DFS Alerts
Tyler Ulis will start tonight; Eric Bledsoe still available to play off the bench
Ulis will be inserted into the Suns starting lineup at point guard for tonight’s game against the Sacramento Kings, which will send Eric Bledsoe to the bench to presumably assume a reserve role. Bledsoe is reportedly still active and available to play, but there has been no official word from the Suns or head coach Earl Watson on whether he will actually play. Ulis immediately vaults into elite play status on the late slate assuming he sees starter minutes, but Bledsoe is probably best avoided given the uncertainty surrounding his playing status. Additionally, Alex Len is officially available to play and will draw the start at center in an effort to better matchup with the Kings starting frontcourt duo of Willie Cauley-Stein and Kosta Koufos. However, Len still continues to be outplayed by Alan Williams off the bench, so his presence in the rotation is unlikely to alter any one players’ minutes other than possibly Derrick Jones Jr, who had started the previous two games with Len sidelined.
As reported by: Craig Grialou
Malcolm Brogdon will start ahead of Matthew Dellavedova tonight
Brogdon will be reinserted into the Bucks starting lineup in tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers, which will send Matthew Dellavedova back to the bench to resume his reserve role. Brogdon was already seeing significantly more minutes off the bench than Dellavedova was as a starter, so this lineup change does very little to alter either guards’ projected fantasy value in tonight’s contest and going forward. Brogdon draws the most difficult individual matchup that a point guard can in a matchup with Chris Paul, which makes it difficult to get too excited about his newly acquired starting status. Brogdon could be looked to as a low-owned tournament option on the late slate, but he is far from being cash game viable.
As reported by: Ted Davis Sean Kilpatrick (strained left hamstring) ruled out for Thursday
Kilpatrick has been ruled out in advance of tomorrow’s game against the New York Knicks with a strained left hamstring he sustained in Tuesday’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Additionally, Joe Harris will remain sidelined for the seventh consecutive game with a concussion and shoulder injury. The Nets limit the minutes of their young players to such an extent that’s it difficult to foresee Caris Levert playing significantly more minutes in Thursday’s contest, but he is still set up to be a viable tournament option in a matchup with a Knicks squad that ranks 25th against opposing small forwards.
As reported by: Official Twitter Account of the Brooklyn Nets Darren Collison (rest) and Anthony Tolliver (rest) ruled out tonight; Tyreke Evans (ankle) probable
Collison and Tolliver will be rested and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Phoenix Suns, while Tyreke Evans has officially been upgraded to probable with a sore left ankle that had forced him to miss the Kings’ previous game. Ty Lawson will almost assuredly be inserted into the starting lineup at point guard in place of Collison, but the rest of the starting lineup is expected to remain the same with Kosta Koufos and Arron Afflalo returning from a one-game absence due to rest. If playing on the late slate, Lawson and Willie Cauley-Stein are now elite options in a pace up matchup with a horrendously bad Suns defensive unit. The Kings are in tank mode and embracing a full youth movement so expect more random “planned rest” days for veterans as the season winds down.
As reported by: James Ham Other tagged players: Anthony Tolliver, Tyreke Evans Alex Len (right hip contusion) officially available to play tonight
Len will officially be available to play in tonight’s game against the Sacramento Kings after previously being forced to miss two consecutive games with a right hip contusion. Len had told reporters on Tuesday that he planned on being ready to go for tonight’s contest, so this news isn’t all that surprising. It does remain unclear if Len will reclaim his spot in the starting lineup from Derrick Jones Jr., who has started the past two games as a member of the Suns’ small-ball starting unit, but Len will likely draw the start at center in an effort to better matchup with the Kings starting frontcourt duo of Willie Cauley-Stein and Kosta Koufos. However, Len continues to be outplayed by Alan Williams off the bench, so his presence in the rotation is unlikely to alter any one players’ minutes other than possibly Jones Jr.
As reported by: Craig Grialou Jon Leuer will start ahead of Tobias Harris tonight
Leuer will be reinserted into the Pistons starting lineup for tonight’s game against the Utah Jazz, which will send Tobias Harris back to the bench to resume his reserve role. Fortunately, this lineup change shouldn’t do much to effect either forwards’ projected fantasy value, as both Harris and Leuer should be expected to see roughly the same amount of playing time they were in the three previous games Harris had started at the power forward spot. Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy has been quoted several times throughout the season that he loves the chemistry Harris and Ish Smith have in the second unit, so it isn’t all that surprising that he decided to revert to his old starting five after being blown out by the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday. Harris should see some increased usage in the second unit and see a decent amount of Boris Diaw defense, meaning he could end up being a viable tournament option this evening.
As reported by: Jake Chapman Goran Dragic confirmed as the starter; Josh Richardson returns to the bench
Goran Dragic returns to the starting lineup tonight and Josh Richardson will go back to the bench. Dragic is still dealing with some blurriness in his eye, making him a risky option for tonight’s slate. Dion Waiters has been playing extremely well and is the safer option in Miami right now. Josh Richardson will not be viable on a 10-game slate off the bench.
As reported by: @Heat Other tagged players: Josh Richardson, Dion Waiters
Dorian Finney-Smith confirmed as the starter in place of Wesley Matthews
Finney-Smith will be inserted into the Mavericks starting lineup for tonight’s game against the Washington Wizards in place of Wesley Matthews, who has already been ruled out after being listed as questionable on the Mavericks’ injury report with a strained left calf. Unfortunately, Finney-Smith will only be a starter in name only, as he will likely lose playing time to both Nerlens Noel and J.J. Barea off the bench, depending on how big Dallas is looking to go at that point in the game. His inexpensive price tag across the industry may be tempting, but Finney-Smith can easily be ignored in all formats on Wednesday’s slate.
As reported by: Earl Snead Other tagged players: Wesley Matthews Tony Parker (back stiffness) officially ruled out for tonight
Parker will not play in tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers after previously being listed as questionable on the Spurs’ injury report with back stiffness that has now forced him to miss three consecutive games. With Dejounte Murray still sidelined, Patty Mills will draw the start at point guard once again in Parker’s absence. Mills has seen his price tag rise across the industry due to his two prior monster performances, but with Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge both back and supposedly healthy, he will be relied upon much less for offensive production in the starting unit.
As reported by: @Spurs Nick Young will start at shooting guard for the Lakers tonight
Nick Young will start in place of David Nwaba tonight but is not expected to play heavy minutes. Young will likely top out at 24 minutes and D’Angelo Russell will be given a chance to run with the starters as well. Young does not have a ton of upside but this is expected to be a high-scoring game.Russell will likely have to prove he belongs but could see extended run in the event of a blowout. Julius Randle has been playing well but remains a GPP option with the Lakers large underdogs. Jordan Clarkson will also be a viable option but he’s going to be defended by Patrick Beverley for most of the game.
As reported by: Mark Medina Other tagged players: David Nwaba, Jordan Clarkson, D'Angelo Russell, Julius Randle Dorian Finney-Smith projected to start in place of Wesley Matthews; official lineup yet to be released and could change
The Mavericks are currently listing Dorian Finney-Smith as Wesley Matthews replacement for tonight. Dallas has been known to change their lineups even after sending out projected lineups to the beat writers. With the Mavs play in the first game of the slate, we should have all our information before lineups lock. For now, we should proceed with the current information and look at the other players in the starting lineup as the ones that benefit the most since DFS does not have a strong offensive repertoire.
As reported by: Earl Snead Other tagged players: Wesley Matthews LaMarcus Aldridge confirmed in the starting lineup for tonight
Aldridge will re-enter the starting lineup on Wednesday after missing two games due to a heart issue. His presence will dip Kawhi Leonard’s usage back to typical levels, which doesn’t give him the same type of ceiling he’d have possessed as the clear first option on offense. The Blazers tend to be more beatable in the front-court, so Aldridge isn’t a bad GPP gamble at under $7K on FanDuel, but it’s hard to feel comfortable with him as a cash game option.
As reported by: Chuck Miketinac Other tagged players: Kawhi Leonard Joe Johnson replaces Boris Diaw in the starting lineup tonight
Joe Johnson once again returns to the starting lineup and this will be his third start since Derrick Favors went down four games ago. Johnson has not greatly exceeded value and is more of a small slate play. His upside is fairly limited considering his game is extremely scoring dependent. Johnson could log over 28 minutes but simply remains a GPP option. George Hill and Gordon Hayward are the primary beneficiaries with Favors out and Hill is still considerably cheaper than Hayward. Considering SF is a mess tonight, Hayward could also be a viable GPP play. He comes with risk considering this is the slowest projected game environment and Marcus Morris is one of their better defenders.
As reported by: David Locke Other tagged players: Boris Diaw, Gordon Hayward, George Hill Wesley Matthews (right calf strain) ruled out for tonight
Wesley Matthews has been ruled out due to a right calf strain but is aiming to return by Friday. J.J. Barea leads the team in usage and sees the biggest usage differential with Wesley Matthews off the court. The issue with Barea is that he is not expected to exceed 20 minutes tonight. While Barea is still a viable low-end play, the odds of him greatly exceeding value is low. The Mavs have not named a replacement starter but there is a chance that Nerlens Noel could start. If Noel does indeed start, Harrison Barnes will play at SF and Dirk Nowitzki will start at PF. Stay tuned for more updates from the Mavs.
As reported by: Earl Snead Other tagged players: Nerlens Noel, Dirk Nowitzki, Harrison Barnes Lavoy Allen (sore right knee) has been ruled out for tonight
Allen will not play in tonight’s game against the Charlotte Hornets after previously being listed as questionable on the Pacers’ injury report with a sore right knee that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. Allen has been dealing with the knee issue for most of the season and only played 3 minutes in his prior appearance. Thaddeus Young has played at least 37 minutes in each of the past two games with Allen sidelined, while Kevin Seraphin has been a DNP-CD. Rakeem Christmas has taken over the majority of backup frontcourt minutes alongside Al Jefferson but is not even in consideration as a daily fantasy option on a full 10-game slate. Christmas has not scored over 15 fantasy points this entire season.
As reported by: Pat Boylan