DFS Alerts
Jonas Valanciunas not doing much pre-game, looking more likely to sit out tonight
Valanciunas hasn’t been doing much beyond some light shooting in warm-ups, and the gauge among Toronto beat reporters seems to be that he’s more likely to sit out. His absence would open up playing time for Jakob Poeltl, Pascal Siakam and Patrick Patterson, although none of the three figure to see a big minutes bump – the wealth will likely be spread among them. Poeltl is the most likely to draw the start, but he doesn’t have a good draw against Steven Adams and shouldn’t be targeted outside of deep GPPs. Look for Patterson to see about 30 minutes of run with Siakam seeing around 18-24 minutes, but like Poeltl neither of them are recommended DFS options. Kyle Lowry is the only ‘elite’ play on the Toronto side, with DeMar DeRozan now becoming a stronger GPP play.
As reported by: Ryan Wolstat Other tagged players: Jakob Poeltl, Patrick Patterson, Patrick Patterson, Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan
Evan Fournier (back) will play Wednesday
Fournier will reportedly play tonight against Minnesota, after popping up as questionable on the Magic’s game notes for this evening. The injury shouldn’t force Fournier on any sort of minutes restriction, but he remains a risky play in the event that he re-aggravates the injury. Fournier also hasn’t played particularly well of late, making the fade in all formats that much easier.
As reported by: Joshua Robbins
Kyle Korver confirmed as the starter tonight
Kyle Korver will start at shooting guard, sending Thabo Sefolosha to the bench. Korver is a risky GPP option against the Bulls but could get open against their lacking defense. He does not have a ton of upside with all the usage going to Howard, Schroder, and Millsap, but is relatively cheap around the industry. Korver used to play for the Bulls, so there is the revenge narrative if you’re into that kind of thing. Outside of that, he’s too risky for cash.
As reported by: KL Chouinard Sean Kilpatrick will start at point guard in place of Isaiah Whitehead (concussion) tonight
Whitehead won’t play in tonight’s game against New York after being diagnosed with a concussion he sustained in last night’s game versus Minnesota. The Nets are basically down to a point guard rotation of Sean Kilpatrick, Randy Foye, and Yogi Ferrell, after releasing Greivis Vasquez earlier in the day. Foye seems to still be on a minutes restriction after only playing 15 minutes in the Brooklyn’s previous game. Kilpatrick remains an elite option, especially after being confirmed as the starting point guard, as he will see the most backcourt minutes and will handle a majority of the ball-handling and play-making duties.
As reported by: Anthony Puccio Other tagged players: Isaiah Whitehead
George Hill (thumb) ruled out tonight
Hill will be inactive for the second consecutive game for tonight’s game against the Hornets after sustaining a sprain to his thumb in Sunday’s game versus New York. Shelvin Mack will draw the start again at point guard and is a certainly viable punt with his cheap price tag around the industry. In Hill’s absence, Derrick Favors, Rodney Hood, and Gordon Hayward will likely see the biggest usage bump in the starting unit and are in tournament consideration despite the difficult overall matchup with Charlotte. However, this slow-paced game may be one to ignore on a big 11-game slate.
As reported by: Official Twitter Account of the Utah Jazz Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Frank Kaminsky will play tonight; Kaminsky could be limited
Kidd-Gilchrist and Kaminsky will both suit up for tonight’s game against Utah, as expected, after being probable throughout the day. Coach Steve Clifford did mention that he is unsure just how many minutes either of them will play, so we will need to approach this situation with caution if considering wither player. Thankfully, the Hornets have one of the worst matchups on the entire slate, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to avoid them altogether on an 11-game slate.
As reported by: Steve Reed Other tagged players: Frank Kaminsky Evan Fournier (back soreness) questionable for Wednesday
Fournier is dealing with some lower back soreness and is iffy to suit up Wednesday night against the Timberwolves. He’s still probably a better bet to play than to sit; if he does indeed miss Wednesday’s game, Mario Hezonja, Jeff Green and D.J. Augustin would all be candidates to see increased run. Either Hezonja or Green would be the top candidates to draw the start. Minnesota has played at the 17th fastest pace while Orlando is sitting at 25th, so this game isn’t as intriguing as it may appear. Karl-Anthony Towns is an across the board option on the Minnesota side, while most of the Magic are only playable in tournaments. Payton, Gordon, Ibaka and Vucevic aren’t recommended cash game options in this spot, but they would definitely become more appealing if Fournier – who is averaging a shade over 14 FPAs per game – were to sit out.
As reported by: Josh Robbins Will Barton (ankle) out for Thursday; Darrell Arthur & Wilson Chandler listed as questionable
Will Barton will be out for tomorrow’s game against the Warriors. Gary Harris has been working his way back into shape and should see over 20 minutes on Thursday. Darrell Arthur and Wilson Chandler did not play in their previous game. This led to Danilo Gallinari playing 38 minutes and having his best performance of the season. Look for another update tomorrow regarding the Nuggets before plugging them in against the Warriors. We definitely will want to target some Denver offensive weapons because Golden State seems to struggle in Denver and it’ll be the second night of a back-to-back for them.
As reported by: Harrison Wind Other tagged players: Wilson Chandler, Darrell Arthur, Danilo Gallinari, Gary Harris Isaiah Whitehead (concussion) ruled out for tonight
Whitehead won’t play in tonight’s game against New York after being diagnosed with a concussion he sustained in last night’s game versus Minnesota. The Nets are basically down to a point guard rotation of Sean Kilpatrick, Randy Foye, and Yogi Ferrell, after releasing Greivis Vasquez earlier in the day. Foye seems to still be on a minutes restriction after only playing 15 minutes in the Brooklyn’s previous game. The Nets’ starting lineup for tonight is currently unknown, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see Ferrell draw the start at point guard. Regardless of starting lineup, Kilpatrick remains an elite option, as he will see the most minutes and will likely handle a majority of the ball-handling duties.
As reported by: Anthony Puccio Larry Nance (concussion) questionable for Thursday
Larry Nance is being listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game against the Kings. The Lakers have used Tarik Black and Julius Randle in his place and have also gone small with Brandon Ingram playing more minutes in the rotation. We should have another update on Nance’s situation tomorrow. If he does indeed play, he’ll be a viable sleeper option on the short slate.
As reported by: Mark Medina Other tagged players: Tarik Black, Julius Randle Allen Crabbe listed as the starter in place of Al-Farouq Aminu; nothing officially confirmed at this time
Crabbe started the second half of last night’s game at small forward, while Maurice Harkless slid down to the power forward position after Aminu was forced to exit the game early with a calf injury. Crabbe has been listed as the starter once again tonight with Evan Turner coming off the bench. Even with Crabbe drawing the “start”, Turner remains our preferred target among the Portland wing rotation.
As reported by: Mike Grich Other tagged players: Allen Crabbe Tyson Chandler's availability still unknown for tonight due to personal reasons
Tyson Chandler did not play last night due to personal reasons. Alex Len started in his place and did not see extended run because of the uptempo game. He has a chance to play extended minutes tonight if Chandler is out again against the Pistons. He’s still prone to foul trouble, so there is a chance that he does not play over 24-28 minutes tonight. Treat carefully on a full slate.
As reported by: Paul Coro Other tagged players: Alex Len Al-Farouq Aminu OUT for Portland tonight
Aminu was expected to miss this game after injuring his calf early in last night’s game and being listed as doubtful and that has now been confirmed. It’ll open up minutes for Moe Harkless and Allen Crabbe but it’s a tough match up going against a Clippers team that is first in the league in fantasy points allowed and top 10 in DvP vs the small forward and power forward positions.
As reported by: Casey Holdahl on Twitter Other tagged players: Maurice Harkless, Allen Crabbe
Tony Parker OUT tonight; Danny Green will play for San Antonio
Updated our previous report that had Parker as a game-time decision – the team has ruled him out for their game tonight against the Houston Rockets. Patty Mills should get the start again and see 25-30 minutes of playing time. His ceiling is pretty low as he has averaged just .78 DK fpts/minute whenever he has played 20 minutes or more this season (five games). He hasn’t topped 30 minutes or 30 fpts all season long and has been below 20 fpts three of the five games. He can still get you a reasonable return on his $4,300 pricetag ($4,400 on FanDuel) though and on a night lacking a lot of value he’s certainly worthy of consideration in GPP’s and even more so in cash games. Danny Green will make his season debut tonight but is not a viable DFS option.
As reported by: San Antonio Spurs official Twitter feed Other tagged players: Danny Green, Patty Mills Tony Parker a game-time decision tonight
Parker has been struggling to recover from a sore knee that has caused him to miss the last two games and will be a game-time decision tonight when the Spurs take on the Rockets. If he can’t go, Patty Mills would be the biggest beneficiary and would be in play going against the Rockets.
As reported by: Tom Orsborn on Twitter Other tagged players: Patty Mills