DFS Alerts
Carmelo Anthony (knee), Derrick Rose (foot), and Lance Thomas (hip) ruled out 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. There has yet to be any official word on the Knicks starting lineup, and they could honestly go any number of ways replacing their three starters in tonight’s contest, so it’s extremely difficult to speculate. However, the most likely candidates to draw the start will be Ron Baker, Mindaugas Kuzminskas, and Guillermo Hernangomez at center. 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.
As reported by: NY_KnicksPR Other tagged players: Derrick Rose, Lance Thomas
Tony Allen (knee) confirmed in starting lineup tonight
Allen will play and start in tonight’s game against the San Antonio Spurs after previously being listed as questionable on the Grizzlies injury report with a left knee injury that had forced him to miss one game. With Allen officially good to go, he will reclaim his normal shooting guard spot in the starting lineup, which will send Wayne Selden back to the bench to resume his reserve role. Despite returning from injury, Allen will likely be in line to see his normal allotment of 28-30 minutes in an effort to contain Kawhi Leonard on the defensive end. The matchup is far from ideal, but if in need of a punt option at the shooting guard position, there are much worse players to target in his price range on Thursday’s slate.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR Derrick Jones Jr. listed as the starter in place of T.J. Warren
T.J. Warren has officially been listed as out for tonight’s game against the Brooklyn Nets with a left foot contusion. There has yet to be any official confirmation from the team, but it appears that Warren will not play in Thursday’s contest, along with Ronnie Price, who will remain sidelined for the third consecutive game with a left leg contusion. Derrick Jones Jr. will receive the starting nod at small forward after recently filling as a starter when Alex Len was forced to miss a few games. Jones Jr. put up a couple of miserable performances in terms of fantasy points per minute in his prior starts, so he would be nothing more than a long-shot tournament flier if given the start, and not a particularly viable one at that. The more interesting tournament target could be Jared Dudley, who has quietly been averaging minutes in the low-20s the past several games and should be in line for some additional playing time should Warren be ruled out.
As reported by: Doug Haller Other tagged players: TJ Warren
Tony Allen (knee) expected to play tonight
Allen still officially remains a game-time decision for tonight’s game against the San Antonio Spurs but, according to Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale, is expected to play after previously being listed as questionable on the Grizzlies injury report with a left knee injury that had forced him to miss one game. Assuming Allen is good to go, he will likely reclaim his normal shooting guard spot in the starting lineup, which will send Wayne Selden back to the bench to resume his reserve role. If cleared to play, Allen would likely be in line to see his normal allotment of 28-30 minutes in an effort to contain Kawhi Leonard on the defensive end. The matchup is far from ideal, but if in need of a punt option at shooting guard, there are much worse players to target on Thursday’s slate.
As reported by: Rob Fischer David Lee (foot) confirmed as playing tonight
Lee will play in tonight’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies after previously being listed as probable on the Spurs’ injury report with a sore left foot that had forced him to miss one game. His return to the rotation will presumably eat into the minutes of LaMarcus Aldridge, who saw just over 38 minutes of action in Tuesday’s contest. However, for whatever reason, Lee only played 10 minutes in last week’s matchup with this same Grizzlies squad, as Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich decided to roll with the Aldridge and Pau Gasol frontcourt duo more often than normal. Lee was never in play as a viable option on Thursday’s slate, but it will certainly be interesting to see if the aforementioned trend holds true once again, as Aldridge would end up being a much more appealing power forward target.
As reported by: Paul Garcia Hassan Whiteside (hand) confirmed in the starting lineup for tonight
Whiteside will play and start in tonight’s game against the Toronto Raptors after previously being listed as probable on the Heat’s injury report with a laceration on his right hand he sustained in Tuesday’s win over the Phoenix Suns. His hand is reportedly heavily taped, so the nature of the injury certainly adds some uncertainty to just how effective he can be playing through it on the offensive end of the floor. Despite the exploitable matchup with the Raptors frontcourt, this immediately reserves Whiteside for tournament-only consideration in the event he is unable to effectively contribute offensively. If that ends up being the case, more of the offensive load will shift to Goran Dragic in the starting unit with Dion Waiters still sidelined indefinitely.
As reported by: @Heat T.J. Warren not officially ruled out but closer to doubtful for tonight's game
Warren is still officially questionable for tonight’s game against the Brooklyn Nets with a left foot contusion but, according to Suns head coach Earl Watson, it’s unlikely that Warren suits up for Thursday’s contest. If Warren is officially ruled out, Derrick Jones Jr. would likely receive the starting nod at small forward after recently filling as a starter when Alex Len was forced to miss a few games. Jones Jr. put up a couple of miserable performances in terms of fantasy points per minute in his prior starts, so he would be nothing more than a long-shot tournament flier if given the start, and not a particularly viable one at that. The more interesting tournament target could be Jared Dudley, who has quietly been averaging minutes in the low-20s the past several games and should be in line for some additional playing time should Warren be ruled out.
As reported by: Doug Haller P.J. Tucker confirmed as the starter in place of Serge Ibaka tonight
Tucker will be inserted into the Raptors starting lineup for tonight’s game against the Miami Heat in place of Serge Ibaka, who will serve his one-game suspension Thursday stemming from a fight with Robin Lopez in Tuesday’s win over the Chicago Bulls. He will start alongside DeMarre Carroll in the Toronto frontcourt and the two will essentially be interchangeable between both the small and power forward positions. Tucker ended up seeing 33 minutes of action in the previous game, so it’s realistic to expect he will see similar playing time in a matchup with a Heat squad that isn’t afraid to go small. Tucker typically accumulates most of his fantasy production through counting stats, so he does possess significant upside if he manages to get hot from the field, making him an ideal tournament target if looking to save salary at the small forward position.
As reported by: Doug Smith P.J. Tucker expected to start in place of Serge Ibaka tonight
Tucker is expected to be inserted into the Raptors starting lineup for tonight’s game against the Miami Heat in place of Serge Ibaka, who will serve his one-game suspension Thursday stemming from a fight with Robin Lopez in Tuesday’s win over the Chicago Bulls. He will start alongside DeMarre Carroll in the Toronto frontcourt and the two will essentially be interchangeable between both the small and power forward positions. Tucker ended up seeing 33 minutes of action in the previous game, so it’s realistic to expect he will see similar playing time in a matchup with a Heat squad that isn’t afraid to go small. Tucker typically accumulates most of his fantasy production through counting stats, so he does possess significant upside if he manages to get hot from the field, making him an ideal tournament target if looking to save salary at the small forward position.
As reported by: Tim Reynolds Jeremy Lin (sprained right ankle) confirmed as the starter and expected to play significant minutes
Lin will rejoin the starting lineup tonight against the Phoenix Suns. Lin is expected to play his normal allotment of minutes and it’s expected to be around 30 minutes. Lin played 30 minutes against the Knicks last week, his highest since returning from a prolonged hamstring injury. Lin’s salary has caught up to his production over on FanDuel, but he is still considered a punt option on DK. He should be able to exceed value regardless of site and has a 28.7% usage rate with Sean Kilpatrick and Joe Harris out over the last four weeks. Brook Lopez leads the team with a usage rate over 30% and continues to play well. Lopez and Lin can be stacked together against the lowly Suns.
As reported by: Brian Heyman Other tagged players: Brook Lopez, Sean Kilpatrick, Joe Harris Wayne Ellington (personal) will play tonight
Ellington’s status wasn’t in much doubt despite his child being born Wednesday night. He’ll take on roughly 22-26 minutes, but isn’t a recommended DFS option with Josh Richardson and Rodney McGruder still eating up a good chunk of playing time on the wing.
As reported by: Ira Winderman
Jeremy Lin (sprained right ankle) available to play tonight
Lin is officially available to play in tonight’s game against the Phoenix Suns after previously being listed as probable on the Nets’ injury report with a sprained right ankle that had forced him to miss one game. Lin will be reinserted into the starting lineup in his return and is expected to play significant minutes, according to Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson. This lineup change will send Spencer Dinwiddie back to the bench to resume a reserve role. Lin had been seeing minutes consistently in the mid-to-upper 20s before his brief injury absence, so it is realistic to expect him to fall somewhere in that range for tonight’s contest. This is a matchup of two of the highest pace teams in the league, so there is a strong possibility that Lin still has the necessary upside for tournaments, even in limited playing time, as the Suns rank 24th in DvP against opposing point guards.
As reported by: Brian Lewis Danilo Gallinari (left knee bone bruise) upgraded to questionable for Friday
Danilo Gallinari has missed the last four games due to a bruise in his left knee. Wilson Chandler replaced him in the starting lineup last night and played 41 minutes. With the upgrade, it’s likely that Gallinari jumps back into the rotation on Friday against the Pacers. It’ll be interesting to see how the lineup changes because Wilson Chandler was playing alongside Danilo Gallinari before both players got hurt. Mason Plumlee has been starting at PF and but has not seen over 30 minutes in back-to-back games. It’s possible Plumlee goes back to the bench if Gallinari returns.
As reported by: Harrison Wind Other tagged players: Wilson Chandler, Mason Plumlee Glenn Robinson III (sore left calf) questionable for Friday
Glenn Robinson III was only able to play six minutes against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday. Paul George ended up playing 42 minutes against the Celtics due to his injury and will likely be a top option against the Nuggets on Friday. With the Pacers fighting for a spot in the playoffs, expect George to carry a heavy offensive burden and continue to churn out solid cash game lines with his minutes really secure. George has had a usage rate of 30 or more in five of his last six games.
As reported by: @Pacers Other tagged players: Paul George Brandon Ingram (right patella tendinitis) probable for Friday
Brandon Ingram has been logging major minutes and it seems to be finally catching up to him after he played sparingly to start the season. The Lakers are lacking in options behind Ingram but could use Nick Young at small forward if Ingram is limited at all. Since Ingram is listed as probable we should expect him to play against the Timberwolves.
As reported by: Serena Winters Other tagged players: Nick Young