DFS Alerts
Chandler Parsons (knee) ruled out tonight; Mike Conley, Tony Allen, and James Ennis will play
Parsons will be held out of tonight’s game against Minnesota with knee soreness, as the the Grizzlies are on the second leg of a back-to-back set. James Ennis will move over to small forward and start in Parsons’ place, while Tony Allen will reclaim his normal shooting guard spot in the starting unit. Allen could still possibly be limited, but there has been no official minutes restriction reported. With Parsons inactive, Mike Conley and Marc Gasol remain the only viable options from this Grizzlies lineup, though a case can made for Ennis in tournaments if believing Allen will be limited in any way.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR Other tagged players: Mike Conley, Tony Allen, James Ennis III
Shabazz Muhammad (knee) will play tonight; Brandon Rush (toe) ruled out
Muhammad has been activated by the Timberwolves and is fully expected to play in tonight’s game against Memphis after missing three consecutive games with a sore right knee. There has been no indication or confirmation of a minutes restriction for Muhammad at the time of this writing. The reinsertion of Muhammad into Minnesota’s rotation should cut into the minutes of Nemanja Bjelica and, to a lesser extent, Andrew Wiggins. however, Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau is known to run his starters into the ground, so Wiggins’ playing time may not be affected much, if at all.
As reported by: Jerry Zgoda Other tagged players: Brandon Rush Dion Waiters (groin) will play and start tonight
Waiters has been confirmed in the starting lineup for tonight’s game against Washington. He was listed as questionable earlier the day after missing shootaround this morning In Winslow’s absence, Dion Waiters has led the Heat with a 28.1% usage rate with Richardson seeing the largest boost in minutes (35.2 minutes per game) while starting at small forward. Richardson loses some viability as a fantasy option with Goran Dragic taking over the primary ball handling duties. Dragic, Waiters, and Hassan Whiteside remain as the primary targets if looking to get exposure to this Miami squad.
As reported by: Official Twitter Account of the Miami Heat Joel Embiid (ankle) unlikely to play tonight, has yet to be officially ruled out
Sixers coach Brett Brown spoke to reporters and said that he does not expect to have Embiid available for tonight’s game against Phoenix. In his absence, Jahlil Okafor will draw the start at center, but will still remain on his normal restriction of 24 minutes. In the games Embiid has missed, Okafor has led the Sixers with a 28.5% usage rate and just over a fantasy point per minute, however his upside is clearly limited by the minutes restriction. Dario Saric and Ersan Ilyasova are two and three in terms of usage behind Okafor with usage rates of 25.6% and 24.6% respectively. They are both great value options on this slate in a pace up matchup with the defensively-inept Phoenix Suns and have the required upside in tournaments, where Okafor currently does not.
As reported by: Keith Pompey Alexis Ajinca (shoulder) is expected to play tonight
Ajinca will be available to play in tonight’s game against Charlotte after being listed as questionable earlier in the day. He had previously missed Friday’s game against the Trail Blazers with the same left shoulder injury. Anjinca hasn’t been a major factor in the Pelicans rotation with Anthony Davis, Terrence Jones, and Omer Asik soaking up a majority of the minutes available at center. His availability in this game does little to affect the fantasy value of anyone in the Pelicans’ rotation, as he has averaged just 13.4 minutes per game this season.
As reported by: Pelicans PR Cody Zeller (shoulder) officially ruled out tonight; Roy Hibbert will start at center
Zeller will not play in tonight’s game against New Orleans. Hibbert would likely draw the start at center, as expected, with Spencer Hawes and Frank Kaminsky seeing a majority of backup minutes at the five. However, Kaminsky may be the preferred target in the Hornets’ froncourt, as he will also see minutes at power forward and seems to have surpassed Hawes in the rotation. Kaminsky also has the second highest usage rate (24.8%) among the Charlotte regulars with Zeller off the court this season. He is an intriguing tournament option against the susceptible New Orleans frontcourt defense with the extra minutes available this evening.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR Other tagged players: Roy Hibbert Al Horford (concussion) and Jae Crowder (ankle) confirmed in starting lineup tonight
Horford and Crowder will play in tonight’s game against Detroit and will immediately reclaim their spots in the starting unit. Their return will send Kelly Olynyk and Marcus Smart back to the bench to resume their normal roles off the bench. There haven’t been any reports confirming or denying whether either of them will be subject to a minutes restriction in this contest. Jaylen Brown and all of the Celtics’ reserve big men can be easily be ignored for the foreseeable future until a semi-regular rotation is set by Celtics coach Brad Stevens.
As reported by: Gary Washburn Other tagged players: Jae Crowder John Wall and Bradley Beal will not have a minutes restriction tonight
Wall and Beal will have their minutes restrictions lifted for tonight’s game against the Heat. This is good news for the Wizards, as they will need all the help they can get to pull out a victory against this struggling, shorthanded Miami squad. However, the Heat are one the best defensive units in the league and also play at one of the slowest paces, so we should temper expectations for Wall and Beal in this spot.
As reported by: J. Michael Other tagged players: Bradley Beal T.J. Warren (illness) ruled out tonight; Devin Booker (ankle) listed as doubtful
Warren has been officially ruled out for tonight’s game against Philadelphia, while Booker has been downgraded to doubtful with a sprained left ankle. Anytime a player is downgraded on the injury report mid-day, it’s never a good sign when it comes to their availability. We can safely assume that he will miss this game unless otherwise specified. Brandon Knight started the only other game that Booker has sat out this season and proceeded to put up a dud in his extended run. However, he is likely to draw the start at shooting guard again tonight and has by far the highest usage rate (33.8%) among the Suns regulars when Warren, Booker and Chandler are off the court this season. That is a 4.2% increase over his season average. With Tyson Chandler already ruled out as well, Alex Len will almost certainly start at center once again in his place and has performed well, for the most part, when given the opportunity. Len has been a solid fantasy point per minute producer this season and is worth a look in all formats against this horrendous Sixers defense.
As reported by: Paul Coro Other tagged players: Devin Booker Cody Zeller and Treveon Graham questionable tonight; Jeremy Lamb remains out
Zeller is a late addition to the Hornets’ injury report for tonight’s game against New Orleans. If Zeller is unable to suit up, Roy Hibbert would likely draw the start at center with Spencer Hawes and Frank Kaminsky seeing backup minutes at center. However, Kaminsky may be the preferred target in the Hornets’ froncourt, as he will also see minutes at power forward and seems to have surpassed Hawes in the rotation. Kaminsky also has the second highest usage rate (24.8%) among the Charlotte regulars with Zeller off the court this season. He is an intriguing tournament option against the susceptible New Orleans frontcourt defense if Zeller were to be ruled out this evening.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR Other tagged players: Treveon Graham, Jeremy Lamb Trey Lyles will start for the injured Derrick Favors tonight; Boris Diaw (rest) ruled out
Favors is still sidelined with a knee injury that kept him out of Utah’s previous game, so Lyles will draw the start at power forward for tonight’s game against Houston with Diaw being rested on the front end of a back-to-back. This is a part of a maintenance plan the Jazz have in place for Diaw in an effort to maintain his health throughout the season and we can expect him to be rested on back-to-back sets regularly. If playing the early slate, Lyles has become the best value option on the board and is basically a cash game lock for his price around the industry. With George Hill, Favors, and Diaw off the floor this season, Rodney Hood and Lyles have seen the largest increase in their usage rates among the Jazz regulars, with 7.8% and 3.6% bumps respectively. The Jazz are extremely short handed this evening, especially in the frontcourt, so there will be a plethora of extra minutes to go around. A solid case can be made for any Utah starter in the early slate, but Hood and Lyles remain the preferred targets.
As reported by: Calvin Watkins Other tagged players: Boris Diaw Rajon Rondo (ankle) questionable tonight, will be game-time decision
Rondo is listed as questionable for tonight’s game against the Clippers with a sprained left ankle that has caused him to miss the Bulls’ previous two games. He was full participant in shootaround this morning and will be a game-time decision this evening for Chicago. Jerian Grant has been the starting point guard in Rondo’s absence, but hasn’t been consistent and offers a low floor in a matchup against Chris Paul. Grant is no longer a clear value on certain sites and can be avoided in cash games where he has seen a substantial increase.
As reported by: Nick Friedell Montrezl Harrell (calf) ruled out tonight; Nene (rest) is expected to play
Harrell will not play in tonight’s game against the Jazz with a left calf contusion. Nene is also expected to return to the lineup after being rested in Thursday’s game, and will continue to be the Rockets primary backup center behind Clint Capela.
As reported by: Calvin Watkins Other tagged players: Nene Hilario Chandler Parsons and Mike Conley questionable tonight; Tony Allen and James Ennis probable
Parsons has been downgraded to questionable for tonight’s game against Minnesota. He was able to play 23 minutes Friday, but has yet to play back-to-back games this season as he works his way back from offseason knee surgery. Tony Allen is listed as probable and would likely reenter the starting lineup if the Grizzlies decide to hold Parsons out of tonight’s contest. If that ends up being the case, Mike Conley and Marc Gasol are solidified as great tournament options, assuming they have no limitations set in place by the Memphis coaching staff. Conley is listed listed on the Grizzlies’ injury report but is fully expected to play.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR Other tagged players: Mike Conley, Tony Allen, James Ennis III Joel Embiid (ankle) questionable tonight; Jahlil Okafor will remain limited to 24 minutes
Embiid is listed as questionable for tonight’s game against Phoenix with a sprained left ankle that he sustained in Thursday’s contest versus the Timberwolves. Embiid was able to go through shootaround this morning, but won’t be evaluated until closer to game-time to determine his availability for this evening. If Embiid is unable to give it a go, Jahlil Okafor will almost certainly draw the start at center, but will remain on his normal restriction of 24 minutes regardless.
As reported by: Official Twitter Account of the Philadelphia 76ers Other tagged players: Jahlil Okafor