DFS Alerts
Ramon Sessions (lateral meniscus tear) ruled out for Saturday
Sessions will not play in tomorrow’s game against the Utah Jazz after being diagnosed with a torn lateral meniscus tear in his left knee. The Hornets have yet to set a timetable for his return, but he will likely miss more than just Saturday’s contest. Brian Roberts will enter the rotation as the backup point guard behind Kemba Walker, and with Walker currently questionable due to an illness, Roberts could be called up to draw the start tomorrow. If Walker is eventually ruled out, Roberts would become a top value option on Saturday’s slate despite the difficult matchup with Utah.
As reported by: Official Twitter Account of the Charlotte Hornets
Norman Powell officially announced as the starter for DeMar DeRozan
This was fully expected, and we can now look to Powell for value, mainly on FanDuel where he’s still priced a shade above $5K. He’s not an elite GPP target at that price, but he’s an excellent cash game target and it certainly wouldn’t be surprising to see him finish with upwards of 30 FPs in big minutes, so he’s a viable tournament target across the industry. Kyle Lowry also benefits with DeRozan off the floor.
As reported by: @Raptors Other tagged players: DeMar DeRozan
Alex Abrines (back spasms) ruled out for Friday
Abrines will miss another game due to back spasms, which should lead to Anthony Morrow remaining a part of the Thunder’s rotation on Friday. Morrow has averaged 27 minutes per game in the last two contests with Abrines on the shelf, and it’s likely he ends up close to that number again tonight, although he isn’t a recommended DFS option against the Grizzlies, especially with Westbrook/Oladipo healthy. The OKC side in general isn’t that appealing tonight, but Westbrook still profiles as a nice upside tournament target, which is the case anytime he’s in a tough match-up. The rest of the Thunder are worth avoiding on a rather large nine-game slate.
As reported by: Royce Young Other tagged players: Anthony Morrow Nene (sore groin) ruled out for tonight
Nene will not play tonight against the Bulls tonight after he played 16 minutes last night against the Hawks. Nene has been sitting out almost every back-to-back this season and is currently dealing with a sore groin. Clint Capela will start again and is a viable GPP play tonight. The Bulls are 2nd in the league in rebounding differential, so the upside might be capped. Still, Capela is cheap and he was averaging over 30 FPs for a stretch in November before he got hurt. Montrezl Harrell will be used as the backup but he’s been a better option when he starts.
As reported by: Jonathan Feigen Other tagged players: Clint Capela, Montrezl Harrell
Kelly Olynyk (left shoulder strain) available off the bench tonight
Olynyk is set to return to the Celtics tonight after missing Wednesday’s game against the Raptors due to a sore left shoulder. His presence will likely lead to Tyler Zeller falling back out of the rotation, and it also makes the PFs (Johnson/Jerebko) less appealing. Al Horford is really the only viable DFS target in the Celtics front-court – you’ll want to look towards Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Smart and Jae Crowder against a Lakers team that has allowed the 2nd most FPPG. LA ranks 22nd or worse in DvP against all five positions, but most of the Celtics offensive production comes from the guard/wing spots.
As reported by: Sean Grande Other tagged players: Tyler Zeller, Al Horford Avery Bradley (Achilles) officially ruled out; Celtics starters remain unchanged
Bradley will not play in tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers after previously being listed as doubtful on the Celtics’ injury report with a sore right Achilles that has now forced him to miss 12 of the last 13 games. Jaylen Brown will remain in the starting lineup at shooting guard once again and could be worth a look in tournaments, but he is still giving way to Marcus Smart down the stretch, increasing his already high volatility. According to our CourtIQ tool, Isaiah Thomas has a 2.2 % usage rate differential (37.8%) with Bradley off the court this season. Clearly, with Bradley unavailable, Thomas is just further cemented as an elite option in an exploitable matchup with the Lakers backcourt defense, but the inflated price tag and probably blowout lower his potential ceiling.
As reported by: Sean Grande Bojan Bogdanovic (rest) ruled out; Caris LeVert will start
Bogdanovic will be rested and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Indiana Pacers. In his absence, Caris LeVert will draw the start at small forward, while Rondae Hollis-Jefferson will remain in the starting lineup at power forward. LeVert is now certainly cemented as a fine option on tonight’s slate, but his upside is somewhat limited since he seems to be limited to a minute cap of some kind, as he rarely sees more than 27 minutes in a game no matter Brooklyn’s injury situation on a given night. Hollis-Jefferson is the preferred Nets value option and owns a positive 2.7% usage rate differential (22.0%) with Bogdanovic and Jeremy Lin off the court this season.
As reported by: Anthony Puccio Other tagged players: Caris LeVert DeMar DeRozan (sore right ankle) ruled out for tonight
DeRozan will not play in tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic after previously being listed as questionable on the Raptors’ injury report with a sore right ankle that has now forced him to miss six of the last seven games. Norman Powell will remain in the starting lineup at shooting guard for the third consecutive contest, which immediately vaults him into elite play status, as he averaged 35 minutes per game in the five games DeRozan was sidelined with this same ankle issue. Other than Powell, the primary player to target on Toronto is Kyle Lowry, as he sees a positive 3.3% usage rate differential (30.6%) with DeRozan off the court this season and will need to shoulder the offensive load for this Raptors squad this evening.
As reported by: Ryan Wolstat Ramon Sessions (knee) doubtful for Saturday
Sessions has been downgraded to doubtful for Saturday’s contest against the Jazz. Sessions only played 7 minutes against the Warriors on Wednesday and was not a viable DFS option to begin with. Kemba Walker is also listed as questionable due to an illness and Marco Belinelli could start and see big minutes in place of both Walker and Sessions. Nicolas Batum would also see a bump in usage and ball handling duties if Walker and Sessions are indeed ruled out. Look for another update regarding the Hornets tomorrow.
As reported by: Rick Bonnell Other tagged players: Kemba Walker, Marco Belinelli, Nicolas Batum Thabo Sefolosha (groin) questionable for Saturday's game vs. Orlando
Thabo Sefolosha has not played in the last two contests due to a groin injury and is being listed as questionable for Saturday’s game. The team will likely provide us another update regarding Sefolosha’s status after shootaround tomorrow. Tim Hardaway Jr. has stepped up in place of Sefolosha and will likely keep his starting spot even if Sefolosha returns. Look for another update from the team tomorrow. If Sefolosha misses again, Hardaway Jr. should be considered an elite GPP play.
As reported by: Chris Vivalamore Other tagged players: Tim Hardaway Jr. Arron Afflalo (illness) downgraded to questionable for tonight's game vs PHX
Arron Afflalo has been downgraded to questionable due to a stomach virus. We’ve seen the stomach virus take over the NBA and a mid-downgrade is never good. While he is listed as questionable, it is likely that Afflalo is unable to play tonight. Malachi Richardson played 19 minutes against the Rockets on Tuesday and could possibly start with Garrett Temple also out of the lineup. Richardson is an elite punt option if Afflalo is indeed ruled out. Ben McLemore also played 12 minutes against the Rockets but rarely producing when relied upon. The Kings have also paired Ty Lawson and Darren Collison in the backcourt, so both players are viable option. Collison likely is the better play due to the fact that Lawson is dealing with a hand injury.
As reported by: James Ham Other tagged players: Malachi Richardson, Ben McLemore, Ty Lawson, Darren Collison Devin Harris (illness) downgraded to questionable for tonight
Devin Harris has been downgraded to questionable for tonight’s game against the Blazers. Considering the fact the Mavericks play in Portland, we likely won’t get an update regarding Harris before lineups lock. Harris is not a viable DFS option but he does usually play about 18-20 minutes. With his availability in question, along with Deron Williams (toe), Yogi Ferrell could easily play over 30 minutes tonight. Ferrell should be considered an elite punt option at PG considering the Blazers rank 25th in defensive efficiency and Damian Lillard has a -2.35 DPRM.
As reported by: Eddie Sefko Other tagged players: Deron Williams, Yogi Ferrell Anderson Varejao waived; allowing the Warriors to sign Briante Weber
Anderson Varejao was waived by the Warriors and it opened up a roster spot for them to sign Briante Weber. This likely means that Shaun Livingston’s back injury is much more serious than originally stated. Weber will be signed to a 10-day contract and will likely see more time than Ian Clark or Patrick McCaw. With the Warriors playing in Sacramento tomorrow, we might get an early taste of Weber. He’s likely not a viable DFS option but we should have some more information tomorrow after shootaround regarding the status of Livingston.
As reported by: Adrian Wojnarowski Other tagged players: Briante Weber, Shaun Livingston Frank Kaminsky will start at center for injured Cody Zeller (OUT) for Charlotte on Saturday
Cody Zeller has been ruled out and with Spencer Hawes and Roy Hibbert no longer a part of the team and Miles Plumlee’s role uncertain, Frank Kaminsky should get all the minutes he can handle on Saturday. He’ll be a viable DFS option and Marvin Williams should also receive a slight boost.
As reported by: Rick Bonnell on Twitter Other tagged players: Cody Zeller
John Henson will start for Milwaukee tonight
Henson didn’t play on Wednesday and has been an absent part of the Bucks rotation over their last five games but he told local media that he would start today. He’s still an easy fade as Greg Monroe will get the bulk of the minutes at the center position, even coming off the bench.
As reported by: C.F. Gardner on Twitter