DFS Alerts
Kevin Love (illness) will play tonight
Love will play and presumably, start in tonight’s game against the Miami Heat after previously being listed as questionable on the Cavaliers’ injury report with an illness. With LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Tristan Thompson all unavailable, Deron Williams, Iman Shumpert, and Channing Frye are expected to enter the Cavaliers starting lineup for tonight’s contest. If Love is going to see his full allotment of minutes (which is anyone’s guess), he becomes an elite option at the power forward position on this slate, as he, Williams, and J.R. Smith all own at least a +14.1% usage rate differential with LeBron and Irving off the court this season. The aforementioned trio will be the primary Cleveland players to target, while Frye and Shumpert are worth looks in tournaments.
As reported by: Manny Navarro
Beno Udrih (ankle) officially ruled out for Pistons tonight
Udrih sprained his ankle last night and he’s expected to miss their final game on Wednesday as well. Coach Stan Van Gundy said he’ll provide Ish Smith and Stanley Johnson will extra minutes in Udrih’s absence and he’s considering Darrun Hilliard the backup point guard. This is welcome news for Ish Smith has his minutes ticked down a notch last game from his usual 30 to 27. He’s been the model of consistency since Reggie Jackson went to the bench, which makes him a nice cash play but his limited upside isn’t terribly appealing for tournaments. Hilliard may see more action, but he offers very limited peripherals and there is plenty of better value available. Stanley Johnson offers much more as a player and he’ll receive plenty of time without the other four starters. When Tobias Harris, Andre Drummond, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Marcus Morris. This season, his usage increased 3.7% and his FD ppm rate jumped 0.21 to 0.81.
As reported by: Aaron McMann Other tagged players: Ish Smith, Darrun Hilliard, Stanley Johnson
Dion Waiters (ankle) ruled OUT tonight for Heat; Luke Babbitt (hip) and Josh McRoberts (foot) not expected to play
Waiters and McRoberts were upgraded to questionable for tonight’s matchup against the Heat, but Waiters has been officially ruled out and McRoberts isn’t expected to play, although he will dress. Babbitt is in a similar situation as McRoberts, he’ll dress but he’s unlikely to play. James Johnson will earn his fourth consecutive start. He’s been dynamite, averaging 21.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.0 steals the past few nights. He’s played into the high-30s the past two games, and with Miami’s season on the line – they have to win every game to have a shot at making the playoffs – don’t expect him to let up now. He’s also going up against Cleveland’s B-Team (and Kevin Love). His price is on the rise, but it’s still manageable.
As reported by: Ira Winderman Other tagged players: Luke Babbitt, Josh McRoberts Amir Johnson (illness) available to play tonight
Johnson is officially available to play in tonight’s game against the Brooklyn Nets after being forced to miss the Celtics’ previous game with an illness. Johnson is expected to starting spot alongside Al Horford in the frontcourt, which will send Kelly Olynyk back to the bench to resume his normal reserve role. Additionally, there has yet to be any sort of minutes restriction announced by the team for Johnson, so expect him to be a full-go this evening. James Young is also available to play after a one-game absence due to illness but is unlikely to see much playing time, if any at all, in tonight’s contest. However, Johnson and obviously Young are not viable daily fantasy options on a full slate.
As reported by: Scott Souza Thabo Sefolosha (groin) questionable for Tuesday
Sefolosha has missed the past eight games with a groin strain, but the Hawks have upgraded him to questionable ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Hornets. His return would damage the value of Taurean Prince, although, given the way Atlanta has dealt with injuries this season, Prince would likely remain the starter and Sefolosha would probably have a minutes restriction.
As reported by: Chris Vivlamore D'Angelo Russell (personal) not expected to play Tuesday
Russell’s grandmother passed away on Sunday and he went home to Louisville to spend time with his family. Los Angeles is not expecting him to be back for their game on Tuesday. This means plenty of time on the court for Tyler Ennis and Jordan Clarkson. With Russell off the court, Clarkson leads the team with a 27.0% usage rate. Ennis has a better per-minute production rate, returning 0.92 FD ppm across a 221.8-minute sample size to Clarkson’s 0.83 (1,617.8 minutes). Both are nice plays tomorrow against the Pelicans, who have packed it in for the season. With Cousins banged up and Anthony Davis limited or resting over the past three games, the Pelicans have had the league’s worst defense with a rating of 124.5.
As reported by: Los Angeles Lakers Jameer Nelson (calf) ruled out for Tuesday; Will Barton (foot), Kenneth Faried (back), Emmanuel Mudiay (ankle) questionable
Nelson has missed four of the last five games due to a calf strain. Barton was active yesterday for the first time in five games but didn’t get on the court while Faried was ruled out ahead of time with a back injury. Although he was questionable heading into Sunday, Emmanuel Mudiay was able to play 24 effective minutes. Now that the Nuggets have been eliminated from the playoffs, they may begin cutting back on their starters’ minutes.
As reported by: T.J. McBride Other tagged players: Will Barton, Emmanuel Mudiay, Kenneth Faried Kevin Love not officially ruled out for Cleveland tonight; considered questionable
Updating our previous report that Love was ruled out for tonights game he has officially been listed as questionable by the team (Lebron James and Kyrie Irving were confirmed out). There’s still a strong chance he doesn’t play but it’s a situation we’ll continue to monitor and provide updates on. Channing Frye would be the biggest beneficiary if Love sits.
As reported by: Tom Withers on Twitter Other tagged players: Channing Frye
Kemba Walker OUT for final two games of season for Charlotte
With the Hornets out of the playoff race, it’s no surprise that they will sit out their star for the final two games of the season. Briante Weber and Brian Roberts will pick up Walker’s minutes and provide yet more value options on today’s slate as the team faces Milwaukee.
As reported by: Jerry Stephens on Twitter Other tagged players: Briante Weber, Brian Roberts Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, and Allen Crabbe all OUT for Portland tonight
The Blazers are resting their big two in Lillard and McCollum with the eighth seed locked up and Crabbe will join them on the sidelines as well. It’s a tough match up against the Spurs but these three sitting should provide some excellent opportunities for players to excel. Shabazz Napier tops the list as the defacto starting point guard at a bare bones price but Evan Turner and Moe Harkless will probably have the highest usage of the starters and are top options on the slate.
As reported by: Casey Holdahl on Twitter Other tagged players: CJ McCollum, Allen Crabbe, Shabazz Napier, Evan Turner, Maurice Harkless Cleveland to rest LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love tonight
The Cavaliers seem intent to go into the playoffs rested rather than lock up the top seed as they will rest their big three tonight against Miami. Tristan Thompson remains out as well meaning Iman Shumpert, Kyle Korver, J.R. Smith, Channing Frye, and Richard Jefferson should see a bump in both usage and playing time tonight. All are viable DFS options on a night that will be filled with value with all the scratches by teams as they prepare for the post season.
As reported by: Joe Vardon on cleveland.com Other tagged players: Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love Gordon Hayward OUT for Utah tonight
Hayward has been downgraded from questionable to out for Utah tonight and is considered day-to-day moving forward. Rodney Hood is also out so it’ll be Joe Johnson and Joe Ingles benefiting on the wings. With all the value that is out there today though there are probably better places to look than to those two.
As reported by: Jody Genessy on Twitter Other tagged players: Joe Ingles, Joe Johnson Klay Thompson OUT for Golden State tonight
The Warriors have nothing to play for and will sit their starting shooting guard for rest purposes tonight. Patrick McCaw will likely get the start but their are better value options out there tonight.
As reported by: Tony Jones on Twitter Other tagged players: Patrick McCaw Malcolm Brogdon and John Henson will both be available for Milwaukee tonight
Neither player is DFS viable but will impact the rotation somewhat. Brogdon is returning after missing five games but he’ll likely be restricted in terms of playing time. his return impacts the value of Matthew Dellavedova. Henson will dip into Thon Maker’s playing time a bit.
As reported by: Sophia Minnaert on Twitter Other tagged players: John Henson, Matthew Dellavedova Rajon Rondo OUT for Bulls tonight
Rondo will miss his third straight game for the Bulls with Jerian Grant getting another start against Orlando. Jimmy Butler is the player to own from the Bulls however. Dwyane Wade will play but will be limited to no more than 22 minutes.
As reported by: Nick Friedell on Twitter Other tagged players: Jerian Grant, Dwyane Wade, Jimmy Butler