DFS Alerts
Sunday's slate likely to be affected by numerous injuries
With not all NBA news to be reported at last minute, early Sunday injury updates are a breath of fresh air. Almost a month into the NBA season we are beginning to see the wear and tear of the game mount up on players and teams. The Atlanta Hawks have announced that forward Mike Muscala is out and did not travel with the team. Hawks backcourt players Dennis Schroder and Marco Belinelli are both probable ahead of Sunday’s matchup vs. LeBron James and the Cavilers. Already down frontcourt player Ersan Ilyasova, the Hawks could look to use rookie John Collins to absorb the minutes created by injury, but the Cavilers could opt to play small ball, thus making it more likely Atlanta’s wing players will play a bigger role.
As reported by: Michael Cunningham Other tagged players: Dennis Schroder, Marco Belinelli
John Wall Questionable for Sunday
Washington Wizards superstar point guard John Wall suffered a shoulder injury late in Friday’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Now listed with a questionable tag for Sunday’s game vs. Toronto much of Wall’s 20 points per game will fall into the hands of their other superstar Bradley Beal. First up to fill the minutes left by Wall will be backup point guard Tim Frazier, but it would not surprise me to see a player already in the rotation (Jodie Meeks) absorb some of those minutes as well. In Wall’s post-game interview he stated that he probably should have come out of the game, thus creating a scenario where the Wizards could play it safe with their star player.
As reported by: Candace Buckner Twitter Other tagged players: Bradley Beal, Jodie Meeks Dillon Brooks is in the starting lineup
The Grizzlies have decided to give talented rookie Dillon Brooks a starting role for Saturday’s match with the Clippers. Brooks should expect to see 25 to 30 minutes of action today and becomes an interesting salary relief option on FanDuel. Andrew Harrison has struggled of late and his move to the end of the bench makes him a stay away until further notice. With both Chandler Parsons and Tyreke Evans in play for minutes, we could see a situation where the hot hand gets the extended run during crunch time.
As reported by: Mike Gallagher Twitter T.J. Leaf (ankle sprain) ruled out for Sunday
Leaf has been ruled out and won’t play in tomorrow’s game against the New York Knicks after sustaining a sprained right ankle late in Friday’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. The team was adamant that Leaf’s ankle sprain wasn’t severe and that he will be back relatively soon, meaning his status should be considered day-to-day. Leaf had played a major role in the Pacers frontcourt rotation during the seven games Myles Turner was sidelined with a concussion and sore neck but was likely to begin losing playing time once Turner was no longer limited. In Leaf’s absence, their will some extra minutes available for Domantas Sabonis, who is expected to head back to the bench with Turner being listed as the probable starter at center on Sunday, and possibly even Al Jefferson as the backup center if head coach Nate McMillan decides to experiment with playing Sabonis and Turner alongside each other in the frontcourt, something that should work relatively well on paper with Sabonis’ ability to stretch the floor.
As reported by: Clifton Brown via Twitter
Marc Gasol (ankle) will play Saturday
Gasol will play in today’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers after previously being listed as questionable on the Memphis Grizzlies’ injury report with a left ankle injury, while Mike Conley never received an injury designation following his absence from the Grizzlies previous game, and will play as well. Gasol and Conley are the only Memphis players to average north of 30 minutes per game in this rotation, usually making them the preferred targets on a night-to-night basis, and Saturday’s matchup with Clippers is no different. That said, Tyreke Evans has been pouring in production consistently with the second unit and is easily their go-to scorer and playmaker when one, or both, of Gasol or Conley off the floor, putting him in play for tournaments at a still affordable price tag across the industry.
As reported by: Ronald Tillery Shaun Livingston (rest) ruled out Saturday
Livingston will be rested and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Denver Nuggets despite never appearing on the Golden State Warriors’ injury report. In his place, Kevon Looney has been promoted to the active roster but shouldn’t be expected to see significant, if any, court time. The previous game Livingston was rested, Andre Iguodala saw his playing time jump to 31 minutes off the bench, which is still his season-high to date, but was largely unproductive with those minutes, just as he has been for a majority of the season in the Warriors second unit. That said, he can still be worth a look in tournaments on an abbreviated four-game slate at his depreciated price tag across the industry.
As reported by: Mark Medina via Twitter A Perfect Bounceback Spot For This Center
KAT is coming off a stinker that saw him post just 2 real life points, but it was against the twin towers of Boogie and Brow. He now gets a much better matchup against the Dallas Mavericks, who are allergic to grabbing rebounds. The Mavs are allowing 47.2 rebounds per game to their opponents, fourth most in the NBA. On Friday, they allowed DeMarcus Cousins to grab 22 rebounds, Brow to grab 13, and even Jrue Holiday to grab 8. I’m expecting a bounce back game for KAT and will roll the dice with him.
Malcolm Delaney (sprained right ankle) questionable for Sunday
Delaney will travel with the team but is considered as questionable on the Atlanta Hawks’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers with a sprained right ankle that has already forced him to miss one game. Should Delaney be unavailable, Isaiah Taylor would likely assume the backup point guard duties once again behind Dennis Schroder and played 25 minutes in Friday’s contest. Meanwhile, Dennis Schroder should also see a slight increase in playing time, despite his lackluster performance in the previous game, which would add to his appeal in daily fantasy formats on Friday’s slate.
As reported by: Michael Cunningham via Twitter The Core Center to Target
I want a piece of this Warriors-Nuggets game as it has a huge total. There are always blowout concerns when it comes to the Warriors, but the Warriors are currently just 23rd in defensive efficiency and are allowing 111.7 points per game to opponents. Jokic posted two huge games against the Warriors last season and carries a similar type of upside to Boogie and Brow, yet costs significantly less.
George Hill (personal) ruled out Saturday; Buddy Hield (ankle) probable
Hill has been ruled out and will not play in tonight’s game against the Detroit Pistons as he deals with a personal matter. Meanwhile, Buddy Hield has been listed as probable on the Sacramento Kings injury report with a sprained right ankle but is fully expected to suit up for Saturday’s contest. The last time Hill was unavailable, De’Aaron Fox drew the start at point guard, and likely will once again, but saw just 26 minutes in the aforementioned spot start and was largely ineffective. That said, Fox does benefit from a favorable individual matchup with Reggie Jackson, who is perennially a bottom-tier point guard in Defensive Real Plus-Minus each season. Somewhat surprisingly, none of the remaining Kings starters really see a substantial usage bump with Hill off the floor this season, as Willie Cauley-Stein and Bogdan Bogdanovic lead the way with at least a +1.5% usage rate differential each, which equates to a small bump in projected fantasy value on Saturday’s slate but not enough to get overly excited about.
As reported by: James Ham via Twitter Other tagged players: Buddy Hield Manu Ginobili (rest) now available to play Friday
Ginobili had been ruled out in advance of tonight’s game against the Charlotte Hornets’ due to rest on the second night of a back-to-back set but is now reportedly available to play after previously being downgraded from questionable to out on the San Antonio Spurs’ injury report. Additionally, Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker, and Joffrey Lauvergne are all among the Spurs inactive players and are still sidelined with their respective injuries. In the first back-to-back set of the season when Ginobili was rested, Brandon Paul was the clear beneficiary in terms of playing time, racking up nearly 30 minutes of action in Ginobili’s absence. However, with the threat of Ginobili seeing playing time off the bench, Paul should be avoided in all formats or swapped out of late-swap contests.
As reported by: Paul Garcia via Twitter Otto Porter (illness) will start Friday, as expected
Porter will play and start in tonight’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers after previously being listed as probable on the Washington Wizards’ injury report with an illness that forced him to miss Wednesday’s contest. His return to the lineup will send Kelly Oubre back to the bench to resume his reserve role with Markieff Morris scheduled to make his season debut after missing the first seven games due to sports hernia surgery and the aforementioned suspension. Even though Morris will reclaim his spot in the starting lineup right out of the gate, he will be limited to just 15-16 minutes of playing time as he works his way back into game shape. This news won’t make a huge immediate impact, but the presence of Morris in the rotation will gradually eat into the playing time and production of both Oubre and Porter, to some extent, at the forward positions as his expected minute allotment increases.
As reported by: the Washington Wizards via Twitter Malcolm Delaney (sprained right ankle) officially ruled out Friday
Delaney has been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Houston Rockets after previously being listed as doubtful on the Atlanta Hawks’ injury report with a sprained right ankle he sustained during Wednesday’s contest, forcing him to exit early. Meanwhile, the trio of Dennis Schroder, Mike Muscala, and Marco Belinelli are all good to go once again despite each appearing on the injury report with probable designations. With Delaney unavailable, Isaiah Taylor will likely assume the backup point guard duties behind Dennis Schroder, who should also see a slight increase in playing time, adding to his appeal in daily fantasy formats on Friday’s slate.
As reported by: Michael Cunningham via Twitter Kristaps Porzingis (illness) will play Friday
Porzingis has been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Phoenix Suns after previously being listed as questionable on the New York Knicks’ injury report with an illness. Porzingis didn’t participate in the team’s practice on Thursday, but it was hinted at the time that it was essentially just a rest day for Porzingis to recover and the Knicks are just being precautionary in giving him a designation on the team’s injury report. Now that he is available, Michael Beasley and Doug McDermott will remain in their normal bench roles and are relatively unappealing options for daily fantasy formats. Porzingis not only leads the Knicks in usage rate but also currently owns the highest usage rate in the entire NBA, meaning he is an elite tournament play on Friday’s slate in a fantastic matchup at possibly reduced ownership after carrying a questionable tag throughout the day.
As reported by: Steve Popper via Twitter Myles Turner (concussion) will play Friday, but will come off the bench
Turner has been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers after previously being upgraded to questionable from doubtful on the Indiana Pacers injury report with lingering concussion-like symptoms. However, despite not have a strict minute restriction, he will come off the bench in his return, meaning Domantas Sabonis will remain in the starting lineup at center for at least one more game. A key factor in this decision is likely based on the resounding success Domantas Sabonis has had in Turner’s absence, and McMillan likely feels there’s no need to rush Turner back into heavy minutes right out of the gate. That said, with Turner available and expected to see at least a portion of his normal minute workload, Sabonis’ fantasy value now takes a huge hit on Friday’s slate and probably moving forward, even at his manageable price tag across the industry.
As reported by: the Indiana Pacers via Twitter