DFS Alerts
Jeff Green (back) ruled out for tonight
Green will not play in tonight’s game against the Detroit Pistons after previously being listed as questionable on the Magic’s injury report with back spasms that have now forced him to miss two consecutive games. With Aaron Gordon already confirmed in the starting lineup, look for Mario Hezonja to continue soaking up most of the reserve power forward minutes in Green’s absence, as Magic head coach Frank Vogel has recently gone on record that Hezonja’s natural role in today’s NBA could be a small-ball power forward and wants to evaluate him in that role as the season winds down. However, Hezonja will likely be maxed out at about the 20-22 minute range, reserving him as nothing more than a secondary tournament flier on Friday’s slate.
As reported by: @Magic PR
Glenn Robinson III (left calf strain) will not play for two weeks
Updating a previous report: Glenn Robinson III will be out for two weeks due to the calf strain. Paul George will likely play heavy minutes and Rodney Stuckey will be used in place of Glenn Robinson III. Stuckey is not a high-upside play on tonight’s slate but could carve out a bigger role since GR3 will be out multiple weeks.
As reported by: Wheat Hotchkiss Other tagged players: Paul George, Rodney Stuckey John Wall (migraine) expected to play, but status still not confirmed
Scott Brooks is tentatively expecting John Wall to suit up on Friday against Brooklyn, but he wouldn’t go far enough to say that Wall is a definite go. This still leaves the possibility that Wall sits, and that chance certainly isn’t hurt by the fact that the Wizards face off with the league-worst Nets at home. If he goes, he’ll be a viable GPP play against a Nets team that ranks towards the top of the league in pace and the bottom of the league in defensive efficiency. In the event that Wall does sit, both Bradley Beal and Markieff Morris will become much stronger DFS plays. Beal carries a strong 31.0% usage rate with Wall off the floor this year, while Morris leads the starters with a 7.8% usage bump. Bojan Bogdanovic actually leads the Wizards in usage without Wall on the floor, but it’s in a smaller sample size. Brandon Jennings would also be a viable punt play industry wide.
As reported by: Chase Hughes Other tagged players: Bradley Beal, Markieff Morris, Brandon Jennings
Glenn Robinson III (left calf strain) ruled out for tonight
GR3 will miss tonight’s game due to a left calf strain. He played only six minutes against the Celtics on Wednesday and his absence directly led to Paul George playing over 42 minutes. This was the second time in the last couple weeks that George played over 42 minutes and he’s scored over 50 fantasy points in two of his last four starts. George’s salary continues to rise but his minutes seem extremely secure, especially now that Robinson is out of the lineup.
As reported by: @Pacers Other tagged players: Paul George Andre Iguodala (hip) should be available for the Warriors tonight
Andre Iguodala missed Tuesday’s game due to a hip issue but is no longer on the injury report for the Warriors. There has not been an official update from the team but it would seem they would list Iguodala questionable if he had any issues. It seems as if it was a minor injury and he should be able to suit up for tonight’s game. The Warriors are large favorites and Iguodala could be limited in his return. Matt Barnes and Patrick McCaw will be directly affected but were not high-upside plays to begin with.
As reported by: John Dickinson Other tagged players: Matt Barnes, Patrick McCaw Derrick Favors (knee) ruled out for Saturday; Shelvin Mack (ankle) questionable
Favors will miss his ninth consecutive game due to a knee issue. Favors has been dealing with this injury since preseason and has seemed to get hurt every time the team ramps up the minutes. Boris Diaw started on Wednesday against the Knicks but only played 14 minutes. Joe Johnson was being used as the starting forward and still ended up playing about 23 minutes. Johnson has been consistent since Favors went down but lacks elite tournament upside. Shelvin Mack has been out since the All-Star break and will likely be eased back into the rotation if he plays. George Hill has been logging over 35 minutes lately and will be more of a GPP play against the Clippers on Saturday.
As reported by: Andy Blarsen Other tagged players: Shelvin Mack, George Hill, Joe Johnson T.J. Warren and Derrick Jones OUT for Suns tonight
Warren missed the Suns last game and will join Jones on the sideline tonight as well. The Suns will be extremely short-handed with these two out as they will only have eight players available. All should see plenty of playing time against the Celtics with Marquese Chriss, Tyler Ulis, and Devin Booker being top options.
As reported by: John Gambadoro on Twitter Other tagged players: Derrick Jones Jr.
John Wall misses shootaround due to a headache; to be evaluated later in the day
While it doesn’t appear that Wall will sit out tonight, the fact that this is being reported should be some reason for concern, especially since the Wizards are facing the hapless Nets. We’ll keep a close eye on his status and provide updates as they come in. If he gets scratched, Brandon Jennings would likely start and would be a top value option at point guard.
As reported by: Chase Hughes on Twitter Other tagged players: Brandon Jennings Ish Smith will start for Pistons tonight at point guard
Smith started the last game for the Pistons and will start again tonight against Orlando. He’s a reasonable value option but has limited upside given that he’ll likely split time with Reggie Jackson. Even as a starter he only played 25 minutes last game while Jackson put in 19.
As reported by: Joshua Robbins on Twitter Other tagged players: Reggie Jackson Jahlil Okafor misses shootaround; questionable and a game-time decision tonight for 76ers
76ers Head Coach Brett Brown stated that Okafor was actually closer to doubtful so it looks like it will be Richaun Holmes tonight for Philadelphia. Okafor did not go through the shootaround and is officially listed as questionable by the team. Holmes would be a high-owned option if Okafor indeed does not go.
As reported by: Philadelphia 76ers official Twitter feed Other tagged players: Richaun Holmes Kenneth Faried downgraded to questionable for Nuggets tonight with shoulder contusion
Anytime a player is added to the injury report last minute, his status is usually shaky for that night’s game and that is the case for Faried who was added by the Nuggets with a shoulder contusion. The Nuggets have plenty of depth so it won’t be surprising if Faried doesn’t play tonight. Wilson Chandler would stand to start at power forward if Faried can’t play and would be a top option given the amount of playing time he might get.
As reported by: Chris Dempsey on Twitter Other tagged players: Wilson Chandler Cristiano Felicio remains out for Bulls tonight
Felicio has a minor role in the Bulls rotation and will miss his second straight game with a back injury. Robin Lopez and Joffrey Lauvergne will see all the minutes at center tonight for Chicago.
As reported by: K.C. Johnson on Twitter Aaron Gordon will play for Magic tonight; Jeff Green a game-time decision
Gordon has been battling a sore left hip but has not missed any time. Magic Head Coach Frank Vogel confirmed that he would play today against the Pistons. He’s not a recommended DFS option facing a defensive-minded Pistons team. Jeff Green will be a game-time decision but his role in the rotation has been reduced to a point where he has minimal impact on the Magic rotation.
As reported by: Joshua Robbins on Twitter Other tagged players: Jeff Green Danilo Gallinari says he will play tonight for Nuggets
It appears Gallo will return to action tonight against Indiana after missing the last four games. The Nuggets will be at full health making some of their options less attractive due to playing time being split up more. If Wilson Chandler gets the start at power forward, he could be an interesting option not having to face the defense of Paul George. We’ll update you if anything changes regarding Gallinari’s status but for now assume he is in.
As reported by: Chris Dempsey on Twitter Knicks will start Baker, Lee, Kuzminskas, Porzingis, Hernangomez tonight
Rose and Thomas will not play in tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers after previously being listed on the Knicks’ injury report with sore right foot and sore right hip respectively. However, Carmelo Anthony will also not play due to a sore left knee despite never receiving an injury designation at any point throughout the day. The Knicks have officially confirmed that Ron Baker, Mindaugas Kuzminskas, and Guillermo Hernangomez will replace Rose, Anthony, and Thomas in the starting lineup this evening. Kristaps Porzingis surprisingly hasn’t historically seen a bump in usage rate with the aforementioned trio off the court this season, albeit a limited sample size, but he should be expected to carry the offensive load for New York in an exploitable matchup, especially with Brandon Jennings now with the Washington Wizards and unable to fill in with Rose sidelined.
As reported by: Stefan Bondy Other tagged players: Ron Baker, Mindaugas Kuzminskas