DFS Alerts
Kobe Bryant (shoulder) out on Friday
Kobe Bryant will not play tonight against the Hawks and Anthony Brown should start in his place. Brown is not a DFS option on a ten-game slate. With Jordan Clarkson also questionable, Marcelo Huertas is to be considered a strong value play with his minimum salary.
As reported by: Mike Trudell Other tagged players: Anthony Brown, Marcelo Huertas
Manu Ginobili (groin) probable for Saturday
Manu Ginobili is likely to return to the lineup after missing twelve games with a groin injury. The matchup is enticing going against the Kings but Ginobili will likely not play more than 20 minutes. Ginobili should only be considered as a tournament option on Saturday.
As reported by: @Spurs Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (eye) not expected to play on Saturday
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is dealing with an eye injury and is not expected to play against the Hawks. Jeff Green started in his place in the last game but he was a complete dud. Green shot 0-7 in 17 minutes making him an under-owned play on Saturday. Green is a risky play with Wesley Johnson also playing well. Johnson put up 32.5 DKFP on Wednesday and is a viable punt option with the Hawks playing on the second night of a back-to-back.
As reported by: Ben Bolch Other tagged players: Jeff Green, Wesley Johnson Kenneth Faried, Jusuf Nurkic and Jameer Nelson all probable for tonight
Kenneth Faried has been dealing with lower back issues over the past few games but is listed as probable to play tonight against the Nets. It’s a good spot for Faried assuming he’s able to play a full allotment of minutes, as he was limited to just 18 minutes of court time in the Nuggets last game. He posted just shy of 43 FD points in 29 minutes when these teams met in early February, while Nikola Jokic saw just 14 minutes of court time (and wasn’t in foul trouble). Danilo Gallinari did play in that contest though, so we could see a fairly different rotation play out tonight. Jameer Nelson is listed as probable, but he’s been a DNP-CD recently even when active. With D.J. Augustin playing very well off the bench, Nelson may not see the floor again tonight.
As reported by: Harrison Wind on Twitter Other tagged players: Jameer Nelson, Jusuf Nurkic
Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson questionable for Saturday
It appears that Jimmy Butler is very close to a return and he seems to be closer to probable than questionable based on recent reports. Assuming he returns Saturday, the value of Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol drops off a bit, but Gasol will still be a very strong target against the Rockets front-court. If Gibson is able to go tomorrow, it would nearly take Bobby Portis out of play entirely. We’ll update this situation after tomorrow’s shootaround.
As reported by: Mike McGraw Other tagged players: Taj Gibson Byron Scott suspects that Kobe will sit tonight, but nothing definitive
Byron Scott apparently does not like Kobe’s chances of taking the court tonight against the Hawks, which isn’t terribly surprising after he was only able to play 11 minutes on Wednesday against the Nuggets (after missing the previous two games). We’d consider him doubtful at this point; if he’s unable to go, D’Angelo Russell will see a notable uptick in usage (his usage rate rises about 5 points without Kobe on the floor). If Jordan Clarkson is also unable to play, Marcelo Huertas should see ample run as the only other viable point guard on the roster.
As reported by: Mark Medina Other tagged players: D'Angelo Russell, Marcelo Huertas C.J. Miles out for Pacers tonight; Joe Young questionable
Miles continues to remain out for the Pacers and Young is listed as questionable by the team for their game tonight. This news has no DFS relevance as Young’s playing time is not enough to impact any player positively or negatively (he’s averaged 11.2 minutes per game over his last 10).
As reported by: Indiana Pacers official Twitter feed Other tagged players: Joseph Young
Jimmy Butler set to return on Saturday
It’s unofficial but sources have told media that the plan is for Butler to play on Saturday. It’d be a huge boost for the Bulls in general and most negatively impacts E’Twaun Moore and Tony Snell, both of whom would see reduced roles if Butler plays. We’ll update Butler’s status as we learn more.
As reported by: Teddy Greenstein on Twitter Stanley Johnson out for this weekend's games for Pistons
The Pistons have stated that Johnson will not play this weekend for the team. With the acquisition of Tobias Harris, this news has little DFS relevance other than ensuring Harris continues to see all the minutes he can handle.
As reported by: Keith Langlois on Twitter Terrence Jones ruled OUT for Saturday's game
Jones was a DNP-CD last game and will miss tomorrow’s game with an illness. Not important news for DFS purposes as the re-acquisition of Josh Smith and a healthy Donatas Motiejunas has relegated Jones to fantasy irrelevance.
As reported by: Jonathan Feigen on Twitter Evan Fournier likely to play tonight
Fournier has missed some time with an injured wrist but went through shootaround today and is likely to play tonight according to Magic Head Coach Scott Skiles. This will reduce Mario Hezonja’s role and relevance for DFS purposes while Fournier could be a low-owned player to target going against a Suns team that is dead last in SG DvP and bottom five in SF DvP (the two positions Fournier is most likely to play). We’ll update you on Fournier’s status if anything changes prior to tip off.
As reported by: Josh Robbins on Twitter Kevin Love OUT tonight
The Cavaliers will rest Love tonight for their game against the Washington Wizards. One would think this would most benefit the likes of Tristan Thompson and Timothy Mozgov the most as they will see more minutes as a result but the usage changes generally benefit Kyrie Irving and Lebron James the most when Love as out as both see >5% increase in their usage when Love is not on the court according to the RotoGrinder CourtIQ tool (in Beta). Both were already strong options before and are even stronger now that Love will not be playing.
As reported by: Joe Gabriele on Twitter Other tagged players: Kyrie Irving, LeBron James Steph Curry (ankle) will start tonight
Steph Curry will be back in the starting lineup tonight after missing one game with an ankle injury. Curry is considered an elite option and should be in your lineups. Curry is a solid late-swap option over Westbrook tonight and could have the lower ownership percentage of the two.
As reported by: Monte Poole Andre Iguodala (hamstring) to play on Thursday
Andre Iguodala will return to the Warriors bench after a one-game absence with a hamstring injury. Iguodala will be tasked with guarding Kevin Durant and makes for a sneaky under-owned pick tonight. On a four-game slate, Iguodala has a chance to exceed value if he plays over 30 minutes.
As reported by: Marcus Thompson Jimmy Butler (knee) will return on Saturday
Jimmy Butler will be returning to the lineup against the Rockets on Saturday. Butler should be considered an elite option due to the fact he will not be on a minutes restriction. With the news coming out this early, there is a chance he could go overlooked this weekend. The Bulls have given up over 100 points in 15 consecutive games and the Rockets are one of the teams we try to target often in DFS. Expect a high-scoring game Saturday in Chicago on national television.
As reported by: Vincent Goodwill