DFS Alerts
Marcus Thornton to start, Terrence Jones off bench on Wednesday
Despite the return of Terrence Jones, the Rockets will stick with a smaller starting lineup featuring Marcus Thornton. While he’s not guaranteed as many minutes with Jones healthy, Thornton is still in line for somewhere in the range of 25 minutes, which makes him a viable value target, especially in tournaments. He’s a streaky shooter and can provide solid value when he gets hot. James Harden is the only cash game worthy play on the Rockets tonight.
As reported by: Craig Ackerman on Twitter
Rashad Vaughn to start tonight?
With Michael Carter-Williams and Jabari Parker both out tonight, the Bucks lineup is somewhat in flux. We can pencil in Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greg Monroe, but the other two spots are unclear. Tyler Ennis is likely to draw another start at PG, with Rashad Vaughn, Chris Copeland and Johnny O’Bryant vying for the other starting spot. We’ll pass along confirmation when we have it.
As reported by: Gery Woelfel on Twitter P.J. Hairston cleared to play on Wednesday
Hairston will play on Wednesday and will presumably draw the start. Despite the fact that he’s a starter, Hairston doesn’t see many minutes (17.5 average on the season), and isn’t a DFS option. Jeremy Lamb and Jeremy Lin will continue to eat up most of the minutes at SG off the bench.
As reported by: Rick Bonnell on Twitter Kevin Durant to be re-evaluated in 7-10 days
Kevin Durant injured his hamstring last night and will be out 7-10 days. The Thunder play the Sixers, Celtics, Grizzlies, Pelicans, Knicks, and Mavericks in the next 10 days. Russell Westbrook is basically a must play with Serge Ibaka also being another starter that will see more shots. Dion Waiter will try to do his best off the bench, he had 25 points last night but is a streaky player. Look for Anthony Morrow to also get some burn because Kyle Single will likely start. Enes Kanter will be asked to take on more of an offensive burden and could see more minutes in crunch time alongside Serge Ibaka.
As reported by: Anthony Slater on Twitter
Metta World Peace to start for Kobe on Wednesday
Metta World Peace will be getting his second start in a row for the Lakers. Last night he played well, but the Lakers still got blown out. World Peace had 14 points in 22 minutes and didn’t provide much else. He is not much of a DFS option due to his lack of stats outside of scoring. With Byron Scott having no idea how to manage minutes, the only bets on the Lakers are Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle. Clarkson gets a tough matchup tonight against Oladipo while Randle should guard Tobias Harris.
As reported by: Baxter Holmes on Twitter Nikola Vucevic is active, but won't start vs. Lakers
Nikola Vucevic will play tonight, but will not start. Dewayne Dedmon will draw another start at center, but he’s not a DFS option with Vucevic active. Per Magic beat reporter John Denton, Vucevic tested his knee out and has full confidence that he’ll be close to top form tonight. Regardless, Vuc is not a DFS option off the bench.
As reported by: Josh Robbins on Twitter Isaiah Canaan starting at SG Wednesday
Isaiah Canaan will be starting at shooting guard for the 76ers tonight. Possibly moving Nik Stauskas to the bench. The Sixers’ roster is extremely thin and we could see Canaan reach 30 minutes.
As reported by: Rotoworld.com Celtics to start Isaiah Thomas, Evan Turner in backcourt
Marcus Smart is going to play tonight, but he’ll come off the bench with Thomas and Turner starting at the 1 and 2 spots. Thomas is not quite as appealing in DFS terms as he was when Smart was out, but he’s still an attractive play tonight as the starter. Avery Bradley is not going to play tonight, so it’s possible that Thomas’ minutes/usage aren’t affected tonight. Evan Turner is a potential GPP punt play, but he’s not viable in cash games. It’s worth noting that Brad Stevens is bringing Smart off the bench to “manage his minutes,” but we’re still unclear if there is a specific minutes cap in place.
As reported by: Sean Grande on Twitter Arron Afflalo to start on Wednesday
Arron Afflalo will play and start on Wednesday against the Hornets, marking his season debut. Afflalo’s presence will push Sasha Vujacic to the bench, and he’s no longer even remotely a DFS option. Afflalo isn’t a recommended DFS play tonight even as a starter, as it’s unclear what his playing time will look like, and he’s not going to be the first or second option on offense with the starting unit.
As reported by: Stefan Bondy on Twitter Marcus Smart plans "to give it a go" on Wednesday
Marcus Smart will reportedly try to play against the Pacers on Wednesday. This is obviously bad news for the DFS value of Isaiah Thomas, who will likely come off the bench with Smart active. It’s possible that both Thomas and Smart will start given that Avery Bradley is out of action, so we’ll need to see an official starting lineup before taking Isaiah Thomas out of contention.
As reported by: A. Sherrod Blakely on Twitter Andrew Wiggins and Ricky Rubio probable Thursday
Andrew Wiggins and Ricky Rubio both had missed their previous game with injuries. Both have been upgraded to probable for Thursday’s game against the Warriors. This is a game on national TV, so expect both players to log heavy minutes in an attempt to upset the Champs in Minnesota. Wiggins was starting to pick up his play and was able to hit the 30 point mark in his last two games. Rubio will have his hands full guarding Stephen Curry, but will be relied on to initiate the offense for the T’Wolves.
As reported by: Kyle Ratke on Twitter C.J. Watson ruled out for Wednesday
C.J. Watson will not play tonight with a sore left calf. This opens up more playing time for Shabazz Napier, who will presumably act as the backup point guard tonight. Elfrid Payton is a solid bet for big minutes, as is Victor Oladipo. Both Payton and Oladipo are excellent tournament targets tonight, even with Nikola Vucevic potentially returning.
As reported by: Josh Robbins on Twitter Richaun Holmes out
Holmes injured his hamstring in practice and has been ruled out for tonight’s game. Jerami Grant will be the benefactor and could see a ton of minutes tonight. With Nerlens Noel also out in this game nursing a wrist injury, the 76ers will rely heavily on Jahlil Okafor.
As reported by: Ryan Wolstat on Twitter Avery Bradley out on Wednesday, Marcus Smart still TBD
Avery Bradley has been ruled out of tonight’s game with the Pacers. Marcus Smart’s status is still up in the air, although it looks more likely that he ends up sitting out. Isaiah Thomas should play in the neighborhood of 35 minutes and is playable in any format tonight. R.J. Hunter saw some extended run off the Celtics bench last night and is likely to see similar usage tonight, although he’s not a DFS option.
As reported by: A. Sherrod Blakely on Twitter Kobe Bryant will not play Wednesday vs. Magic
Kobe will miss his second straight game with a sore back. Metta World Peace started in his place last night and had a surprisingly productive game, finishing with 14pts, 2blks, 1stl and 1ast in 22 minutes. We can expect around the same amount of playing time from him assuming he draws another start, but Metta is not a recommended DFS play. Jordan Clarkson will get a nice bump in value as a result of Kobe sitting, as will Lou Williams and Nick Young off the bench. The crowded backcourt in LA makes targeting any one of them tough, so they are relegated to GPP-only at this point.
As reported by: Baxter Holmes on Twitter