DFS Alerts
Devin Harris (personal) officially ruled out Friday
Harris didn’t travel with the team and will not play in tonight’s game against the Sacramento Kings as he deals with a tragic death in his family and will be allotted all the time he needs away from the Mavericks, according to head coach Rick Carlisle. Given the nature of Carlisle’s comments earlier, it seemed unlikely that Harris would be available to play Friday evening. The Mavericks will activate Gian Clavell from the G-League to serve as depth at the guard positions but his role in the rotation should be minimal. If Harris misses extended time, the majority of his minutes would likely be allotted to Dennis Smith Jr., Yogi Ferrell, and J.J. Barea off the bench, equating to a slight uptick in playing time to some or all of the aforementioned guard trio.
As reported by: Earl K. Sneed via Twitter
Aaron Gordon (sore ankle) ruled out Friday
Gordon has been ruled out and will not play in tonight’s game against the Brooklyn Nets after previously being listed as questionable and a game-time decision on the Magic’s injury report with a sore left ankle. In his absence, Johnathan Isaac will draw the start at power forward and immediately becomes one of the better value options on the entire slate is a matchup with the porous, uptempo Nets defense. Mario Hezonja should be expected to pick up the slack behind Isaac, though it’s difficult to imagine him seeing enough run to become fantasy viable on a full 10-game slate with plenty of other value options available for all formats.
As reported by: Josh Robbins via Twitter Kawhi Leonard (quad) remains out Saturday
Leonard strangely traveled with the team on their one-game road trip to Chicago to face-off against the Chicago Bulls but has officially been ruled out for the second consecutive game with right quadriceps tendinopathy. In his absence, Kyle Anderson is expected to continue as the Spurs’ starting small forward until Rudy Gay is ready to see starters’ minutes, while LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol should be expected to shoulder the offensive load alongside Gay while Leonard is sidelined with the quad injury.
As reported by: Paul Garcia via Twitter Eric Bledsoe (ankle sprain) questionable Friday
Bledsoe has been listed as questionable on the Suns’ injury report for tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers with a sprained right ankle. Tyler Ulis already said he will play and will likely step into the starting lineup should Bledsoe be ruled out. The potential absence of Bledsoe just further increases the daily fantasy appeal of Devin Booker on Friday’s slate 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.
As reported by: Scott Bordow via Twitter Joel Embiid expects to play at least 20 minutes Friday, will be rested Saturday
Embiid hasn’t been cleared by the Philadelphia 76ers medical staff to play back-to-backs, so he will not play in tomorrow’s game against the Toronto Raptors. As for tonight, Embiid told reporters that he expects to play at 20 minutes in Friday’s contest against the Boston Celtics after he went well over his reported “restriction”, playing 27 minutes in Wednesday’s season opener against the Washington Wizards. This will be the case consistently in the early season, as head coach Brett Brown has been consistent in saying his plan to manage Embiid’s minutes by ear and will fluctuate depending on how the star center is feeling game-to-game.
As reported by: Keith Pompey via Twitter DeAndre Bembry (wrist) ruled out Friday
Bembry has officially been ruled out and will not play in tonight’s game against the Charlotte Hornets after being diagnosed with a wrist fracture. He’ll undergo further testing on Monday, but the belief is that he’ll miss significant time. Oddly enough, the Hawks had Bembry listed as questionable with a wrist contusion earlier in the day and expressed to the media he was expected to suit up. So much for that. Anyways, Bembry’s playing status is likely a moot point, as head coach Mike Budenholzer rolled with a deep 12-man rotation, limiting most of the Hawks’ daily fantasy appeal moving forward should that trend continue. In fact, Dennis Schroeder was the only player to eclipse the 26-minute mark in terms of playing time and is the only realistic tournament target on this Hawks roster at the moment.
As reported by: Michael Cunningham via Twitter Stanley Johnson (back spasms) will play and start Friday
Johnson will play in tonight’s game against the Washington Wizards after his playing status was previously considered unclear to due back spasms. Johnson missed practice and was absent from this morning’s shootaround, which really cast a shadow of doubt on his chances of suiting up this evening. Stanley saw a team-high 40 minutes in Wednesday’s season opener, though he was largely unable to convert that playing time into usable fantasy production, limiting his overall appeal in tournaments considering the plethora of other options available. Johnson’s presence in the rotation does essentially remove Jon Leuer from consideration and reduces the remaining Detroit big men back to their normal minimal roles in the offense.
As reported by: Rod Beard via Twitter Marcus Smart (ankles) officially ruled out Friday; Aron Baynes will start
Smart has officially been ruled out and will not play in tonight’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers 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. Despite the earlier questionable designation, both Smart and head coach Brad Stevens told the media following shootaround that Smart is unlikely to suit up for Friday’s contest, so this news is far from surprising. With Smart unavailable, the Celtics will be extremely thin at the wing positions Marcus Morris still unable to play and Gordon Hayward likely out for the remainder of the season. This will force Aron Baynes into the starting lineup, 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: Jay King via Twitter Other tagged players: Aron Baynes Jason Smith (shoulder) ruled out Friday; Kelly Oubre will start in his place
Smith will not play in tonight’s game against the Detroit Pistons after previously being listed as questionable and a game-time decision on the Wizards’ injury report with a sore right shoulder. Smith underwent an MRI on Thursday and it exhibited no structural damage to his right shoulder. Smith had already been starting for the injured Markieff Morris at power forward, meaning that the Wizards are now extremely thin at that position with Smith officially unavailable. In his absence, Kelly Oubre will be inserted into the starting lineup alongside Otto Porter, who will now see a majority of his playing time at the four spot, making him and Oubre very intriguing daily fantasy options on Friday’s slate.
As reported by: Ben Standig via Twitter Other tagged players: Kelly Oubre Frank Ntilikina (ankle) questionable for Saturday
Ntilikina turned his ankle during the New York Knicks’ practice on Friday and is reportedly feeling much better after receiving treatment, leading the team to officially list him questionable for tomorrow’s game against the Detroit Pistons. He was essentially the third-string point guard behind Ramon Sessions and Ron Baker, playing just under eight minutes, and if Ntilikina is 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 is also 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: Stefan Bondy via Twitter Michael Beasley (ankle sprain) questionable for Saturday
Beasley sprained his ankle extremely early on in the New York Knicks’ season opener on Thursday and has officially been listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game against the Detroit Pistons. He is expected to be a key cog in the Knicks second unit this season and if he is unable to suit up Saturday, there will likely be a huge usage void needing to be filled, especially while Willy Hernangomez remains in a limited role. 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: Barbara Barker via Twitter Denzel Valentine (knee) held out of practice, questionable for Saturday
Valentine did not practice on Friday and has officially been listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game against the San Antonio Spurs due to knee soreness. If Valentine is unable to give it a go, the Bulls will be extremely thin from a depth standpoint with five players already injured or suspended and may be forced to roll with more two-point guard lineups or give Antonio Blakeney (who?) extended playing time with the second unit. Additionally, newly-acquired Kay Felder is expected to leapfrog Ryan Arcidiacono as the backup point guard behind Jerian Grant, though head coach Fred Hoiberg was quoted that he will continue to deploy the same starting five that was led by Justin Holiday, Robin Lopez, and Lauri Markkanen for Saturday’s matchup with San Antonio.
As reported by: Darnell Mayberry via Twitter Myles Turner (concussion) officially ruled out Friday, also ruled out Saturday
Turner will not play in tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers after previously being listed as doubtful on the Pacers’ injury report with a sore neck and possible concussion, as he has now entered the concussion protocol, ruling him out for Saturday’s game against the Miami Heat as well. Turner and the Pacers were involved in a wildly fast-paced matchup with the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, which makes their starters extremely intriguing daily fantasy targets moving forward if head coach Nate McMillan continues to deliver on his promise of wanting to push the pace more this season. With Turner officially unable to suit up, Domantas Sabonis will draw the start at center and see extended minutes, while Thaddeus Young looks to be the primary beneficiary from a production standpoint with T.J. Leaf and Al Jefferson likely thrust into additional playing time in the frontcourt as well. Despite coming off the bench and not playing in the previous game, Jefferson may end up being the more interesting daily fantasy option at center for Indiana given the matchup against a more traditional big man like Nusuf Nurkic on the opposing side and is worth a shot in tournaments under the assumption Sabonis gets eaten alive by Nurkic in the post.
As reported by: Scott Agness via Twitter Wayne Selden (quad) remains out Saturday
Selden will miss his second straight game and won’t play in tomorrow’s contest against the Golden State Warriors due to a right quad injury. Andrew Harrison and James Ennis will remain the starters on the wing for the Grizzlies, but they will still be extremely thin at the two-guard position with Ben McLemore sidelined for a few more months, likely enabling Dillon Brooks to see similar run to what he did in the season opener, checking in at nearly 30 minutes of playing time, second-highest on the Grizzlies entire roster.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR via Twitter Hassan Whiteside (knee) ruled out for Saturday
Whiteside is dealing with a knee bone bruise that he sustained in the Miami Heat’s season opener, according to head coach Erik Spoelstra, and will not play in tomorrow’s game against the Indiana Pacers. In his absence, Kelly Olynyk will slide over to the starting center spot, while either James Johnson or Justise Winslow are expected to assume the starting power forward responsibilities for Saturday’s contest. Josh Richardson and Dion Waiters figure to be the biggest beneficiaries in terms of usage and production in the Heat’s starting unit sans Whiteside, while Olynyk will have more rebounding opportunities playing closer to the basket than he normally does at power forward, also making him an interesting daily fantasy option on Saturday’s slate, especially if Myles Turner ends up missing a second consecutive game with a sore neck.
As reported by: Ira Winderman via Twitter