DFS Alerts
Derrick Favors limited in practice
The Utah forward was limited to non-contact work at the team practice today after missing Saturday’s game due to fatigue. He’s been struggling with injuries all season long and might be rested more down the line. We’ll continue to monitor his status and update you if any news comes in.
As reported by: David Locke on Twitter
Tyler Johnson questionable for Heat tonight
The Miami guard went through shootaround and will warm up tonight with the intention of playing. He won’t be a viable DFS option just yet as his playing time will likely be limited but his return will be an impact on the playing time of Dion Waiters and Wayne Ellington, so take that into consideration when deciding whether or not to utilize those two. We’ll update you on Johnson’s status as soon as we receive more information.
As reported by: Tim Reynolds on Twitter Other tagged players: Wayne Ellington, Dion Waiters Shaun Livingston confirmed as starter for Steph Curry (illness) tonight
Curry will not play in tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers due to an illness. Shaun Livingston will replace Curry in the starting lineup at point guard, while Ian Clark and Patrick McCaw will see some extra run off the bench. Livingston is the most viable option of the trio, solely based on his projected minute floor, but his upside is limited with the remaining members of the big four, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green soaking up a large majority of Curry’s vacated usage. With Curry and David West off the court this season, Durant leads the Warriors starters with a 6.2% usage rate differential (35.4%) while averaging over 1.60 fantasy points per minute, easily putting him on a projected pace to exceed salary-based expectations on both FanDuel and DraftKings. Although Green and Thompson are fine options in this matchup with Portland, Durant is clearly the primary Warrior to target and a borderline must play in all formats.
As reported by: Chris Haynes
Moe Harkless (left calf strain) will play tonight
Harkless will play in tonight’s game against the Golden State Warriors after previously being listed as probable on the Trail Blazers’ injury report with a strained left calf that had forced him to miss two consecutive games. According to Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts, Evan Turner will remain in the starting lineup at small forward even with Harkless cleared to play. Additionally, Ed Davis will remain out for the fourth consecutive game due to a left wrist sprain. Mason Plumlee and Al-Farouq Aminu should handle a majority of the minutes in Portland’s frontcourt, but there could be a few more minutes available for the likes of Noah Vonleh and Meyers Leonard as well. However, none of the aforementioned reserve players are particularly intriguing options on tonight’s slate.
As reported by: Kevin Pelton Jahlil Okafor (sore right knee) available to play off the bench tonight
Okafor is available to play in tonight’s game against the Chicago Bulls after previously being listed as questionable on the Bulls’ injury report with a sore right knee that had forced him to miss two games last week. Okafor had been available to play in Friday’s loss to the Houston Rockets but was demoted to third-string center with Joel Embiid back from injury and ultimately did not see the court. Okafor should not be expected to see extended playing time in this one and may even split backup center minutes with Richaun Holmes. Nerlens Noel will draw the start at center and has averaged 28 minutes per contest in the two games Embiid missed earlier in the week, so Noel should be expected to take over Embiid’s role in the rotation once again. Even with Okafor active, Noel is a cash game staple on FanDuel at $4.7K but is still a viable option on DraftKings, just a ton less appealing with a $6.3K price tag.
As reported by: Keith Pompey Kevin Love (back) ruled out for Monday
Love did not travel with the team and will not play in tomorrow’s game against the Dallas Mavericks as he continues to deal with back spasms. According to Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue, Love will stay behind in Cleveland to have an MRI on his ailing back for further evaluation. James Jones will likely draw the start at power forward in Love’s absence and should split power forward minutes with Channing Frye and LeBron James. With Love and J.R. Smith off the court this season, Kyrie Irving actually leads the Cavaliers with a 6.3% usage rate differential (37.4%), which immediately vaults him into consideration as a top point guard option on Monday’s slate despite the less-than-ideal matchup with this slow-paced Mavericks squad.
As reported by: Tom Withers Joel Embiid (left knee) questionable for Monday, likely will be a game-time decision
Embiid has officially been listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game against the Sacramento Kings with a left knee contusion and is expected to be a true game-time decision. If Embiid is able to suit up, he will likely see his normal 28-minute allotment, as the Sixers will not allow him to play through any ailment they believe to be serious or could be injured further. However, if Embiid is ruled out, Nerlens Noel will likely remain in the Sixers starting lineup, while Jahlil Okafor and Richaun Holmes could split the available backup center minutes.
As reported by: Official Twitter Account of the Philadelphia 76ers Bobby Portis will start for Taj Gibson (ankle) tonight
Gibson will not play in tonight’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers due to a sore left ankle. Bobby Portis will replace Gibson at power forward, as Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg prefers to keep Nikola Mirotic and Doug McDermott in their reserve roles off the bench. Despite the starting nod, Portis remains a volatile, low-floor daily fantasy option and will likely give way to the aforementioned Mirotic and McDermott down the stretch of the game. However, in that regards, Portis offers tournament intrigue considering he’s typically been a solid fantasy point per minute producer in his young career. This isn’t an official recommendation to roster Portis but #FreeBobbyPortis anyway. On the other hand, both Mirotic and McDermott are interesting tournament options, but Robin Lopez may be the most intriguing target, as he saw 36 minutes of action in the only other game Gibson missed this season and draws a nice matchup with the Sixers frontcourt sans Embiid.
As reported by: Sean Highkin Montrezl Harrell starting ahead of Nene tonight
Harrell will reenter the starting lineup at center for tonight’s game against the Indiana Pacers. He replaces Nene in the starting unit, who had drawn the start in Friday’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers for Clint Capela. The fact that Harrell was a DNP-CD in the Rockets previous game gives some hesitation in recommending him as viable fantasy option but he could make for a great tournament play in hopes he and Nene reverse roles this evening. Nene saw 26 minutes of action Friday matching up with Joel Embiid for a majority of the game.
As reported by: Jonathan Feigen Taj Gibson (sore ankle) ruled out tonight
Gibson will not play in tonight’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers due to a sore left ankle. The Bulls have yet to name Gibson’s replacement in the starting lineup but Paul Zipser seems to be the likeliest candidate, as Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg prefers to keep Nikola Mirotic and Doug McDermott in their reserve roles off the bench. Despite the starting nod, Zipser doesn’t offer much of a ceiling for tournaments and will likely give way to the aforementioned Mirotic and McDermott down the stretch of the game. Both Mirotic and McDermott are interesting tournament options, but Robin Lopez may be the most intriguing target, as he saw 36 minutes of action in the only other game Gibson missed this season and draws a nice matchup with the Sixers frontcourt sans Embiid,
As reported by: K.C. Johnson DeMar DeRozan (sprained right ankle) will start tonight
DeRozan will play and start in tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic after previously being listed as questionable on the Raptors’ injury report with a sprained right ankle that had forced him to miss three consecutive games. His return to the lineup will send Norman Powell back to the bench to resume his reserve role. DeRozan does carry some extra risk than normal, despite being expected to see his normal allotment of minutes, but is still set up to be in cash game consideration on DraftKings for a deflated $8K price tag.
As reported by: Josh Robbins Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (ankle) questionable for Monday; Joe Harris (ankle) ruled out
Hollis-Jefferson has officially been listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game against the Miami Heat due to a sore right ankle. If Hollis-Jefferson is unable to suit up, Caris Levert would likely be in line for some additional playing time after seeing a season-high 27 minutes after Hollis-Jefferson exited Saturday’s contest early. Additionally, Joe Harris has been ruled out for the sixth consecutive game due to a sprained left ankle. Randy Foye will likely continue to start at shooting guard in Harris’ absence, with Sean Kilpatrick coming off the bench. Kilpatrick could make for an intriguing tournament option at shooting guard for what should be an affordable price tag across the industry, though he still continues to compete for minutes with the aforementioned LeVert, Foye, and Bojan Bogdanovic, limiting his ceiling in some regards.
As reported by: Official Twitter Account of the Brooklyn Nets Other tagged players: Joe Harris Kevin Seraphin (knee) and Rodney Stuckey (hamstring) ruled out tonight
Seraphin and Stuckey will not play in tonight’s game against the Houston Rockets due to their respective ailments. This is the third consecutive game Seraphin has been forced to miss with a sore right knee, while Stuckey was fully expected to remain sidelined. Lavoy Allen will continue to pick up a few extra minutes behind Thaddeus Young, while a combination of Monta Ellis, Glenn Robinson, C.J. Miles and potentially even Joe Young will absorb the playing time vacated by Stuckey. There aren’t any real daily fantasy implications here, but it’s worth noting that Miles has been starting at the shooting guard spot and is consistently seeing over 30 minutes per contest in his new role. While his usage likely won’t be as high as it would be with the second unit, that type of court time makes him a viable option at small forward in a pace up matchup with Houston.
As reported by: Official Twitter Account of the Indiana Pacers Other tagged players: Rodney Stuckey Evan Fournier (heel) ruled out tonight
Fournier will not play in tonight’s game against the Toronto Raptors due to a sore right foot that has now forced him to miss eight consecutive games. C.J. Watson will continue to start at shooting guard and should be expected to handle a majority of the minutes at shooting guard, however, he is a volatile daily fantasy option that doesn’t realistically possess an attainable ceiling. D.J. Augustin will also absorb some of the vacated shooting guard minutes in addition to his normal backup point guard role. According to our CourtIQ tool, Augustin (24.2%) and Jeff Green (23.3%) own a positive usage rate differential north of 2.6% with Fournier and Jodie Meeks off the court this season. Both Augustin and Green are intriguing tournament options on Sunday’s slate, despite coming off the bench.
As reported by: Josh Robbins Steph Curry (stomach flu) ruled out tonight
Curry will not play in tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers due to an illness. Shaun Livingston will almost assuredly replace Curry in the starting lineup at point guard, while Ian Clark and Patrick McCaw will some extra run off the bench. Livingston is the most viable option of the trio, solely based on his projected minute floor, but his upside is limited with the remaining members of the big four, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green soaking up a large majority of Curry’s vacated usage. With Curry and David West off the court this season, Durant leads the Warriors starters with a 6.2% usage rate differential (35.4%) while averaging over 1.60 fantasy points per minute, easily putting him on a projected pace to exceed salary-based expectations on both FanDuel and DraftKings. Although Green and Thompson are fine options in this matchup, Durant is clearly the primary Warrior to target and a borderline must play in all formats.
As reported by: Warriors PR