DFS Alerts
Channing Frye confirmed as starter for Tristan Thompson (thumb) tonight
Thompson will not play in tonight’s game against the Boston Celtics after spraining his left thumb in Tuesday’s win over the Orlando Magic. He did not travel with the team and has been ruled out of the Cavaliers’ next game as well. In his absence, Channing Frye will draw the start alongside Kevin Love in the frontcourt and they should essentially cross-match between power forward and center depending on individual assignment on either end of the floor. Not only does Frye become a viable option in tournaments, but LeBron James (36.1%) also owns a +3.6% usage rate differential with Thompson off the court since the All-Star break, while averaging a whopping 62 fantasy points per 36 minutes. Should he achieve that average pace in Wednesday’s contest, he would easily exceed salary-based expectations across the industry, making him an elite option in all formats in an exploitable matchup with the Celtics defensive unit.
As reported by: Fred McLeod
Mike Conley (eye) ruled OUT tonight, Andrew Harrison will start in his place; Tony Allen (eye) WILL play
Conley collided with Kawhi Leonard last night and he won’t be able to play tonight. Harrison will draw the start, but it doesn’t mean he’ll play a ton of minutes. In his previous three starts, he played 22 minutes or less. When he’s on the court with Marc Gasol, who’s starting tonight, his usage is 17.6% and he produces 0.59 FD ppm. Allen will return from a one-game absence. When Conley is off the floor he enjoys a 1.3% bump in usage, but his fantasy production stays even at 0.76 FD ppm. He’s a potential value option tonight, but he doesn’t have a huge upside.
As reported by: Tim MacMahon Other tagged players: Tony Allen, Andrew Harrison James Johnson will start in place of Luke Babbitt (hip) tonight for Heat; Babbitt officially ruled OUT
Babbitt has officially been ruled out for tonight’s game against the Charlotte Hornets after previously being listed as questionable on the Heat’s injury report with a strained right hip flexor. With Babbitt indeed unable to suit up, James Johnson will surprisingly receive the starting nod at power forward despite Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra’s usual effort to keep Johnson in his normal role off the bench. Babbitt typically only see minutes in the mid-teens, even as a starter, so Okaro White could be in line to see a small increase in playing time with the second unit, although not enough to become fantasy relevant on a full slate. However, Johnson should be expected to absorb the larger majority of the power forward minutes vacated by Babbitt, especially now that he has been promoted to the starting unit.
As reported by: Ira Winderman Tyler Zeller (personal) OUT tonight for Celtics; Avery Bradley (illness) will play
Bradley will play in tonight’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers after previously being listed as questionable on the Celtics’ injury report with an illness that had forced him to miss two consecutive games. With Jae Crowder also available to play, Jaylen Brown will be sent back to the bench to resume his normal reserve role. With all the starters officially available for Boston, they become much less intriguing individual options, but this matchup with Cleveland should stay close, which still leaves Crowder, Bradley, and Isaiah Thomas firmly in play for tournaments as one-offs or a part of a game stack. Additionally, Tyler Zeller has been ruled out for personal reasons, but he consistently sees less than 10 minutes of action if he even sees the court, so D-League call-up Jordan Mickey is highly unlikely to see any playing time this evening.
As reported by: Brian Robb Other tagged players: Avery Bradley Jae Crowder (sore left elbow) will play tonight
Crowder will play in tonight’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers after previously being listed as probable on the Celtics’ injury report with a sore left elbow. His availability for tonight’s contest will seriously hinder the viability of Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart off the bench with Avery Bradley on track to return from an illness that has kept him sidelined for two consecutive games.With everyone expected to be available for Boston, they become much less intriguing individual options, but this matchup with Cleveland should stay close, which still leaves Crowder, Bradley, and Isaiah Thomas firmly in play for tournaments as one-offs or a part of a game stack.
As reported by: Sean Grande
Kyle Lowry (wrist) will play tonight with no minute restriction
Lowry will play and start in tonight’s game against the Detroit Pistons after previously being listed as questionable on the Raptors’ injury report due to a wrist injury that had required him to get surgery and miss the last 21 consecutive games. The Raptors have already confirmed that he will not be subject to a minutes restriction in his return. His availability will send Cory Joseph back to the bench to resume his normal reserve role and severely hinder the playing time of Delon Wright off the bench. DeMar DeRozan has seen a significant usage bump with Lowry sidelined for the last twenty-plus games and has seen his price tag across the industry increase along with it, making him as an easy player to avoid on tonight’s slate given the difficult individual matchup. Lowry carries some extra risk in his return but has the better matchup by far, allowing him to be an intriguing tournament option on Wednesday’s slate.
As reported by: Eric Smith Isaiah Whitehead (ankle) probable for Thursday; Sean Kilpatrick (hamstring) questionable
Whitehead missed Wednesday’s game, but he’s been upgraded to probable for Thursday. Kilpatrick appears to have re-aggravated a hamstring injury on Tuesday and he’s questionable. Kilpatrick was crushing it Tuesday, picking up 22 FD points in 11 minutes while making 80% of his shots before getting pulled. Brooklyn will probably be cautious here since they aren’t playing for anything at this point. Without Whitehead, Spencer Dinwiddie picked up 25 minutes and was effective, scoring 13 points and contributing seven assists. K.J. McDaniels and Archie Goodwin both saw 22+ minutes. If Whitehead returns, all three will lose some minutes.
As reported by: Brian Lewis Other tagged players: Sean Kilpatrick Luke Babbitt (hip) not expected to play tonight for Heat
According to Heat head coach Luke Spoelstra, he does not expect Babbitt to play in tonight’s game against the Charlotte Hornets after previously being listed as questionable on the Heat’s injury report with a strained right hip flexor. If Babbitt is indeed unable to suit up, Okaro White will likely receive the starting nod at power forward in an effort to keep James Johnson in his normal role off the bench. Babbitt typically only see minutes in the mid-teens, even as a starter, so White’s role should not be expected to increase all that much in the starting unit. If anything, Johnson should be expected to absorb the larger majority of the power forward minutes available should Babbitt be ruled out this evening.
As reported by: Barry Jackson Draymond Green (rest) and Andre Iguodala (rest) confirmed out tonight, as expected
Golden State announced they would rest Green and Iguodala last night. Matt Barnes and David West are expected to start in their places, which makes them solid value plays on tonight’s slate. Both guys see 7.4% bumps in usage with Green, Iguodala, and Durant off the floor. Barnes had a nice start last night, he scored 12 points, grabbed six boards, and added four assists in 25 minutes. He’ll probably get even more time tonight and he’s very cheap across the industry. Although we only have a small sample size (67.4 minutes), West produced 1.32 FD ppm in this situation. That’s clearly an unsustainable number, but he’s a fine value play against a terrible Suns defense. Stephen Curry has only played 27.2 minutes with those three players off, so it’s a very small sample, but he saw nice bumps in usage and points during that time, which makes sense. He’ll see Tyler Ulis all night, who has a DRPM of -1.28m which is 61st among 89 qualifying point guards. He’s a great target tonight, but he could sit early in a blowout, making him better for tournaments than cash.
As reported by: Golden State Warriors Other tagged players: Andre Iguodala Paul Millsap (knee), Kent Bazemore (knee), Tim Hardaway Jr. (knee), and Malcolm Delaney (back) all probable for Thursday
All these guys played last game outside Malcolm Delaney, who has missed the last four contests. Millsap and Bazemore came off the bench and they could possibly do the same tomorrow. Even if Millsap does, he’ll cut into Ersan Ilyasova’s minutes, which takes away his value. Howard had some big games when Millsap was on the sidelines, but his upside is lower with him back and he sees a slight downtick in usage and average fantasy production.
As reported by: Chris Vivlamore Other tagged players: Kent Bazemore, Malcolm Delaney, Tim Hardaway Jr. Marc Gasol (foot), JaMychal Green (shoulder), and Andrew Harrison (ankle) probable Wednesday; Mike Conley (eye), Tony Allen (eye) questionable
Gasol played 30 minutes last night in his return, but it was an overtime game. He could be limited tonight on a back-to-back as the Grizzlies prepare for the playoffs. Green only received 14 minutes Tuesday, he may be limited again as well. Zach Randolph would benefit from those two being held back, he’s been a pretty good value their past. He’s $1,000 less on FanDuel than DraftKings tonight. Andrew Harrison probably won’t be much of a factor unless Conley is ultimately ruled out; he didn’t even get on the court last night. Conley injured his eye in a collision with Kawhi Leonard after the game, he had been considered probable earlier today, so this is a downgrade. Allen is truly questionable, he sat out last night, which provided extra minutes for Vince Carter, James Ennis, and Troy Daniels. This is a situation worth monitoring as we approach lock.
As reported by: Memphis Grizzlies Other tagged players: Mike Conley, JaMychal Green, Andrew Harrison, Tony Allen Harrison Barnes will play tonight; Dirk Nowitzki (Achilles), Seth Curry (shoulder), J.J. Barea, Devin Harris all questionable
Barnes has stated he wants to play all 82 games and it seems like he will. The other guys are truly questionable; Barea and Harris for rest purposes, Dirk and Seth for injuries. Last night Dallas gave Dwight Powell and Nicolas Brussino 33+ minutes and they both scored in the double digits while adding seven rebounds each (Brussino also dished five assists and added a couple of steals). Meanwhile, Nerlens Noel only played 21 minutes, perhaps because it was on the first leg of a back-to-back, but he still nearly managed a double-double (nine points and ten rebounds). Even though Barea and Harris played, they were held to 15 minutes. It’s definitely a situation worth monitoring. It will be hard to predict minutes until we know who’s playing. We do know Wesley Matthews will be back and replace Brussino in the starting five. If the Nowitzki are out again, it would make sense for Noel to get more minutes tonight. He’s still too cheap on DraftKings, especially in that situation.
As reported by: Eddie Sefko Other tagged players: J.J. Barea, Dirk Nowitzki, Devin Harris, Seth Curry Glenn Robinson out for Pacers on Thursday; Al Jefferson is questionable
Robinson hasn’t played in nearly two weeks and will remain out for Indiana on Thursday. Jefferson hasn’t played since March 28th and is listed as questionable for tomorrow. He was expected to miss two weeks so he’s doubtful to suit up. C.J. Miles and Lavoy Allen are the biggest beneficiaries of these two being sidelined.
As reported by: Indiana Pacers official Twitter feed Other tagged players: Al Jefferson
Rajon Rondo questionable for Bulls on Thursday
Rondo has a sprained wrist on his shooting hand and is listed as questionable for the Bulls out there. Chicago is in the midst of fighting for a playoff spot so he’ll probably do his best to play if possible. Jerami Grant would probably start if he was unable to go but it’d be Jimmy Butler who would benefit the most. We’ll update you tomorrow after we learn more of Rondo’s status.
As reported by: Chicago Bulls official Twitter feed Will Barton unlikely to play; Kenneth Faried, Jameer Nelson questionable, Darrell Arthur probable
The Nuggets have updated their injury report, and it’s now looking like they’ll be without Will Barton tonight. Barton has missed Denver’s past three games, which has led to huge minute totals for Gary Harris, and both Jamal Murray and Emmanuel Mudiay have been very involved lately with Jameer Nelson also out. Nelson is questionable for tonight’s game, and his absence would only further cement Murray and Mudiay as a premier value plays on this slate. Mudiay has been the better fantasy performer over the past two games, but he also tends to be more volatile and his spot in the rotation isn’t quite as secure as Murray’s. If Kenneth Faried isn’t able to suit up, Wilson Chandler should see extended run at the PF spot against a Houston team that typically likes to play small, making him one of the better upside plays of the day.
As reported by: Harrison Wind Other tagged players: Jameer Nelson, Kenneth Faried, Darrell Arthur, Wilson Chandler, Emmanuel Mudiay, Jamal Murray