DFS Alerts
Malcolm Brogdon (back) officially ruled out Saturday
This was expected as Jason Kidd essentially ruled him out for their road trip earlier in the week. Matthew Dellavedova will get the start again, but he hasn’t done much since Brogdon went down. His ceiling is very limited as well. Since the injury, Giannis Antetokounmpo has taken over. His usage rate is up 3% to 32.5% and his per-minute fantasy production has risen 0.10 FD ppm to 1.40 and 0.12 DK ppm to 1.48. The Bucks have note clinched a playoff spot yet, so expect the Greek Freak to go all out tonight.
As reported by: Stephen Watson
Markieff Morris (ankle) and Otto Porter (back) both questionable Saturday
Morris has missed their last game, allowing Jason Smith to start in his place. After a really nice outing off the bench in the game prior, Smith flopped in his start. He was held under 25 minutes in both contests and could be looking at a similar situation today. Porter suffered back spasms at shootaround this moring. Should he miss this game, both Kelly Oubre and Bojan Bogdanovic will pick up extra minutes and would be solid value plays. Morris and Porter will be reevaluated in pregame warmups.
As reported by: CSN Other tagged players: Otto Porter Jr., Kelly Oubre, Bojan Bogdanovic, Jason Smith Sergio Rodriguez (hamstring) officially ruled out tonight for 76ers; will miss remainder of season
Rodriguez has missed the last six games due to his hamstring injury and he’s officially being shut down for the season. T.J. McConnell will continue to start and play plenty of minutes while Nik Stauskas picks up extended minutes off the bench. Philadelphia takes on the Bucks tonight, which favors point guards over other positions.
As reported by: Keith Pompey Other tagged players: T.J. McConnell, Nik Stauskas DeMarcus Cousins (Achilles), Anthony Davis (knee), and E'Twaun Moore (ankle) all ruled OUT for Pelicans Saturday
Not too surprising after New Orleans announced they would take it easy on their stars the rest of the season. Cousins also missed last game. Jrue Holiday would normally pick up the slack here but may be limited tonight. New Orleans has expressed their interest in seeing what Cheick Diallo and Quinn Cook can do, so expect plenty of run from them tonight. Diallo has averaged nearly one fantasy point per minute over 14 appearances with the Pelicans this season, although he only averaged 8.3 mpg across those contests. Jordan Crawford is another great value play, he should pick up plenty of usage and come out firing. Center Alexis Ajinca is another guy to watch out for, he’s produced at least 27 DraftKings points in three of the four games he’s played for at least 25 minutes.
As reported by: New Orleans Pelicans Other tagged players: Anthony Davis, Cheick Diallo, Quinn Cook, Jordan Crawford, Alexis Ajinca, E'Twaun Moore Amir Johnson (illness) ruled out for Celtics
Johnson has been ruled out ahead of Boston’s matchup with the Bulls due to an illness. Boston hasn’t announced his replacement in the starting lineup yet. Kelly Olynyck could get the nod, and even if he doesn’t, he’ll pick up extra minutes tonight and be a potential value option. Charlotte is all but eliminated from the playoffs and they seem to have given up on defense – they’ve had the second-worst defensive rating over the past two games.Jonas Jerebko will also be up for extended time on the floor, and he could start, but he isn’t as appealing of a target.
As reported by: Boston Celtics Andre Roberson (sore knee) ruled out tonight; Doug McDermott will start
Roberson will not play in tonight’s game against the Phoenix Suns after previously being listed as questionable on the Thunder’s injury report with a sore left knee. Earlier in the day, reports surfaced that Roberson was closer considered closer to doubtful, so this news isn’t all that surprising. In his absence, Doug McDermott will draw the start at small forward after Thunder head coach Billy Donavon told reporters that he believed McDermott earned the opportunity after proving solid minutes in the second half of Wednesday’s win over the Memphis Grizzlies following Roberson’s departure due to injury. McDermott now certainly enters tournament consideration as a punt option on the late slate at a typically shallow small forward position but should be avoided if possible in cash games given his extremely low floor.
As reported by: Fred Katz Other tagged players: Doug McDermott
George Hill (groin) and Raul Neto (groin) ruled out tonight
Hill will not play in tonight’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves after previously being listed as doubtful on the Jazz’s injury report with a strained right groin, while Raul Neto has also been ruled out after previously being considered questionable with a strained right groin as well. In Hill’s absence, Dante Exum will draw the start at point guard once again. Exum certainly possesses an expected minute floor that would allow him to become a viable option, but he has been a horrendous fantasy point per minute player when given the opportunity in the past. Taking that into consideration, it wouldn’t be an awful idea to take a tournament flier on Shelvin Mack in hopes that Exum ends up being a starter in name only and gives way to Mack down the stretch of Friday’s contest. The matchup is pretty neutral for Utah, but Mack is still the preferred target to Exum, as they are essentially splitting the point guard minutes equally with both Hill and Neto sidelined.
As reported by: Aaron Falk Other tagged players: Raul Neto DeMarcus Cousins (Achilles) ruled out tonight; Dante Cunningham will start
Cousins will not play in tonight’s game against the Denver Nuggets after previously being listed as questionable on the Pelicans’ injury report with an Achilles issue. In his absence, Dante Cunningham will draw the start at power forward once again, while E’Twaun Moore will also enter the starting lineup, which will likely send Tim Frazier back to the bench to resume a reserve role, though that has yet to be confirmed. The absence of Cousins upgrades Anthony Davis to near must-play status and makes Jrue Holiday an even more appealing option, as they each own at least a +2.7% usage rate differential with Cousins off the court since the All-Star break. In fact, Davis averages nearly 63 fantasy points per 36 minutes in the aforementioned scenario which would allow him to easily exceed salary-based expectations if he is able to match that pace this evening.
As reported by: Sean Kelley Wilson Chandler (migraine) WILL play tonight
Chandler will play in tonight’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans after previously being listed as questionable on the Nuggets’ injury report with a migraine. He is fully expected to resume his normal role off the bench and play his usual minute allotment barring an in-game setback with the aforementioned migraines. The Nuggets have already ruled out Jameer Nelson and Will Barton, meaning Jamal Murray will receive the starting nod at point guard and Gary Harris will remain locked into his high minute floor for at least one more game. Chandler has still been seeing north of 30 minutes of action each night, despite coming off the bench, and could be worth a look in tournaments. However, Danilo Gallinari could be the safer wing option for Denver, as he has played at least 37 minutes in each of the last three contests and exceeded salary-based expectations each time.
As reported by: Harrison Wind Dwight Howard (rest) and Dennis Schroder (foot) officially ruled OUT tonight
What a day for the Hawks. Schroder was downgraded to doubtful earlier, then Atlanta said he would start, and then they ruled him out entirely. Howard will sit out for rest purposes. With these guys, Paul Millsap, Thabo Sefolosha, and Kent Bazemore off the floor, Taurean Prince has a very nice 6.4% bump in usage and a 0.14 FD ppm increase to 0.85. Tim Hardaway Jr. is second on the team in this scenario (26.9%). Although Ersan Ilyasova leads in usage (30.4%) and FD ppm (1.18), he has a small sample size of 37.3 minutes. These three guys figure to be strong plays tonight, they’re all relatively cheap and should all get plenty of minutes. Prince stands out on FanDuel, where he’s just $4,200.
As reported by: Chris Vivlamore Other tagged players: Dennis Schroder UPDATE: Jose Calderon will start ahead of Dennis Schroder (foot); Kris Humphries will start ahead of Dwight Howard
Calderon and Howard will start at point guard and center, respectively, in tonight’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers despite Dennis Schroder previously being reported as good to go for tonight’s contest. This certainly puts Schroder and Howard’s playing status into some question, as they are highly unlikely to come off the bench if they were going to play. This obviously hurts the viability of Schroder and Howard in all daily fantasy formats and they should be avoided. With Millsap off the court since the All-Star break, Ersan Ilyasova (21.1%) has seen at least a 2.5% usage rate differential, putting him firmly into consideration for all formats. Given the uncertainty surrounding Schroder and Howard’s status, Ilyasova and Tim Hardaway Jr. remain the safest Hawks players to target.
As reported by: Tom Withers Other tagged players: Jose Calderon, Kris Humphries, Dwight Howard Carmelo Anthony (rest) and Kristaps Porzingis (back) ruled OUT tonight
Anthony and Porzingis will not play in tonight’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies after previously being considered questionable with their respective ailments. In fact, there is still a significant chance that Porzingis will be shut down for the remainder of the season. The Knicks have yet to announce their replacements in the starting lineups, but Mindaugas Kuzminskas and Marshall Plumlee are the likeliest candidates. There has still yet to be an update on the status of Chasson Randle, who remains questionable, and if he is unable to give a go, Ron Baker would effectively be the only true point guard on the Knicks roster once again. With Anthony, Porzingis, and Derrick Rose all unavailable, there is a plethora of usage available for the taking, making any of the Knicks starters viable options in any format.
As reported by: Marc Berman Other tagged players: Kristaps Porzingis Clint Capela (rest) ruled OUT tonight for Rockets; Nene will start in his place
Capela will be rested and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Detroit Pistons despite never appearing on the Rockets’ injury report at any point throughout the day. In his absence, Nene will draw the start at center, while Montrezl Harrell should be expected to enter the rotation in some sort of capacity. Even though Nene is the starter, he will likely split the center minutes with Harrell right down the middle, as Nene typically doesn’t see more than 24 minutes of action on a given night. Both Nene and Harrell are in play for tournaments and carry similar ceilings, though it is safe to say that Nene has the higher floor.
As reported by: Craig Ackerman Other tagged players: Nene Hilario Ryan Anderson (ankle) will be capped at 15 minutes tonight, sit out second half
Anderson is expected to make his return tonight from a six-game absence. He won’t play more than 15 minutes though and he’s expected to sit out the second half entirely. That means he won’t be a viable fantasy target tonight. Although he’s only playing for a half, he will have an impact on other players while he’s out there. Patrick Beverley and Eric Gordon see slightly lower usage rates, -1.6% and -2.4%, respectively, and they each have slightly lower per-minute fantasy production. James Harden isn’t impacted as much, but his usage rate decreases by 0.8%.
As reported by: Calvin Watkins Hawks haven't determined who will start at center tonight; Dwight Howard's playing status uncertain
The Hawks are reportedly undecided on who will start at center for tonight’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, putting Dwight Howard’s availability for tonight’s contest into question. Dennis Schroder and Tim Hardaway Jr. will both play and start tonight despite previously being listed as doubtful on the Hawks’ injury report with their respective ailments. Their presence in the starting lineup will demote projected starters, Jose Calderon and DeAndre Bembry, from any and all daily fantasy consideration, while Ersan Ilyasova will start for Paul Millsap, who is sitting for rest purposes. With Millsap off the court since the All-Star break, both Dennis Schroder (33.8%) and Ersan Ilyasova (21.1%) have seen at least a 2.5% usage rate differential, putting them firmly into consideration for all formats. Schroder is still probably better reserved for tournaments considering the uncertainty surrounding his injury status, but he does draw an excellent individual matchup against Kyrie Irving defense.
As reported by: Chris Vivlamore