DFS Alerts
Aaron Gordon (right foot bone bruise) ruled out tonight
Gordon will not play in tonight’s game against the Dallas Mavericks due to a bone bruise in his right foot that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. Mario Hezonja will draw the start at small forward once again in Gordon’s place, but neither he or Jeff Green saw more than 18 minutes of action on Thursday, as Magic head coach Frank Vogel preferred to run out more three-guard lineups with Evan Fournier manning the small forward spot. Additionally, Vogel confirmed that C.J. Watson will remain with the starting unit over Elfrid Payton, though it is difficult to target either of them considering Watson, Fournier, and D.J. Augustin all saw minutes in the mid-20’s in the Magic’s previous game. That rotation trend can obviously end at any time, but it makes Fournier the only real Magic guard worth targeting for Saturday’s slate.
As reported by: Orlando Magic PR
Dion Waiters (sprained ankle) questionable tonight
Dion Waiters has officially been listed as questionable to play in tonight’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers due to a sprained left ankle that has forced him to miss two consecutive games. Wayne Ellington has been starting at the shooting guard spot in Waiters’ place, but would likely be sent back to the bench to resume a reserve role if Waiters is able to suit up this evening. If Waiters is ruled out, Goran Dragic, James Johnson, and even Rodney McGruder will continue to see upticks in usage and playing time and would be firmly in play for all formats this evening.
As reported by: Tim Reynolds Deron Williams (sprained toe) upgraded to a game-time decision tonight
Deron Williams is currently questionable and will likely be a game-time decision for tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic after participating in shootaround this morning. Yogi Ferrell has started at point guard in seven of the eight games Williams has been sidelined, and his daily fantasy value would obviously take a huge hit if Williams is able to return for Saturday’s contest. Even if Williams is slightly limited, he would likely be immediately inserted into the Mavericks starting lineup, which would send Ferrell back to the bench to assume a reserve role. Despite the exploitable individual matchup for the Dallas point guards, this looks to be a situation to avoid on tonight’s main slate considering it is unlikely we will receive much clarification before lock.
As reported by: Earl K. Sneed ICYMI: Khris Middleton (rest) ruled out tonight
Middleton will be rested on the second leg of a back-to-back set for Milwaukee and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Indiana Pacers. This practice will likely become a regular staple in the Bucks’ maintenance plan for Middleton, who saw 20 minutes of action on Friday, as he works his way back from a torn left hamstring. The absence of Middleton on Saturday will only force Giannis Antetokounmpo to take on even more of the offensive workload with Jabari Parker sidelined for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL in his left knee. Thon Maker started at power forward in Milwaukee’s first game sans Parker, but we should expect that to be a fluid situation with Bucks head coach Jason Kidd at the helm. With that said, the primary value options to consider here would be Michael Beasley and Malcolm Brogdon, regardless of starting status, as they both should see a minimum allotment of minutes in the mid-to-upper-20’s this evening.
As reported by: Official Twitter Account of the Milwaukee Bucks Ersan Ilyasova (hip) probable tonight; Joel Embiid (knee) remains out
Ilyasova has officially been listed as probable for tonight’s game against the Miami Heat with a lingering hip issue that he played through in the Sixers’ previous game. We should expect Ilyasova to play in this one considering he appeared on the injury report with the same injury prior to Thursday’s contest and was ultimately cleared to play after pregame warmups. However, Ilyasova is becoming a secondary play at best, even with Joel Embiid still sidelined, as he, Dario Saric, Jahlil Okafor, and Nerlens Noel are virtually splitting the available power forward and center minutes evenly. All four players are certainly in play for tournaments on any given night while Embiid is out, but they have become unplayable in cash games given their low minute floors.
As reported by: Official Twitter Account of the Philadelphia 76ers Other tagged players: Joel Embiid Kenneth Faried (ankle) and Emmanuel Mudiay (back) ruled out tonight; Wilson Chandler (illness) probable
Faried and Mudiay will not play in tonight’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to their respective ailments. Faried has now missed two consecutive games, while Mudiay has now been sidelined for eight of the Nuggets’ last 11 games. Darrell Arthur drew the start at power forward Friday but only saw 20 minutes of action, as Nuggets head coach Mike Malone continues to run out Wilson Chandler and Will Barton at the power forward and small forward spots respectively, regardless of the starting five. Speaking of Chandler, he was downgraded to probable in advance of tonight’s contest due to an illness, but given how liberal Denver is with their injury report these days, he should be fully expected to play this evening.
As reported by: Adam Mares Other tagged players: Emmanuel Mudiay, Wilson Chandler Ty Lawson (strained left hamstring) officially ruled out tonight
Lawson will not play in tonight’s game against the Atlanta Hawks after previously being listed as doubtful on the Kings’ injury report with a strained left hamstring he sustained in Wednesday’s win over the Boston Celtics. The Kings have confirmed that Ben McLemore will replace him in the starting lineup. With Lawson officially unavailable, Darren Collison is the only true point guard available for Sacramento and will see all the minutes he can handle with Garrett Temple also remaining sidelined. In the two previous games Lawson has missed this season, Collison averaged just over 36 minutes per game and should be expected to see at least that amount of run this evening, making him a virtual must play on the late slate for an affordable price tag across the industry.
As reported by: James Ham Jimmy Butler (right heel contusion) will play tonight
Butler will play and start in tonight’s game against the Phoenix Suns after previously being listed as questionable on the Bulls’ injury report with a right heel contusion that had forced him to miss three consecutive games.With Dwyane Wade also good to go, his and Butler’s return to the starting lineup will send Michael Carter-Williams back to the bench to resume a reserve role, while Paul Zipser has already been ruled out due to an ankle injury. Wade is still reportedly still feeling some lingering effects of an illness, but he and Butler are certainly intriguing tournament options on the late slate after carrying injury designations for at least a portion of the day.
As reported by: K.C. Johnson Dante Cunningham replaces Terrence Jones in the starting lineup tonight
Evans, Moore, and Jones will not play in tonight’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves after the trio appeared on Pelicans’ injury report with their respective ailments and injury designations. With this news, the Pelicans are officially down to nine active players, putting all of their key rotation pieces firmly in play. Jones had started the past four games at power forward in place of Dante Cunningham, and Cunningham will officially be inserted into the Pelicans’ starting lineup at power forward this evening. Buddy Hield is certainly in play with Evans and Moore unavailable, but Tim Frazier could be the under-the-radar option to roll out in tournament lineups after seeing 24 minutes in the Pelicans’ previous game when just Evans was inactive.
As reported by: @Twolves Other tagged players: Terrence Jones
Darrell Arthur starting ahead of Will Barton tonight
Darrell Arthur will be starting in place of Will Barton tonight. Barton will still play off the bench, but likely won’t exceed 34 minutes. Barton is still a viable option against the Nuggets but his upside could be capped. Arthur has been playing of late and should be considered a viable GPP option since he is starting. Arthur has yet to play over 24 minutes this season so his upside is likely capped as well. Still, Arthur should be able to exceed salary-based expectations as a starter and Barton should be able to hit his perceived floor. Gary Harris is looking like a strong pivot off of Barton for GPPs.
As reported by: Jason Kosmicki Other tagged players: Will Barton Kyle O'Quinn not in the starting lineup, Brandon Jennings starting at SG
Jennings will be inserted into the starting lineup for tonight’s game against the Denver Nuggets, replacing Kyle O’Quinn. Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek has decided to go small with Kristaps Porzingis at center, Carmelo Anthony at power forward, and Courtney Lee at small forward. This was likely a matchup-based decision to better counteract the Nuggets’ small-ball lineup sans Danilo Gallinari and Kenneth Faried. With that said, Jennings is certainly in play for Friday’s slate but isn’t the sure-thing value he normally is when receiving the starting nod with the plethora of options at the point guard position this evening.
Other tagged players: Brandon Jennings Khris Middleton could see a slight uptick in minutes tonight
Khris Middleton has only played in one game so far this season due to a hamstring injury. The team is going to be cautious with him but he could see a few more minutes against the Lakers tonight. While we don’t have an exact designation, Middleton carries much more risk than reward tonight, even with Jabari Parker out of the lineup. Middleton should be a fine option soon, but using him on a full slate with this much uncertainty is not optimal.
As reported by: Eric Nehm Other tagged players: Jabari Parker Tyreke Evans, E'Twaun Moore, and Terrence Jones all officially ruled out for tonight
Evans, Moore, and Jones will not play in tonight’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves after the trio appeared on Pelicans’ injury report with their respective ailments and injury designations. With this news, the Pelicans are officially down to nine active players, putting all of their key rotation pieces firmly in play. Jones had started the past four games at power forward in place of Dante Cunningham, making Cunningham the likeliest candidate to be inserted into the Pelicans’ starting lineup this evening. Buddy Hield is certainly in play with Evans and Moore unavailable, but Tim Frazier could be the under-the-radar option to roll out in tournament lineups after seeing 24 minutes in the Pelicans’ previous game when just Evans was inactive.
As reported by: Daniel Sallerson Other tagged players: E'Twaun Moore, Terrence Jones Spencer Hawes active and available to make Bucks debut tonight
Hawes is officially active for tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers and might play off the bench, according to Bucks’ head coach Jason Kidd. Additionally, Thon Maker will draw the start at power forward, replacing the injured Jabari Parker, who was recently diagnosed with a torn ACL in his left knee. This Milwaukee frontcourt situation is going to be one to avoid until we get a general idea of Kidd’s frontcourt rotation sans Parker and with the addition of Hawes and Roy Hibbert, who is still unavailable this evening. On a nine-game slate with other decent value options available, the opportunity cost is too high to try and pinpoint the correct Bucks big man to target, even in tournaments.
As reported by: Eric Nehm Thon Maker starting in place of Jabari Parker tonight
Maker will draw the start at power forward for tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers, replacing the injured Jabari Parker, who was recently diagnosed with a torn ACL in his left knee. This Milwaukee frontcourt situation is going to be one to avoid until we get a general idea of Bucks head coach Jason Kidd’s frontcourt rotation sans Parker and with the addition of Spencer Hawes and Roy Hibbert. On a nine-game slate with other decent value options available, the opportunity cost is too high to try and pinpoint the correct Bucks big man to target, even in tournaments.
As reported by: @Bucks Other tagged players: Jabari Parker