DFS Alerts
Al Horford (elbow) and Jonas Jerebko (illness) ruled out tonight
Horford will not play in tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers after previously being listed as questionable on the Celtics’ injury report with a sprained elbow that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. Additionally, Jonas Jerebko is a surprise late scratch due to an illness, which opens up some uncertainty on who will replace Horford in the starting lineup, as Jerebko started in his place on Sunday. The Celtics could go a couple different ways with their starting lineup by either going small with Jae Crowder at power forward and Jaylen Brown at small forward or they could replace Horford and Jerebko with a traditional big man like Kelly Olynyk or Tyler Zeller. However, regardless of starting status, Olynyk and Johnson would be the preferred targets if Boston goes “big”.
As reported by: Adam Himmelsbach Other tagged players: Jonas Jerebko
Nikola Jokic (illness) ruled out tonight; Mason Plumlee will start at center
Jokic will not play in tonight’s game against the Sacramento Kings after previously being listed as questionable on the Nuggets’ injury report due to an illness. Mason Plumlee will draw the start at center in his absence and should be expected to essentially take over Jokic’s in the rotation with only Roy Hibbert available off the bench as a backup center. Plumlee is clearly the primary beneficiary of this injury news and is now a fantastic option in all formats on the late slate. Outside of Plumlee, no other Nuggets starter sees a substantial boost in and usage or fantasy production, though Gary Harris, Wilson Chandler, and Danilo Gallinari are just further solidified as solid plays.
As reported by: Chris Dempsey Lavoy Allen (sore left knee) ruled out tonight
Allen will not play in tonight’s game against the Indiana Pacers after previously being listed as questionable on the Pacers’ injury report with a sore left knee that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. Allen played 20 minutes in his most recent game, while Al Jefferson was the beneficiary of a DNP-CD despite being available to play. In Allen’s absence, Kevin Seraphin and Rakeem Christmas should be expected to absorb a majority of his vacated reserve minutes and Jefferson may even re-enter the rotation. The Pacers have essentially been rolling with a power forward by committee approach with Thaddeus young still working his way back from a wrist injury, but with Allen unavailable, there will be some extra playing time that should be disbursed to Seraphin and Young, putting them firmly in play on the turbo and express slates.
As reported by: Nate Taylor POR/MIN game officially postponed, game to be rescheduled for a later date
Tonight’s matchup between the Portland Trail Blazers and Minnesota Timberwolves has been officially postponed by the NBA and will be rescheduled for a later date. Reports out of Minnesota were that the basketball court at the Target Center was wet and slippery from condensation and ultimately decided to be unplayable conditions. As previously alerted, it was recommended to avoid players from both Portland and Minnesota, especially in cash games, given the risk that the game wasn’t actually played on Monday. Hopefully, that advice was heeded by all RotoGrinders members.
As reported by: Jason Quick Brandan Wright and Andrew Harrison starting ahead of JaMychal Green and Tony Allen tonight
In an unexpected move, Brandan Wright and Andrew Harrison will be inserted into the Grizzlies starting lineup for tonight’s game against the Brooklyn Nets, sending JaMychal Green and Tony Allen to the bench to presumably assume reserve roles. However, it’s not out of the realm of possibility for Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale to be giving a couple of his veterans a night off in this matchup. Needless to say, Green and Allen should be avoided in all formats, while both Wright and Harrison are risky, low-ceiling options barring blowout run, something that Wright is highly unlikely to receive.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR Other tagged players: Andrew Harrison Joe Ingles starting ahead of Rodney Hood (knee) due to Hood's minute restriction
Ingles will be reinserted into the Jazz starting lineup for tonight’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans in place of Rodney Hood, who will be subject to an unspecified minute restriction this evening. Utah is reportedly giving Ingles the starting nod in order to make it easier to manage Hood’s minutes. Ingles has been a volatile option in the recent contests that Hood has missed and he has drawn the start, as he has essentially been splitting minutes with Alec Burks and Joe Johnson on the wing, something he was not doing earlier in the season during Hood’s prior injury stint. However, in this case, the fact that Johnson has already been ruled out is mitigated by the likelihood that Hood will just take over Johnson’s normal role off the bench in order to manage his workload. On a massive 12-game slate that isn’t lacking value options, Ingles seems to be an easy fade in most formats.
As reported by: David Locke Brandan Wright (personal) available to play tonight
Wright will be available to play in tonight’s game against the Brooklyn Nets after missing two consecutive games due to personal reasons. Wright has played in just nine games all season and consistently sees playing anywhere from 10-20 minutes as the backup center behind Marc Gasol, so he clearly is not a viable option despite the plus matchup against the susceptible Brooklyn frontcourt.
As reported by: Ronald Tillery No official update on status of POR/MIN; safest route is to not roster players from this game, as PPD is very possible
Reports out of Minnesota have confirmed that the basketball court at the Target Center is slippery and currently unplayable, which puts tonight’s tilt between the Portland Trail Blazers and Minnesota Timberwolves in jeopardy of being postponed to a later date. There has yet to be any official update provided by either team or the NBA on the status of tonight’s game. It would be recommended to minimize exposure to this game (if not avoid altogether), especially in cash games, given the risk that this game isn’t actually played on Monday. We will continue to provide updates as they become available until the game’s scheduled tip-off.
As reported by: Jason Quick
Ron Baker replacing Carmelo Anthony in the starting lineup
Carmelo Anthony will not play in tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic due to a sore left knee despite never appearing on the Knicks’ injury report at any point throughout the day. Ron Baker will surprisingly replace him in the Knicks starting lineup, which will presumably slide Courtney Lee down to the small forward spot. Normally, Baker would be worth a look in tournaments in this scenario, but given the size of this slate and the plethora of other value available, Baker can essentially be removed from consideration entirely. Kristaps Porzingis was already a popular option on tonight’s slate prior to the Carmelo news and certainly can be given projections bump, but Derrick Rose may be the better overall play, as he owns a massive 10.5% usage rate differential (38.0%) with Carmelo and the recently released Brandon Jennings off the court this season. The sample size is not gigantic, but Rose is certainly worth a decent amount of tournament exposure in hopes he sees a usage bump similar to the aforementioned CourtIQ query.
As reported by: Marc Berman Other tagged players: Carmelo Anthony
Larry Nance (wrist) and Ivica Zubac (quad) both questionable for Tuesday
Larry Nance hurt his wrist last night against the Pelicans but was able to practice today. Ivica Zubac was unable to practice today and Timofey Mozgov replaced him in the rotation on Sunday. Both players are listed as questionable for Tuesday’s game against the Mavericks. We’ll likely have another update on the status of Nance and Zubac after shootaround tomorrow.
As reported by: Tania Ganguli Other tagged players: Ivica Zubac, Timofey Mozgov Target Center floor slippery due to ice under the court; the NBA has yet to provide an official update
Reports out of Minnesota have confirmed that the basketball court at the Target Center is slippery and currently unplayable, which clearly puts tonight’s tilt between the Portland Trail Blazers and Minnesota Timberwolves in jeopardy of being postponed to a later date. It would be recommended to minimize exposure to this game, especially in cash games, given the risk that this game isn’t actually played on Monday. We will continue to provide updates as they become available until the game’s scheduled tip-off.
As reported by: Mike Grich Patrick McCaw starting ahead of Matt Barnes for tonight's game against Atlanta
McCaw will be reinserted into the Warriors starting lineup for tonight’s game against the New York Knicks, sending Matt Barnes back to the bench to resume a reserve role. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has already hinted that starting small forward job will be influx going forward, at least for the immediate future, meaning that this could just be a spot start for McCaw in an effort to better matchup with Atlanta’s smaller wings on the defensive end. McCaw could be worth a look as a tournament flier if this were a smaller slate, though his upside still may be too limited by his role as a starter and the likelihood he only sees minutes in the low to mid-20s on a nightly basis.
As reported by: Anthony Slater Other tagged players: Matt Barnes Rajon Rondo (ankle) ruled out for tonight; Paul Zipser starting in place of Dwyane Wade
Rondo will not play in tonight’s game against the Detroit Pistons after previously being listed as questionable on the Bulls’ injury report with a sprained right ankle. Rondo had been playing extremely well of late in his new backup point guard role, and now that he has officially been ruled out for tonight’s contest, Michael Carter-Williams will likely reenter the rotation in some capacity with Dwyane Wade also unavailable. Denzel Valentine will also be the beneficiary of some extra run off the bench but may possess too low of a ceiling to be considered in tournaments with all the other value options available on Monday’s slate. On the other hand, Jimmy Butler is now suddenly an elite option in all formats, despite the difficult matchup, as he owns an astronomically high 10.0% usage rate differential (38.6%) with both Wade and Rondo off the court this season.
As reported by: KC Johnson Other tagged players: Paul Zipser, Dwyane Wade James Johnson (elbow) and Tyler Johnson (shoulder) ruled out for tonight
James Johnson and Tyler Johnson will not play in tonight’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to their respective ailments despite neither player appearing on the Heat’s injury report at any point throughout the day. This news leaves Miami with 10 active players and opens up minutes and extra usage for Josh Richardson and Okaro White off the bench in the second unit. The unavailability of Tyler Johnson may also force Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra to loosen the reigns on Dion Waiters in a revenge spot heading back to Cleveland. If that’s the case, Waiters is worth a speculative dart throw in tournaments at what has shaped up to be a particularly shallow shooting guard position for a 12-game slate.
As reported by: Barry Jackson Other tagged players: Tyler Johnson Carmelo Anthony (sore left knee) ruled out for tonight
Anthony will not play in tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic due to a sore left knee despite never appearing on the Knicks’ injury report at any point throughout the day. The Knicks have yet to announce his replacement in the starting lineup, but Knicks head coach Jeff Hornancek will likely either insert Mindaugas Kuzminskas at small forward or start Guillermo Hernangomez at center, which would slide Kristaps Porzingis and Lance Thomas up to power forward and small forward respectively. Porzingis was already a popular option on tonight’s slate prior to the Carmelo news, but Derrick Rose may be the better overall play, as he owns a massive 10.5% usage rate differential (38.0%) with Carmelo and the recently released Brandon Jennings off the court this season. The sample size is not gigantic, but Rose is certainly worth a decent amount of tournament exposure in hopes he sees a usage bump similar to the aforementioned CourtIQ query.
As reported by: @Knicks