DFS Alerts
Marcus Morris to start Sunday
Morris will draw his first start of the season ahead of Aron Baynes on Sunday. The Celtics will rest Morris on the second leg of a back to back on Monday. There’s been no reported minute restriction for Morris and he played 17.8 minutes in his season debut vs the Thunder. With the loss of Gordon Hayward for the season, the Celtics will need a healthy Morris to help fill some of the void left in Hayward’s absence. For now, Morris should be considered a wait and see in terms of DFS. With no guaranteed minutes it’s hard to roster Morris even at a discounted price.
As reported by: Marc D'Amico Twitter
John Wall out Tim Frazier to start
While the news on John Wall does not appear to be a long-term threat, the Wizards will play it safe with their franchise player. Tim Frazier will start in Wall’s place and becomes a great source of salary relief on today’s slate. In Wall’s absence, Bradley Beal should be the biggest playmaker on the floor for the Wizards. Last season when Wall was not on the floor, Beal saw an increased usage rate of 33.9% and averaged 1.12 fantasy points per minute.
As reported by: Candace Buckner Twitter Other tagged players: Tim Frazier Elfrid Payton remains out Sunday
Payton will miss his 8th consecutive game on Sunday. Shelvin Mack got the start in the last game, and with both Payton and Augustin out he scored 21.75 DraftKings points in 21.2 minutes. With the Celtics in town Coach, Frank Vogel will play the matchup game and give Jonathon Simmons the start vs Kyrie Irving. Evan Fournier also continues to shine in Payton’s absence and he and Simmons should share the role of facilitating the Magic’s offense.
As reported by: Orlando Magic PR Other tagged players: Shelvin Mack, Evan Fournier, Jonathon Simmons, Evan Fournier Trevor Booker questionable for Monday
After missing Friday’s game with a sore back, Trevor Booker is listed as questionable heading into Monday’s game vs The Suns. The Nets have also ruled out rookie Jarrett Allen for Monday. For Allen, Monday will mark his third consecutive game missed. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson looks to benefit the most from time missed by Booker. He netted 36.5 DraftKings points on Friday in a season-high 37 minutes.
As reported by: Ben Nadeau Twitter Other tagged players: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson Chandler Parsons out, and Marc Gasol questionable Sunday
The Grizzlies made a last minute switch to the starting lineup yesterday by benching Andrew Harrison in favor of rookie Dillon Brooks. The second round pick struggled to perform as a starter yesterday, but he gets a favorable matchup against The Lakers today. The Grizzlies will need all hands on deck today as injuries have begun to take their toll on the team. Chandler Parsons will miss today’s game, and superstar center Marc Gasol is questionable with a bad ankle. If Gasol is unable to go then Brandon Wright should get extended minutes in today’s matchup vs The Lakers. Tyreke Evans should continue to produce as the sixth man and looks to build on a great start to the 2017 NBA season.
As reported by: Grizzles PR on Twitter Other tagged players: Marc Gasol, Dillon Brooks, Tyreke Evans Dion Waiters out today
Waiters is not with the team as he returned home for the birth of his child. Tyler Johnson becomes the likely candidate to absorb both minutes and scoring void in absences of Waiters. With Johnson already steady fixture in the rotation, The Heat might look to start Justice Winslow in place of Waiters today. Both players should look to benefit from the absence, but Johnson is the likely candidate to play an extended role today.
As reported by: Ira Winderman Twiter Atlanta Hawks starting lineup announced
With early season injuries mounting, the Atlanta Hawks have struggled to play a consistent starting five. The good news for The Hawks today is that star point guard Dennis Schroder will today vs The Cavs. With both Ersan Ilyasova and Mike Muscala out of today’s game, the Hawks will insert Luke Babbitt into the starting lineup. Babbitt is not the type of player we should look to get overly excited about. We should see more minutes and production from sixth man Marco Belinelli. With The Hawks also missing backup point guard Malcolm Delaney out today, Belinelli could see extended minutes of play in an already thin backcourt. Rookie center John Collins should also benefit from the lack of depth in The Hawks rotation. With limited minutes this season, The Hawks rookie has shown flashes of upside and could easily see production of a fantasy point per minute.
As reported by: Dave McMenamin Twitter Other tagged players: Marco Belinelli, John Collins Andrew Bogut ruled out today
Lakers backup center Andrew Bogut will miss today’s game vs the Memphis Grizzlies with back tightness. With frontcourt player, Larry Nance Jr. expected to be out for an extended amount of time with a broken finger we can expect Julius Randle to get extended run. Randle struggled to stay out of foul trouble in his last game, but the team will need to play both backup PF and C minutes for today’s game. An extremely talented player, Randle needs to play well during this time if he has any plans on earning steady minutes in Luke Walton’s rotation moving forward.
As reported by: Los Angeles Lakers Twiter John Wall looks to be out today
The Wizards star point guard suffered a nasty blow during a loss to Clevland on Friday. With back PG Tim Frazier also listed as questionable for Sunday, Bradley Beal will have to shoulder the scoring load for the Wizards. If Frazier does not play then look for Jodie Meeks to absorb the minutes created by injury.
As reported by: David Aldridge Twitter Basketball Unicorns Do Exist
Kristaps Porzingis leads the NBA with a 36.1% usage rate. He is 3rd in points per game (29.0), 7th in blocks (1.75), and 31st in rebounds per game (7.8). The Pacers allow the second most fantasy points to opposing power forwards and are allowing 109.2 points per game, the 8th most in the NBA. Given the usage and matchup, he is the guy I want to spend up on.
The Core Center to Target
Dwight Howard has been extremely consistent this season. The matchup against Karl-Anthony Towns is also a great one for Howard. The Hornets rank 1st in the NBA with 49.8 rebounds per game, while the Timberwolves rank 24th at just 41.6. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will also miss this game, which should allow Howard to soak up even more of the boards. The Timberwolves rank second to last in defensive efficiency, and are allowing the seventh most fantasy points to opposing centers. KAT hasn’t been great defensively this season and I think this a nice spot for Dwight to have a solid game against the Timberwolves.
Mavericks to start Salah Mejri at center vs Timberwolves
Desperate to find a spark the struggling Mavericks look to play the matchup game vs Karl Anthony Towns and The Timberwolves. Mejri will get his first career start tonight in hopes of slowing down one of the best centers in the game. Mejri played 21 minutes in last nights game vs The Pelicans grabbing 13 rebounds and adding 7 points. Center figures to be a revolving door for The Mavericks, so this move could end up short-lived.
As reported by: Bryan Gutierrez Twitter Wesley Matthews is now on track to play Satruday
The official news coming just a few minutes after the six o’clock lock time. Wesley Matthews will play tonight vs the Timberwolves.
As reported by: Brad Townsend Twitter Wesley Matthews is a game time decision Saturday
After logging 38 minutes on Friday in a loss vs New Orleans, Mavericks Coach Rick Carlisle confirmed Matthews will be a game-time decision vs. the Timberwolves on Saturday due to a foot issue. If Matthews is out a J.J. Berea and Yogi Ferrel should see increased minutes.
As reported by: Brad Townsend Twitter TJ Warren head injury questionable for Sunday
Injuries never come at a good time, and for the Phoenix Suns, T.J. Warren’s most recent injury news without a doubt could not have come at a worse time. After firing of Earl Watson less than a week into the season, Warren has flourished under interim head coach Jay Triano. Warren is now the clear-cut number two option in the Sun’s offense after superstar Eric Bledsoe was sent home for his public criticization of the organization. Warren only played ten minutes in Friday’s game against the Knicks before bumping heads with Eans Kanter. With a history of head injuries, the Suns are hopeful that Warren will not miss significant time. As a franchise already committed to playing its younger players Josh Jackson would likely step in and fill the void left by Warren if he does not play.
As reported by: Kellen Olson Other tagged players: Josh Jackson