DFS Alerts
Marcus Morris (sore knee) ruled out Sunday, will miss two games
Morris has been ruled out and won’t play in today’s game against the Detroit Pistons after previously being listed as questionable on the Boston Celtics’ injury report with lingering left knee soreness. Not only that, but the team has gone as far to rule him out for Monday’s game against the Chicago Bulls as well. Aron Baynes remains listed as probable after being kneed in the stomach during Friday’s loss but should be expected to play since the Celtics often don’t update probable players’ statuses prior to game-time. With Morris officially unavailable, Jayson Tatum and Daniel Theis should see a slight uptick in playing time and the latter posted a fantastic stat line in just 17 minutes in the previous game Morris was sidelined with the same knee issue. Morris had come off the bench for four consecutive games prior to this most recent injury absence with Baynes and Al Horford manning the center and power forward spots, respectively, and Baynes, assuming he does play, will almost assuredly remain in the starting lineup for Sunday’s game considering the matchup with Andre Drummond in the Pistons frontcourt.
As reported by: Chris Forsberg via Twitter
George Hill (personal) ruled out Sunday; Willie Cauley-Stein (back) remains out
Hill has been ruled out and won’t play in today’s game against the Toronto Raptors due to personal reasons, despite never appearing on the Sacramento Kings’ injury report at any time, while Willie Cauley-Stein will miss his third consecutive game with a strained lower back. In Hill’s absence, Buddy Hield figures to draw the start alongside De’Aaron Fox in the backcourt, while Jakarr Sampson probably remains the likeliest candidate to start at power forward, though the Kings did recall Skal Labissiere from the G-League and could possibly throw his hat in the ring after Sampson logged just 12 minutes in Friday’s start. Frank Mason has been basically as productive as Fox in recent games and sets up as an interesting tournament pivot, as both he and Sampson own at least a +2.3% usage rate differential with Hill and Cauley-Stein off the court this season. That said, Mason has the much more actionable usage rate at 26.8% and could end up seeing some extra run in garbage time should this matchup with the heavily-favored Raptors get out of hand before the fourth quarter.
As reported by: Sean Cunningham via Twitter Other tagged players: Willie Cauley-Stein Ride This Power Forward
The injury to Nemanja Bjelica has carved a path for Taj Gibson to log heavy minutes, and Bjelica still hasn’t played since November 22nd. Gibson has played at least 36 minutes in nine straight games, and the Dallas Mavericks are allowing the 4th most rebounds per game to opponents. I’d continue riding Gibson until Bjelica returns or he just runs out of gas.
A Dirt-Cheap Starting Point Guard To Consider
With Dennis Smith Jr. set to miss Sunday’s game, we should see Yogi Ferrell start at point guard again for the Mavericks against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Ferrell only played 23 minutes in Friday’s game (which he also started) but was plagued with foul trouble, picking up five fouls. That likely contributed to his low minutes, but he wasn’t very efficient with those 23 minutes either. Ferrell’s usage rate is just 15.5% on the season, which is ranked 9th on his own team. All this is to say that Ferrell is fine for cash games given his low price will allow you to spend up elsewhere and it’s hard to pass that up for a starting point guard, but he’s generally not someone who will blow his salary away.
Grab Value Where You Can
Rondo is still pretty cheap, and although he’s been playing less than 30 minutes, he just got Friday night off. Further, backup Jameer Nelson, who has been playing significant minutes, is doubtful today. I expect Rondo to pick up some of those minutes, meaning there’s a very good chance he plays 30 or more minutes in what should be a fast-paced game against the Sixers. These types of game suit Rondo well as he needs to rack up rebounds and assists in order to pay off his price tag. On a short slate with not too many options, I’m very comfortable using Rondo in cash games.
Back to the Value Well in Cash Games
Ilyasova was a recommended play yesterday given the number of injuries to Atlanta’s front court. Nothing has changed as the Hawks are in the same situation, so expect Ilyasova to push for 30 minutes once again. He’s been extremely productive when he’s on the floor as the Hawks lack offense and need him to contribute. He’s a strong value play on this short three game slate.
Jamal Murray (calf tightness) questionable Sunday
Murray has been added to the Denver Nuggets’ injury report and has been listed as questionable for tonight’s game against the Indiana Pacers due to right calf tightness. The Nuggets are still without Nikola Jokic and Paul Milsap, so they could potentially be down three starters if Murray is unable to suit up. Additionally, the Nuggets have recalled Monte Morris from the G-League and he will be available to play this afternoon, signaling that Murray could end up being ruled out. 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. The fact that Gary Harris played just 23 minutes on Friday night is a bit concerning, but he shapes up as an intriguing tournament option on Sunday’s slate since he owns a +5.7% usage rate differential and has averaged 1.06 fantasy points per minute with Murray, Jokic, and Millsap off the court this season.
As reported by: Chris Dempsey via Twitter Dario Saric (corneal abrasion) will play Saturday
Saric has been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers after previously being listed as questionable on the Philadelphia 76ers’ injury report with a right corneal abrasion and left eye laceration that had forced him to miss one game, while T.J. McConnell has been ruled out in advance with a nagging left shoulder issue. The Sixers are also without Joel Embiid for Saturday’s contest due to workload management and has yet to be cleared by the medical staff to play in back-to-back situations. Now that Saric is available, Amir Johnson figures to draw the start at center alongside him in the frontcourt with Richaun Holmes serving as the backup center, while Trevor Booker, who was just acquired in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday, was spotted at the team’s morning shootaround and will be available to play off the bench. That said, Ben Simmons and Robert Covington are the ones that stand to benefit the most from a usage standpoint sans Embiid, as each own at least a +3.7% usage rate differential with the big man off the court this season, but Covington has capitalized the most on this extra usage thus far and is averaging 1.14 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.09 on FanDuel in the aforementioned scenario.
As reported by: Keith Pompey via Twitter Nicolas Batum (sore elbow) will start Saturday
Batum has surprisingly been cleared to play and will start in tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers despite initially being listed as doubtful on the Charlotte Hornets’ injury report with a sore left elbow. He was later upgraded to a game-time decision pending pregame warmups and appears to be a full-go for Saturday’s contest. Meanwhile, Jeremy Lamb has already been ruled out with a shin contusion and Frank Kaminsky will remain sidelined for a second straight game with a sprained right ankle. Dwayne Bacon was a fixture in the starting lineup earlier in the season when Batum and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist were sidelined and he figures to step into a larger role with Lamb unavailable. The combination of Kaminsky and Cody Zeller, who’s out indefinitely, typically sees in the range of 40 minutes per night for this Charlotte frontcourt, so that playing time will continue to be distributed amongst Dwight Howard, Marvin Williams, and allow both Treveon Graham and Johnny O’Bryant to absorb larger roles off the bench, and they saw 19 and 10 minutes of playing time, respectively, in the previous game.
As reported by: Rick Bonnell via Twitter Jameer Nelson (ankle) doubtful for Sunday
Nelson has officially been listed as doubtful on the New Orleans Pelicans’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers due to a left ankle issue, while neither Anthony Davis wasn’t included on the injury report after playing 30 minutes in Friday’s overtime loss and Rajon Rondo is expected to return from a one-game absence due to rest. There’s yet to be any word on whether Davis will be subject to a minute restriction once again and exceeded his reported 25-minute limit in last night’s contest due to overtime. With Nelson unlikely to suit up, 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 Nelson’s typical high-teens-to-low-20s minutes off the bench.
As reported by: Pelicans PR via Twitter Jeremy Lamb (shin) officially ruled out Saturday; Nicolas Batum (elbow) now a game-time decision
Lamb has been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers after previously being listed as doubtful on the Charlotte Hornets’ injury report with a shin contusion, while Nicolas Batum remains listed as doubtful with a sore left elbow but will go through pregame warmups anyway before determining his availability. When Batum and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist were sidelined earlier in the season, Dwayne Bacon was a fixture in the starting lineup and will start at shooting guard on Saturday if Batum is eventually ruled out. The combination of Kaminsky and Cody Zeller, who’s out indefinitely, typically sees in the range of 40 minutes per night for this Charlotte frontcourt, so that playing time will continue to be distributed amongst Dwight Howard, Marvin Williams, and allow both Treveon Graham and Johnny O’Bryant to absorb larger roles off the bench, and they saw 19 and 10 minutes of playing time, respectively, on Friday night. There has been almost no sample size with the aforementioned players off the court this season, but in that limited time, Kemba Walker has posted +6.6% usage rate en route to an absurd rate of 1.62 fantasy points per minute, sealing his status as an elite option for all formats if he’s able to come anywhere close to that type of production in Saturday’s contest, if and when Batum is ruled out.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Nicolas Batum Marcus Morris (knee) questionable for Sunday; Aron Baynes (stomach) probable
Morris has officially been listed as questionable on the Boston Celtics’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Detroit Pistons due to a lingering knee issue that forced him to miss a couple weeks to begin the season, while Aron Baynes has been listed as probable after being kneed in the stomach during Friday’s loss. Morris was classified as a “game-time decision” for last night’s contest by head coach Brad Stevens but ended up playing 25 minutes off the bench. So, unless he suffered some type of setback, he should be expected to suit up despite the questionable designation. Morris has come off the bench for four consecutive games now with Baynes and Al Horford manning the center and power forward spots, and Baynes could remain in the starting lineup for Sunday’s game considering the matchup with Andre Drummond in the Pistons frontcourt, though Morris ended up drawing the start at power forward in the Celtics’ previous matchup with Detroit earlier in the year.
As reported by: the Boston Celtics via Twitter Other tagged players: Aron Baynes Nicolas Batum (elbow) and Jeremy Lamb (shin) doubtful Saturday; Frank Kaminsky (ankle) remains out
Batum has been added to the Charlotte Hornets’ injury report and has been listed as doubtful for tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers due to a sore left elbow, while Jeremy Lamb has also been listed as doubtful with a shin contusion and Frank Kaminsky remains out for a second consecutive game with a sprained right ankle. When Batum and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist were sidelined earlier in the season, Dwayne Bacon was a fixture in the starting lineup and is likely to start at shooting guard on Saturday with Batum and Lamb not expected to suit up at this point. The combination of Kaminsky and Cody Zeller, who’s out indefinitely, typically see in the range of 40 minutes per night for this Charlotte frontcourt, so that playing time will continue to be distributed to amongst Dwight Howard, Marvin Williams, and allow both Treveon Graham and Johnny O’Bryant to absorb larger roles off the bench in their absences and they saw 19 and 10 minutes of playing time, respectively, on Friday night. There has been almost no sample size with the aforementioned players off the court this season, but in that limited time, Kemba Walker has posted +6.6% usage rate en route to an absurd rate of 1.62 fantasy points per minute, sealing his status as an elite option for all formats if he’s able to come anywhere close to that type of production in Saturday’s contest, if and when Batum and Lamb are ruled out.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Jeremy Lamb, Frank Kaminsky Chandler Parsons (rest) ruled out Saturday
Parsons has been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to rest purposes, Brandan Wright will remain sidelined with a right groin injury and both now join Mike Conley and Wayne Selden among the Memphis Grizzlies’ inactive list. Parsons has consistently been seeing minutes between 20-25 minutes, so there will certainly be some slack to pick up at the wing positions with Parsons resting on the second leg of a back-to-back set. Andrew Harrison replaced Ben McLemore in the starting lineup for Friday’s contest and ended up seeing 29 minutes of action. If there weren’t so many other value options available, Harrison would be a bit more interesting, as both he and James Ennis own at least a +2.0% usage rate differential with Parsons and the aforementioned players off the court this season. That said, Marc Gasol and Tyreke Evans continue to be the key cogs in this offense with Conley sidelined, and they lead the Grizzlies in usage rate and per minute production at roughly a fantasy point each.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR via Twitter Point Guard On A Hot Streak
It’s hard to ignore the hot streak that Kris Dunn has been on. He’s coming off a gem against the Charlotte Hornets in an overtime win, and over his past six games, he’s averaging 32.3 minutes per game. Dunn now gets to face an average New York Knicks defense and a Jarrett Jack matchup he should win. Dunn did play 41 minutes on Friday so that’s a slight concern, but the price and matchup are too good to pass up.