DFS Alerts
Frank Kaminsky (shoulder) questionable for Monday; Johnny O'Bryant remains out
Kaminsky is officially considered questionable for tomorrow’s game against the Chicago Bulls due to a sprained left shoulder that has forced him to miss five consecutive games. Regardless of Kaminsky’s availability, Cody Zeller is expected to remain the starting center alongside Marvin Williams at the power forward spot. The potential return of Kaminsky would be a significant hit to the projected fantasy value of Williams, as he has seen his minute floor raised substantially with how shorthanded Charlotte has been in the frontcourt. Additionally, JOhnny O’Bryant will remain sidelined with a sprained right ankle, meaning that the Hornets’ shortage of big men would continue should Kaminsky be ruled out on Monday.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR Other tagged players: Johnny O'Bryant
Avery Bradley will have minute restriction lifted today; James Young (back) available to play
Bradley will have his minute restriction lifted for today’s game against the Chicago Bulls after previously being limited to 30-minutes per contest. Additionally, James Young will be available to play off the bench, but he will have a minimal role at best now that Bradley and Gerald Green are both healthy and back to playing their full allotment of minutes. Bradley will likely draw the defense of Dwyane Wade, which certainly puts him in play in all formats on the early slate for what remains a low price tag across the industry.
As reported by: A. Sherrod Blakely Derrick Jones Jr. starting for Alex Len (hip) tonight
Len will not play in tonight’s game against the Dallas Mavericks due to a hip issue despite never appearing on the Suns’ injury report at any point throughout the day. Many automatically assumed Alan Williams would get the start at center, but Phoenix chose to go microscopically small with Derrick Jones Jr. at small forward, T.J. Warren at power forward, and Marquese Chriss at the center spot to counteract the Mavericks small ball starting lineup. Regardless of starting status, Williams still remains the primary player to target on Phoenix, as he has consistently put up fantastic production on a point per minute basis even with Len available and should still see extended run despite coming off the bench.
As reported by: Mike Peasley Alex Len (hip) ruled out tonight
Len will not play in tonight’s game against the Dallas Mavericks due to a hip issue despite never appearing on the Suns’ injury report at any point throughout the day. The Suns have yet to announce his replacement in the starting lineup, and many will automatically assume Alan Williams will get the start, but don’t be surprised if Phoenix goes small with Jared Dudley at power forward and Marquese Chriss at the center spot to counteract the Mavericks small ball starting lineup. Regardless of starting status, Williams still remains the primary player to target on Phoenix, as he has consistently put up fantastic production on a point per minute basis even with Len available.
As reported by: Doug Haller DeMarre Carroll (ankle) ruled out tonight; Norman Powell will start
Carroll was a late scratch from the Raptors lineup for tonight’s game against the Miami Heat due to a sore left ankle. Norman Powell will draw the start at small forward in Carroll’s absence as he’s done many times before. On any other slate, Powell would be a lock and load option as a member of the starting unit, but with all the value in the Warriors/Spurs game, it’s difficult to imagine him having the time of output that would make those other plays irrelevant. On the other hand, Powell has consistently proven to be a viable option in all formats when given the opportunity to start, and he carries a very affordable price tag across the industry, which could possibly permit him to be worth a look in tournaments if looking to be super-contrarian and fade the other available value.
As reported by: Doug Smith: Raptors Other tagged players: Norman Powell Kris Humphries will start for Dwight Howard (rest) tonight
Howard will be rested and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies as the Hawks are playing their fifth game in seven nights on Saturday. Somewhat surprisingly, Kris Humphries will draw the start at center in Howard’s place. Humphries and Mike Muscala have both recently fallen out of the Atlanta frontcourt rotation, so it was assumed that the starting nod may have to be given to Ersan Ilyasova, who has been playing a significant role off the bench ever since he was acquired at the trade deadline. The matchup for the Hawks is far from ideal, but Ilyasova could be a sneaky tournament option (especially now that he’s coming off the bench) against a Memphis squad that has traditionally struggled with power forwards that can stretch the floor.
As reported by: Chris Vivlamore JaMychal Green starting ahead of Brandan Wright tonight; Chandler Parsons replaces Andrew Harrison
Parsons will play and start in tonight’s game against the Atlanta Hawks, as expected, after being rested for a planned recovery day in Thursday’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. The Grizzlies have decided to keep James Ennis in the starting unit, for now, meaning Andrew Harrison will return to the bench to resume his reserve role. Parsons will be rejoined in the starting lineup by JaMychal Green, which sends Brandan Wright back to the bench to resume his role as the backup center.
As reported by: Rob Fischer Other tagged players: JaMychal Green Warriors are starting Livingston, McCaw, Barnes, Looney, Pachulia tonight
Warriors coach Steve Kerr announced late night last night in his post-game interviews that Curry, Green, Thompson, and Iguodala would all be rested and won’t play in tonight’s game against the San Antonio Spurs for health reasons. It seems that Kerr wants his core players to have these three days off consecutively, as the Warriors do not play again until Tuesday after tonight. The Warriors will start Shaun Livingston, Patrick McCaw, Matt Barnes, Kevon Looney, and Zaza Pachulia in the big three’s absence for tonight’s contest. The Warriors are down to just nine available players, so there obviously isn’t a significant sample size with the aforementioned players plus Kevin Durant off the court this season. However, Ian Clark and Patrick McCaw lead the way in sample size and with a 29.1% and 23.1% usage rate respectively.
As reported by: Anthony Slater Other tagged players: Matt Barnes, Kevon Looney Spurs are starting Mills, Green, Anderson, Lee, and Dedmon tonight
LaMarcu Aldridge, Tony Parker, and Dejounte Murray have all been ruled out in advance of tonight’s game against the Golden State Warriors due to various ailments. In fact, Aldridge will be sidelined indefinitely with a minor heart arrhythmia. The Spurs will start Patty Mills, Danny Green, Kyle Anderson, David Lee, and Dewayne Dedmon for tonight’s contest. San Antonio is without starters Aldridge, Parker, and Kawhi Leonard, who remains in the concussion protocol. There’s obviously not a huge sample size for the remaining Spurs players with the aforementioned players off the court this season, but Pau Gasol (30.7%), David Lee (23.0%), Manu Ginobili (26.7%), and Patty Mills (25.5%) all see usage rate differentials of at least +4.8% or greater in this scenario. With all the extra usage and fantasy production to go around, Gasol, Lee, and Mills are shaping up to be cash game staples on tonight’s main slate.
As reported by: Tom Orsborn Other tagged players: Kyle Anderson, David Lee Malcolm Brogdon (back) and Mirza Teletovic (hamstring) ruled out tonight
Brogdon and Teletovic have both been ruled out in advance of tonight’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves despite neither player officially appearing on the Bucks’ injury report at any point during the day. This is the second consecutive game each Brogdon and Teletovic have missed due to their respective ailments. Matthew Dellavedova will draw the start at point guard in place of Brogdon once again and would normally be in play as a punt option, but with all the value in the Warriors-Spurs game, he doesn’t possess the necessary upside to become a factor. Additionally, Teletovic’s unavailability in the rotation could open the door for Terrence Jones to finally make his Bucks debut, but Bucks head coach Jason Kidd chose to leave him on the bench in that same scenario on Friday.
As reported by: Official Twitter Account of the Milwaukee Bucks Other tagged players: Mirza Teletovic Nikola Vucevic (sore Achilles) will start tonight
Vucevic will play and start in tonight’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers after previously being listed as questionable on the Magic’s injury report with a sore right Achilles that had forced him to miss four consecutive games. His return to the starting lineup will send Bismack Biyombo back to the bench to resume his reserve role as the backup center. Vucevic is tough to get behind as viable play coming back from an injury as concerning as a sore Achilles, as it’s completely in the realm of possibility that he sees limited minutes in his return. With that said, his presence in the starting lineup is a slight hindrance to the projected fantasy value of Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton.
As reported by: Josh Robbins Dwight Howard (rest) ruled out tonight
Howard will be rested and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies as the Hawks are playing their fifth game in seven nights on Saturday. There has yet to be an official announcement of the Hawks starting lineup, but Mike Muscala or Ersan Ilyasova are the likeliest candidates. Muscala has recently fallen out of the Atlanta frontcourt rotation, so the edge for the starting nod may have to be given to Ilyasova, who has been playing a significant role off the bench ever since he was acquired at the trade deadline. The matchup for the Hawks is far from ideal, but Ilyasova could be a sneaky tournament option (especially if he isn’t announced as the starter) against a Memphis squad that has traditionally struggled with power forwards that can stretch the floor.
As reported by: Chris Vivlamore Rudy Gobert (leg) ruled out today; Jeff Withey will start at center
Gobert is a late scratch from the Jazz lineup for today’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to a sore right leg despite never appearing on the Jazz injury report at any point during the day. Jeff Withey will draw the start at center in his absence and should be a popular punt option on the early slate even considering the difficult individual matchup with Steven Adams and the tHunder frontcourt. With George Hill officially cleared to play, he will start at his normal point guard spot, which sends Dante Exum back to the bench to resume his reserve role. Joe Johnson started in place of injured Derrick Favors last time out and will get the starting nod once again in Favors’ absence. Johnson saw 32 minutes of action in his previous start, so for a low price tag on both FanDuel and DraftKings, he is now one of the better value options on the early slate at a typically shallow small forward position.
As reported by: Jody Genessy Other tagged players: Jeff Withey Nerlens Noel (knee) ruled out tonight; J.J. Barea probable, but said he will play
Noel will not play in tonight’s game against the Phoenix Suns due to a sore left knee that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. Additionally, J.J. Barea is still officially listed as probable, but he has already emphasized that he will indeed play tonight. Barea only saw 14 minutes of action in his return to the lineup on Friday, so he clearly is not a viable option given the fact he will likely remain on a strict minute restriction for the foreseeable future. Dwight Powell and Salah Mejri will continue to see additional playing, but still, neither player saw more than 20 minutes in Friday’s contest. With Dallas on a back-to-back, it is conceivable that Dirk Nowitzki could be rested or have his minutes limited in some way, which would presumably open the door for Powell and possibly even Mejri to soak up some extra minutes this evening.
As reported by: Earl K. Sneed Other tagged players: J.J. Barea Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot will start ahead of Nik Stauskas today
Henderson will not play in today’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers after not being able to participate in Friday’s practice with left hip soreness. This looks to essentially be a rest day for Henderson, as the Sixers have already announced that they expect him to be available to play on Sunday. In the Sixers’ previous game, Nik Stauskas drew the start at shooting guard but was absolutely putrid in 26 minutes of action. So, instead, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot will receive the starting nod on the wing for Philadelphia this afternoon. Justin Anderson played extremely well off the bench in the two games Henderson missed last week, but those games also coincided with Jahlil Okafor’s injury absence. Meaning, all of the Sixers wing players are nothing but tournament dart throws on the early slate.
As reported by: Keith Pompey