DFS Alerts
Marcus Smart (ankles) ruled out Tuesday
Smart has officially been ruled out and will not play in tonight’s game against the New York Knicks after previously being listed as questionable on the Celtics’ injury report due to two tweaked ankles he rolled in Wednesday’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. With Smart unavailable, the Celtics will be extremely thin at the wing positions as Marcus Morris is still unable to play and Gordon Hayward is likely out for the remainder of the season. This will force Aron Baynes into the starting lineup once again, sliding Al Horford over to power forward, Jayson Tatum to small forward, and Jaylen Brown to the shooting guard spot. That said, Terry Rozier will still be the beneficiary of a heavy dose of playing time despite coming off the bench, while Brown and Tatum will continue to see big minutes at their respective positions given the Celtics current lack of depth.
As reported by: Sean Grande via Twitter
J.R. Smith (back) will play Tuesday; Tristan Thompson will start for Jose Calderon
Smith was a nonparticipant in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ morning shootaround with a sore back, but he will play in tonight’s game against the Chicago Bulls. He will take over as the starting shooting guard on Tuesday, as expected, relegating Wade to a “bench role” in the Cavaliers rotation. Tristan Thompson will also join him in the starting lineup to better matchup with Robin Lopez on the defensive end, sending Jose Calderon back to the bench and engaging “point LeBron”, as James will serve as the starting point guard officially, for once. There is probably more noise to the Wade benching news than actual actionability from a daily fantasy standpoint, as Wade shouldn’t be expected to a decrease in minutes or role in the offense. More so, Wade coming off the bench should enable head coach Tyronn Lue to have an easier time staggering the minutes of Wade and Derrick Rose to get more shooting on the floor on a consistent basis throughout the game once Rose is able to return from injury.
As reported by: Tom Withers via Twitter Other tagged players: Tristan Thompson Lucas Nogueira (ankle) questionable for Wednesday; Jonas Valanciunas (ankle) will remain out
Nogueira has officially been listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game against the Golden State Warriors with an ankle injury, while Jonas Valanciunas has been ruled out as he continues to recover from a sprained left ankle that has now kept him sidelined for two consecutive games. Nogueira had already been starting at center in place of Valanciunas and if he misses Wednesday’s contest, Jakob Poeltl could move into the starting lineup in his absence. The Raptors could also opt to start Serge Ibaka at center and play C.J. Miles on the wing with Norman Powell and DeMar DeRozan, which may make sense against a uptempo Warriors squad that goes small with Draymond Green at center on a consistent basis. If Miles starts, he would enter the discussion as an intriguing tournament option given his shooting ability and propensity to get hot from the field in pace up matchups.
As reported by: Michael Grange via Twitter Other tagged players: Jonas Valanciunas Kawhi Leonard (quad) remains out for Wednesday; Joffrey Lauvergne (ankle) also ruled out
Leonard has officially been ruled out for tomorrow’s game against the Miami Heat with right quadriceps tendinopathy that has now forced him to miss four consecutive games to begin the season and is still without a timetable for return. Additionally, Joffrey Lauvergne has been ruled out due to a sprained right ankle he sustained in Monday’s win after seeing 16 minutes of action. In Leonard’s absence, Kyle Anderson is expected to continue on as the Spurs’ starting small forward until Rudy Gay is ready to see starters’ minutes, while LaMarcus Aldridge, Pau Gasol, and Dejounte Murray should be expected to shoulder the offensive load alongside Gay while Leonard and Tony Parker are sidelined with separate quad injuries.
As reported by: the San Antonio Spurs via Twitter Other tagged players: Joffrey Lauvergne Rodney Hood (lower leg strain) ruled out Tuesday; Joe Ingles (illness) probable
Hood has been ruled out and will not play in tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers after previously being listed as questionable on the Utah Jazz’ injury report with strained left lower leg that will now force him to miss a second consecutive game. Meanwhile, Joe Ingles is a late addition to the injury report with gastric distress (what are these Jazz players eating?) but is listed as probable. Hood underwent an MRI on Saturday that revealed he sustained a mild strain to his lower left leg in Friday’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Now that Hood is officially unavailable, Donovan Mitchell will presumably draw the start at shooting guard for the second consecutive game but logged just 22 minutes in his previous start, failing to reach value across the industry. He found himself in a full timeshare with Thabo Sefolosha, who saw 25 minutes of action, though Ingles continues to be the main beneficiary of Hood’s absence and sets up to be an intriguing tournament option on Tuesday’s slate if he plays and is anywhere close to full strenth.
As reported by: Kyle Goon via Twitter Other tagged players: Joe Ingles Dion Waiters (sore ankle) questionable for Wednesday; Goran Dragic (thigh bruise) expected to play
Waiters and Dragic both missed the Miami Heat’s practice on Tuesday and Waiters has officially been listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game against the San Antonio Spurs with ankle soreness. However, Dragic did not receive an injury designation and said he will play in Wednesday’s contest. The Heat will already be without Hassan Whiteside for the third consecutive game, so they may be down two starters should Waiters be ruled out. In his absence, Jordan Mickey will start at the center spot once again, while James Johnson will assume the starting power forward responsibilities for Wednesday’s contest, meaning Kelly Olynyk will come off the bench for the third time in as many games. Josh Richardson figures to still be the biggest beneficiaries in terms of usage and production in the Heat’s starting unit sans Whiteside and possibly Waiters, while Olynyk will have more usage and rebounding opportunities playing primarily with the second unit, also making him an interesting daily fantasy tournament option on Wednesday’s slate despite the perceived difficult matchup.
As reported by: Manny Navarro via Twitter Other tagged players: Goran Dragic Hassan Whiteside (knee bone bruise) remains out Wednesday
Whiteside is still dealing with a knee bone bruise that he sustained in the Miami Heat’s season opener and will not play in tomorrow’s game against the San Antonio Spurs, missing his third consecutive game. In his absence, Jordan Mickey will start at the center spot once again, while James Johnson will assume the starting power forward responsibilities for Wednesday’s contest, meaning Kelly Olynyk will come off the bench for the third time in as many games. Josh Richardson and Dion Waiters figure to still be the biggest beneficiaries in terms of usage and production in the Heat’s starting unit sans Whiteside, while Olynyk will have more usage and rebounding opportunities playing primarily with the second unit, also making him an interesting daily fantasy tournament option on Wednesday’s slate despite the perceived difficult matchup.
As reported by: Ira Winderman via Twitter Trevor Ariza (foot sprain) ruled out for Wednesday; Nene (Achilles) doubtful
Ariza has been officially ruled out and will not play in tomorrow’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers with a sprained left foot, Nene has been downgraded to doubtful and is not expected to suit up with a left Achilles issue. In Ariza’s absence, Luc Mbah a Moute will draw the start at small forward and be tasked with guarding Ben Simmons, who is coming off of his first career triple-double in Monday’s win over the Detroit Pistons. With Nene unlikely to play, look for Tarik Black to assume the backup center minutes as the Rockets could have a difficult time going small in the frontcourt should Joel Embiid continue seeing around 28 minutes of action each game. In a small sample size this season, Gordon has been by the far the biggest beneficiary with Chris Paul off the court, but it is difficult to imagine James Harden to continuing to underperform from salary-based expectations standpoint with Paul sidelined, and his breakout performance could be in the works in Wednesday’s matchup with Philadelphia.
As reported by: Jonathan Feigen via Twitter Other tagged players: Nene Hilario, Luc Mbah a Moute Kris Dunn (dislocated finger) remains out Tuesday, possibly could play Thursday
Dunn participated in the Chicago Bulls’ practice on Tuesday morning but has been officially been ruled out for tonight’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers with a dislocated left index finger that forced him to miss every game this season. Head coach Fred Hoiberg did tell reporters that he plans to bring Dunn off the bench once he is able to return, which the team remains hopeful will be Thursday night. But if not, Dunn is very likely to make his season and Bulls debut on Saturday at the very latest.
As reported by: Nick Friedell via Twitter J.R. Smith (back) didn't participate in shootaround, still hopeful to play Tuesday
Smith was a nonparticipant in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ morning shootaround with a sore back, but he remains hopeful that he will still be able to play in tonight’s game against the Chicago Bulls. Smith was expected to take over as the starting shooting guard on Tuesday, relegating Wade to a “bench role” in the Cavaliers rotation, and if Smith is unable to suit up, the Cavaliers reportedly plan to still bring Wade off the bench and Cedi Osman will draw the start at the two-spot. However, Osman would likely be a starter in name only if Smith is ruled out. There is probably more noise to this news than actual actionability from a daily fantasy standpoint, as Wade shouldn’t be expected to a decrease in minutes or role in the offense. More so, Wade coming off the bench should enable head coach Tyronn Lue to have an easier time staggering the minutes of Wade and Derrick Rose to get more shooting on the floor on a consistent basis throughout the game once Rose is able to return from injury.
As reported by: Tom Withers Other tagged players: Cedi Osman Aaron Gordon (ankle) will play and start Tuesday
Gordon will play and start at his normal power forward spot in tonight’s game against the Brooklyn Nets after being forced to miss the Orlando Magic’s last two games with a sore left ankle. Gordon participated in Monday’s practice and head coach Frank Vogel told the media following practice that he expected Gordon to play on Tuesday, so this news was ultimately expected. Assuming Gordon is at or anywhere near full strength this matchup with Brooklyn is about as good as it gets since the Nets rank 2nd in pace and 27th in overall defensive efficiency, putting the Magic in prime position to take advantage of a likely high-scoring, uptempo affair. Additionally, Elfrid Payton has already been ruled out by the team in advance of Tuesday’s contest, which will only benefit Gordon and the rest of the starting five from a usage standpoint in this pristine matchup.
As reported by: John Denton via Twitter Give Me Some Respect!
I’m not sure what it is going to take for the sites to notice Simmons and bump his price tag up a bit, but I am not complaining. He is going to see 26-28 minutes per game as a primary option off the bench for Orlando, and his athleticism will lead to some nice fantasy nights. That is especially true in a matchup against the fast-paced, defensively challenged Nets. While the price has been bumped for almost every Orlando player, Simmons has not received the same treatment. All aboard!
Ramping up the Breakout Season
This isn’t exactly breaking news, but Kristaps Porzingis is really, really good. With Carmelo Anthony out of town and Ramon Sessions running the point, there is nobody in his way as a secondary threat on the Knicks. He has scored 30+ points in each of the first two games, and there isn’t a soul in the Boston frontcourt that is capable of matching up with him. His high price tag makes it easy to overlook him, but Porzingis is one of the best GPP options on the board this evening.
Finally, A Matchup to Love!
The Timberwolves have had to face the Spurs, Jazz, and Thunder in their first three games. Those teams could arguably be the three best defensive teams in the Western Conference. They finally get a breather tonight against an up tempo Pacers squad, and the price tags have dipped a bit on the good players. I am all over this team tonight. Towns gets the luxury of the blurb here because I love the combination of price and his matchup against a team that is missing Myles Turner in the middle, but I will be heavy on guys like Butler, Teague, and Wiggins as well.
A Lot of Risk With This One
With so many great options and power forward and center tonight, this is likely a DraftKings play for me. Willy Hernangomez has only played two minutes this season, and the Knicks seem content on playing O’Quinn and Kanter 20-25 minutes each. Both of these guys can be fantasy point per minute guys, but we’re getting O’Quinn a lot cheaper on DK. Boston has struggled with rebounding for a couple of years now, and it doesn’t look like they’ve fixed the problem. I like taking O’Quinn and Kanter as GPP flyers tonight, but I do understand there is a lot of risk with both of them.
