DFS Alerts
Kyrie Irving (hamstring) and Mike Dunleavy (ankle) ruled out tonight; Jordan McRae will start
Irving will not play in tonight’s game against the Charlotte Hornets after previously being listed as questionable on the Cavaliers’ injury report with a right hamstring injury that he sustained in Thursday’s win over the Boston Celtics. The Cavaliers medical staff does not believe that the injury is all that serious, but they are likely holding Irving out for precautionary reasons. Jordan McRae will replace Irving in the starting lineup, as Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue previously confirmed that Kay Felder would not start. According to our CourtIQ tool, Kevin Love actually leads the Cavaliers with a 6.5% usage rate differential (35.5%) with Irving and J.R. Smith off the court this season, while averaging roughly 1.50 fantasy points per minute. While those numbers are outstanding for Love, his sample size with Irving off court isn’t particularly large, as they typically spend most of their playing time on the court together. The news of Irving’s unavailability only further cements Love as an elite play this evening, as Charlotte continues to struggle against power forwards that are able to stretch the floor.
As reported by: Jason Lloyd Other tagged players: Mike Dunleavy, Jordan McRae
Marco Belinelli (ankle) ruled out tonight
Belinelli will not play in tonight’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers after being sidelined in the Hornets’ previous three games with a sprained left ankle. With Belinelli officially unavailable for the fourth consecutive game, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Jeremy Lamb should be expected to continue absorbing any available minutes vacated in Belinelli’s absence. Lamb is particularly interesting in tournaments, as we’ve seen him put up monster performances in the past when given the opportunity. This is evidenced by his average of 1.01 FanDuel and 1.05 DraftKings fantasy points per minute, respectively, when Belinelli is off the court this season. Lamb has averaged just under 24 minutes per game in his last three and remains affordable across the industry at a shallow shooting guard position.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR Other tagged players: Jeremy Lamb, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Michael Carter-Williams starting ahead of Rajon Rondo tonight
Carter-Williams will draw the start at point guard over Rajon Rondo for tonight’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks after playing 15 minutes in the second half on Friday once Rondo was benched. It remains unclear who exactly will assume the backup point guard duties if Rondo remains out of the rotation entirely. Carter-Williams will likely approach the 30-minute mark as far as playing time this evening and makes for a fine option in any format for his low price tag across the industry and stone minimum on DraftKings.
As reported by: K.C. Johnson Other tagged players: Rajon Rondo Mike Conley (toe) will play tonight
Conley will play in tonight’s game against the Sacramento Kings after previously being listed as questionable on the Grizzlies’ injury report with an infected big left toe that forced him to miss two consecutive games. His return to the starting lineup will send Andrew Harrison back to the bench to resume a reserve role. While Chandler Parsons is still seeing limited minutes, the Grizzlies’s starting lineup is now relatively healthy, making it particularly difficult to pinpoint the preferred targets on a night-to-night basis until we get a better idea of the updated rotation. Conley has a good matchup in theory against the Kings’ back court, but he is difficult to trust given the risk of re-aggravation of the aforementioned toe injury.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR Marcus Morris (knee) will play Sunday
Morris will play in tomorrow night’s game against the Miami Heat after missing Friday’s contest due to a sore left knee. Tobias Harris is likely to remain in the Pistons starting lineup at small forward despite Morris’ return. Harris had been playing extremely well with the second unit, but Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy has already stated that he plans to rotate Harris and Morris in and out of the starting lineup depending on matchup. Expect Morris to start when Detroit faces an elite opposing small forward, as he grades out as the better defender. Based on Harris’s recent performance, a move back to the starting unit may actually hinder his projected fantasy outlook, especially in a less than ideal, slow-pace matchup with Miami.
As reported by: Keith Langlois Other tagged players: Tobias Harris Monta Ellis (ankle) questionable for Sunday; Rodney Stuckey (hamstring) ruled out
Ellis has officially been listed as questionable on the Pacers’ injury report for tomorrow night’s game against the Orlando Magic due to a sprained left ankle. Ellis had recently returned from an eight-game absence due to a groin injury and played just 13 minutes off the bench Friday. With Rodney Stuckey already ruled out in advance of Sunday’s contest, Jeff Teague would become an intriguing option should Ellis be ruled out, as he owns a 2.1% usage rate differential (26.3%) with the duo of Ellis and Stuckey off the court this season.
As reported by: Official Twitter Account of the Indiana Pacers Other tagged players: Rodney Stuckey, Jeff Teague Damian Lillard (ankle) listed as doubtful Sunday
Lillard has been officially listed as doubtful for tomorrow night’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to a sprained left ankle that has forced him to miss the Trail Blazers’ previous three games. If Lillard is ultimately inactive, Allen Crabbe will likely draw the start at shooting guard once again in his place, while C.J. McCollum would take over as the starting point guard and be the primary ball handler and facilitator for Portland. In addition, Shabazz Napier would assume the backup point guard role off the bench, but wouldn’t be a particularly viable option considering he has averaged just north of 14 minutes per game in the last three games. With Lillard off the court this season, McCollum unsurprisingly leads the Trail Blazers with a 5.9% usage rate differential (34.7%). Needless to say, McCollum will be an elite option in all formats for Sunday’s slate should Lillard be unable to play.
As reported by: CSN Northwest Other tagged players: CJ McCollum Chris Paul (hamstring) doubtful tonight; Wesley Johnson (ankle) questionable
Paul is doubtful to play in tonight’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to strained left hamstring that has forced him to miss five of the Clippers’ last six games. Clippers’ head coach Doc Rivers has rotated replacement starting point guards in Paul’s absence, but Austins Rivers is extremely likely to draw the start in this one, especially since Raymond Felton played 31 minutes in Friday’s loss to the Houston Rockets after Rivers’ ejection from the game. According to our CourtIQ tool, Rivers leads the Clippers with a 4.2% usage rate differential (24.3%) with Paul and Blake Griffin off the court this season. So, needless to say, he makes for a fine value point guard option on tonight’s slate in an exploitable matchup with the Thunder’s back court defense.
As reported by: Dan Woike Other tagged players: Wesley Johnson, Austin Rivers Victor Oladipo (wrist) will play tonight
Olapipo will play in tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers after previously being listed as out on the Thunder’s game notes with a sprained right wrist that had kept him sidelined for the previous nine games. Anthony Morrow and Jerami Grant each had stints as the starting shooting guard in Oladipo’s absence, and will be sent back to the bench to resume reserve roles assuming Oladipo is confirmed as the starter this evening. Given that Oladipo’s injury was not of the lower body variety, it would be safe to assume that he would not be subject to a minutes restriction in his return barring an in-game setback. The biggest beneficiary on the Thunder while Oladipo was sidelined was Enes Kanter, who averaged just under 29 minutes off the bench. It still remains to be seen whether his role in the rotation and offense are significantly affected be the return of Oladipo.
As reported by: Brett Dawson Marcus Morris (knee) expected to play Sunday
Morris will reportedly play in tomorrow night’s game against the Miami Heat after missing Friday’s contest due to a sore left knee. Tobias Harris is likely to remain in the Pistons starting lineup at small forward despite Morris’ return. Harris had been playing extremely well with the second unit, but Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy has already stated that he plans to rotate Harris and Morris in and out of the starting lineup depending on matchup. Expect Morris to start when Detroit faces an elite opposing small forward, as he grades out as the better defender. Based on Harris’s recent performance, a move back to the starting unit may actually hinder his projected fantasy outlook, especially in a less than ideal, slow-pace matchup with Miami.
As reported by: Rod Beard Other tagged players: Tobias Harris Rudy Gay (hip) and Arron Afflalo (elbow) ruled out tonight
Gay and Afflalo will not play in tonight’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies due to a strained right hip flexor and sprained right elbow respectively. This will be the third consecutive game that both Gay and Afflalo are sidelined with injuries, and Matt Barnes, Garrett Temple, and Omri Casspi have all had their shot at the starting small forward spot in Gay’s absence. Barnes is likely to continue starting, as Casspi had recently fallen out of the rotation entirely and has seen minimal playing time over the past two games, while Temple playing had been losing some minutes at the expense of Afflalo. However, with Afflalo ruled out, expect Temple and Ben McLemore to continue seeing larger roles in this Sacramento rotation.
As reported by: James Ham Other tagged players: Arron Afflalo Kyrie Irving (hamstring) questionable tonight, will be a game-time decision
Irving will reportedly be a true game-time decision for tonight’s game against the Charlotte Hornets after previously being listed as questionable on the Cavaliers’ injury report with a right hamstring injury that he sustained in Thursday’s win over the Boston Celtics. The Cavaliers medical staff does not believe that the injury is all that serious, but it’s certainly possible they decide to hold Irving out for precautionary reasons. It remains unclear who would draw the start at point guard should Irving be unable to suit up, but Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue has already confirmed that it will not be Kay Felder. According to our CourtIQ tool, Kevin Love actually leads the Cavaliers with a 6.5% usage rate differential (35.5%) with Irving and J.R. Smith off the court this season, while averaging roughly 1.50 fantasy points per minute. While those numbers are outstanding for Love, his sample size with Irving off court isn’t particularly large, as they typically spend most of their playing time on the court together. Still, with that said, Love still makes for an elite play this evening regardless of Irving’s status, as Charlotte continues to struggle against power forwards that are able to stretch the floor.
As reported by: Joe Vardon Other tagged players: Kevin Love Dirk Nowitzki (illness) listed as active tonight
Nowitzki will reportedly be available to play in tonight’s game against the Golden State Warriors after previously being listed as questionable on the Mavericks injury report due to an illness that forced him to miss Thursday’s game. Assuming Nowitzki does play, he will continue to be limited by a minutes restriction, as he battles back from an Achilles injury, and has yet to see more than 17 minutes in any game since returning from the aforementioned injury. With Andrew Bogut already ruled out, Dwight Powell remains in play for the late slates but his value still takes a decent hit with Nowitzki potentially soaking up some minutes in the front court rotation.
As reported by: Chris Haynes Patrick McCaw (illness) ruled out tonight
McCaw will not be available to play in tonight’s game against the Dallas Mavericks due to an illness. McCaw hasn’t seen the court in any of the Warriors’ previous three games, so obviously his absence will not have any direct impact on the rotation. Shaun Livingston and Ian Clark will absorb the majority of backup guard minutes behind Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. The blowout factor is extremely high in this matchup and Clark could make for an intriguing tournament punt on the late slates across the industry if he is able to accumulate a significant amount of blowout run.
As reported by: Anthony Slater Rudy Gay (hip) and Aaron Afflalo (elbow) doubtful for Saturday
Gay and Afflalo have officially been listed as doubtful for tomorrow night’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies with a strained right hip flexor and sprained right elbow respectively. This potentially could be the third consecutive game that both Gay and Afflalo are sidelined with injuries, and Matt Barnes, Garrett Temple, and Omri Casspi have all had their shot at the starting small forward spot in his absence. Barnes is likeliest to draw the start, however, as Casspi has recently fallen out of the rotation entirely, while Temple has lost playing at the expense of Aaron Afflalo. If Afflalo is ultimately ruled out, expect Temple and Ben McLemore to see larger roles in the Sacramento rotation.
As reported by: James Ham Other tagged players: Arron Afflalo