’ injury report with a lower back contusion he sustained during Saturday’s loss, while T.J. McConnell remains listed as questionable in the game notes with a shoulder injury that’s forced him to miss three of the last four games but no official update has yet to be provided by head coach Brett Brown or the team. The Sixers are now relatively thin at the wing positions with Justin Anderson still sidelined with an injury and Nik Stauskas now longer with the team, and Brown could go a couple different directions with the starting lineup by either starting Jerryd Bayless at “point guard” and cross-match Ben Simmons with the Pelicans’ small forward or they could go big by starting Trevor Booker at power forward and moving Dario Saric to small forward. The players that see a noteworthy uptick in usage with Covington and Anderson off the court are Joel Embiid and J.J. Redick, as each owns a +3.1% usage rate, while Embiid leads the Sixers by a wide margin with a 39.0% usage rate in the aforementioned scenario.
As reported by: Kyle Neubeck via Twitter Jamal Murray (calf tightness) available to play Sunday
Murray has been cleared to play and will suit up for today’s game against the Indiana Pacers after previously being listed as questionable on the Denver Nuggets’ injury report with right calf tightness. The Nuggets are still without Nikola Jokic and Paul Milsap, but they will at least avoid being down three starters with Murray now officially available. Additionally, the Nuggets recalled Monte Morris from the G-League and he will be available to play this afternoon, though he’s now even more unlikely to see the court. Murray was limited to just 16 minutes in Friday’s win due to the injury, and Emmanuel Mudiay and Malik Beasley each saw at least 29 minutes of playing time in his absence, while Will Barton logged a team-high 43 minutes. Their minutes will almost assuredly normalize with Murray active, but the fact that Gary Harris played just 23 minutes on Friday night is a bit concerning, though he now shapes up as an intriguing tournament option on Sunday’s slate as a potential bounce-back candidate.
As reported by: Harrison Wind via Twitter Darren Collison (knee) ruled out Sunday; Cory Joseph will start in his place
Collison has been ruled out and won’t play in today’s game against the Denver Nuggets after previously being listed as questionable on the Indiana Pacers’ game notes with a sore left knee, while Lance Stephenson, Thaddeus Young, and Bojan Bogdanovic are all available to play after appearing in the games notes with their respective ailments. In his absence, Cory Joseph will draw the start at point guard and will be an elite value option in a matchup with Nuggets squad ranks 27th in defensive efficiency away from home. Outside of Joseph, the player that stands to benefit the most with Collison sidelined looks to be Victor Oladipo, who owns a +5.7% usage rate differential and has averaged a team-high 1.25 fantasy points per minute with Collison off the court this season.
As reported by: the Indiana Pacers via Twitter Other tagged players: Cory Joseph