DFS Alerts
Carmelo Anthony (back) WILL play tonight for Knicks
Anthony will play in tonight’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers despite missing the Knicks’ previous two games with a sore lower back. However, the Knicks will be without Kristaps Porzingis, meaning Maurice N’dour and Guillermo Hernangomez will likely remain in the starting lineup at power forward and center respectively. It’s somewhat surprising that Carmelo would suit up for a meaningless final game against the Sixers, so he should be expected to not see his normal allotment of minutes, reserving him to the status of a secondary tournament option at best.
As reported by: Marc Berman
Andre Roberson (rest) and Doug McDermott (knee) both ruled out tonight for Thunder, Taj Gibson (rest) is available to play
Roberson and McDermott will not play in tonight’s game against the Denver Nuggets, while Taj Gibson and every other Thunder player will be available to play in tonight’s contest, according to Thunder head coach Billy Donovan. In Roberson’s absence, Kyle Singler is expected to draw the start at small forward for the second consecutive game. The Thunder are locked into the sixth seed in the Western Conference, so it would not be surprising to see Russell Westbrook and other Oklahoma City starters be rested at some point in this game, likely in the second half. So, obviously, they carry significantly more risk than other players around the league that are on teams fighting for a playoff berth or seeding in their respective conferences.
As reported by: Brett Dawson Other tagged players: Doug McDermott, Taj Gibson Russell Westbrook will play for Thunder tonight
Westbrook rested last game but he’s back for the season finale. It’s doubtful he plays the whole night, though, making his salary prohibitive. The rest of the starters are likely in similar situations, which makes this an unappealing team to target in fantasy. Starters won’t get enough time to be useful and neither will bench players; no one sticks out as a nice value option.
As reported by: Royce Young Garrett Temple (rest), Kosta Koufos (rest), Anthony Tolliver (personal), Ty Lawson (rest), and Darren Collison (migraine) all ruled out for Kings
Normal stuff from the Kings at this point as they routinely rule out several players on gameday. Buddy Hield is the most reliable player remaining on the team as he picks up 30 minutes every single night. Willey Cauley-Stein has seen his minutes drop over the past few games, he only played 21 on Tuesday. Rookie Skal Labissiere had earned 30+ minutes for three consecutive nights prior to their matchup with the Suns, but he dropped to 26 in that one. Sacramento facing the Clippers, who will be playing motivated basketball as they’re trying to lock up the fourth seed.
As reported by: Vince Miracle Other tagged players: Darren Collison, Anthony Tolliver, Kosta Koufos, Ty Lawson D'Angelo Russell (personal) ruled out for Lakers
Russell remains with his family in Louisville, so he will not play tonight when the Lakers visit the Warriors. Jordan Clarkson and Tyler Ennis will be the ones to benefit from his absence. Metta World Peace got the start ahead of Ennis last night, but that was a special occasion as it was probably Mr. Peace’s last game as a Laker. Now that they’re on the road, Ennis should get the nod. He played 29 minutes last night, but couldn’t find his shot, only managing to score five points. It didn’t help that World Peace took 17 shots; Ennis should do better this time around and he still has a very friendly price. He’s also motivated as he wants to prove himself to the organization, plus we can be relatively confident he’ll get a solid workload – both things are very important on tonight’s slate, so he’s certainly worth another look.
As reported by: Mike Trudell Other tagged players: Tyler Ennis, Jordan Clarkson Anthony Davis (knee) and DeMarcus Cousins (Achilles) officially ruled out for Pelicans; E'Twaun Moore (ankle) is probale
Davis and Cousins weren’t expected to play tonight. Instead, New Orleans will continue to provide minutes to their bench guys. Most notably, Cheick Diallo, who put on a shooting display last night, going 9-of-10 from the field while adding 11 rebounds. He’s played 26 minutes in consecutive games and figures to see a similar workload tonight. Alexis Ajinca will likely start at center again, he had 14 points and eight rebounds last night; he’s another solid value play tonight.
As reported by: New Orleans Pelicans Other tagged players: DeMarcus Cousins, E'Twaun Moore LeBron James OUT for Cleveland tonight; Kyrie Irving questionable and Tristan Thompson probable
James was expected to pick out Cleveland’s season finale and Irving being listed as questionable is not surprising as there were reports that he might play tonight. If he doesn’t go, Deron Williams would again be a top point guard option after going off in Irving’s place last game out. Even if Irving does play, Williams is viable given the fact that Irving will likely play limited minutes. Thompson is probable and expected to play for Cleveland tonight but is not a viable DFS option.
As reported by: Tom Withers on Twitter Other tagged players: Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, Deron Williams
Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, and Allen Crabbe OUT again for Portland tonight
These same three sat out Portland’s last game and the Trail Blazers will rest them again heading into their opening round playoff match up against the Golden State Warriors. Shabazz Napier will again be a top option coming off a 32 point, 6 rebound, 5 assist outing. Noah Vonleh, Pat Connaughton, Meyers Leonard, and Evan Turner should all see all the playing time they can handle and are all viable options against the Pelicans.
As reported by: Casey Holdahl on Twitter Other tagged players: CJ McCollum, Allen Crabbe, Shabazz Napier Gordon Hayward, Rodney Hood, and Derrick Favors will all play for Utah tonight
The Jazz are still hoping to get the four seed and home court advantage for the first round so it’s no surprise they are rolling these three out tonight. Only Favors figures to be limited and Hood and Hayward figure to start thus sending Joe Ingles and Dante Exum back to the bench (and out of DFS lineups). Hayward is a viable DFS option tonight, Hood has risk, and Favors can be avoided.
As reported by: Jody Genessy on Twitter Other tagged players: Rodney Hood, Derrick Favors, Joe Ingles Millsap, Howard, Bazemore, Schroder, Hardaway all OUT for Hawks tonight
The Hawks have nothing to play for today so will be resting their starting five tonight. Ersan Ilyasova, Mike Muscala, and Kris Humphries all figure to benefit substantially from Millsap and Howard sitting along with probable starters Taurean Prince and Jose Calderon with Schroder and Hardaway out. All five of those players are in play as one of the many value options that will be available tonight.
As reported by: Chris Vivlamore on Twitter Other tagged players: Paul Millsap, Kent Bazemore, Dennis Schroder, Tim Hardaway Jr., Ersan Ilyasova, Mike Muscala, Kris Humphries, Jose Calderon, Taurean Prince Dirk Nowitzki, J.J. Barea, Wesley Matthews, and Harrison Barnes all OUT for Dallas tonight
The Mavericks are resting their top veteran players and will leave it to their young core to finish the season. Dwight Powell, Salah Mejri, Yogi Ferrell, Devin Harris, Nicolas Brussino, Nerlens Noel, and Dorian Finney-Smith should figure to receive the most run of that core with Ferrell, Brussino, and Powell the top options of that group.
As reported by: Eddie Sefko on Dallasnews.com Other tagged players: Harrison Barnes, J.J. Barea, Dirk Nowitzki, Yogi Ferrell, Nicolas Brussino, Dwight Powell Barton, Faried, Gallinari, and Nelson all OUT for Denver tonight; Mudiay is questionable and Harris probable
The Nuggets are continuing to sit out the majority of their key players with nothing to play for but it does look like Gary Harris will give it a go tonight and he figures to play a significant role in their rotation tonight and is in play along with the likes of Jamaal Murray and Malik Beasley (who is a particularly attractive value option after his most recent game).
As reported by: T.J. McBride on Twitter Other tagged players: Kenneth Faried, Danilo Gallinari, Jameer Nelson, Emmanuel Mudiay, Gary Harris, Jamal Murray, Malik Beasley Rajon Rondo a game-time decision for Bulls tonight; team will not rest anyone
The Bulls plan on playing all their players tonight as it’s a key game for them and Rondo is the only one who is a question mark. He’s considered a game-time decision after going through the shootaround this morning. We’ll update his status later tonight when we learn more.
As reported by: Nick Friedell on Twitter John Wall, Bradley Beal, and Markieff Morris OUT for Wizards tonight
The Wizards are going to rest their three key starters tonight in preparation for the post season. Otto Porter and Marcin Gortat will also play limited minutes. Brandon Jennings and Bojan Bogdanovich are the two biggest beneficiaries and are top options on tonight’s large NBA slate. Jason Smith and Kelly Oubre are also worth a look with Morris out and Gortat playing limited minutes.
Other tagged players: Bradley Beal, Markieff Morris, Brandon Jennings, Bojan Bogdanovic DeMar DeRozan downgraded to questionable for tonight due to illness
DeRozan is unlikely to play tonight for Toronto after missing shootaround due to illness. Norman Powell would likely get the start if that were the case with Kyle Lowry receiving a significant usage bump. Both would be viable options if DeRozan doesn’t play.
As reported by: Mike Ganter on Twitter Other tagged players: Norman Powell, Kyle Lowry