DFS Alerts
Kevin Durant (ankle sprain) ruled out Sunday
Durant has been ruled out for the Golden State Warriors second leg of a back-to-back set and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Brooklyn Nets due to a sprained left ankle. The team has yet to announce his replacement in the starting lineup, but Andre Iguodala is by far the leading candidate and drew the start at small forward in the previous game Durant missed this season. The only thing that could keep Iguodala from starting would the fact that the Warriors are on the second leg of a road back-to-back after playing in Philadelphia last night. If that’s the case Patrick McCaw, Nick Young, and Omri Casspi enter the conversation as possible starters and candidates to see a larger role off the bench. With Durant off the court this season, Stephen Curry has been the clear beneficiary in terms of usage and production, as he owns a +8.9% usage rate differential in the aforementioned scenario while averaging an insane 64 fantasy points on DraftKings and 61 fantasy points on FanDuel per 36 minutes.
As reported by: Mark Medina via Twitter
Tim Hardaway Jr. (sore foot) questionable for Monday
Hardaway Jr. has officially been listed as questionable on the New York Knicks’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers with a sore left foot that forced him to miss Sunday’s practice. If he’s unable to suit up, either Lance Thomas or Doug McDermott would likely enter the starting lineup, a change that would slide Courtney Lee over to the shooting guard spot. While whoever starts at small forward will see a nice bump in playing time, its Kristaps Porzings that stands to benefit the most among the remaining Knicks starters, as he leads the team with a 42.5% usage rate, good for a sizable +5.3% differential and averages an elite 55 fantasy points per 36 minutes.
As reported by: Fred Kerber via Twitter Luke Babbitt (back spasms) will start Saturday
Babbitt will play and start in tonight’s game against the Boston Celtics after previously being listed as questionable on the Atlanta Hawks’ injury report with back spasms he began experiencing during Wednesday’s contest. He’ll join Mike Muscala and DeAndre Bembry among the Hawks players that will be available to play following an appearance on the injury report prior to Saturday night’s game. However, despite being active, it appears that Muscala will only see the court in the event of an emergency. Which means that Babbitt and Ersan Ilyasova should be expected to absorb most, if not, all of the power forward minutes in Saturday’s matchup with the Celtics.
As reported by: KL Chouinard via Twitter Luc Mbah a Moute (illness) available to play Saturday, likely to be limited
Mbah a Moute has been cleared to play and will be available off the bench in tonight’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies after previously being listed as questionable on the Houston Rockets’ injury report with an illness that had forced him to be a late scratch for Thursday’s contest. He’s likely to have his minutes monitored in his return from a one-game absence, according to head coach Mike D’Antoni, due to probable fatigue. In the two games Mbah a Moute has missed this season, Trevor Ariza has averaged an absurd 39 minutes of playing time and will likely see that time recede to slightly more normal levels on Saturday night. Additionally, D’Antoni is planning on extending Chris Paul to around 23 minutes of action this evening, as he continues to work his way back from a knee bone bruise.
As reported by: Jonathan Feigen via Twitter Thabo Sefolosha (sore knee) available to play Saturday
Sefolosha has been cleared to play and will be available to play off the bench in tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic after previously being listed as questionable on the Utah Jazz’ injury report with a sore right knee. Jonas Jerebko will still start at power forward, even with Sefolosha available, but will still likely see some extended run with Rudy Gobert, Joe Johnson, and Dante Exum all sidelined due to injury and has averaged 21 minutes of action in the past three games. Nate Wolters was recently recalled from the G-League to provide another warm body off the bench and head coach Quin Snyder should be expected to go with small-ball lineups much more often given the current lack of depth at the forward positions and Gobert being unavailable for an extended period of time.
As reported by: Eric Woodyard via Twitter Chandler Parsons will start ahead of James Ennis on Saturday
Parsons will be inserted into the Memphis Grizzlies starting lineup for tonight’s game against the Houston Rockets, a move that will send James Ennis back to the bench to assume a reserve role. Parsons has seen his playing time gradually increase of late, playing 25 minutes in the previous game, and may be worth a shot in tournaments given the pace-up matchup with this Rockets defensive unit.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR via Twitter Other tagged players: James Ennis III Ricky Rubio (sore Achilles) will start Saturday, expected to play around 25 minutes
Rubio will play and start in tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic after previously being listed as probable on the Utah Jazz’ injury report with a sore right Achilles that had kept him sidelined for one game. Rubio will have his minutes monitored as he continues to deal with the aforementioned sore Achilles and is expected to see around 25 minutes of action this evening. Meanwhile, Thabo Sefolosha remains questionable with a sore right knee and is shaping up to be a game-time decision. The return of Rubio will send Rodney Hood back to the bench to assume his newly-acquired bench role and slide Donovan Mitchell back over to the starting shooting guard spot. Should Sefolosha be ruled out, Jonas Jerebko would likely see some extended run at power forward with Rudy Gobert, Joe Johnson, and Dante Exum all unavailable and has averaged 21 minutes of action in the past three games. Nate Wolters was recently recalled from the G-League to provide another warm body off the bench and head coach Quin Snyder should be expected to go with small-ball lineups much more often given the current lack of depth at the forward positions and Gobert being sidelined for an extended period of time.
As reported by: Tony Jones via Twitter D.J. Augustin (hamstring strain) available to play Saturday
Augustin has been cleared to play and will be available off the bench for tonight’s game against the Utah Jazz after previously being “hopeful” to suit up with a strained left hamstring that had forced him to miss seven consecutive games. In his absence, Shelvin Mack served as the primary backup point guard in recent games with Elfrid Payton back in the fold but will likely find himself on the outside looking in at the rotation with Augustin active and likely to resume his normal backup point guard duties.
As reported by: Orlando Magic PR via Twitter Kemba Walker (wrist sprain) will play Saturday
Walker has been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers after previously being listed as questionable on the Charlotte Hornets’ injury report with sprained left wrist he sustained during Friday’s loss. This means that Malik Monk and Michael Carter-Williams will remain in their normal roles off the bench and absorb the backup point guard minutes behind Walker in the frontcourt rotation. Nicolas Batum was able to play 27 minutes in his second game of the season on Friday but is expected to have his minutes monitored on the second leg of a back-to-back set, which could up some extra playing time for Jeremy Lamb off the Hornets’ bench.
As reported by: Rick Bonnell via Twitter Ed Davis (ankle) questionable Saturday
Davis has officially been listed as questionable on the Portland Trail Blazers’ injury report for tonight’s game against the Sacramento Kings with a sprained ankle he sustained during Friday’s loss to this same Kings team. That said, Davis did tell reporters following last night’s game that he would play in Saturday’s second leg of a back-to-back set. If Davis is unable to suit up, Meyers Leonard would likely step into his role in the rotation after filling in for him during a brief stretch in Friday’s contest and Jusuf Nurkic would see his minute floor raised a bit with Davis unavailable off the bench.
As reported by: Jason Quick via Twitter Thabo Sefolosha (knee) questionable Saturday; Ricky Rubio (Achilles) probable
Sefolosha has been listed as questionable on the Utah Jazz injury report for tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic with a sore right knee that has already forced him to miss one game, while Ricky Rubio has been upgraded to probable following his absence from Friday’s contest with a sore right Achilles. The likely return of Rubio would likely send Rodney Hood back to the bench to assume his newly-acquired bench role and slide Donovan Mitchell back over to the starting shooting guard spot. Should Sefolosha be ruled out, Jonas Jerebko would likely see some extended run at power forward with Rudy Gobert, Joe Johnson, and Dante Exum all unavailable and has averaged 21 minutes of action in the past three games. Nate Wolters was recently recalled from the G-League to provide another warm body off the bench and head coach Quin Snyder should be expected to go with small-ball lineups much more often given the current lack of depth at the forward positions and Gobert being sidelined for an extended period of time.
As reported by: Tony Jones via Twitter Other tagged players: Ricky Rubio Injuries Create Opportunities
Much of the attention will be on Mario Chalmers as a tremendous value play today with Mike Conley out for awhile. While that certainly isn’t wrong, let’s not forget that Tyreke Evans is playing the best ball of his career, and with Conley out, Evans is going to inherit much of his responsibilities. I do like Chalmers as a value play, especially in cash games, but I think the player who can really explode in the absence of Conley is Evans. He’s already putting up big numbers, and the boost makes him a near must for me in cash games at this price.
A Point Guard for a Shooting Guard
With Ricky Rubio likely out tonight, Donovan Mitchell should draw another start at point guard for the Jazz. This is a great opportunity to roster a player who is listed at the shooting guard position but will take on the role of a starting point guard. Point guards are generally much safer players because they’re not scoring-dependent as shooting guards often are. It certainly doesn’t hurt that the Magic are allowing the fifth-most fantasy points per game to opposing point guards while playing at the sixth-fastest pace in the league.
Kemba Walker (wrist sprain) questionable Saturday
Walker has officially been listed as questionable on the Charlotte Hornets’ injury report for tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers due to a sprained left wrist. If he’s unable to suit up, either Michael Carter-Williams or Malik Monk would likely draw the start at point guard in his place. Nicolas Batum was able to play 27 minutes in his second game of the season on Friday but is expected to have his minutes monitored on the second leg of a back-to-back set. The Clippers have really struggled defensively without Danilo Gallinari and Patrick Beverley, and if Walker is unable to give it a go, both Monk and Jeremy Lamb would become intriguing tournament options, as each player owns at least a +3.3% usage rate differential with Walker off the court this season. In fact, Monk would likely be cash game viable if he is announced as the starter prior to Saturday’s lock.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR via Twitter Buddy Hield (ankle) and Vince Carter (illness) ruled out Saturday
Hield has been ruled out and won’t suit up for tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers after he was previously considered unlikely to play due to a sprained left ankle, while Vince Carter continues to deal with kidney stones and will miss his sixth consecutive game. The Kings rolled with a new-look starting lineup for Friday’s contest with De’Aaron Fox and Skal Labissiere starting ahead of Bogdan Bogdanovic and Willie Cauley-Stein, though it has yet to be confirmed whether that will be the new starting unit moving forward. With Hield unavailable, Bogdanovic is virtually guaranteed to re-enter the starting lineup for one-game at the very least. There hasn’t really been one direct beneficiary with Hield and Carter off the court this season, but Cauley-Stein, Fox, and Zach Randolph have all seen at least a +2.0% usage rate differential in the aforementioned scenario, putting them all in play for Saturday’s slate regardless of the Kings starting lineup.
As reported by: Jason Jones via Twitter Other tagged players: Vince Carter