DFS Alerts
Chris Paul (hamstring) and J.J. Redick (hamstring) ruled out tonight
Paul will not play in tonight’s game against the Denver Nuggets after previously being listed as questionable on the Clippers’ injury report with a strained left hamstring. Raymond Felton will remain in the starting lineup for the injured Paul and makes a fine punt option on the late slates. Felton has averaged a whopping 35.5 minutes in his previous two starts and draws an exploitable matchup with the Nuggets’ back court. Austin Rivers is the likeliest candidate to be inserted into the starting lineup in place of J.J. Redick, while Jamal Crawford also remains a viable option, as both he and Rivers can be expected to handle more of the offensive load once again in Paul’s absence.
As reported by: Dan Woike Other tagged players: J.J. Redick, Raymond Felton, Austin Rivers, Jamal Crawford
Damian Lillard (ankle) ruled out tonight; Evan Turner (ankle) available to play
Lillard will not play in tonight’s game against the Toronto Raptors after previously being listed as doubtful on the Trail Blazers’ injury report with a sprained left ankle. With Lillard now officially unavailable, Allen Crabbe is the likeliest candidate to draw the start at shooting guard in his place, while C.J. McCollum has already been confirmed 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, making him a worthy tournament punt. With Lillard off the court this season, McCollum unsurprisingly leads the Trail Blazers with a 6.3% usage rate differential (34.5%). Needless to say, McCollum is an elite option in all formats for Monday’s late slates across the industry in an exploitable individual matchup against Kyle Lowry.
As reported by: Casey Holdahl Diamond Stone reassigned to NBA Development League
The Clippers have announced that they have officially assigned Diamond Stone to the Salt Lake City Stars of the NBA Development League. This will be Stone’s second Development League assignment and has only appeared in four games thus far for the Clippers this season, averaging just 1.5 points and 0.8 rebounds. The Clippers have yet announce a corresponding roster move, but it still remains unclear whether there will be one.
As reported by: Dan Woike Solomon Hill starting over Alexis Ajinca tonight
Hill will be inserted into the starting lineup for tonight’s game against the Dallas Mavericks, sending Alexis Ajinca to the bench to assume a reserve role. This is purely a matchup-based lineup change made by Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry to counteract the Mavericks’ small-ball starting unit with Dirk Nowitzki at center and Harrison Barnes at power forward. Hill still remains irrelevant in daily fantasy, while his insertion into the starting five does not effect the projected fantasy outlook of any other Pelicans players.
As reported by: Official Twitter Account of the New Orleans Pelicans Other tagged players: Alexis Ajinca Dwight Howard confirmed as playing; Tim Hardaway Jr. (groin) ruled out
Dwight Howard will play against the Timberwolves tonight. The T-Wolves rank 16th in C DvP and should be slightly fatigued after playing last night. Dwight Howard has not played in three games and was averaging 46.34 FanDuel points over his last five games before the injury. He should be considered an elite tournament option due to the lack of ownership and potential upside. Tim Hardaway Jr. was a late scratch and that will likely open more minutes up on the wing for Kent Bazemore, Kyle Korver, and Thabo Sefolosha. Sefolosha has been playing the best ball out of the three and should be considered a viable option tonight as well. He’ll have to deal with Andrew Wiggins for most of the game but that should not deter you. Sefolosha is a stat sheet stuffer and picks up fantasy points without having to score.
As reported by: Chris Vivalamore Other tagged players: Tim Hardaway Jr., Kyle Korver, Thabo Sefolosha, Kent Bazemore
Joe Harris replaces Bojan Bogdanovic in the starting lineup
Harris will draw the start at small forward in tonight’s game against the the Charlotte Hornets, sending Bojan Bogdanovic to the bench to assume a reserve role. Harris has averaged approximately 20 minutes of playing time over the Nets’ previous five games, so it’s not unrealistic to expect him to approach 30 minutes in this contest, even if Bogdanovic sees significant minutes off the bench. For that reason, despite the less than ideal matchup against the Hornets, he is a viable tournament punt for nearly stone minimum across the industry.
As reported by: Brian Lewis Other tagged players: Bojan Bogdanovic Rodney Stuckey (hamstring) will play tonight
Stuckey will be available to play off the bench in tonight’s game against the Chicago Bulls after being sidelined for the Pacers’ previous five games due to a sore left hamstring. In Stuckey’s absence, the trio of Jeff Teague, Glenn Robinson, and C.J. Miles absorbed a majority of the minutes vacated by him and Monta Ellis, who remains out due to a groin injury. Stuckey is expected to be on an unspecified minutes restriction in his return, so the minutes of Robinson and Miles will not drastically change right away. However, Stuckey’s presence in the rotation, albeit a limited one, is a knock to the cash game viability of Teague, as his price has significantly risen across the industry. Still, with that said, Teague is a more than viable tournament option for Monday’s slate in an exploitable individual matchup with Rajon Rondo.
As reported by: Chris Denari Dwight Howard, Tim Hardaway Jr, and Kyle Korver all expected to play tonight
Dwight Howard is expected to return to the starting lineup after a three-game absence. Howard is a strong GPP option that will likely go overlooked since there are so many options on the slate. Tim Hardaway Jr. is expected to play but will likely come off the bench. Kyle Korver is also expected to come off the bench but could resume starting since he only missed one game due to an illness and not an injury. We should have another update regarding the Hawks soon.
As reported by: Chris Vivalamore Other tagged players: Kyle Korver, Tim Hardaway Jr. Doug McDermott (shin) ruled out for tonight
McDermott will not play in tonight’s game against the Indiana Pacers due to a shin injury. Nikola Mirotic will likely see extended run with the first and second units in the absence of McDermott but is better reserved as a tournament option given his night-to-night volatility and the return of Michael Carter-Williams to the rotation. Carter-Williams had been an integral part of the Bulls second unit before the injuries and will likely become that once again, as he will not be limited by a minutes restriction in his return. We can expect Isaiah Canaan and Jerian Grant to see their minutes reduced at the expense of Carter-Williams, as nether guard performed particularly well when given the opportunity. Fortunately, Canaan and Grant are not viable in daily fantasy barring an injury to a member of the Chicago starting unit.
As reported by: Mike McGraw Michael Carter-Williams (wrist, knee) will play tonight
Carter-Williams will play in tonight’s game against the Indiana Pacers after previously being listed as probable on the Bulls injury report with knee and wrist injuries that had kept him sidelined for an extended period. Carter-Williams had been an integral part of the Bulls second unit before the injuries and will likely become that once again, as he will not be limited by a minutes restriction in his return. We can expect Isaiah Canaan and Jerian Grant to see their minutes reduced at the expense of Carter-Williams, as nether guard performed particularly well when given the opportunity. Fortunately, Canaan and Grant are not viable in daily fantasy barring an injury to a member of the Chicago starting unit.
As reported by: Nick Friedell Isaiah Whitehead (foot) available to play tonight
Whitehead will play in tonight’s game against the Charlotte Hornets after previously being listed on the Nets’ injury report with a sore left foot. Whitehead had missed three consecutive games with the aforementioned injury and his return to the lineup will likely knock Spencer Dinwiddie out of the rotation entirely, as he had been filling in at backup point guard behind Jeremy Lin. Despite his active and available status, Whitehead remains irrelevant in daily fantasy when Lin is healthy and not limited by a minutes restriction, as is the case this evening.
As reported by: Brian Lewis Marco Belinelli (ankle) ruled out for tonight
Belinelli will not play in tonight’s game against the Brooklyn Nets after previously being listed on the Hornets’ injury report with a sprained left ankle he sustained in Friday’s contest against the Chicago Bulls. With Belinelli unavailable, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Jeremy Lamb should be expected to absorb any available minutes vacated in Belinelli’s absence. Lamb becomes 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 1.10 and 1.15 fantasy points per minute when Belinelli is off the court this season.
As reported by: @Hornets LeBron James (rest) ruled out for tonight; Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love will play
James will be rested for tonight’s game against the Detroit Pistions and will be the only Cavaliers’ player to rest on Monday, meaning Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love are good to go. Richard Jefferson will draw the start at small forward in LeBron’s place. As we’ve seen in the past when LeBron sits, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving become near must-plays, as they lead Cleveland with usage rate differentials of 9.7% and 6.7% respectively. Love has the more difficult matchup of the two, but both he and Irving still make fantastic tournament options, while Irving is cash game viable in an exploitable matchup against Reggie Jackson and Ish Smith defense.
As reported by: Jason Lloyd Other tagged players: Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love Evan Fournier (heel) ruled out; Jodie Meeks starts in his place tonight
Fournier will not play in tonight’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies after previously being listed as questionable on the Magics’ injury report with a right heel contusion. Jodie Meeks will draw the start at shooting guard, while the rest of the Magic starting five will remain the same. Meeks obviously deserves consideration as a punt option in tournaments for the stone minimum across the industry. However, D.J. Augustin actually leads the Magic with the 4.6% usage rate differential (26.3%) with Fournier off the court this season. Unfortunately, Augustin needs to be reserved for tournaments only, as he continue to sees less playing time than Elfried Payton at point guard despite being the “starter”. Meeks is preferred punt option of the two depending on individual roster construction, though the matchup with Memphis is than ideal for either guard.
As reported by: Joshua Robbins Other tagged players: Jodie Meeks Rudy Gay (hip) and Arron Afflalo (elbow) listed as questionable for tonight
Gay has been upgraded to questionable, while Afflalo has been downgraded to questionable for tonight’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers after previously being doubtful and probable on the Kings’ injury report respectively. Gay has been sidelined with a strained right hip flexor for the previous six games, 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 start tonight, 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: Jason Jones Other tagged players: Arron Afflalo