DFS Alerts
C.J. Watson available to play tonight for Orlando
The Magic guard is available to return to action after being out for a short period of time – he had started the four games prior to his injury and it’s not known what role he will take on tonight against the Miami Heat. Elfrid Payton and D.J. Augustin will both see a hit in their playing time with Watson back. Payton is the only one worth rostering for DFS purposes tonight.
As reported by: John Denton on Twitter Other tagged players: D.J. Augustin, Elfrid Payton
Frank Kaminsky OUT for Charlotte on Saturday
The young Hornets big man suffered a left shoulder injury last night and has been ruled out in advance of their game Saturday night against Denver. Cody Zeller will likely return to the starting lineup and is the biggest beneficiary. Marvin Williams should also see a few extra minutes of playing time.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets official Twitter feed Other tagged players: Cody Zeller Rodney Hood (right knee soreness) ruled out for Friday
Hood will not play in tomorrow’s game against the Brooklyn Nets due to a sore right knee that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. Joe Ingles will likely draw the start at shooting guard once again in his place. Ingles has been a volatile option in the recent contest that Hood has missed, 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. In a large sample size with Hood off the court, Gordon Hayward owns a positive 2.3% usage rate differential (31.7%) while averaging just over 40 fantasy points per 36 minutes, which would likely allow him to exceed salary-based expectations Friday in what is a glorious matchup with a Nets squad that ranks dead last in DvP against opposing small forwards.
As reported by: Official Twitter Account of the Utah Jazz
Patrick McCaw confirmed as the starter in place of Kevin Durant; Matt Barnes available off the bench
McCaw will get the first crack at replacing Kevin Durant in the Warriors starting lineup for tonight’s game against the Chicago Bulls, while the newly acquired Matt Barnes will be available to play off the bench. McCaw saw 24 minutes in relief of Durant in Tuesday’s contest and should be expected see a similar minute allotment this evening. Despite the starting nod, McCaw isn’t a particularly intriguing option, as he figures to see a significant decline in his usage with the starting unit and will be competing for minutes with Barnes and Andre Iguodala at the small forward spot. The preferred Warriors to target still are Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green before their price tags are able to catch up to their expected production sans Durant.
As reported by: Anthony Slater Other tagged players: Matt Barnes
Tony Parker (bruised quad) not listed as injured for Friday's game
Parker is not listed on the Spurs’ most recent injury report for tomorrow’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans after missing the previous game with a quad contusion. As of now, it appears that Parker will be good to go Friday, which will send Dejounte Murray back to the bench to resume his reserve role behind Parker and Patty Mills. On most nights, Parker typically isn’t a viable daily fantasy option, and Friday’s slate is shaping up to be no different, as Parker has consistently lacked the upside needed to be relevant on large slates.
As reported by: Paul Garcia Paul Zipser available off the bench; Michael Carter-Williams ruled out
Zipser will be available to play off the bench in tonight’s game against the Golden State Warriors after being sidelined the last seven games with left ankle tendinitis. His absence from the rotation had opened up playing time for Bobby Portis and Denzel Valentine once Doug McDermott and Taj Gibson were shipped off to Oklahoma City. Now that Zipser is active, the odd man out of the rotation will likely be Anthony Morrow. Additionally, Michael Carter-Williams will miss his third consecutive game tonight due to patellar tendinitis. Jerian Grant will continue to start at point guard in his absence, though Rajon Rondo has been the more consistent option of the two guards. Both Grant and Rondo are also splitting minutes with Cameron Payne, making it difficult to really target any them outside of a tournament dart throw. If going that route, Rondo looks to be the preferred Bulls point guard to target.
As reported by: KC Johnson Other tagged players: Michael Carter-Williams Terrence Jones to sign with Milwaukee
Jones has agreed to sign a rest-of-season deal with the Milwaukee Bucks after previously being bought of his contract with the New Orleans Pelicans following the DeMarcus Cousins trade. He will add depth to an already crowded Milwaukee frontcourt and it will certainly be interesting to see how Jones is utilized in Bucks head coach Jason Kidd’s always fickle frontcourt rotation.
As reported by: Shams Charania Cleveland Cavaliers officially announce signing of Andrew Bogut
The veteran center has finally found a new home and will give the Cavaliers some much needed frontcourt depth. It remains to be seen what kind of role he’ll have but it’s hard to expect big minutes from him so he’ll likely not be a viable DFS option unless the team decides to give Tristan Thompson an occasional day of rest.
As reported by: Cleveland Cavaliers official Twitter feed Mike Dunleavy ruled out for Atlanta on Friday
He hasn’t played since the 24th and will continue to sit out for the Hawks as the team has ruled him out in advance of their Friday night game. He was averaging less than 15 minutes per game over his last seven games before his injury so his loss has a minimal impact on the Hawks rotation. Kent Bazemore, Thabo Sefolosha, and Tim Hardaway Jr. all see a few extra minutes with Dunleavy out.
As reported by: Chris Vivlamore on Twitter Norris Cole is available for Thunder tonight and expected to play
The recently signed Cole went through the team shootaround today and Oklahoma City Head Coach Billy Donovan stated he would like to get him some minutes today. It’s hard to imagine him seeing more than 10-15 minutes of playing time but he could potentially be in line for a bigger role with Victor Oladipo out. He could hit into the playing time of Alex Abrines and remove Semaj Christon completely from the rotation.
As reported by: Brett Dawson on Twitter Nerlens Noel expected to start on Friday against Memphis
Noel is expected to draw his first start in a Mavericks uniform on Friday against the Grizzlies. The Mavericks oddly rolled out Dirk Nowitzki at the five against Atlanta on Wednesday, and that predictably did not equate to a ton of success, as Dwight Howard shot a perfect 5-5 from the field on his way to a healthy double-double (14pts, 12reb, 4ast, 3stl, 2blk). Shifting Noel into the starting five will afford Nowitzki and Harrison Barnes to slide down to their natural positions, and should push Dorian Finney-Smith back to the bench. While the Mavs were barely out-rebounded against Atlanta (34-33), they’ve been one of the worst rebounding teams on the year – they have struggled mightily on the offensive glass, where they rank dead last in rebounding rate (they also rank dead last in overall rebounding rate, but rank 8th in defensive rebounding rate). Noel’s presence should help that cause and also gives them a legitimate rim-protector down low. The match-up with Memphis isn’t a good one and it’s not a given that Noel sees upwards of 30 minutes as a starter, so a wait and see approach on him is probably wise. He’s not going to carry the same type of offensive responsibility as he did in Philadelphia.
As reported by: Earl Sneed
Victor Oladipo (back) ruled out for tonight; did not travel with the team
This will be the Thunder guards fourth straight game on the sidelines due to his back injury and with OKC on the road over this weekend, he will likely miss two more games Friday and Sunday – the team did say, however, that they are not ruling him joining the team so we’ll keep an eye on that. Alex Abrines is the likely starter in his absence and the biggest beneficiary – he’s a viable value option on tonight’s small three game slate.
As reported by: Brett Dawson Other tagged players: Alex Abrines Miami Heat injury report for Friday's game
Dion Waiters and Willie Reed are both questionable for Miami for their Friday game. Hassan Whiteside missed practice today but he is probable as is Rodney McGruder who left the teams last game early. We’ll update you tomorrow with any updates we get on this quartet.
As reported by: Manny Navarro on Twitter Other tagged players: Rodney McGruder, Hassan Whiteside, Willie Reed C.J. Watson and Nikola Vucevic both practice for Orlando today
Watson looks as if he will return after missing the teams past three games. Vucevic’s status was never really in doubt and him practicing today solidifies that he’s likely going to play tomorrow.
As reported by: Joshua Robbins on Twitter Other tagged players: Nikola Vucevic Wesley Matthews out on Friday for Dallas
Matthews will miss another game with his hip injury as the team has already ruled him out for their game tomorrow with hopes he will be able to return on Sunday. Seth Curry is the biggest beneficiary with Matthews out.
As reported by: Eddie Sefko on Twitter