DFS Alerts
Dante Exum confirmed as the starter; Shelvin Mack to the bench
Hill will remain out for tonight’s game against Orlando. This will be the third consecutive game that Hill will miss with a sprained right thumb. Dante Exum will receive his first start at point guard in place of Hill, sending Shelvin Mack to the bench. Exum is a viable punt where he is cheap but certainly comes with some risk due to his ineptness on the offensive end of the floor. Derrick Favors and Gordon Hayward should continue to the primary beneficiaries of the extra usage in Hill’s absence. In fact, Hayward has led the team with a 31.6% usage rate in the two prior games Hill has missed.
As reported by: David Locke Other tagged players: Shelvin Mack
Kelly Olynyk and Marcus Smart starting over Tyler Zeller and Jaylen Brown
Olynyk and Smart will both move into the starting lineup for tonight’s game against New York. The Smart news was relatively predictable, as he started the second half of the previous game over Jaylen Brown and played well. Olynyk played 26 minutes in his season debut on Wednesday and is apparently healthy enough to handle a starting workload this evening. He didn’t play particularly well in the Celtics’ previous game, but he should remain a viable option while Al Horford remains sidelined.
As reported by: Sean Grande Other tagged players: Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Tyler Zeller Roy Hibbert (knee) limited to 12-14 minutes tonight
Hibbert will play tonight against Toronto, but will be on a strict minutes restriction after missing several games with a knee injury. Hibbert can safely be avoided in all formats, though taking a tournament dart throw on Cody Zeller or Specer Hawes could certainly be viable.
As reported by: Rick Bonnell Treveon Graham starting in place of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Graham will start for Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in tonight’s game against Toronto. Graham seems to be in the starting lineup for his defense and defense alone, as he is sporting a minuscule 5.7% usage rate in limited minutes this season. If anything, we should expect Nicolas Batum, Kemba Walker, and Marvin Williams to soak up any extra usage available.
As reported by: Rick Bonnell Other tagged players: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist George Hill (thumb) ruled out for Friday
Hill will remain out for tonight’s game against Orlando. This will be the third consecutive game that Hill will miss with a sprained right thumb. Dante Exum will receive his first start at point guard in place of Hill, sending Shelvin Mack to the bench. Exum is a viable punt where he is cheap but certainly comes with some risk due to his ineptness on the offensive end of the floor. Derrick Favors and Gordon Hayward should continue to the primary beneficiaries of the extra usage in Hill’s absence. In fact, Hayward has led the team with a 31.6% usage rate in the two prior games Hill has missed.
As reported by: David Locke John Wall to play tonight; expected to rest on Saturday against Chicago
Wall will play tonight against Cleveland, as expected, but will likely be rested for tomorrow night’s game against the Bulls. The Wizards plan to continue resting Wall in one game of their back-to-back sets for the foreseeable future.
As reported by: Candace Buckner Joel Embiid capped to 24 minutes; Jahlil Okafor avaialble but not expected to play
Okafor will be on the bench for tonight’s game against Indiana, but is not expected to play and is only available in case of emergency. Embiid remains on his restriction of 24-minutes tonight and will sit tomorrow on the back end of a back-to-back. The Sixers plan is for Embiid and Okafor to switch roles for tomorrow night’s game versus the Hawks. Embiid has been a great point per minute producer thus far and draws a great matchup with the Pacers frontcourt that has been one of the worst teams at defending the post. Embiid is a great option in all formats across the industry.
As reported by: Jessica Camerato Other tagged players: Jahlil Okafor Bradley Beal (hamstring) ruled out for Friday; Marcus Thornton starting in his place
Beal will miss tonight’s game against Cleveland with a hamstring issue that caused him to exit early in Wednesday’s game versus the Celtics. Thornton will get the start at shooting guard in his absence. Thornton is now in line to see starter’s minutes in the 30-35 minute range, and is in play as a tournament option for his low price around the industry. This also a slight boost to the usage of Otto Porter and Markieff Morris in the starting unit, though the viability of Porter depends on just how much chalk you are willing to eat in large-field tournaments for a traditionally volatile player.
As reported by: Candace Buckner Other tagged players: Marcus Thornton Al Horford (concussion) ruled out for Friday
As we mentioned yesterday, Al Horford has been ruled out for tonight’s contest. Kelly Olynyk was seen running with the first team in practice yesterday. Nothing official has been sent out by the Celtics at this time regarding their starters. Look for another update regarding this situation because Olynyk is a top value play if he starts. He still might be even if he does not because he started the second half in their previous game and could see more minutes than the player that starts in front of him.
As reported by: A. Sherrod Blakely Other tagged players: Kelly Olynyk Darrell Arthur (knee) listed as out for Saturday
Darrell Arthur continues to be out and Kenneth Faried has taken advantage. The Nuggets will need his energy and rebounding against the Pistons tomorrow. The rotation has really been a mess and we can expect that to continue. Faried has the lowest salary, leaving us some upside plays outside of Jokic and Nurkic.
As reported by: T.J. McBride Other tagged players: Jusuf Nurkic, Nikola Jokic Wilson Chandler (hamstring) questionable for Saturday; has a chance to play
Wilson Chandler has missed the past couple games due to a hamstring injury. The Nuggets got blown out yesterday and their best player was Jamal Murray. We can still expect Danilo Gallinari to play a ton of minutes if Chandler misses. We should have another update on this situation tomorrow.
As reported by: Chris Dempsey Other tagged players: Danilo Gallinari, Jamal Murray Tyson Chandler (personal) questionable for Saturday
Chandler is dealing with the death of his mother and has sadly missed the last two games. Alex Len disappointed in his first start but put up a 40 burger against Detroit. Expect him to pick up some ownership for Saturday against the Nets and should be considered an elite option. Look for another update regarding Chandler before plugging Len into your lineups. Chandler starting would make it difficult for Len to exceed value.
As reported by: Paul Coro Other tagged players: Alex Len Ricky Rubio returns to practice; could play this weekend
Rubio has missed an extended period of time due to injury but returned to practice today and could return to game action as soon as this weekend. We’ll keep an eye on this situation and update you as news comes in. Rubio’s return would be a hit on the value of rookie PG Kris Dunn.
As reported by: Darren Wolfson on Twitter
Goran Dragic OUT for Heat on Saturday
The good news is the injury isn’t serious to the veteran Miami PG but he will miss their game tomorrow against the Jazz. Tyler Johnson gets the biggest boost and has performed well when given an expanded role this season. Dion Waiters should also benefit.
As reported by: Manny Navarro on Twitter Other tagged players: Tyler Johnson, Dion Waiters Isaiah Whitehead out Saturday for Nets
Whitehead will continue to remain out with a concussion leaving Sean Kilpatrick likely to start again at PG. Kilpatrick is a fine option given his role in the Nets offense and his performance thus far this season.
As reported by: Mike Gallagher on Twitter Other tagged players: Sean Kilpatrick