DFS Alerts
Derrick Williams (back) will play tonight
Williams will play in tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers after being listed as questionable on the Heat’s injury report with a back injury, but is not fantasy viable in a diminished role with this rotation. Luke Babbitt has already been ruled out after being listed as questionable with a strained right hip flexor, although he will dress in case of an emergency with the Heat being so shorthanded already. Speaking of, Justise Winslow, Dion Waiters, and Josh Richardson did not travel with the team to Portland and were ruled out in advance of Saturday’s contest. Wayne Ellington, Rodney McGruder, and James “Neck Tat” Johnson are the primary beneficiaries of Miami’s injury situation and are the main value options to target.
As reported by: Ira Winderman
Luke Babbitt (hip) officially ruled out tonight
Babbitt will not play in tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers after being listed as questionable with a strained right hip flexor, although he will dress in case of an emergency with the Heat being so shorthanded already. Speaking of, Justise Winslow, Dion Waiters, and Josh Richardson did not travel with the team to Portland and were already ruled out in advance of Saturday’s contest. Wayne Ellington, Rodney McGruder, and James “Neck Tat” Johnson are the primary beneficiaries of Miami’s injury situation and are the main value options to target. Derrick Williams will play after being listed as questionable, but is not fantasy viable in a diminished role with this rotation.
As reported by: Ira Winderman George Hill (toe) ruled out tonight; Rodney Hood will be a game-time decision
Hill will not play in tonight’s game against the Denver Nuggets after being listed as doubtful on the Jazz’s injury report with a sprained toe. As for Hood, he is a true game-time decision after participating in shootaround this morning. He was forced to miss the previous game with the same hamstring issue. If Hood is also ultimately ruled out, Joe Johnson and Dante Exum would likely start in his and Hill’s places once again, at shooting guard and point guard respectively. However, Exum seems to be a starter in name only, as Shelvin Mack played well in 33 minutes off the bench. Gordon Hayward still remains our primary target on the Jazz, as he owns an elite 35.3% usage rate, a 4.3% increase from his season average, with the trio of Hill, Hood, and the still injured Derrick Favors off the court this season.
As reported by: David Locke Other tagged players: Rodney Hood Nikola Jokic (wrist) ruled out tonight
Jokic will not play in tonight’s game against the Utah after previously being listed as questionable on the Nuggets’ injury report with a left wrist injury. This will be the second consecutive game he has been sidelined. Jokic had just started to surpass Jusuf Nurkic in the rotation, so this is certainly unfortunate timing for him and us daily fantasy players. With Jokic ruled out, Nurkic is the primary beneficiary of the extra minutes available at center, while Kenneth Faried and Darrell Arthur could see some extended run at power forward. This is not an ideal matchup for Nurkic and the rest of the Nuggets starting unit, as the Jazz play at the slowest pace in the NBA and are ranked near the top in defensive efficiency as well. The Nuggets core players are certainly worth a shot in tournaments with limited exposure, though they are far from cash game staples.
As reported by: T.J. McBride Other tagged players: Danilo Gallinari, Will Barton, Darrell Arthur Seth Curry (knee) ruled out tonight
Curry will not play in tonight’s game against the Chicago Bulls after previously being listed on the Mavericks’ injury report as questionable with a sprained knee. Deron Williams and Devin Harris are both listed as probable and are fully expected to play. In Curry’s absence, they will continue split the backcourt minutes with Jonathan Gibson and Wesley Matthews. As reported earlier in the day, Dirk Nowitzki will be sidelined indefinitely with an Achilles issue that has caused him to miss extended game action already this season. Williams and Harris are likely to have their minutes monitored in some capacity, meaning that Gibson and Harrison Barnes are the preferred targets on the this Dallas squad in a less than ideal mathcup with the Bulls.
As reported by: Earl K. Sneed Other tagged players: Deron Williams, Devin Harris, Dirk Nowitzki Derrick Williams (back) and Luke Babbitt (hip) questionable Saturday
Williams and Babbitt are both listed as questionable for tomorrow night’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers with various physical ailments. Despite the questionable designation, Babbitt is probably closer to doubtful, according to Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. With Justise Winslow, Dion Waiters, and Josh Richardson remaining sidelined for this contest, the Heat should be our primary source of value, especially if one, or both, of Babbitt and Williams are unable to suit up Saturday.
As reported by: Ira Winderman Other tagged players: Luke Babbitt Rodney Hood (hamstring) questionable Saturday; George Hill (toe) listed as doubtful
Hood has been listed as questionable for tomorrow night’s game against the Denver Nuggets with a strained hamstring that kept him sidelined in Thursday’s loss. In addition, Hill is listed as doubtful with a toe injury that also caused him to miss the Jazz’s previous game. Hill is not expected to play, but if both him and Hood are ruled out, Joe Johnson and Dante Exum would likely start their places at shooting guard and point guard respectively. This is a situation to monitor going into Saturday, as Utah draws a plus matchup with a Nuggets squad that will be playing on the second leg of a back-to-back set.
As reported by: Official Twitter Account of the Utah Jazz Other tagged players: George Hill Nene (rest, knee) ruled out tonight
Nene will not play in tonight’s game against the Denver Nuggets in an effort to rest a sore knee that has been bothering him in recent days. Nene was rested in Thursday’s contest as well, and was supposed to play tonight prior to this setback with his knee. Montrezl Harrell and Sam Dekker will continue to be the beneficiaries of some additional minutes in his absence and could be worth a dart throw in tournaments for the late slate.
As reported by: Craig Ackerman Danilo Gallinari (thigh) and Darrell Arthur (illness) will play tonight
Gallinari and Arthur will both play in tonight’s game against the Houston Rockets after being listed as probable on the Nuggets’ injury report. With Gallinari expected to see his full allotment of minutes, Wilson Chandler should be avoided until his inflated price tag around the industry adjusts to his current role, though tonight may be an exception with extra power forward minutes available in Jokic’s absence. Arthur will likely absorb a majority of those power forward minutes vacated by Jokic, but it remains uncertain how much he will actually play after battling an illness that kept him out of Wednesday’s contest, leaving the possibility of extended run for the likes of Chandler and Juan Hernangomez.
As reported by: Harrison Wind Other tagged players: Darrell Arthur Nikola Jokic (wrist) ruled out tonight
Jokic will not play in tonight’s game against the Houston Rockets after previously being listed as questionable on the Nuggets’ injury report with a left wrist injury. Jokic had just started to surpass Jusuf Nurkic in the rotation, so this is certainly unfortunate timing for him and us daily fantasy players. With Jokic ruled out, Nurkic is the primary beneficiary of the extra minutes available at center, while Kenneth Faried and Darrell Arthur could see some extended run at power forward. This is definitely a situation we can take advantage of, as Nurkic is an elite option for his price around the industry in a juicy matchup with the Rockets “defense”.
As reported by: Harrison Wind Raymond Felton will start in place of J.J. Redick (rest) tonight
Redick will not play in tonight’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans after being ruled out for rest with the Clippers on the second leg of a back-to-back set. Raymond Felton will draw the start at shooting guard in an effort to keep Jamal Crawford and Austin Rivers primarily with the second unit. Regardless of starter, Crawford and Rivers will be our primary low-end targets for Los Angeles, while Blake Griffin and Chris Paul will see a bump in fantasy value with the extra shots available in the starting unit.
As reported by: Dan Woike Other tagged players: J.J. Redick Markieff Morris (ankle) will play tonight and is confirmed in the starting lineup
Morris will play and start in tonight’s game against the San Antonio Spurs after missing the Wizards’ practice on Thursday, ultimately leaving his status for tonight’s contest in question. There has been no report of a minutes restriction at the time of this writing, though Morris can safely be ignored in a difficult matchup with LaMarcus Aldridge and the Spurs.
As reported by: Chris Miller J.R. Smith (knee) will play tonight and is confirmed in the starting lineup
Smith will play in tonight’s game against the Chicago Bulls and will resume his role as the Cavaliers’ starting shooting guard as normal. He has been dealing with sore knee in recent weeks and is not a viable option in any format this evening in a matchup with one of the better defensive teams in the NBA. This removes Iman Shumpert and Richard Jefferson entirely as tournament targets, though neither were necessarily strong plays.
As reported by: Sean Highkin Justin Holiday confirmed as starter in place of Courtney Lee (ankle) tonight
Holiday will start at shooting guard for the injured Courtney Lee in tonight’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Lee and Noah have already been ruled out with various physical ailments. Lance Thomas will dress for tonight’s contest and is available to play, though it remains to be seen if he actually sees the court in his return. Mindaugas Kuzminskas has played extremely well when provided the opportunity and is certainly in consideration as a tournament punt for the stone minimum around the industry. Kyle O’Quinn will draw the start at center once again in Noah’s absence, but remains an extremely volatile option with New York playing small with Kristaps Porzingis at the five more and more consistently.
As reported by: Kent Yougblood Other tagged players: Courtney Lee Thabo Sefolosha will start in place of Paul Millsap (hip) tonight
Sefolosha will start at power forward for the injured Paul Millsap in tonight’s game against the Detroit Pistons. Millsap has already been officially ruled out for tonight and is expected to miss at least another game with his hip ailment. That’ll lead to increased usage for Dennis Schroder and Dwight Howard, with Kent Bazemore possibly picking up a little extra run. Mike Muscala started on Wednesday with Millsap out, but the Hawks will make a change with Sefolosha getting his crack at the starting power forward vacancy. Schroder is the top play on the Atlanta side, as he owns a 34.2% usage rate with Millsap off the floor (and Howard/Bazemore on) this season. Howard should also see plenty of run with Andre Drummond on the opposing side.
As reported by: Chris Vivlamore Other tagged players: Paul Millsap