DFS Alerts
Kristaps Porzingis (illness) will try to play tonight
Porzingis is expected to try and play in tonight’s game against Brooklyn Nets after previous being listed as questionable on the Knicks’ injury report with an illness that forced him to miss Tuesday’s loss to the Washington Wizards. His probable return to the lineup creates quite a logjam in the frontcourt, making it nearly impossible to roster any of Willy Hernangomez, Joakim Noah, and Kyle O’Quinn on a massive 12-game slate. The Knicks will still be without Derrick Rose for tonight’s contest, so Porzingis and Carmelo Anthony are certainly in play. Porzingis is probably better reserved for tournaments given the uncertainty surrounding his health, while Anthony can be utilized in all formats considering the pristine matchup against Brooklyn this evening. In fact, according to our CourtIQ tool, Carmelo Anthony leads the Knicks by a wide margin with a 6.8% usage rate differential (39.0%) while averaging over 42 fantasy points per 36 minutes, which would exceed his salary-based expectations on DraftKings and FanDuel.
As reported by: Al Iannazzone
Isaiah Whitehead starting ahead of Spencer Dinwiddie and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson starting ahead of Trevor Booker tonight
Isaiah Whitehead and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson will rejoin the Nets starting lineup against the Knicks. As is the case most nights, predicting the Nets rotation is going to be nearly impossible. Neither Whitehead or Spencer Dinwiddie carry much upside even as starters, so we can safely ignore the PG spot on Brooklyn’s side. If you’re looking for value at that spot, pivot up to Brandon Jennings, who faces off with a Nets defense that ranks dead last against PGs in DvP. Even as a starter, Hollis-Jefferson doesn’t offer much DFS appeal. Brook Lopez and Caris LeVert are the only two viable options on the Nets side. LeVert has seen at least 26 minutes in his last three games and is a preferred option over Sean Kilpatrick in that back-court. The Nets have been saying that they’re bringing LeVert along slowly, and this could be a night where he ends up cracking the 27 minute mark. We can now safely ignore the erratic Trevor Booker with him coming off the bench.
As reported by: Brian Lewis Other tagged players: Spencer Dinwiddie, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Trevor Booker, Caris LeVert Kelly Olynyk (left shoulder strain) ruled out for tonight
Olynyk was only projected to see about 20-23 minutes of court time, so this news doesn’t have any huge implications, especially on a twelve game slate. His court time should be swallowed up by a combination of Jonas Jerebko and Amir Johnson, with Tyler Zeller also a candidate to re-enter the rotation, although it’s still possible he draws another DNP-CD. Jerebko has played at least 23 mins in three of his last four games, and could conceivably end up towards the 30-minute mark tonight, but even then his per-minute upside isn’t great with Thomas, Horford and Crowder still eating up a majority of the offensive responsibility. Amir Johnson is a potential deep GPP dart-throw, but his floor remains very low even with Olynyk on the shelf. If you’re targeting the Boston side, stay focused on Isaiah Thomas, more so on DK where he’s still priced under $10K.
As reported by: Gary Washburn Other tagged players: Amir Johnson, Jonas Jerebko Luke Babbitt (ankle) and James Johnson (shoulder) both playing tonight
Babbitt and Johnson will play in tonight’s game against the Atlanta Hawks after previously being listed as questionable on the Heat’s injury report due to their respective ailments. Babbitt will likely remain in the starting lineup at power forward but is essentially a starter in name only, as he has only seen more than 16 minutes of action twice in the last eight games. As for Johnson, he will remain the first forward off the bench for Miami and is still the preferred option, even at an elevated price tag, over Babbitt considering he typically sees approximately 28-32 minutes off the bench on a consistent basis. However, the matchup with Atlanta is less than ideal and there are significantly better power forwards to target on a 12-game slate.
As reported by: Ira Winderman Other tagged players: James Johnson Amir Johnson returns to the starting lineup tonight; sending Jonas Jerebko to the bench
Johnson will be reinserted into the Celtics’ starting lineup for tonight’s game against the Toronto Raptors, sending Jonas Jerebko back to the bench to resume his reserve role. This is a matchup-based lineup change by Celtics coach Brad Stevens in an effort to better counteract Raptors big man, Jonas Valanciunas, who went off in their prior meeting. It remains to be seen if Johnson sticks with the starting unit going forward, or if Stevens continues to mix-and-match his bigs alongside Al Horford depending on the matchup. Either way, neither Johnson or Jerebko typically don’t see enough minutes or usage to be viable options in daily fantasy and tonight is no different.
As reported by: Sean Grande Other tagged players: Jonas Jerebko Evan Fournier (heel) returns to the starting lineup tonight, replacing C.J. Watson
Fournier will be reinserted into the starting lineup at his normal shooting guard spot for tonight’s game against Indiana Pacers, sending C.J. Watson back to the bench to resume his reserve role. Fournier will remain without a strict minute restriction, as he did in his return Monday when he only saw 23 minutes of action off the bench. Fournier’s reemergence into the starting unit is a slight knock to the projected fantasy value of Elfrid Payton due to the likely usage decrease. Now that Fournier’s been given the starting nod by Magic head coach Frank Vogel, it’s certainly possible that Fournier could approach that 28-30 minute range this evening, making him an interesting tournament option where his price tag remains discounted.
As reported by: John Denton Other tagged players: C.J. Watson Kristaps Porzingis (illness) is a game-time decision vs BKN tonight
Porzingis was a scratched less than 20 minutes before lineups locked last night and is currently listed as a game-time decision due to an illness. The Nets rank 29th vs power forwards and 26th vs centers on the season, making the availability of Porzingis a huge part of the puzzle for tonight. Willy Hernangomez started and played 31 minutes against the Wizards and will likely start against the Nets tonight. Hernangomez will be considered an elite option against the Nets if Porzingis is out, but an extremely risky play if Porzingis starts. Kyle O’Quinn also played well in his 17 minutes but the lack of minutes and the unclear status of Porzingis makes Kyle O’Quinn difficult to build around. Carmelo Anthony will also see a 5% decrease in usage if Porzingis plays tonight.
As reported by: Frank Isola Other tagged players: Carmelo Anthony, Kyle O'Quinn, Willy Hernangomez Julius Randle questionable for Lakers on Thursday
Randle has missed the last two games for the Lakers and is questionable for their game on Thursday. We’ll know more after their morning shootaround. If he remains out, Tarik Black and Ivica Zubac will continue to benefit from the additional playing time with Zubac the preferred option of the two.
As reported by: Tania Ganguli on Twitter Other tagged players: Tarik Black, Ivica Zubac
Nikola Jokic remains OUT for Denver tonight; Will Barton doubtful and Emmanuel Mudiay questionable
The banged up Nuggets will be without their star big man and most likely Barton as well while their starting point guard (Mudiay) is questionable. Kenneth Faried and Wilson Chandler are also dealing with injuries but are probable and expected to play against the Memphis Grizzlies. Faried is the biggest beneficiary of Jokic being out as Jusuf Nurkic has failed to deliver in his role as starting center and hasn’t topped 15 minutes in his last three games. Faried in the meantime has put up over 40 fpts a game over the last two games. It’s a tough match up for sure but at just $5,700 on DraftKings (tougher play at FanDuel and $6,900) he has to be considered given his recent production. Jameer Nelson and Jamaal Murray will benefit if Barton sits; even more so if Mudiay also can’t go.
As reported by: Harrison Wind on Twitter Other tagged players: Will Barton, Emmanuel Mudiay, Kenneth Faried Stephen Curry will play tonight for Warriors
Curry will play when Golden State faces the Charlotte Hornets tonight after being listed as questionable due to an illness that forced him to miss Sunday’s game against Portland. He’s started to show signs of being the Steph of old of late, especially after a 43 point outburst on Saturday (when he was incredibly low owned across the industry). His price is starting to creep back up but he’s still in play (albeit there are blowout concerns) against a Charlotte team that is bottom ten in the league in fantasy points allowed.
As reported by: Anthony Slater on Twitter Zaza Pachulia OUT tonight for Golden State; out for at least a week
Pachulia will miss at least the next week due to a rotator cuff injury including tonight’s game against the struggling Charlotte Hornets. Kevon Looney, Anderson Varejao, and Javale McGee all stand to see more playing time but none stand out as must play options as it’s more likely than not that the Warriors will just decide to run with a small lineup with Draymond Green at center. If you are going to play any of that group, McGee would be the preferred option. Green, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry all receive a slight uptick in usage with ZaZa off the court and Green could be in line for bigger peripheral numbers facing a Hornets team that is 25th in center DvP.
As reported by: Anthony Slater on Twitter Other tagged players: JaVale McGee, Draymond Green Jahlil Okafor will start for 76ers tonight; Nerlens Noel to come off bench
The two will likely split time fairly evenly at center with Joel Embiid ruled out with Noel the better option of the two for DFS purposes due to his ability to put up peripheral statistics like blocked shots and steals. That said his price tag is to the point (low $6k’s) that he’s probably not worth rostering as he hasn’t topped 33 fpts in each of his last three games as well as not topping 24 minutes of playing time (which will likely again be the case tonight in terms of how much he plays).
As reported by: Jessica Camerato on Twitter Other tagged players: Nerlens Noel Robert Covington OUT tonight for 76ers
Along with Joel Embiid, Covington will not play on Wednesday against Dallas with a right hand injury. He’s considered day-to-day and his absence is a boost to Dario Saric’s value. Saric has topped 20 fpts in four of his last five games including two outings of 30+. Priced at $4.4K on both sites, he’s a definite value option tonight even with a super tough match up against the defensive-minded, slow-paced Mavericks.
As reported by: Molly Sullivan on Twitter Other tagged players: Dario Saric Avery Bradley will miss 8th consecutive game for Celtics tonight
He’s getting closer to a return but it won’t be today. Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown continue to benefit from his absence but neither carry significant upside and are nothing more than GPP dart throws at best.
As reported by: Brian Robb on Twitter Derrick Favors remains out for Utah
Favors situation remains murky as he will miss his second straight game for rest purposes after being limited (non-contact) in practice this week. Trey Lyles and Boris Diaw benefit the most but neither are viable DFS options.
As reported by: David Locke on Twitter