DFS Alerts
Pau Gasol out for Thursday; Taj Gibson questionable
Taj Gibson left last night’s contest with a strained hamstring and is questionable against the Nets on Thursday. Gibson mentioned that he had been feeling tightness prior to the game against the Wizards, so there is a chance that he gets held out for this one. If Gibson sits, Bobby Portis becomes a strong play. The Bulls have refused to start Portis so far this season and it could continue tonight with Cristiano Da Silva Felicio getting the start at center. Nikola Mirotic started at the 4 and should also continue to do so in this game. If Gibson ends up playing, Portis will not be as valuable.
As reported by: KC Johnson Other tagged players: Taj Gibson, Bobby Portis, Cristiano Felicio, Nikola Mirotic
Kenneth Faried (back) questionable for Thursday
Kenneth Faried is dealing with a sore back and is questionable to play against the Hawks. If Faried ends up missing the game, Darrell Arthur will likely start in his place and instantly becomes a viable punt option. Arthur’s salary is sub-$4k on both major sites so he has appeal in both cash games and tournaments. Before locking Arthur in your lineups, look for an update on Faried’s status.
As reported by: Chris Dempsey Other tagged players: Darrell Arthur Brook Lopez looks to take advantage of the shorthanded Bulls
Pau Gasol is out tonight and Taj Gibson is doubtful, and the Bulls will likely start with Nikola Mirotic and Bobby Portis in their front court. If that is the case, Brook Lopez should absolutely dominate the paint for the Nets. The Bulls aren’t good at defending opposing centers to start with as they are 27th in DvP over the course of the season. Switch out Gasol and Gibson for Mirotic and Portis and that is a recipe for success for Lopez. In two games vs. the Bulls (with Gasol and Gibson) this season Lopez is averaging 24 points and ten rebounds as well as 44 DK points. He is coming into this game in good form and has really benefitted over the past month since Joe Johnson has left Brooklyn. He has a much higher floor now but he still retains that 60 fantasy point upside for tournaments in a great matchup with the Bulls who shouldn’t be able to contain Lopez in the paint.
Alexis Ajinca will not play Friday
Alexis Ajinca will miss his ninth consecutive game with a ruptured sternum. Omer Asik has been starting in his place but is not a viable option. Ryan Anderson is the better tournament option with his mid-range salary. Anderson is averaging 35.32 DKFP over his last four games.
As reported by: Brett Dawson Other tagged players: Omer Asik, Ryan Anderson
Norris Cole questionable for Friday
Norris Cole is being listed as questionable for Friday’s contest with the Blazers.Tim Fraizer is currently listed as the probable starter meaning Cole is closer to doubtful. Frazier will be facing his former team and could be a viable punt play. We’ll have an update on Cole’s status tomorrow.
As reported by: Brett Dawson Other tagged players: Tim Frazier Kobe "50-50" for tomorrow night
Kobe’s status for Friday is still up in the air after he didn’t take the court on Tuesday night. If he’s unable to go, both D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson will see an uptick in value, as will Lou Williams off the bench. We’ll update Kobe’s status again after tomorrow’s shootaround. Metta World Peace will likely draw another start if Kobe isn’t able to play.
As reported by: Mark Medina Other tagged players: Metta World Peace If Gordon Hayward is out, Shelvin Mack sees a bump in usage
Gordon Hayward is questionable for their match up with the Suns, and if he were to sit Joe Ingles would likely slide into the starting lineup for the Jazz. However, whenever Hayward is off the court, Shelvin Mack has seen the biggest bump in production in the short time he has been in Utah. According to RotoGrinders’ new CourtIQ page, Mack’s usage rating jumps from 22% with Hayward, to 32% when Hayward is replaced with Ingles. If you take a look at the link included, you will see that the sample only contains 16 minutes of gameplay. Even though it is a small sample size we can extrapolate that data and see that Mack sees a much bigger role in the offense without Hayward. Not to mention the great match up with the Suns who are 29th in DvP vs. opposing PGs. This should be an extreme pace-up game for the Jazz and look for Mack to help lead the charge on offense if Hayward is to sit.
As reported by: RotoGrinders CourtIQ Other tagged players: Joe Ingles Gorgui Dieng probable for Friday
Dieng injured his hip in last night’s game with the Grizzlies, but he looks to be good to go tomorrow against the Rockets. While he’s not the shiny object he was when the Wolves first became short-handed in the front-court, he still possesses considerable upside and the match-up with the Rockets should play into his favor. Houston has allowed the 7th most FPPG to PFs.
As reported by: Jerry Zgoda on Twitter Bobby Portis will likely see an increase in minutes with Gasol out, Gibson doubtful
The Bulls are really hurting in the front court as it seems like they’ve had some sort of injury problem all year. Joakim Noah has been out for awhile, Pau Gasol is out tonight, and Taj Gibson is doubtful leaving Bobby Portis and Nikola Mirotic to be the main beneficiaries. Luckily Mirotic has been returning to form after missing nearly a month and a half from an injury of his own. He sits at $5,100 on DK, but Bobby Portis is significantly cheaper at $3,900. Portis should get a decent allotment of minutes that should be enough to hit value at his price. He is a decent point per minute guy, averaging about 0.9 fantasy points per minute over the course of the season. That means if he sees the court for 22 minutes or more he should be able to hit value, and we are betting the over on that number in this match up vs. the Nets who are 19th in DvP vs. opposing PFs.
Other tagged players: Nikola Mirotic Zach Randolph remains out on Thursday
Randolph remains out Thursday and there isn’t really a concrete timetable for his return. JaMychal Green will remain in the starting lineup and he provides solid upside at his current price tag, although he’s now competing for front-court time with the likes of Jarell Martin, Ryan Hollins and Alex Stepheson. In other words, he’s more game-flow dependent now than he was when he didn’t have players behind him threatening his playing time.
As reported by: Rob Fischer Other tagged players: JaMychal Green Vince Carter questionable for Wednesday
Carter has missed the Grizzlies past three games and will likely come down to a game-time decision tonight. If he’s unable to go again, Lance Stephenson will continue to see big minutes off the bench, but Stephenson is a strong option regardless. Matt Barnes and Tony Allen’s minutes become more secure if Carter sits.
As reported by: Rob Fischer Other tagged players: Matt Barnes, Lance Stephenson Kyle Lowry (rest) may sit either Thursday or Friday
The Raptors rested DeMar DeRozan on Tuesday and it appears that Lowry will get to rest either tonight against Indiana or tomorrow against Boston. Tonight’s game is played on the road against a Pacers team that sits below the Celtics in the standings, so if we had to guess which night Lowry will sit, tonight seems like the better possibility. If that occurs, Cory Joseph will become a very solid punt play while DeMar DeRozan’s value would also rise considerably. The Celtics are very tough against opposing guards, so Lowry resting tonight would work in Joseph and DeRozan’s favor.
As reported by: Josh Lewenberg Other tagged players: Cory Joseph, DeMar DeRozan Brandon Bass' status up in the air for Friday
Bass has an eye appointment tomorrow and his status for Friday night will be determined at that point. If he’s unable to go again, Larry Nance and Tarik Black will be candidates to receive increased court time, but neither is DFS viable at this time. We’ll update Bass’ status again tomorrow.
As reported by: Mark Medina Jusuf Nurkic, Joffrey Lauvergne probable for Thursday
Nurkic was available for the Nuggets game on Tuesday but didn’t see the floor, and it’s possible that happens again tonight. He appears to be behind Joffrey Lauvergne (who is also probable) at the moment. Neither player holds much value with Nikola Jokic healthy, and Jokic remains the only viable center play on the Denver side.
As reported by: K.L. Chouinard Other tagged players: Joffrey Lauvergne, Nikola Jokic Nikola Vucevic will not play Friday for Orlando
Vucevic is going to miss another game according to the official Orlando Magic injury report leaving Dewayne Dedmon and Jason Smith to split time at the center position. Smith is the better play of the two, even coming off the bench, as he has put up 60 FanDuel fpts in 46 minutes the last two games (in comparison, Dedmon has 10 fpts in 39 minutes).
As reported by: Josh Robbins on Twitter Other tagged players: Jason Smith, Dewayne Dedmon