DFS Alerts
Klay Thompson (illness) will play tonight
Thompson will play in tonight’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies after receiving a late questionable designation on the Warriors’ injury report due to an illness. He draws one of the tougher matchups of the Warriors’ starters and is a long-shot tournament play, at best, on the slates given the matchup and the uncertainty of how he will be affected by his illness.
As reported by: Chris Haynes
Chris Paul (hamstring) will play tonight
Paul will play and start in tonight’s game against the Sacramento Kings after previously being listed as probable on the Clippers’ injury report with a strained left hamstring that had forced him to miss seven of the Clippers’ last eight games. According to Clippers head coach Doc Rivers, Paul will be subject to a minutes restriction for this contest, but he is currently unsure of the exact limit. Given Paul’s high price tag and looming minutes restriction, he can be safely ignored on the late slates across the industry. If feeling lucky, one of Austin Rivers, Raymond Felton, and Jamal Crawford could worth a shot in tournaments in hopes Paul’s minutes are significantly reduced in his return.
As reported by: Rowan Kavner JaMychal Green (face) will play tonight
Green will play in tonight’s game against the Golden State Warriors after previously being listed as questionable on the Grizzlies’ injury report due to a fractured maxilla near his right eye that forced him to miss Wednesday’s contest. Jarell Martin drew the start at power forward in his absence but will return to the bench to resume his reserve role. Additionally, Zach Randolph now becomes a less intriguing option, as Green will absorb any of the additional playing time he may have seen in an uptempo matchup with Golden State.
As reported by: Ronald Tillery Luol Deng (bicep) will start tonight; Julius Randle (finger) downgraded to questionable
Deng will play and start in tonight’s game against the Miami Heat after previously being listed as questionable on the Lakers injury report with biceps tendinitis that forced him to miss the previous game. Additionally, Julius Randle has been officially downgraded to questionable due to a sprained finger he sustained in Thursday’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. If Randle is unable to suit up, Deng would likely slide over to the starting power forward position, while Brandon Ingram would likely draw the start at small forward. Deng and Ingram would certainly become more intriguing options on the late slates should Randle be ruled out.
As reported by: Mike Trudell Other tagged players: Julius Randle Montrezl Harrell starting over Nene tonight
Harrell will reenter the starting lineup at center for tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic. He replaces Nene, who had started Thursday’s contest, in the starting unit. This news only cements Harrell as the preferred center option in the Houston front court, as Nene is likely to have his minutes monitored on the second night of a back-to-back set.
As reported by: Johnathan Feigen Other tagged players: Nene Hilario Kristaps Porzingis (Achillies) to have his minutes monitored tonight
Porzingis will play in tonight’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks after previously being listed as probable on the Knicks’ injury report with a sore Achilles that had forced him to miss each of the Knicks’ last three games. Porzingis will reportedly have his minutes monitored by Jeff Hornacek and the rest of the Knicks’ coaching staff. Porzingis was already a risky tournament play in his return from an Achilles injury, and the news of his minutes being “monitored” takes him nearly out of consideration unless wanting to take a shot in the dark for tournaments.
As reported by: CF Gardner
Spencer Dinwiddie starting over Isaiah Whitehead
Dinwiddie will draw the start at point guard over Isaiah Whitehead for tonight’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. This news vaults Dinwiddie into immediate tournament consideration, as he should approach the 30-minute plateau and likely is immune from having his minutes limited by a blowout. With Rondae Hollis- Jefferson returning to the lineup, his presence limits the upside of players like Bojan Bogdanovic and Joe Harris, as their minute floors will be lowered significantly. Jeremy Lin alos remains sidelined, meaning Sean Kilpatrick is the preferred Net to target despite coming off the bench for Brooklyn.
As reported by: Nets Daily Other tagged players: Isaiah Whitehead Matthew Dellavedova (hamstring) officially ruled out for tonight
Matthew Dellavedova (hamstring) will miss another game tonight. Malcolm Brogdon will start in place of Dellavedova and remains an elite play on FanDuel. His salary has spiked on DraftKings, making him more of a GPP play rather than a cash game option. Brogdon has seen over 30 minutes in four straight games and should see over 30 minutes again tonight. He has shown that he has a huge ceiling even with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker sucking up all the usage.
As reported by: CF Gardner Other tagged players: Malcolm Brogdon, Giannis Antetokounmpo Nicolas Batum (knee) ruled out for Saturday
Batum will not play in tomorrow night’s game against the San Antonio Spurs due to a hyperextended right knee he sustained in Thursday’s loss to the Detroit Pistons. Batum is expected to be sidelined for the next one to two weeks with the aforementioned injury, so this news isn’t particularly surprising. Marco Belinelli and Jeremy Lamb should be expected to be the primary beneficiaries of additional playing time, while Kemba Walker should pick up some additional usage with the starting unit. Batum’s replacement in the starting lineup has yet to be confirmed, but Belinelli is the likeliest candidate to draw the start. Additionally, according to our CourtIQ tool, Belinelli actually leads the Hornets with a 3.3% usage rate differential (22.0%). That usage bump combined with extra playing time will make Belinelli an interesting daily fantasy option going forward while Batum remains sidelined.
As reported by: @Hornets Nik Stauskas to remain in the starting lineup over Gerald Henderson; Robert Covington (back) also confirmed in the starting lineup
Stauskas will remain in the Sixers’ starting lineup for tonight’s game against the Boston Celtics despite Gerald Henderson returning from injury. Stauskas is an interesting tournament punt considering he will also see some backup point guard minutes. Robert Covington has also been confirmed in the Sixers’ starting lineup but his viability is decreased with news that Embiid and Henderson will be active and start this evening. Henderson had missed the Sixers’ previous three games but will reportedly not be subject to a minutes restriction in his return. Additionally, Sergio Rodriguez has officially been ruled out after previously being downgraded to questionable earlier in the day. In his absence, T.J. McConnell becomes an elite option, especially on FanDuel, as he should see all the minutes he can handle being the only true point guard on Philadelphia’s active roster.
As reported by: Jessica Camerato Other tagged players: Gerald Henderson, Robert Covington Shabazz Muhammad (illness) ruled out for tonight
Muhammad will not play in tonight’s game against the Washington Wizards’ due to an illness. Timberwolves’ head coach Tom Thibodeau is notorious for playing his starters heavy minutes, so Muhammad’s minutes will likely be absorbed mostly by Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, and Nemanja Bjelica. The duo of Wiggins and LaVine were already solid options prior to this news and their minutes floors are just now further cemented sans Muhammad. As far as Bjelica, he now becomes an intriguing tournament punt option for stone minimum across the industry and could approach 25 minutes of playing time in this contest.
As reported by: Jerry Zgoda Joel Embiid (illness) and Gerald Henderson (hip) will play tonight; Sergio Rodriguez ruled out
Embiid and Henderson will play in tonight’s game against the Boston Celtics after previously being listed on the Sixers’ injury report due to an illness and sore hip respectively. Henderson had missed the Sixers’ previous three games but will reportedly not be subject to a minutes restriction in his return. Additionally, Sergio Rodriguez has officially been ruled out after previously being downgraded to questionable earlier in the day. In his absence, T.J. McConnell becomes an elite option, especially on FanDuel, as he should see all the minutes he can handle being the only true point guard on Philadelphia’s active roster.
As reported by: Jessica Camerato Other tagged players: Gerald Henderson, Sergio Rodriguez Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (hip) available to play tonight
Hollis-Jefferson will be available to play in tonight’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers after previously being listed on questionable on the Nets’ injury report with right hip tendinitis that forced him to miss Thursday’s loss to the Indiana Pacers. His return to the lineup limits the upside of players like Bojan Bogdanovic and Joe Harris, as their minute floors will be lowered assuming they each draw the start once again. With Jeremy Lin still sidelined, Sean Kilpatrick remains the preferred Net to target regardless of starting lineup.
As reported by: Anthony Puccio Tyler Zeller (illness) ruled out for tonight
Zeller will not play in tonight’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers after previously being listed as questionable on the Sixers injury report with an illness that also forced him to miss Tuesday’s win over the Utah Jazz. His absence from the lineup does little to move the needle of any members of the Boston front court rotation but there may be a few more minutes to go around for the likes of Kelly Olynyk and Jonas Jerebko. Neither are particularly intriguing options but could be worth a look as pure punts in tournaments.
As reported by: Sean Grande Evan Fournier returns to the starting lineup tonight
Fournier will reenter the Magic starting lineup for tonight’s game against the Houston Rockets after coming off the bench in his return from a heel injury. Fournier played 29 minutes Wednesday, so his likely to approach the 32-34 minute mark this evening. Fournier is a viable option in all formats in an exploitable matchup with the Rockets’ back court defense.
As reported by: Joshua Robbins