DFS Alerts
Myles Turner (sore knee) will play Friday
Turner has been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Toronto Raptors after previously being listed as questionable on the Indiana Pacers’ injury report with a sore right knee. His availability obviously douses some of the intrigue in rostering Domantas Sabonis on Friday’s eight-game slate, though he has arguably been a better play that Turner for the past few weeks from a point-per-dollar perspective, despite coming off the bench. In fact, Turner met or exceeded salary-based expectations just three times the whole month of November, relegating him to a tournament-only option, even in an exploitable matchup with the Raptors frontcourt defense, and an argument can fairly be made for Sabonis and Thaddeus Young to be better overall options at a lower price point across the industry.
As reported by: the Indiana Pacers via Twitter
Lucas Nogueira (torn calf) ruled out Friday
Nogueira has been diagnosed with a muscle tear in his right calf after undergoing further testing and has been ruled out for tonight’s game against the Indiana Pacers. The Toronto Raptors did not provide a timetable for his return, but he was treated with a platelet-rich plasma injection to enhance the healing process, hinting that Nogueira will likely be sidelined for an extended period of time. From a fantasy perspective, his absence has a very minimal effect on the remaining members of the frontcourt rotation as he has failed to eclipse eight minutes of playing time in seven of the Raptors’ last 10 games. If anything, there will be a few extra minutes available for Jonas Valanciunas and backup center Jakob Poeltl, though each continues to have their minute floors capped by head coach Dwane Casey’s propensity to roll with small-ball lineups on a consistent basis.
As reported by: RaptorsMR via Twitter Nikola Jokic (ankle) ruled out for Saturday; Wilson Chandler (back) questionable
Jokic has been ruled out and won’t suit up for tomorrow’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers due to a sprained left ankle he sustained during Thursday’s win, while Wilson Chandler has been upgraded to questionable with lower back pain that has already forced him to miss two consecutive games. Jokic left the game in the second quarter and Will Barton ended up being inserted into the starting lineup to begin the second half and is likely the leading candidate to start on Saturday if Chandler is ruled out for the third straight game. Barton saw 35 minutes off the bench in last night’s game and put up his best performance of the entire season, scoring 37 real points, and will likely be a chalky option on Saturday’s slate should Chandler be unavailable. However, with Jokic, Chandler, and Millsap off the court this season, Gary Harris has been a huge beneficiary in the limited sample, as he leads the Nuggets with a 34.9% usage rate, good for a massive +15.8% increase, and paces the field with a rate of 1.13 fantasy points per minute, making him an interesting tournament pivot from Barton at a likely similar price point.
As reported by: Harrison Wind via Twitter Other tagged players: Wilson Chandler Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (ankle) and Allen Crabbe (back) probable for Saturday
Hollis-Jefferson has been upgraded to probable on the Brooklyn Nets’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Atlanta Hawks with a sprained right ankle that has forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Allen Crabbe will join him with his own probable designation and looks set to return from a three-game absence himself due to a sore lower back. With both forwards looking likely to play, Joe Harris and Tyler Zeller or Trevor Booker will likely be sent back to the bench to resume their typical reserve roles, though with Atlanta without three of their key rotational big men in John Collins, Dewayne Dedmon, and Mike Muscala, Booker seems much more likely to stick with starting unit given the likelihood this game goes small. With D’Angelo Russell and Jeremy Lin off the court this season, Crabbe and DeMarre Carroll continue to benefit in their new roles, as each own at least a +2.7% usage rate differential in this scenario and have consistently seen playing time in the 30-35 minute range, a rarity for players in head coach Kenny Atkinson’s typically deep rotations.
As reported by: Ben Nadeau via Twitter Other tagged players: Allen Crabbe Alex Len (sore ankle) questionable for Saturday
Len has officially been listed as questionable on the Phoenix Suns’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Boston Celtics due to a sore left ankle. The Suns’ starting center and frontcourt rotation, in general, has been a mess of late, and interim head coach Jay Triano declined to provide his starting lineup for Saturday’s contest following the team’s Friday practice. In Wednesday’s loss, Greg Monroe drew the start at center, allowing Marquese Chriss to re-enter the starting lineup at power forward, while Len served as the primary backup center, leading to a DNP-CD for Tyson Chandler, who was available to play, on the second leg of a back-to-back set. Clearly, this is a difficult situation to attack in any daily fantasy format for Saturday’s slate, though Len’s potential absence would provide a bit more clarity to the possible frontcourt rotation in a brutal matchup with the Celtics’ top-ranked defensive unit.
As reported by: Scott Bordow via Twitter Andre Iguodala (knee) ruled out Friday; Kevin Durant (ankle), Stephen Curry (hand), Klay Thompson (ankle), and David West (knee) will play
Iguodala has been ruled out and won’t suit up for tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic despite previously being upgraded to probable on the Golden State Warriors’ injury report with a sore left knee, while Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and David West will all be available to play following their respective injury designations on the injury report. Considering Durant, Curry and West had been upgraded to probable along with Iguodala, their availability is far from surprising and the Warriors will have their normal starting lineup intact for Friday’s road tilt with a Magic squad that ranks 24th in defensive efficiency and play at the sixth-fastest pace in the NBA this season. In the prior two games, Iguodala has missed due to rest or injury, it’s been Nick Young who has benefited the most from additional playing time, while Omri Casspi barely saw the court. That said, given how sporadic head coach Steve Kerr’s reserve rotation can be, there are better on-paper punt options available on an eight-game slate than Young, who relies solely on his ability to get hot from three-point range to make and exceed salary-based expectations.
As reported by: Chris Haynes via Twitter Other tagged players: Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, David West Maybe the Starters Can Show Up this Time?
The Wizards’ starters have been atrocious over the last two games. Their bench has come in and played very well, which has led to limited minutes for both Bradley Beal and Otto Porter. Even though the Pistons are a subpar matchup for fantasy production, I will be loading up on Porter tonight. He sees a nice usage and FP/min boost with John Wall off the floor and he should be able to avoid the defense of Avery Bradley.
Jeff Teague (Achilles) a game-time decision Friday; Nemanja Bjelica (foot) ruled out
Teague will be a game-time decision for tonight’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder and is still officially listed as questionable on the Minnesota Timberwolves’ injury report with a sore right Achilles, while Nemanja Bjelica has been ruled out and will miss his fifth consecutive game. teague did tell reporters following shootaround that he is prepared to play but still needs to test his ankle in pregame warmups. Still, if Teague is unable to suit up for the fifth straight contest, Tyus Jones would draw the start at point guard once again and has been stellar in his previous four starts, easily exceeding salary-based expectations each time and is averaging just under 38 minutes per game as a starter. Considering it’s possible we don’t know Teague’s official availability prior to lock on the main slate, Jones is certainly worth a speculative play in tournaments given the immense upside he has flashed for his price tag in the Timberwolves starting lineup. That said, among the remaining starters, Karl-Anthony Towns has been the clear beneficiary with Teague and Bjelica off the court this season, as he owns a +5.1% usage rate differential in that scenario, further adding to his appeal in daily fantasy formats if Teague ends up joining Bjelica among the Timberwolves inactives for Friday night’s game.
As reported by: Jerry Zgoda via Twitter Other tagged players: Nemanja Bjelica Minutes are Trending Upward
It’s always important to look at statistics with context. If you just look at box scores, you will see Ricky Rubio’s minutes being down over the last couple of weeks. What they don’t tell you is that the Jazz have been blowing teams out left and right. He hasn’t played crunch time in the fourth quarter in a few games. With a spread of only 2.5 points against the Pelicans, tonight’s game should stay close. Rubio should top 30 minutes in an exploitable matchup against a bad defense.
Great Matchup and Potentially Low Ownership
Serge Ibaka hasn’t been the model of consistency over the years, but stands out as one of the better value plays available tonight. The Pacers have really struggled against bigs this season. They are ranked 21st in DvP and 28th in efficiency against power forwards and are also a bad rebounding team. Ibaka doesn’t play more than 30 minutes very often these days, but he should see 27-29 minutes if this game stays close.
Jeremy Lamb (knee bursitis) available to play Friday
Lamb has been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Miami Heat after previously being listed as questionable on the Charlotte Hornets’ injury report with left knee bursitis. Meanwhile, Kemba Walker has been ruled out with a left shoulder AC contusion that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. Following Wednesday’s contest, head coach Steve Clifford expressed major concern about whether Walker would be ready to go on Friday night, so it is not all that surprising that he has been deemed unavailable for tonight’s game. Michael Carter-Williams will now likely draw his second start in as many games at point guard, despite struggling mightily in 32 minutes of action in his first start. Now that Lamb is officially active, he’ll become an intriguing target in tournaments, along with Carter-Williams, as he and Malik Monk each own at least a +3.9% usage rate differential with Walker off the court this season, and Lamb trails only Dwight Howard for the team lead with a per minute rate of 1.08 fantasy points on DraftKings and 1.05 on FanDuel.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR via Twitter Mario Chalmers (ankle), Chandler Parsons (knee), and Brandan Wright (groin) will play Friday
Chalmers, Parsons, and Wright have all been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the San Antonio Spurs after previously being listed as questionable on Memphis Grizzlies’ injury report with their respective injuries that had forced them to miss Wednesday’s contest, while Wright will be available to make his return following a five-game absence. With Chalmers available, Tyreke Evans will head back to the bench to resume his normal sixth-man role, though his minutes should not be expected to be affected in any way as he saw the same amount of playing time in his spot start as he normally does off the bench. With Mike Conley still sidelined with a sore left Achilles, Evans will continue to benefit from a usage standpoint, as he owns a +2.3% usage rate differential with Conley off the court this season and continues to lead the Grizzlies with a rate of 1.15 fantasy points per minute in the aforementioned scenario.
As reported by: Ronald Tillery via Twitter Other tagged players: Chandler Parsons, Brandan Wright Kemba Walker (shoulder) ruled out Friday
Walker 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 Charlotte Hornets’ injury report with a left shoulder AC contusion that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Jeremy Lamb remains questionable with left knee bursitis. Following Wednesday’s contest, head coach Steve Clifford expressed major concern about whether Walker would be ready to go on Friday night, so it is not all that surprising that he has been deemed unavailable for tonight’s game. Michael Carter-Williams will now likely draw his second start in as many games at point guard, despite struggling mightily in 32 minutes of action in his first start. Should Lamb be ruled out, Dwayne Bacon would step in as the primary reserve wing player off the bench and has been a significant beneficiary, along with Malik Monk, with both Walker and Lamb off the court, as each rookie owns at least +6.0% usage rate differential in the aforementioned scenario.
As reported by: the Charlotte Hornets via Twitter Top Value Play
Bam Adebayo is going to see a lot of minutes with Hassan Whtieside on the shelf, and we have seen him put up some solid fantasy numbers when given the opportunity this year. I am surprised that the DFS sites did not price him up a little more, as his Friday price is only a few hundred dollars higher than where he was the other night (especially on DK). Take advantage of the discount while you still can. Adebayo played 31 minutes in the loss to the Knicks the other night, which is a good sign for his playing time moving forward. Though he didn’t light up the stat sheet with nine points, five rebounds, and two steals, he still came close to 20 fantasy points, which isn’t awful for a $4,100 player. That was also in a game where the Heat lost by 29 points. They should be more competitive tonight, and Adebayo’s size will be needed against Dwight Howard and the Hornets. Fire him up as a top value play in all formats.
John Collins (shoulder) ruled out for Saturday
Collins won’t travel with the team to Brooklyn and has been ruled out for tomorrow’s game against the Brooklyn Nets due to a left shoulder injury he sustained towards the end of Thursday’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. If Collins were to miss an extended period of time, the Atlanta Hawks frontcourt depth would certainly be tested with Dewayne Dedmon and Mike Muscala still sidelined with their respective injuries, though Muscala still doesn’t have a set timetable for his return so he could be back sooner rather than later. Unless head coach Mike Budenholzer decides to go extremely small without Collins, either Miles Plumlee or Tyler Cavanaugh will likely draw the start at center alongside Luke Babbitt in the frontcourt. There has barely been a sample size with Collins, Dedmon, and Muscala off the court this season, but DeAndre Bembry figures to see some extended run in small-ball lineups and has seen 20 and 23 minutes in each of the Hawks last two games, making him an interesting tournament punt option against a Nets squad that prefers to go small on a consistent basis.
As reported by: Michael Cunningham via Twitter