DFS Alerts
DeMarre Carroll (ankle) returns to the starting lineup tonight
Carroll will play and start in tonight’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder after previously being listed as questionable on the Raptors’ injury report with a sore left ankle that had forced him to miss two consecutive games. His return to the starting lineup will send Norman Powell back to the bench to resume a reserve role and effectively remove Powell from any kind of daily fantasy consideration. The Raptors did not announce a minute restriction for Powell, but they will likely bring him along slowly and give Powell and P.J. Tucker a few more minutes off the bench at the small forward spot. If looking to possibly take advantage of the revenge game narrative, Serge Ibaka draws a rather neutral, but exploitable, matchup against his former team that ranks 12th in DvP to opposing power forwards.
As reported by: Blake Murphy
Kyle Korver (foot) ruled out for tonight
Korver will miss another game due to a sore foot and the team has not provided us an update in regards to his status. J.R. Smith continues to work his way back into the rotation and will be the primary beneficiary of Korver’s absence. Iman Shumpert will likely continue starting at SG and is a low-end option against the Jazz tonight.
As reported by: Tony Jones Other tagged players: J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert Kevin Love (knee) starting against Utah tonight
Love will play and start in tonight’s game against the Utah Jazz after participating fully in Wednesday’s practice. Love will reclaim his normal starting power forward spot in his return, a move that will send Richard Jefferson back to the bench to resume his reserve role. Love will also reportedly be subject to a minute restriction in tonight’s contest, but the exact minute total has yet to be confirmed. Given Love’s minute restriction and difficult matchup with Utah, he can be easily avoided in cash game formats and is a secondary tournament option at best. Even with limited minutes, the return of Love will make Kyrie Irving and LeBron James less-appealing targets going forward, especially while their price tags across the industry adjust to the decreased usage rates and fantasy production.
As reported by: Dave McMenamin Nemanja Bjelica (left foot) to miss the remainder of the season
Forward Nemanja Bjelica was diagnosed with a foot injury and it will cause him to miss the remainder of the season. Jordan Hill or Adreian Payne will likely be used as the backup forward but expect Karl-Anthony Towns and Gorgui Dieng to continue to play over 30 minutes. Shabazz Muhammad can also be slotted in as a small ball four. Bjelica was really starting to pick up his play of late but will have to wait until next year.
As reported by: @Timberwolves PR Other tagged players: Jordan Hill, Adreian Payne, Gorgui Dieng, Shabazz Muhammad John Wall's status uncertain for Friday due to a sprained foot
Wall played 36 minutes against the Mavericks on Wednesday but is dealing with a sprained foot. Wall mentioned that he’s 50/50 to play and his absence would immediately open the door for Brandon Jennings to start. This is a situation we’ll continue to monitor as the usage is also spread throughout the team. There should be another update on Wall after shootaround tomorrow.
As reported by: J. Michael Other tagged players: Brandon Jennings Nick Young (sprained left finger) probable for Friday
Nick Young started Wednesday’s game against the Rockets but was absolutely abysmal. Young was 0 for 9 from the field and played 24 minutes. He’ll likely return to the bench and we could see another lineup change coming from the Lakers. Since Young is probable and could end up on rosters, we’d suggest fading him until further notice. Young is basically out of the rotation and could go back to the DNP-CD status.
As reported by: Serena Winters Wesley Matthews questionable for Friday; hopeful he can play
Mavericks Head Coach Rick Carlisle stated Matthews would be listed as questionable for their game on Friday and that they were hopeful the veteran guard would be able to play.
As reported by: Eddie Sefko on Twitter
Rodney Hood OUT for Utah tonight; Derrick Favors and Shelvin Mack remain out
Favors and Mack were expected out so this news is only confirmation for those two. Hood will also miss today’s game for Utah as he continues to battle a knee injury that caused him to leave the team’s last game at halftime. Joe Ingles and Joe Johnson stand to benefit the most and both are reasonable, with limited upside, DFS options tonight facing a tough Cleveland team.
As reported by: Jody Genessy on Twitter Other tagged players: Derrick Favors, Shelvin Mack, Joe Johnson, Joe Ingles Kenneth Faried upgraded to probable for Denver tonight
Faried hasn’t played since February 24th but is probable to play tonight after going through a full practice with the team yesterday. With the Nuggets hit hard by injuries (Darrell Arthur, Wilson Chandler, and Danilo Gallinari all out), he could be expected to step right in and play a substantial role. At just $4,000 on DraftKings, he makes for a great power forward option and is even in play on FanDuel where he is $5,500.
As reported by: Adam Mares on Twitter Isaiah Thomas will miss next two games for Boston
The Celtics All Star point guard will not travel with the team for their two game road trip as he recovers from a bone bruise in his right knee. Marcus Smart is the clear beneficiary here as he sees a five percent plus usage bump with IT3 off the floor.
As reported by: Boston Celtics official Twitter feed Other tagged players: Marcus Smart Nene Hilario unlikely to play on Friday for Houston
The veteran center is unlikely to play the first game of a back-to-back for Houston on Friday leaving Clint Capela and Montrezl Harrell to split the center minutes. Capela is the preferred option of the two as Harrell won’t see sufficient playing time to warrant consideration.
As reported by: Jonathan Feigen on Twitter Other tagged players: Clint Capela Dwyane Wade OUT for remainder of season for Chicago
An MRI revealed a small fracture in the future Hall of Famer’s elbow and he has been ruled out by the Bulls for the remainder of the regular season. Jimmy Butler is the obvious beneficiary of this news as his usage increases over five percent when Wade is off the court. Rajon Rondo stands to benefit as well as he’s seen an increased role of late and that’s likely to continue with Wade out. Paul Zipser will likely take Wade’s spot in the starting lineup with Denzel Valentine as his back up. Zipser does not stand to be a viable DFS target yet as he is inconsistent both in terms of playing time and production but Valentine is worthy of a look as his production of later has been on the rise. Butler and Rondo are the Bulls players to target.
As reported by: Nick Friedell on Twitter Other tagged players: Jimmy Butler, Rajon Rondo, Denzel Valentine Reminder - Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan both OUT for Clippers tonight
Late last night it was reported that two of the big three for the Clippers, Griffin and Jordan, would rest. Chris Paul should have extremely high usage with that pair out and look for Marreese Speights, Brice Johnson and Brandon Bass to carry the load in the frontcourt. Speights figures to be the biggest beneficiary and will be a viable DFS option tonight. Paul, needless to say, is the Clipper to own though.
As reported by: Dan Woike on Twitter Other tagged players: DeAndre Jordan, Chris Paul, Marreese Speights Eric Bledsoe to be shut down for the season
We’re about to see plenty of Tyler Ulis and Devin Booker in the near future. Bledsoe has reportedly played his final minute of the season, so Ulis figures to command heavy minutes with Ronnie Price helping out off the bench in a limited role. Booker and Ulis both played huge minutes on Wednesday – 40 for Booker and 39 for Ulis – and that’s something that will likely continue as we head down the stretch run of the regular season. Booker carries a 39.0% usage rate and 1.07 FPPM mark in 108.4 minutes with Bledsoe, Knight and Chandler off the court this year, so expect his mid-range price tag to climb before long. Ulis registers a 23.3% usage rate and 0.87 FPPM mark in the same split, so if sites aren’t quick to hike up his salary, hop on board. T.J. Warren also figures to pick up a bit more of the load offensively, as he was able to chuck up 16 shots on Wednesday.
As reported by: John Gambodora Other tagged players: Tyler Ulis, Ronnie Price, Devin Booker
Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan (rest) will both miss Thursday's game
With Griffin and Jordan both resting, Chris Paul, who at this point doesn’t appear to be resting, should carry the load offensively with Marreese Speights, Brice Johnson and Brandon Bass likely to pick up the slack in the frontcourt. Diamond Stone may also find his way into the rotation if his knee issue doesn’t keep him out of action, but Speights figures to benefit the most among the bigs from a DFS perspective. He’s played a hair over 800 minutes on the year without those two on the floor – second on the team to Jamal Crawford – and carries a healthy 25.5% usage rate and 1.04 FPPM mark, so he’ll carry a considerable ceiling at or near minimum price across the industry. Chris Paul is averaging 1.46 FPPM with Griffin/Jordan off the floor this year, albeit in a limited sample size (57.5 minutes) with an oddly low usage rate (16.5%). Paul will be an elite target industry wide assuming he suits up, while the other guards (Redick, Rivers, Crawford) will be forced to pick up the slack offensively, making all three viable punt plays. Especially if Diamond Stone isn’t going to play, Speights is an option in all formats.
As reported by: Dan Woike Other tagged players: DeAndre Jordan, Marreese Speights, Chris Paul, Austin Rivers, Brandon Bass, Jamal Crawford, Diamond Stone