DFS Alerts
Frank Ntilikina (ankle sprain) ruled out Saturday
Ntilikina turned his ankle during the New York Knicks’ practice on Friday and was reportedly feeling much better after receiving treatment, leading the team to officially list him questionable for tonight’s game against the Detroit Pistons, but he has officially been ruled out by the team. Ntilikina was essentially the third-string point guard behind Ramon Sessions and Ron Baker, playing just under eight minutes, and with Ntilikina unable to give it a go, look for Sessions and Baker to continue splitting the point guard minutes in a full-blown timeshare. Michael Beasley also remains questionable for New York with a sprained ankle and could leave a significant usage void in the second unit if he is unavailable. A large portion of that potential usage and minute void could be absorbed by Kristaps Porzingis, who saw nearly 39 minutes of action despite the game not being particularly close in the fourth quarter Thursday against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
As reported by: NY_KnicksPR via Twitter
Amir Johnson will start for Joel Embiid (rest) Saturday
Embiid was ruled out for rest for tonight’s game against the Toronto Raptors prior to Friday’s matchup with the Boston Celtics, but the Philadelphia 76ers have finally announced that Amir Johnson will receive the starting nod at center in his absence. Johnson should be expected to some extended run but is most likely more of a starter in name only, as head coach Brett Brown has expressed willingness recently to play Dario Saric at the five more often in small-ball lineups when Embiid is off the court.
As reported by: Keith Pompey via Twitter Other tagged players: Joel Embiid DeMar DeRozan (illness) will play Saturday
DeRozan briefly appeared on the Toronto Raptors’ game notes as questionable for tonight’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers with reported flu-like symptoms but is “good to go”, according to head coach Dwane Casey. Although Casey didn’t definitely say that DeRozan will play and start in Saturday’s contest, it should be safe to assume that DeRozan will see his full allotment of minutes and the vagueness of Casey’s comments are like just Dwane Casey being Dwane Casey.
As reported by: Ryan Wolstat via Twitter Derrick Rose (ankle sprain) officially ruled out Saturday
Rose sprained his ankle in Friday’s win over the Milwaukee Bucks and will not play in tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic after previously being considered unlikely to play. In his absence, Jose Calderon is expected to draw the start at point guard despite barely seeing the court through Cleveland’s first two games of the season. Calderon projects as a much lower usage player in this offense than Rose, which can only be good news for the remaining Cavaliers starters like LeBron James, Kevin Love, and Dwyane Wade, bumping their projected values for Saturday’s slate. The Magic will be without Elfrid Payton which may enable the Cavaliers to roll with more unconventional lineups with LeBron and Wade taking on the de facto point guard duties, while J.R. Smith could see additional playing time at the two-guard spot even if Calderon does receive the starting nod from head coach Tyronn Lue.
As reported by: Dave McMenamin Other tagged players: Jose Calderon Rodney Hood (calf strain) officially ruled out Saturday
Hood underwent an MRI today that revealed he sustained a mild calf strain in Friday’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves and has officially been ruled out for tonight’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. A new starting lineup has yet to be announced, but with Hood now unavailable and day-to-day moving forward, Thabo Sefolosha is still the likeliest player to draw the start given the matchup with Paul George on the wing, though it does remain possible that head coach Quin Snyder decides to give the rookie Donovan Mitchell the first start of his young career.
As reported by: Utah Jazz via Twitter Omri Casspi (ankle sprain) questionable Saturday
Casspi has officially been listed as questionable on the Golden State Warriors’ injury report for tonight’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies with a sprained left ankle that already forced him to miss Friday’s contest versus the New Orleans Pelicans. If Casspi is ruled out for a second consecutive game, Patrick McCaw and Nick Young will continue to compete for the few extra minutes available on the wing, though neither player is particularly intriguing daily fantasy options with Andre Iguodala back in fold and set to play his second game since returning from injury.
As reported by: Warriors PR via Twitter Rodney Hood (calf strain) considered day-to-day, no update on Saturday's availability
Hood underwent an MRI today that revealed he sustained a mild calf strain in Friday’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves and is considered day-to-day. However, there’s still been no update provided by the Jazz on his availability for tonight’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, though it does seem as if Hood is doubtful to suit up this evening. If Hood is ruled out, Thabo Sefolosha would be the likeliest player to draw the start given the matchup with Paul George on the wing, though it does remain possible that head coach Quin Snyder decides to give the rookie Donovan Mitchell the first start of his young career.
As reported by: Tony Jones via Twitter Aaron Gordon (ankle) questionable Saturday, likely to be a game-time decision
Gordon was not a participant in shootaround this morning and has officially been listed as questionable and is expected to be a game-time decision for tonight’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers with a sore left ankle that already forced him to miss Friday’s contest. Jonathan Isaac would likely draw the start at power forward for the second straight game if Gordon is unable to suit up, but he may be tasked with guarding LeBron James on the defensive end, possibly leading to more early foul trouble that limited him to just under 23 minutes of action against the Brooklyn Nets in last night’s loss. Isaac will clearly be afforded the minute workload with Gordon sidelined, it’s just a matter of him remaining disciplined enough to take advantage of his opportunity and provide significant daily fantasy value for a second consecutive slate on Saturday.
As reported by: John Denton via Twitter A Must For Your Core
With Dennis Smith Jr. out with an injury and Devin Harris out due to a personal issue, we could see J.J. Barea nab another start and play a handful of minutes out of necessity. Barea posted 24.1 FanDuel points in the Mavericks home opener in just 18 minutes, and dropped 30.2 FanDuel points on Friday in 27 minutes. He offers significant salary relief and is a Core Play with upside that allows us to fit in other studs.
The Stud Play You Should Pay Up For
With the news Chris Paul is out, I’m starting my cash lineups with the safety of James Harden. Harden is averaging 48.7 FanDuel points and now gets to take on a Dallas Mavericks team that’s thin at the guard position in a home opener. Point guard duties will fall on Harden and this game has one of the highest implied team totals. I don’t think there’s any reason to get cute here – Harden is a Core Play.
Elfrid Payton (hamstring strain) ruled out Saturday
Payton will not play in tonight’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers after suffering a strained left hamstring in Friday’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets. In his absence, Shelvin Mack looks to have the inside track at drawing the start at point guard since he replaced Payton in the starting unit at the beginning of the second half on Friday. If it’s not Mack, the next likeliest candidate to start would be D.J. Augustin, who ended up with more second half minutes than Mack in last night’s game and may be the preferred daily fantasy option on Saturday’s slate regardless of starting status.
As reported by: John Denton via Twitter Derrick Rose (ankle) unlikely to play Saturday; Jose Calderon expected to start
Rose sprained his ankle in Friday’s win over the Milwaukee Bucks and is unlikely to play in tomorrow’s game against the Orlando Magic, according to Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue. In his likely absence, Jose Calderon is expected to draw the start at point guard despite barely seeing the court through Cleveland’s first two games of the season. Calderon projects as a much lower usage player in this offense than Rose, which can only be good news for the remaining Cavaliers starters like LeBron James, Kevin Love, and Jae Crowder, bumping their projected values for Saturday’s slate.
As reported by: Jason Lloyd via Twitter Other tagged players: Jose Calderon Eric Bledsoe (ankle sprain) will play Friday
After a slight scare for daily fantasy gamers, Bledsoe will play in tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers after being reported as a late addition to the Suns’ injury report with a sprained right ankle. Tyler Ulis already said he will play and will remain in his usual backup point guard role with Bledsoe officially active. The other Suns’ starting guard, Devin Booker, also finds himself in a fantastic matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers backcourt in what should be one of, if not, the fastest paced game of the night, making him and Bledsoe fine options on Friday night’s late slate or those grinding late-swap contests.
As reported by: Scott Bordow via Twitter Dennis Smith Jr. (knee effusion) ruled out Friday
Smith Jr. is a surprise inactive for the Dallas Mavericks and will not play in tonight’s game against the Sacramento Kings despite never appearing on the Mavericks’ injury report with left knee effusion. His replacement in the starting lineup has yet to be named by head coach Rick Carlisle, but Nerlens Noel or Dorian Finney-Smith are the leading candidates to draw the start in Smith Jr.‘s absence. Devin Harris has also been ruled out as he deals with a tragic death in the family, so Dallas is suddenly slightly thin at the guard positions with Smith Jr. unavailable. The Mavericks will activate Gian Clavell from the G-League to serve as depth at the guard positions but and he may play a bit more than initially anticipated. The majority of backcourt minutes will likely be allotted to Yogi Ferrell and J.J. Barea, equating to a slight uptick in playing time for both of the aforementioned guards, while Wesley Matthews should also be expected to see more time at shooting guard than normal.
As reported by: Earl K. Sneed via Twitter Zach Randolph (oral surgery) will play Friday, as expected
Randolph will play in tonight’s game against the Dallas Mavericks after previously being upgraded to probable from questionable on the Kings’ injury report as he recovers from oral surgery that forced him to miss the season opener. Additionally, Bogdan Bogdanovic was ruled out earlier in the day and will miss his second straight game with a sprained right ankle. In his return, Randolph will slot in as the Kings’ starting power forward alongside Willie Cauley-Stein in the frontcourt. With Randolph officially available, Skal Labissiere will be relegated to the bench and will see his playing time diminished, hurting his value significantly. Kings head coach Dave Joerger has been adamant about utilizing a 10-man rotation, so Buddy Hield and Willie Cauley-Stein may be the Kings’ players with the most appeal in daily fantasy formats given their minute floors Kings offense, especially with Bogdanovic ruled out for the second time in as many games.
As reported by: Tim MacMahon via Twitter