DFS Alerts
Rodney Hood (knee) will start tonight; Joe Johnson (groin) ruled out
Hood will play and start in tonight’s game against the Sacramento Kings after previously being listed as questionable on the Jazz’s injury report with a sore right knee that had forced him to miss two consecutive games. His return from injury will displace Joe Ingles from the starting lineup, sending him back to the bench to resume his reserve role. Hood would normally be an intriguing option in this matchup, but he is probably better reserved as a tournament dart throw on Sunday given the uncertainty surrounding his potential playing time in his return. Additionally, Joe Johnson has been ruled out with a sore groin that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. In his absence, Ingles and Alec Burks should be expected to soak up a majority of his vacated minutes in the second unit.
As reported by: David Locke Other tagged players: Joe Johnson
Nikola Vucevic (sore Achilles) ruled out tonight; Bismack Biyombo will start
Vucevic will not play in tonight’s game against the Washington Wizards due to a sore right Achilles despite never appearing on the Magic’s injury report at any point over the weekend. Bismack Biyombo will draw the start at center in place. In the three previous games that Vucevic has missed this season, Biyombo has averaged a whopping 34 minutes of playing time per contest, and priced at the stone minimum on FanDuel and DraftKings, he now becomes the likely chalk option at the center spot. However, this is just a scenario where we just eat the chalk and move on, as Biyombo should be expected to crush his salary-based expectations with Serge Ibaka no longer on the Orlando roster.
As reported by: Josh Robbins Tyreke Evans (rest) ruled out tonight; Garret Temple (hamstring) now probable
Evans will be the beneficiary of a planned rest day and will not play in tonight’s game against the Utah Jazz, while Garret Temple has been upgraded to probable after being sidelined for the Kings’ previous 12 games with a partially torn left hamstring. It still remains unclear whether Temple will start or come off the bench, but he is likely to be limited in some capacity in his first game back even if no official restriction is announced prior to game time. If Temple is able to suit up, he will just add to the Kings’ logjam on the wing, making it nearly impossible to confidently target anyone outside of Darren Collison and possibly Buddy Hield on this Sacramento squad. However, the matchup with Utah is certainly far from ideal, so it may be best to look at other options on Sunday’s main slate.
As reported by: Sean Cunningham Other tagged players: Garrett Temple Gerald Green (heel) will play tonight; Tyler Zeller (illness) expected to play
Green will be available to play off the bench in tonight’s game against the Phoenix Suns after missing each of the Celtics last five games. On the other hand, Tyler Zeller is still reportedly dealing with his illness but is still expected to be available to play off the bench as well. If Al Horford and Avery Bradley hadn’t been just ruled out, this news would not have been all that urgent, but now in all likelihood, they both will play a factor in the Celtics rotation this evening. However, neither will likely see enough minutes to become viable in daily fantasy formats.
As reported by: Adam Himmelsbach Other tagged players: Tyler Zeller Al Horford (elbow) and Avery Bradley (hamstring) ruled out tonight; Jonas Jerebko and Jaylen Brown will start
Horford and Bradley will not play in tonight’s game against the Phoenix Suns due to their respective ailments despite never appearing on the Celtics’ injury report at any point over the weekend. In their absence, Jonas Jerebko and Jaylen Brown will be inserted into the starting lineup at power forward and shooting guard respectively. Clearly, both Jerebko and Brown can now be considered as punt options in tournaments for their low price tags, while both Marcus Smart and Kelly Olynyk offer possibly higher upsides off the bench and could fly a bit under the radar. With that said, the definitive beneficiary of Horford and Bradley’s absences is Isaiah Thomas, as he owns a positive 3.4% usage rate differential (39.3%) with both players off the court this season.
As reported by: Official Twitter Account of the Boston Celtics Other tagged players: Avery Bradley Matt Barnes starting ahead of Patrick McCaw today
Barnes will be inserted into the Warriors starting lineup for today’s game against the New York Knicks, sending Patrick McCaw back to the bench to resume his reserve role. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has 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 Barnes in an effort to better matchup with Carmelo Anthony on the defensive end. Barnes could be worth a look as a tournament flier, though his upside may be limited by his role as a starter and the likelihood he only sees minutes in the low to mid-20s this afternoon.
As reported by: Anthony Slater Dwyane Wade (thigh) and Rajon Rondo (ankle) will be game-time decisions on Monday
Wade and Rondo did not participate in Sunday’s practice and are expected to be game-time decisions for tomorrow’s game against the Detroit Pistons due to their respective ailments. Rondo has been playing extremely well of late in his new backup point guard role, and if he is unable to give it a go on Monday, Michael Carter-Williams would likely reenter the rotation in some capacity. If Wade and Rondo are eventually ruled out, Jimmy Butler would become virtually a must play 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: Nick Friedell Other tagged players: Rajon Rondo Guillermo Hernangomez (left ankle sprain) will play today
Hernangomez will play and is expected to start in today’s game against the Golden State Warriors after previously being listed as questionable on the Knicks’ injury report with a sprained left ankle that had forced him to miss two consecutive games. Hernangomez was limited participant in Saturday’s practice, and despite the questionable designation, he is apparently good to go for Sunday’s contest. With Hernangomez available, Lance Thomas will likely be sent back to the bench to resume a reserve role, while Kristaps Porzingis will slide back over to his normal power forward spot with Hernangomez expected to start at center. The starting status of Hernangomez is actually a key piece of information if considering rostering Porzingis on today’s slate, as he should see much more Draymond Green defense now that he is likely starting at power forward, making him a much less attractive option.
As reported by: Al Iannazzone Wesley Matthews (hip) will play tonight, listed as the probable starter
Matthews will play and likely start in tonight’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder after previously being listed as questionable on the Mavericks’ injury report with a hip injury that had forced him to miss two consecutive games. With Matthews projected to rejoin the starting lineup, either Seth Curry or Yogi Ferrell will likely be the odd man out of the starting five at least for one game given the likelihood Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle will want Nerlens Noel to matchup with Steven Adams defensively. Regardless of starting status, Curry has earned a prominent role in the Mavericks rotation and will be a fine option in all formats in a plus individual matchup with Alex Abrines and the Thunder backcourt. As for Matthews, he will likely draw Andre Roberson defense, making him an easy fade in his first game back from injury where he could be slightly limited.
As reported by: Earl K. Sneed Lavoy Allen (sore right knee) ruled out today
Allen will not play in today’s game against the Atlanta Hawks due to a sore right knee despite never appearing on the Pacers’ injury report at any point over the weekend. Allen played 20 minutes in the Pacers 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, making him a viable tournament punt option on the early slate.
As reported by: Nate Taylor Jose Calderon unlikely to play today, but is available off the bench for Atlanta
Calderon will officially be available to play in today’s game against the Indiana Pacers but will only see the court in the event of an emergency, according to Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer, as he believes Calderon still needs time to get acclimated to the team. The addition of Calderon for Atlanta has been widely speculated since Kevin Durant’s knee injury forced Golden State to release Calderon to make room for Matt Barnes on their active roster. Calderon’s role with the Hawks still remains unknown, but given how poorly Malcolm Delaney has performed as the primary backup point guard, it is not out the realm of possibility for him to step in and immediately take over the backup point guard reigns behind Dennis Schroder.
As reported by: Chris Vivlamore Cody Zeller confirmed as starter for Frank Kaminsky (shoulder) tonight
Zeller will be reinserted into the Hornets starting lineup for tonight’s game against the Denver Nuggets in place of the injured Frank Kaminsky, who is sidelined from this game due to a sprained left shoulder. Zeller should be in line to see all the minutes he can handle after playing 24 minutes in his return to action on Thursday, especially considering his backup at center is currently Christian Wood. The matchup with Nikola Jokic on both ends of the floor is less than ideal, but Zeller certainly warrants some consideration as a tournament flier on Saturday’s slate.
As reported by: Hornets PR Michael Carter-Williams (patellar tendinitis) available to play tonight
Carter-Williams will be available to play in tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers due to patellar tendinitis that has forced him to miss three consecutive games. Even though Carter-Williams is able to suit up for tonight’s contest, there is no guarantee that he even sees the court with the current logjam at point guard for Chicago. The Bulls point guard rotation has already been difficult enough to decipher even with Carter-Williams inactive, but with him available, all the Bulls point guards are an easy avoid in all formats.
As reported by: Nick Friedell LeBron James (rest) and Kyrie Irving (rest) ruled out tonight
James and Irving will be rested and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Miami Heat. This means that the Cavaliers will only have nine active players available for tonight’s contest with J.R. Smith and Kevin Love still sidelined with injuries and Andrew Bogut still not with the team. The Cavaliers will roll with a starting lineup of Deron Williams, Kyle Korver, Iman Shumpert, James Jones, and Tristan Thompson. Clearly, a case can be made for rostering nearly every single available Cavaliers player with the entire big three unavailable this evening. The top players to target on Cleveland look to be Deron Williams, Shumpert, Thompson, and Derrick Williams, despite the latter coming off the bench.
As reported by: Tim Reynolds Other tagged players: Kyrie Irving Terrence Jones available tonight for Milwaukee, but is unlikely to play
According to Bucks head coach Jason Kidd, Jones is unlikely to play in tonight’s game against the Toronto Raptors, meaning his Milwaukee debut will be put off for at least one more game. Additionally, Khris Middleton will play and start despite speculation that he could be rested on the second night of a back-to-back set. This is the first time Middleton will play both games in a back-to-back scenario, but he still expected to remain on his normal restriction of 30 minutes in Saturday’s contest. Middleton’s role also looks to remain unchanged for at least one more game, as the aforementioned Terrence Jones is not expected to make his Bucks debut this evening.
As reported by: Official Twitter Account of the Milwaukee Bucks