DFS Alerts
Wilson Chandler (neck) will play tonight, confirming in starting lineup
Chandler will play and start in tonight’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers after previously being listed as probable on the Nuggets injury report with a strained neck. He is not expected to be on any kind of minutes restriction Friday, as the Nuggets do not believe the injury to be all that serious. Chandler remains an elite option on the late slates across the industry considering the Nuggets draw an exploitable matchup against this Sixers defensive unit and currently own the second-highest implied team total on the slate.
As reported by: Harrison Wind
Marcus Morris (knee) officially ruled out for tonight
Morris was a surprise late scratch from the Pistons’ lineup for tonight’s game against the Atlanta Hawks due to a sore left knee. Tobias Harris will be reinserted into the Pistons starting lineup at small forward, as previously reported. Harris had been playing extremely well with the second unit, but Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy has already said that he plans to rotate Harris and Morris in the starting lineup depending on matchup. Expect Morris to start when Detroit faces an elite opposing small forward. Based on Harris’s recent performance, a move back to the starting unit may actually hinder his projected fantasy outlook, especially in a difficult individual matchup against Thabo Sefolosha.
As reported by: Rod Beard
Jahlil Okafor (hamstring) expected to be rested tonight; will still be available off the bench in an emergency
Okafor will be active and available to play in the event of an emergency for tonight’s game against the Denver Nuggets, but the Sixers’ coaching staff plans to rest him after he sustained a minor hamstring injury Thursday. In his absence, Joel Embiid will move back to center, while Ersan Ilyasova will remain in the starting lineup at power forward. Embiid clearly remains an elite option in every format, while T.J. McConnell and Nik Stauskas provide significant value given Philadelphia’s injury situation in the back court, with Sergio Rodriguez, Gerald Henderson, and Jerryd Bayless all sidelined with various injuries.
As reported by: Jessica Camerato Tobias Harris expected to start in place of Marcus Morris tonight
Harris will be reinserted into the Pistons starting lineup for tonight’s game against the Atlanta Hawks, sending Marcus Morris to the bench to resume a reserve role. Harris had been playing extremely well in the second unit, but Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy has already said that he plans to rotate Harris and Morris in the starting lineup depending on matchup. Expect Morris to start when Detroit faces an elite opposing small forward. Based on Harris’s recent performance, a move back to the starting unit may actually hinder his projected fantasy outlook, especially in a difficult individual matchup against Thabo Sefolosha.
As reported by: Kl Chouinard Other tagged players: Marcus Morris Damian Lillard (ankle) officially ruled out for tonight
Lillard will not play in tonight’s game against the San Antonio Spurs after previously being listed as doubtful on the Trail Blazers’ injury report with a sprained left ankle that has now forced him to miss three consecutive games. With Lillard now officially unavailable, Allen Crabbe will likely draw the start at shooting guard once again in his place, while C.J. McCollum take over as the starting point guard and will be the primary ball handler and facilitator for Portland this evening. In addition, Shabazz Napier will assume the backup point guard role off the bench, but isn’t particularly viable given the plethora of other point guard value options. With Lillard off the court this season, McCollum unsurprisingly leads the Trail Blazers with a 5.9% usage rate differential (34.5%). Needless to say, McCollum is an elite option in all formats for Friday’s slates across the industry in a matchup that just got a whole lot less difficult with Kawhi Leaonard ruled out for San Antonio.
As reported by: Paul Garcia Rodney McGruder confirmed in the starting lineup tonight
Dragic will not play in tonight’s game against the Boston Celtics due to persistent back spasms. That news isn’t all that surprising considering Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra admitted that Dragic wasn’t fully healthy and probably shouldn’t have even played in Thursday’s loss to the Charlotte Hornets. Josh Richardson will slide over to the starting point guard spot once again in Dragic’s absence, while Rodney McGruder will draw the start at shooting guard. McGruder is really a starter in name only, as Tyler Johnson has handled a lions shares of minutes and play-making responsibilities, along with Richardson, in the previous games Dragic has been sidelined.
As reported by: Ira Winderman Kyle Anderson starting in place of Kawhi Leonard again tonight
Leonard will not play in tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers due to an illness. This will be the second consecutive game Leonard will be sidelined with the aforementioned illness. Kyle Anderson will draw the start at small forward once again, but neither him or Johnathon Simmons are particularly interesting options on a 9-game slate, outside of maybe a hail mary tournament dart throw. LaMarcus Aldridge is the obvious beneficiary of Leonard’s absence from the lineup, as he now becomes the focal point of the Spurs offensive game plan. Somewhat surprisingly, Pau Gasol actually leads the Spurs with a massive 9.3% usage rate differential (32.2%) and becomes an intriguing tournament target in an exploitable matchup with the Portland front court.
As reported by: Paul Garcia Other tagged players: Kawhi Leonard Austin Rivers starting in place of Chris Paul; J.J. Redick also returns tonight
Redick will play in tonight’s game against the Houston Rockets after previously being listed as questionable on the Clippers injury report with a sore left hamstring that forced him to miss the last two games. With Chris Paul already ruled out, Austin Rivers will remain in the starting lineup at point guard and is another viable punt option at point guard. Redick will like be eased back into action by the Clippers coaching staff, so it’s difficult to imagine him seeing more than 25 minutes in this contest. Meaning, Redick can be ignored in all formats despite the exploitable matchup against James Harden and the Houston Rockets’ defense.
As reported by: Jonathan Feigen Other tagged players: Chris Paul, J.J. Redick Courtney Lee (wrist) officially ruled out for tonight
Lee will not play in tonight’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans after previously being listed as questionable on the Knicks’ injury report with a sore right wrist that also kept him sidelined in Wednesday’s contest. Sasha Vujacic will likely draw the start at shooting guard once again in Lee’s absence. Vujacic and Justin Holiday both saw additional minutes once Carmelo Anthony was ejected Wednesday, ultimately inflating their minute totals. Holiday still remains the preferred option of the two guards, but it’s difficult to see him as a viable option, even in tournaments, with the plethora of other value at the guard positions this evening.
As reported by: @Knicks Other tagged players: Sasha Vujacic, Justin Holiday Joe Harris (hip) officially ruled out for tonight
Harris will not play in tonight’s game against the Washington Wizards after previously being listed as questionable on the Nets’ injury report with a hip pointer that kept him sidelined in the previous game as well. Bojan Bogdanovic will remain in the starting lineup at small forward alongside Sean Kilpatrick and Isaiah Whitehead. With Jeremy Lin still sidelined, Kilpatrick will assume a large majority of the ball handling responsibilities against this exploitable Wizards defensive unit. Kilpatrick remains the preferred target on this Nets’ squad along with big man, Brook Lopez.
As reported by: Brian Lewis Bradley Beal (ankle) ruled out for tonight; Sheldon McClellan will start in his place
Beal will not play in tonight’s game against the Brooklyn Nets after previously being listed on the Wizards’ injury report with a sprained right ankle. Sheldon McClellan will draw the start at shooting guard in Beal’s absence, and joins the abundance of other value guard options this evening. In the least shocking news ever, John Wall owns a massive 9.2% usage rate differential (42.0%) with Beal off the court this season. The news of Beal’s unavailability only further cements Wall as the top point guard option on the entire slate.
As reported by: @Wizards Other tagged players: Sheldon Mac Goran Dragic (back) ruled out
Dragic will not play in tonight’s game against the Boston Celtics due to persistent back spasms. This news isn’t all that surprising considering Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra admitted that Dragic wasn’t fully healthy and probably shouldn’t have played in Thursday’s loss to the Charlotte Hornets. Josh Richardson will likely slide over to the starting point guard spot once again in Dragic’s absence, while Rodney McGruder should draw the start at shooting guard. McGruder is really a starter in name only, as Tyler Johnson has handled a lions shares of the play-making responsibilities in the previous games Dragic has been sidelined.
As reported by: Ira Winderman Mike Conley (toe) listed as questionable for Saturday
Conley has been listed as questionable for tomorrow night’s game against the Sacramento Kings after missing the Grizzlies previous two games with the same aforementioned toe injury. Andrew Harrison will likely draw the start at point guard once again, though he may not quite see the 44 minutes of playing time he did in his first start, as Wade Baldwin was recently recalled for the Grizzlies’ D-League affiliate. Harrison would still be an elite punt play on an abbreviated slate despite a poor showing his last time out, but is certainly still remains a low-floor, moderate-ceiling option.
As reported by: @Grizzlies Avery Bradley (illness) ruled out; Marcus Smart to start in his place
Bradley will not play in tonight’s game against the Miami Heat due to an illness. Marcus Smart will draw the start at shooting guard and is now one of the top value plays on the slate. Gerald Green should also be expected to see an uptick in minutes off the bench, while Terry Rozier may reenter the back court rotation. With Smart in the starting lineup and Bradley off the court, Isaiah Thomas owns a 7.3% usage rate differential (42.0%), while averaging an outstanding 1.46 FanDuel and 1.56 DraftKings points per minute. Needless to say, Thomas is elite option in every format.
As reported by: Sean Grande Other tagged players: Marcus Smart Kawhi Leonard (illness) ruled out tonight
Leonard will not play in tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers due to an illness. This will be the second consecutive game Leonard will be sidelined with the aforementioned illness. Kyle Anderson will likely draw the start at small forward once again, but neither him or Johnathon Simmons are particularly interesting options on a 9-game slate, outside of maybe a hail mary tournament dart throw. LaMarcus Aldridge is the obvious beneficiary of Leonard’s absence from the lineup, as he now becomes the focal point of the Spurs offensive game plan. Somewhat surprisingly, Pau Gasol actually leads the Spurs with a massive 9.3% usage rate differential (32.2%) and becomes an intriguing tournament target in an exploitable matchup with the Portland front court.
As reported by: Official Twitter Account of the San Antonio Spurs