DFS Alerts
Ersan Ilyasova (knee strain) ruled out Thursday
Ilyasova has been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Chicago Bulls after previously being listed as questionable on the Atlanta Hawks’ injury report with a strained left knee that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. In his absence, Mike Muscala is expected to draw the start at power forward alongside Dewayne Dedmon for the second straight contest. Additionally, Marco Belinelli remains probable with no official update, but he has been fully expected to play since yesterday and was given the probable tag as more of a precaution. Ilyasova’s absence opens up more minutes and opportunity for John Collins once again, who has averaged well over a fantasy point per minute this season, and even Muscala to some extent in the Hawks’ frontcourt, promoting each to viable tournament targets on Thursday’s slate.
As reported by: Sean Highkin via Twitter
Malcolm Brogdon (ankle sprain) will play and start Thursday
Brogdon will officially play and start in tonight’s game against the Boston Celtics after missing the Milwaukee Bucks’ previous game with a sprained left ankle. His return will send Matthew Dellavedova back to the bench to resume his normal reserve role. Brogdon should step directly back into his high-minute role, which gives him a high floor for cash games, especially on DraftKings where his price tag is depressed. The problem with Brogdon lies in tournament formats where he arguably lacks a sufficient ceiling to really smash value and has to compete with high usage players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton for touches in this Bucks offense.
As reported by: Matt Velazquez via Twitter Paul Zipser (knee) ruled out Thursday; Denzel Valentine will start at small forward
Zipser has officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Atlanta Hawks after previously being listed as questionable on the Atlanta Hawks’ injury report with a right knee contusion he sustained in Wednesday’s practice. The Bulls are now extremely thin at the wing and forward positions, forcing Denzel Valentine into the starting lineup and into significant;y more playing time, while Quincy Pondexter should also be expected to play a much larger role of the bench. Lauri Markkanen has seen 33 minutes or more in all but one game this season and could be in line for even more playing time with Zipser officially ruled out, making him an interesting tournament option on Thursday’s slate.
As reported by: Vincent Goodwill via Twitter Other tagged players: Denzel Valentine Elfrid Payton (hamstring strain) will remain out Friday
Payton has officially been listed as out on the Orlando Magic’s injury report for tomorrow’s game against the San Antonio Spurs with a strained left hamstring that has now forced him to miss three consecutive games. In his absence, D.J. Augustin looks in line to draw another start at point guard coming off of two stellar performance in just 27 minutes per game, enabling him to smash value across the industry on both occasions. However, Shelvin Mack still absorbed the other remaining minutes at point guard, so this may still be more a timeshare than the box score would indicate on the surface. Depending on his price tag tomorrow, Augustin sets up as an interesting tournament fade, even in an excellent matchup, with Aaron Gordon back healthy and the difficult matchup with San Antonio.
As reported by: Josh Robbins via Twitter D'Angelo Russell (knee sprain) doubtful for Friday
Russell has officially been listed as doubtful for tomorrow’s game against the New York Knicks with a sprained right knee that already forced him to miss Wednesday’s matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Spencer Dinwiddie will likely replace Russell in the starting lineup at point guard once again, allowing Isaiah Whitehead to enter the Nets backcourt rotation. Caris Levert, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, and Trevor Booker have seen the largest sample size with both Russell and Jeremy Lin off the court this season and have all been benefited from a positive usage differential in the aforementioned scenario. In fact, both Hollis-Jefferson and Booker own usage differentials of at least +4.3%, making them each intriguing tournament options on Friday’s slate if Russell is officially sidelined for the second game in a row. That said, the main issue with Nets players is playing time, as it’s rare any of them exceed 30 minutes with head coach Kenny Atkinson’s deep rotation.
As reported by: Tom Lorenzo via Twitter Jimmy Butler (illness) questionable for Friday
Butler has officially been listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder with an upper respiratory infection that has already forced him to miss two consecutive games. In his absence, Shabazz Muhammad has started each of the past two games, a move that slid Andrew Wiggins over to the two-guard position alongside Jeff Teague in the backcourt. Karl-Anthony Towns led the Timberwolves starters with a 26.4% usage sans Butler the last two games, though both he and Andrew Wiggins saw reduced playing time due to the blowout on Tuesday and Wiggins has severely underwhelmed relative to his salary-based expectations and may end up being the contrarian tournament option from this Timberwolves squad should Butler be ruled out once again.
As reported by: Timberwolves PR via Twitter Anthony Davis (knee, quad) not expected to play Thursday
Davis is considered unlikely to play in tonight’s game against the Sacramento Kings, according to New Orleans Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry, after previously being listed as questionable on the injury report with left knee and quad tendinitis. There has yet to be any type of announcement from the team on who will replace Davis in the starting lineup, but DeMarcus Cousins now becomes an elite option and probably the top overall play on Thursday’s slate in both cash games and tournaments. While the Pelicans could go several different directions with their fifth starter, one thing is certain that Cousins is in an absolute smash spot against his former team and leads the Pelicans with an insane 40.7% usage rate and 64 fantasy points per 36 minutes with Davis off the court this season.
As reported by: Marc J. Spears via Twitter Shaun Livingston (personal) ruled out for Friday
Livingston has been ruled out and won’t play in tomorrow’s game against the Washington Wizards due to personal reasons. Livingston is attending the funeral of Devin Harris’ brother but is fully expected to be back with the team prior to Sunday’s game against the Detroit Pistons. The majority of backup point guard minutes will likely be handled by Patrick McCaw, which will also free up additional playing time on the wing for Nick Young. Despite the slight bump in minutes for the aforementioned duo, their playing time still remains too capped to be seriously considered in daily fantasy formats. The only Warriors bench player in consideration should be Andre Iguodala, who typically takes on more of the playmaking responsibilities in the second unit without Livingston in conjunction with his normal role as a closer with the Warriors starters.
As reported by: Anthony Slater via Twitter Mario Chalmers (ankle) questionable Thursday; Wayne Selden (quad) remains out
Chalmers has been added to the Memphis Grizzlies’ injury report and is officially listed as questionable for tonight’s game against the Dallas Mavericks with a right ankle injury, while Selden will remain out for the fifth consecutive game with a right quad injury. Chalmers has handled a majority of the ball-handling duties behind Mike Conley off the bench, and if he is unable to suit up, Tyreke Evans stands to benefit most from his absence and would run the point pretty exclusively with the second unit. Andrew Harrison could also see an uptick in playing time, but Evans easily carries the highest upside of the two given his already high usage rate that would only have room to increase if Chalmers is ruled out.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Wayne Selden Treveon Graham (quad) questionable for Friday
Graham was a nonparticipant in the Charlotte Hornets’ practice on Thursday and has officially been listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game against the Houston Rockets with a quad injury. If he’s able to suit up, Graham will still have a minor role in the rotation with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist still on a minutes restriction. The Hornets are still without Michael Carter-Williams and Nicolas Batum, so despite his likely bench role moving forward, Dwayne Bacon will continue to be a key cog in their wing rotation. As for Thursday, the availability of Kidd-Gilchrist is enough to remove Bacon from consideration in daily fantasy formats if Graham is active, while Kidd-Gilchrist won’t see enough playing time in his return to become relevant, which leaves Jeremy Lamb as the only realistic target on Charlotte in large-field tournaments.
As reported by: Rick Bonnell via Twitter Paul Zipser (knee) a game-time decision Thursday; Kris Dunn (finger) remains out
Zipser bumped knees in the Chicago Bulls’ practice on Wednesday and is officially considered a game-time decision for tonight’s game against the Atlanta Hawks with what is being called a knee contusion. Zipser was limited in the team’s shootaround Thursday morning as well, and if he is unable to give it a go, the Bull will be extremely thin at the wing and forward positions, likely forcing Denzel Valentine into the starting lineup while Quincy Pondexter should be expected to play a much larger role of the bench. Lauri Markkanen has seen 33 minutes or more in all but one game this season and could be in line for even more playing time should Zipser be ruled out Thursday evening.
As reported by: Vincent Goodwill via Twitter Other tagged players: Kris Dunn Frank Ntilikina (ankle sprain) expected to play on Friday
Ntilikina is expected to play in tomorrow’s game against the Brooklyn Nets, according to New York Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek, after he was a full participant in the team’s practice on Thursday. Ntilikina was essentially the third-string point guard behind Ramon Sessions and Ron Baker, playing just under eight minutes in the Knicks’ season opener, and if Ntilikina is able to give it a go on Friday, look for Sessions and Baker to continue splitting the point guard minutes in a full-blown timeshare with Ntilikina gradually seeing more time as he gets his legs under him again. That said, a large portion of the Knicks offensive usage will continue to be absorbed by Kristaps Porzingis, who remains their top player to target in daily fantasy formats on a nearly nightly basis.
As reported by: Ian Begley via Twitter Increase Usage and a Favorable Matchup
Dennis Schroder has already been ruled out of tonight’s game. While that doesn’t directly impact Kent Bazemore’s minutes, it should impact his usage. On the season, Baze has a usage rate of 22%, but that number jumps up to 28% with Schroder off the ball. In the game the other night, Baze had a usage rate of 33%. Tonight’s game against the Bulls is expected to be close throughout, so we could see Baze play north of 30 minutes.
Time to Kick it into Gear
When Kyrie Irving first joined the Celtics, it seemed like he had a massive chip on his shoulder. I expected him to come out and fire up 25 shots a game, especially after Gordon Hayward went down. That hasn’t exactly been the case. He’s still been productive, but there is the potential for much more. He hasn’t shot the ball well and I still expect him to have a heavier shot volume moving forward. The Bucks’ best defenders are all on the wing, so perhaps the Celtics will have to lean on him tonight on the road.
We Shouldn't Change our Approach Now
Giannis Antetokounmpo is truly an amazing player. His offensive efficiency and his usage rate have both gone up every year that he’s been in the league. Typically, we see an inverse relationship between the two, but that’s not the case with Giannis. He has a 35% usage rate (second highest in the slate) and he’s arguably the best in the NBA when it comes to peripheral stats (blocks, rebounds, steals, and assists). His price has come up, but we may need his 50+ fantasy points in this small slate.