DFS Alerts
Rodney Hood (hamstring) questionable Saturday; Gordon Hayward (finger) probable; George Hill and Derrick Favors remain out
Hood has officially been listed as questionable for tomorrow night’s game against the Sacramento Kings due to a sore right hamstring that kept him out of Thurday’s contest. As for Hayward, he has been listed as probable with a finger injury that also kept him sidelined in the Jazz’s previous game, but he is fully expected to play. If Hood is ultimately ruled out, expect Joe Johnson or Joe Ingles to draw the start at shooting guard, though it’s not out of the realm possibility that Utah rolls with the two point guard lineup they trotted out on Thursday against Golden State. With George Hill and Derrick Favors still sidelined with their respective ailments, this is certainly a situation to monitor going into Saturday, as the Jazz role players could be be an excellent source of value once again if Hood is unable to give it a go.
As reported by: David Locke Other tagged players: Gordon Hayward, George Hill, Derrick Favors
Brandon Ingram confirmed in the starting lineup, Marcelo Huertas back to the bench
Ingram will be reinserted into the starting lineup for tonight’s game against the Phoenix Suns after a one-game stint off the bench. He will join Jordan Clarkson in the Lakers starting backcourt, sending Marcelo Huertas back to the bench to resume a reserve role. Ingram has been seeing significant minutes, regardless of starting status, with all the Lakers’ injuries in the backcourt and this news only solidifies his workload this evening. Ingram and Clarkson are near must-plays on the late slates, while Lou Williams is a viable option of the bench as well.
As reported by: Official Twitter Account of the Los Angeles Lakers Other tagged players: Marcelo Huertas Matt Barnes (rest) ruled out tonight
Barnes will not play in tonight’s game against the New York Knicks. The “rest day” has been planned for a while now, according to Kings coach Dave Joerger, but the timing is certainly convenient given Barnes’ alleged recent legal issues. Regardless of reason, Barnes will not be available for the Kings in tonight’s contest. Omri Casspi will likely absorb a majority of the minutes vacated by Barnes, and is certainly a viable tournament option on the late slates this evening.
As reported by: Marc Berman Nemanja Bjelica (ankle) ruled out tonight
Bjelica will not play in tonight’s game against the Detroit Pistons due to a sore right ankle. This news doesn’t do a whole lot to move the needle of the fantasy value of anyone on the Timberwolves bench, as coach Tom Thibodeau prefers to keep a tight rotation and his starters all average well over 30 minutes per game normally. If anything, there may be a few extra minutes for Shabazz Muhammad off the bench, but not enough to make him fantasy relevant on this slate.
As reported by: Timberwolves PR Seth Curry (knee) will play tonight against the Pacers
Curry will play in tonight’s game against the Indiana Pacers after being listed as questionable on the Mavericks injury report with a sprained left knee that has forced him to be sidelined for the previous four games. There has been no confirmation of a minutes restriction of any kind as of now, though Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle is likely to ease Curry back into action in some capacity. It may not be tonight, but Curry’s return should eventually bump Jonathan Gibson from the rotation entirely. With Dirk Nowitzki, J.J. Barea, and Andrew Bogut still sidelined with various injuries, Harrison Barnes, Deron Williams, and Wesley Matthews will continue to carry a majority of the offensive burden for Dallas, even with Curry returning from injury.
As reported by: Earl Snead
Norman Powell confirmed as the starter in place of DeMarre Carroll
Carroll will not play in tonight’s game against the Boston Celtics for rest purposes. This news was fully expected, as the Raptors currently have Carroll on a maintenance plan until at least the end of December. Norman Powell will draw the start at small forward in his place, while Terrence Ross should be expected to see extended run off the bench in this contest. However, with Carroll off the court this season, DeMar DeRozan seems to be the biggest beneficiary, as he sees a 3.3% increase to his already elite usage rate on the season (37.9%). Not only does DeRozan absorb extra usage in Carroll’s absence, but he converts on those extra opportunities as well, averaging 1.34 FanDuel and 1.39 DraftKings points per minute. DeRozan is an elite play in all formats, especially on sites that require you to roster more than one shooting guard.
As reported by: Ryan Wolstat Other tagged players: DeMarre Carroll Udonis Haslem (personal) ruled out for tonight
Haslem will not play in tonight’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to personal reasons. Even with Miami’s rash of injuries, Haslem was barely seeing any playing time, so his absence does not alter the Heat’s rotation whatsoever. This does leave Miami with only eight available players, meaning nearly every single one of them are in play for tournaments. Goran Dragic, Tyler Johnson, Hassan Whiteside, and maybe Josh McRoberts would be the preferred targets, however, especially in cash games.
As reported by: @HEAT Malik Beasley headed to the Nuggets D-League affiliate
The Nuggets will send Malik Beasley to the Sioux Falls Sky Force and he is expected to see extended playing time in the D-League. He was not playing much on the active roster and being sent down could mean that the return of Gary Harris is imminent.
As reported by: Harrison Wind Other tagged players: Gary Harris Rodney McGruder confirmed in the starting lineup tonight
McGruder will play in tonight’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers after being listed as questionable on the Heat’s injury report with an ankle injury. The Heat’s recent starting lineup will remain intact, as McGruder will start alongside Goran Dragic, Wayne Ellington, Josh McRoberts and Hassan Whiteside. Miami only has nine available players this evening, so everyone outside of Udonis Haslem and maybe Willie Reed are fantasy viable.
As reported by: @Heat DeMarre Carroll (rest) officially ruled out
Carroll will not play in tonight’s game against the Boston Celtics for rest purposes. This news was fully expected, as the Raptors currently have Carroll on a maintenance plan until at least the end of December. Norman Powell will likely draw the start at small forward in his place, while Terrence Ross should be expected to see extended run off the bench in this contest. However, with Carroll off the court this season, DeMar DeRozan seems to be the biggest beneficiary, as he sees a 3.3% increase to his already elite usage rate on the season (37.9%). Not only does DeRozan absorb extra usage in Carroll’s absence, but he converts on those extra opportunities as well, averaging 1.34 FanDuel and 1.39 DraftKings points per minute. DeRozan is an elite play in all formats, especially on sites that require you to roster more than one shooting guard.
As reported by: @Raptors Kevin Love (back) will "give it a try" against the Heat tonight
Love will reportedly try to play in tonight’s game against the Miami Heat after being listed as questionable with back spasms earlier in the day. It sounds as if Love will be limited in some capacity even if he is able to play his normal allotment of minutes, making it easy to ignore him as a roster option this evening. If for some reason Love is ultimately unable to give it a go, Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue has a plethora of ways he can go with the starting lineup, though he will reportedly insert James Jones at the power forward spot in Love’s place. As expected, LeBron James leads the Cavaliers with a hefty 41.5% usage rate with Love and Channing Frye off the court this season, which is a 9.1% increase over his season average. In other words, don’t be hesitant to lock LeBron into all lineups with Love limited or potentially inactive.
As reported by: Dave McMenamin J.R. Smith (knee) ruled out for tonight; Kevin Love (back) will be a game-time decision
Smith will not play in tonight’s game against the Miami Heat after being listed as questionable with a hyperextended left knee. This is the same injury kept Smith sidelined for Wednesday’s game against the New York Knicks, which cleared the way for DeAndre Liggins to draw the start at shooting guard. In fact, Liggins has been confirmed as the starter in Smith’s place this evening as well. As for Kevin Love, he will be a true game-time decision as he is dealing with back spasms. If he is unable to go, Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue has a plethora of ways he can go with the starting lineup, though he will reportedly insert James Jones at the power forward spot in Love’s place. As expected, LeBron James leads the Cavaliers with a hefty 41.5% usage rate with Love and Channing Frye off the court this season, which is a 9.1% increase over his season average. In other words, don’t be hesitant to lock LeBron into all lineups if Love is ultimately ruled out.
As reported by: Manny Navarro Other tagged players: Kevin Love Nikola Vucevic (eye) playing against the Hornets tonight
Vucevic will play in tonight’s game against the Charlotte Hornets after previously being listed as questionable with a corneal abrasion in his right eye. He will reportedly wear some sort of protective goggles to help prevent further injury to the eye itself. This news is certainly a slight knock to the fantasy value of Bismack Biyombo, though he is still a decent value option at center on sites where he remains cheap and can be considered cash game viable. However, Vucevic can safely be ignored on this 9-game slate considering his price point across the industry.
As reported by: John Denton Troy Daniels (illness) and Vince Carter (hip) questionable for Saturday
Troy Daniels is dealing with an illness and is questionable for Saturday’s game. Daniels played 31 minutes and only had 9.5 DraftKings fantasy points on Thursday. He’s a scoring-dependent guard that is back to being cold. Avoid Daniels even if he does play and look for Toney Douglas to pick up some minutes if he misses. Douglas played 26 minutes on Thursday and played more minutes than Andrew Harrison or Wade Baldwin. He’ll remain a tournament option as long as Harrison is the starter. Carter has missed the last six games and Tony Allen has taken advantage. Allen posted a double-double against the Blazers and is averaging 28.05 DK fantasy points in the games that Carter has been out.
As reported by: @Grizzlies PR Other tagged players: Vince Carter, Tony Allen, Toney Douglas Moe Harkless (ankle) probable for Saturday; Al-Farouq Aminu (back) listed as doubtful
Harkless was not able to play in last night’s game against the Grizzlies and Evan Turner started in his place. Turner turned in a masterful performance in the loss and will likely go to the bench once Harkless is confirmed the starter. Al-Farouq Aminu injured his back against the Grizzlies but was able to play almost 24 minutes. He’s listed as doubtful and Ed Davis could play the backup minutes at PF. Meyers Leonard started on Friday but Ed Davis was the one that made an impact against his former team.
As reported by: Casey Holdahl Other tagged players: Al-Farouq Aminu, Meyers Leonard, Ed Davis