DFS Alerts
Jeremy Lin starting against the Raptors tonight
Lin will officially return to the starting lineup for tonight’s game against the Toronto Raptors after previously playing limited minutes off the bench for Brooklyn. It remains to be seen if Lin will see his minute workload increased this evening. This news sends Isaiah Whitehead back to the bench to resume a reserve role, effectively removing him from fantasy consideration for the foreseeable future. Although, he wasn’t necessarily fantasy relevant even in the starting five. With Brook Lopez already ruled out for rest, Lin will definitively be the focal point of the offense in the starting unit, though he carries extra risk given the probable blowout.
As reported by: Brian Lewis
Nik Stauskas (knee) will play off the bench tonight
Stauskas will play in tonight’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans after a one-game absence from the lineup due to a sore left knee. His presence in the rotation will likely cut into the minutes of Hollis Thompson and to some extent Dario Saric. Neither player were on fantasy radars on an 11-game slate, though the minute fluctuation is worth noting given Stauskas’ return from injury. Joel Embiid and Robert Covington remain the primary targets on this Sixers squad in an exploitable matchup with the Pelicans defensive unit.
As reported by: Keith Pompey Rodney McGruder (ankle) ruled out for tonight's game vs Orlando
McGruder will not play in tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic after previously being listed as questionable on the Heat’s injury report with a sprained right ankle. Justise Winlsow is the most likely candidate to draw the start at small forward with Wayne Ellington and Dion Waiters also sidelined, though the Heat have yet to announce an official starting lineup at the time of this writing. Regardless of starting lineup, Winslow and Josh Richardson are firmly supplanted as some of the top value plays on tonight’s slate, while Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside remain in play everywhere as usual.
As reported by: Ira Winderman Derrick Rose (back) to play tonight
Rose has been cleared to play in tonight’s game against the Indiana Pacers after being sidelined for the Knicks’ previous two games due to back spasms. He is expected to return to the starting lineup in this contest and will not be limited to a strict minutes restriction, according to Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek. However, Rose’s conditioning will reportedly be “monitored”, potentially capping his ceiling for tournaments. Rose is the epitome of a risk/reward play this evening in a plus matchup against Jeff Teague and the Pacers’ back court defense. Rose’s presence in the lineup will also send Brandon Jennings back to the bench to resume his reserve role, effectively eliminating him from fantasy consideration.
As reported by: @NY Knicks PR Tarik Black (ankle) ruled out for tonight
Black will not play in tonight’s game against the Charlotte Hornets after previously being listed on the Lakers’ injury report due to a sprained right ankle. Black has fallen out of the Lakers’ rotation in recent games, so his absence from the lineup will have little to no impact on the fantasy projections of the rest of the front court rotation.
As reported by: Mark Medina Rudy Gay and Omri Casspi both ruled out for tonight
Gay and Casspi will not play in tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers after previously being upgraded to questionable on the Kings injury report earlier in the day. Garrett Temple will likely remain in the starting lineup at small forward and has played at least 35 minutes in both of the previous two games Gay and Casspi were sidelined with their respective ailments. Temple now becomes one of the top value options on tonight’s slate and can be deployed in all formats. With Gay and Casspi off the court this season, unsurprisingly, DeMarcus Cousins has recorded an astronomical 42.8% usage rate, which is 4.7% higher than his season average. So, it goes without saying that Cousins remains an elite option in all formats with an extremely exploitable matchup with the Trail Blazers front court.
As reported by: Sean Cunningham Other tagged players: Omri Casspi Dwight Howard (back) questionable for Wednesday's game vs T-Wolves
Dwight Howard missed last night’s game against the Thunder due to a back injury and is questionable for tomorrow. Paul Millsap and Dennis Schroder really stepped up in the absence of Howard. Look for another update tomorrow regarding Howard.
As reported by: Kl Chouinard Chandler Parsons (knee) ruled out for tonight; hopeful to play Wednesday
Chandler Parsons has not played since a November game against Dallas but is hoping to take the court tomorrow against the Pistons. He will likely have his minutes limited to 15 and is not a viable DFS option. His return would impact Troy Williams and James Ennis at SF.
As reported by: Tim MacMahon Other tagged players: Troy Williams, James Ennis III Paul Pierce listed as the starter in place of Blake Griffin tonight
Paul Pierce is expected to start for the injured Blake Griffin tonight. In the only game he started this season, he played about 29 minutes. He scored 10.8 DraftKings points and is an extremely risky option. Chris Paul sees a 2.9% increase in usage with Blake Griffin off the floor and should be considered the elite option regardless of format. He does carry some risk due to the blowout but has proven he has an immense ceiling with three games over 65 fantasy points. In his recent 20 points and 20 assists game, Paul played slightly under 30 minutes, easing some of the concern. Blake Griffin has only missed two games this season and DeAndre Jordan has shown that he is a major contributor. Jordan scored 53.3 DK fpts in a double-overtime loss to the Nets and has averaged 42.27 DK fps in his last four games.
As reported by: Dan Woike Other tagged players: Chris Paul, DeAndre Jordan Evan Turner (ankle) downgraded to questionable for tonight
Evan Turner was seen in a walking boot at the Blazer’s shootaround earlier in the day.If Turner is unable to play tonight it would be the first game this season that he does not participate in. Moe Harkless will be a lock for 30+ minutes against the Kings’ 26th ranked DvP vs SFs. He’s under $5k on both DraftKings and FanDuel and has scored over 27 fantasy points in two of his last three games. Before suffering an ankle injury in early December, Harkless was averaging 30.33 DraftKings points in the last eight games. Allen Crabbe would also see a bump in minutes if Turner were to sit. In 15 games this season that Crabbe has seen 27 minutes or more, he’s averaging 20.2 DraftKings fantasy points. Making him a high-floor play with a salary under $4k with multi-position eligibility. He still does carry risk due to his multiple games under 10 fantasy points, thus making him a GPP option only.
As reported by: Casey Holdahl 303 Other tagged players: Maurice Harkless, Allen Crabbe Derrick Favors OUT tonight for Jazz
As part of his injury rehabilitation, Favors will sit out tonight’s game with the expectation to play tomorrow night. Boris Diaw and Trey Lyles should see a slight uptick in minutes but neither are viable DFS options currently.
As reported by: David Locke on Twitter
Rudy Gay and Omri Casspi upgraded to questionable for tonight
Updating our previous report the Kings have upgraded this duo to questionable after previously being listed doubtful. Casspi has missed the last two Kings games while Gay looks as if he closer to returning after being out nearly a week. The players this news impact the most is Matt Barnes and Garrett Temple – we’ll update you later today when we learn more of the status of these two.
As reported by: Sean Cunningham on Twitter Other tagged players: Omri Casspi D'Angelo Russell will play today with no minutes restriction
Russell missed the Lakers game on Sunday but their Head Coach Luke Walton stated that he would not have a cap on his minutes today and that they would adjust accordingly if necessary. The Lakers have a decent match up against a Hornets team that is 15th in PG DvP – it’s hard justifying paying low to upper $5k for Russell, however, as he has only topped 30 fpts 3 times in his last 12 games (1 in his last 5).
As reported by: Mark Medina on Twitter Nene to start for Rockets with Capela out
As expected, the Rockets have announced that Nene Hilario will start for their injured center, Clint Capela, tonight when they face the Spurs. It’s a tough match up facing the defensive-minded Spurs but if Hilario can top 25 minutes he could be an intriguing value option. Montrezl Harrell, however, is probably the biggest beneficiary of Capela’s injury.
As reported by: Calvin Watkins on Twitter Other tagged players: Montrezl Harrell Wayne Ellington OUT tonight for Heat; Rodney McGruder questionable
Ellington remains out for the Heat while McGruder, who sprained his ankle on Sunday, is questionable. If McGruder can’t go it’ll be more playing time for Josh Richardson, Justise Winslow, and Tyler Johnson.
As reported by: Miami Heat official Twitter feed Other tagged players: Rodney McGruder