DFS Alerts
Khris Middleton (possible rest) will start tonight
Middleton will play and start in tonight’s game against the Toronto Raptors despite speculation that he could be rested on the second leg 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. Additionally, Middleton’s role looks to remain unchanged for at least one more game, as Terrence Jones is not expected to make his Bucks debut tonight despite being active and available to play, according to Bucks head coach Jason Kidd.
As reported by: Official Twitter Account of the Milwaukee Bucks
Jose Calderon claimed off waivers by Atlanta, expected to be available to play on Sunday
The Atlanta Hawks have officially claimed Jose Calderon off waivers from the Golden State Warriors and Calderon is expected to be available to make his Hawks debut in tomorrow’s game against the Indiana Pacers. This roster move 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 Atlanta 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 Victor Oladipo (back spasms) remains out for Sunday
Oladipo is still not with the team on their current road trip and will not play in tomorrow’s game against the Dallas Mavericks due to back spasms that have now forced him to miss six consecutive games. Alex Abrines will remain in the starting lineup at the shooting guard spot in his absence. The Thunder will find themselves in a tremendously paced down matchup with Dallas on Sunday, but Russell Westbrook will certainly warrant tournament exposure, as he has absolutely crushed value in the recent games Oladipo has been sidelined.
As reported by: Brett Dawson Richaun Holmes (right hamstring tightness) will play tonight
Holmes will play in tonight’s game against the Detroit Pistons after briefly being listed as probable on the Sixers’ injury report with right hamstring tightness. Holmes should be expected to draw the start at center out of pure necessity given the Sixers current lack of depth in the frontcourt with Jahlil Okafor already ruled out in advance of Saturday’s contest. Assuming Holmes is healthy enough, he should see all the minutes he can handle with Justin Harper and fellow starter Dario Saric the only big men that can even conceivably absorb some minutes at the five spot. Clearly, regardless of Holmes status, Pistons center Andre Drummond is looking like a better and better play on the early slate.
As reported by: Keith Pompey Jahlil Okafor (knee) ruled out tonight; Richaun Holmes (hamstring) probable
Okafor will not play in tonight’s game against the Detroit Pistons due to a sore right knee despite never appearing on the Sixers’ injury report at any point during the day. Richaun Holmes has also been listed as probable with right hamstring tightness but should be expected to play and draw the start at center given the Sixers current lack of depth in the frontcourt with Okafor unavailable. Assuming Holmes is healthy enough to play, he should see all the minutes he can handle with Justin Harper and fellow starter Dario Saric the only big men that can even conceivably absorb some minutes at the five spot. Clearly, regardless of Holmes status, Pistons center Andre Drummond is looking like a better and better play on the early and all day slates.
As reported by: Tom Moore Other tagged players: Richaun Holmes Manu Ginobili (rest) ruled out tonight
Ginobili will be rested on the second leg of a back-to-back set and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. No other Spurs players on are expected to rest on Saturday, so their starting lineup will likely remain the same barring a last minute change. Ginobili played 21 minutes off the bench in Friday’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans and a majority of those reserve minutes should be expected to divert to Johnathon Simmons and Kyle Anderson. Despite the expected minute and usage bump, neither player will likely see enough playing time to allow them to exceed tournament value and are certainly not safe enough to be trusted in cash games, meaning they can be avoided in most formats this evening.
As reported by: Official Twitter Account of the San Antonio Spurs Isaiah Whitehead (shoulder) questionable tonight; Justin Hamilton (illness) probable
Whitehead has been listed as questionable for tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers due to a sprained left shoulder, while Justin Hamilton has been upgraded to probable with an illness. With Joe Harris already ruled out for tonight’s contest, the Nets will certainly have some minutes available on the wing and possibly in the backcourt should Whitehead be unable to suit up. If that is indeed the case, Spencer Dinwiddie looks to be in line for a substantial minutes increase, as he would be needed to carry the load at point guard with Jeremy Lin still working his way back from his injury. Harris has been consistently seeing minutes in the low-20s, and in his absence, K.J. McDaniels will likely shoulder a majority of the vacated playing time on the wing while Sean Kilpatrick seems to be in line for some additional usage with the second unit. The Nets rotation is always difficult to peg down but Kilpatrick could be worth a look in tournaments for near-minimum price across the industry.
As reported by: Official Twitter Account of the Brooklyn Nets Other tagged players: Justin Hamilton Joe Harris (concussion) ruled out tonight
Harris will not play in tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers after being diagnosed with a concussion and sprained left shoulder following a fall in Friday’s loss to the Utah Jazz. He will remain out until he passes the concussion protocol and is completely symptom-free. Harris was consistently seeing minutes in the low-20s, and in his absence, K.J. McDaniels will likely shoulder a majority of the vacated playing time on the wing while Sean Kilpatrick seems to be in line for some additional usage with the second unit. The Nets rotation is always difficult to peg down but Kilpatrick could be worth a look in tournaments for near-minimum price across the industry.
As reported by: Brian Lewis Guillermo Hernangomez (ankle) questionable for Sunday
Hernangomez has officially been listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game against the Golden State Warriors with a sprained left ankle that has forced him to miss two consecutive games. Hernangomez was limited participant in Saturday’s practice, and despite the questionable designation, he expects to be good to go for Sunday’s contest. If for some reason Hernangomez is ruled out, Lance Thomas would likely remain in the starting lineup at power forward, which would slide Kristaps Porzingis down to the center spot. Hernangomez’s availability will be a key piece of information if considering rostering Porzingis on Sunday’s slate, as he would see much less Draymond Green defense if he were able to start at center opposed to power forward.
As reported by: Al Iannazzone Jameer Nelson (food poisoning) will start tonight
Nelson will play and start in tonight’s game against the Charlotte Hornets after missing the Nuggets’ previous game due to food poisoning. His return to the starting lineup will send Jamal Murray back to the bench to resume his reserve role and will likely demote Emmanuel Mudiay to the third-string point guard once again. Nelson has struggled to exceed salary-based expectations in recent games given his price increase, but he does draw a plus individual matchup with Kemba Walker and Hornets backcourt defense. He will also likely absorb less ownership than normal coming off an “injury”, making him an interesting tournament option.
As reported by: Harrison Wind Michael Carter-Williams (patellar tendinitis) likely a game-time decision tonight
Carter-Williams is expected to be a game-time decision for tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers due to patellar tendinitis that has forced him to miss three consecutive games. Even if Carter-Williams is able to suit up on Saturday, there is no guarantee that he would even see 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 if he is available, all the Bulls point guards are an easy avoid in all formats. However, should Carter-Williams miss his fourth consecutive game tonight, Rajon Rondo could be worth a look in tournaments, as he seems to have settled into the most consistent role among the Chicago point guards with Carter-Williams sidelined in recent games.
As reported by: Cody Westerlund Tyler Zeller (illness) ruled out tonight; Gerald Green (heel) available to play
Zeller will not play in tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers due to an illness despite never appearing on the Celtics’ injury report at any point during the day. Fortunately, Zeller shouldn’t have been on anyone’s radar as a daily fantasy option given the fact that he has seen less than 10 minutes of action in each of the last eight games he has played. So, it goes without saying, his absence from the lineup will have little to no effect on the Boston frontcourt rotation. Additionally, Gerald Green will be available to play off the bench, but with Avery Bradley returning to health and Jaylen Brown taking on a bigger role, Green will likely be the odd-man out of the rotation and shouldn’t be expected to play significant minutes tonight or going forward.
As reported by: Adam Himmelsbach Other tagged players: Gerald Green Avery Bradley will be limited to approximately 25 minutes tonight
According to Celtics head coach Brad Stevens, Bradley will have his minute restriction increased to somewhere in the 25-minute range for tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers. This coach speak obviously leaves some uncertainty to the actual playing time Bradley will see in tonight’s contest, but considering he played 21 minutes in Wednesday’s win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, it would be safe to assume that he should eclipse the 25-minute plateau this evening. With that said, Bradley could be worth a look in tournaments on the late slate at a depressed price tag but should be avoided in cash game formats.
As reported by: Official Twitter Account of the Boston Celtics Brandan Wright (personal) ruled out tonight
Wright will not play in tonight’s game against the Dallas Mavericks as he continues to deal with a personal matter. This the third time in the last four games that Wright has been forced to miss a game for personal reasons. Wright has consistently seen playing time anywhere from 10-20 minutes on a nightly basis, so his absence will not have a huge effect on the rest of the Grizzlies frontcourt rotation, though there may be a few extra minutes available for JaMychal Green and Zach Randolph at both the power forward and center spots.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR Justin Hamilton (illness) ruled out tonight
Hamilton will not play in tonight’s game against the Utah Jazz due to an illness despite never appearing on the Nets’ injury report at any point during the day. Hamilton has consistently seen minutes in the mid-teens, so his absence from the rotation will not have a huge effect on the rest of the Nets rotation, though there may be a few extra minutes available for Trevor Booker and even Brook Lopez if this game manages to stay respectable.
As reported by: Ben Nadeau