DFS Alerts
Felton Starting
The Mavericks will start Raymond Felton in a two-PG lineup with Deron Williams. Wes Matthews will be starting in place of Chandler Parsons at SF with Parsons likely to start in the second half.
As reported by: Bryan Gutierrez on Twitter
Derrick Favors looks under the weather, will still play
Per Jazz beat reporter Aaron Falk, Favors “definitely looks and sounds under the weather. Taking meds for headache and congestion.” While this report does make Favors a little more risky, he’s going to play tonight and at least at this point it doesn’t sound like his minutes will be limited. Anytime a player is visibly sick, you are always running a risk of them being pulled early or at the first sight of the game getting out of hand.
As reported by: Aaron Falk on Twitter
DeMarcus Cousins out this weekend
The Kings will be holding DeMarcus Cousins out for what looks like the next 2 games. He will be re-evaluated on Sunday, and could possibly play Monday against the Spurs. Willie Cauley-Stein has started both games that Cousins has missed, but is a boom-or-bust option. Starting one game starting and playing the other off the bench, Kosta Koufos has averaged over 20 FPs. Koufos is a solid option against the Rockets on Friday and the Warriors on Saturday.
As reported by: Ailene Voisin Dwyane Wade playing tonight
Dwayne Wade was dealing with migraines but is available tonight against the Timberwolves. Wade will likely be matched up with Andrew Wiggins, which could make for a tough night. Gerald Green (illness) is out of the lineup so Justise Winslow could play a pivotal role off the bench backing up Wade and Deng.
As reported by: Rotoworld.com Derrick Favors will play vs. Denver
Favors will play on Thursday against the Nuggets. We’re not expecting his minutes to be limited, so feel free to deploy him in any format against a very weak Denver front-court. J.J. Hickson and Kenneth Faried will not be able to slow him down, although his illness may be his own worst enemy. Rudy Gobert isn’t negatively affected by this news and can still be used in any format. He should be a monster on the boards tonight.
As reported by: Jody Genessy on Twitter Bulls to put Butler on Durant, Rose on Westbrook?
With Tony Snell now out of the lineup in favor of Doug McDermott, it seems very likely that the Bulls will stick Jimmy Butler on Kevin Durant, with Derrick Rose following Russell Westbrook. Had Snell started, he may have been the guy to track Westbrook. Given the likely match-ups, we’d slightly downgrade Durant and slightly upgrade Westbrook. With that said, Durant is still an elite play and Butler doesn’t have the length to match up with him, although Butler is one of the league’s best on ball defenders. Westbrook should eat Derrick Rose alive, but the Bulls are probably more than content to allow Westbrook to shoot it as often as he wants. That option is much more appealing with Westbrook’s propensity to shoot a poor percentage from the field.
As reported by: K.C. Johnson on Twitter Nikola Jokic will play on Thursday
This was expected to be the case, but it’s now confirmed. Jokic will see minutes off the bench, but it’s unclear what his role is in the rotation at this point. Expect him to play somewhere between 18-22 minutes tonight in a very tough match-up.
As reported by: Jeff Morton on Twitter Doug McDermott starting on Thursday for Tony Snell
Dougie McBuckets will draw the first start of his career tonight against the Thunder. It’s somewhat of a surprise given that the Bulls matched up better defensively with Tony Snell in the lineup, but McDermott will draw the start nonetheless. He’s not a cash game option tonight, but he’s a potential GPP candidate given that his minutes should spike. Don’t expect him to cross the 30 minute plateau.
As reported by: K.C. Johnson on Twitter Marc Gasol warming up
Marc Gasol will warm up to see if he is healthy enough to play. He will be a game-time decision.
As reported by: Rotoworld.com Derrick Favors warming up, looking likely to play
It looks like Favors will play tonight against the Nuggets. He played through the illness last night and was limited to 25 minutes, although some of that may have had to do with foul trouble and the game was somewhat out of hand later in the 4th quarter. Assuming his minutes aren’t limited, Favors is a fine GPP play and could be a cash game option on a short slate. If his illness wasn’t a factor, Favors would be the top option at PF.
As reported by: Jody Genessy on Twitter Maurice Harkless in for an expanded role on Thursday?
With Meyers Leonard very likely to sit tonight, the Blazers will be relying heavily on Mason Plumlee down low, with Ed Davis and Maurice Harkless also seeing a minutes bump. With Plumlee anchoring the center spot, it’ll be tough for the Blazers to generate much offense down low with Davis at PF, which may lead them to play Al-Farouq Aminu more at the 4 with Maurice Harkless seeing extended run at SF. This is also dependent upon whether or not Marc Gasol plays, as the Blazers will be more likely to play big against Gasol and Randolph (although Aminu may actually be able to give Randolph some trouble). Davis has the higher ceiling (and is a fine GPP play), but Harkless may be a little safer and if he plays upwards of 26-28 minutes, he’ll be a worthwhile punt play at minimum price. We’ll need to see who gets the start before recommending either of the two as potential cash game options.
Spoelstra still determining whether Birdman, Amar'e will play
This news doesn’t offer much in the way of DFS implications, but Hassan Whiteside and Chris Bosh’s minutes would be somewhat solidified if both Birdman and Stoudemire were to sit. Either way, Whiteside is the top option at the center position with Bosh as a viable target at PF.
As reported by: Ira Winderman on Twitter Mario Chalmers, Gerald Green inactive on Thursday
With Chalmers and Green out, Wade should play plenty of minutes and is now a candidate to sit tomorrow on the second half of a back-to-back. Tyler Johnson becomes a very interesting punt play at near minimum price across the industry, as his minutes should climb into the mid twenties, making him an option in almost all formats given his price.
As reported by: Ira Winderman on Twitter Omer Asik questionable Friday
Omer Asik is questionable for Friday’s game against the Hawks. Asik has only played 10 minutes so far this season, and Alexis Ajinca will likely be in the starting lineup. Ryan Anderson will look to stay as the spark off the bench, and play in crunch time as the stretch-4 next to Anthony Davis.
As reported by: Rotoworld.com Nikola Vucevic now ruled out for Friday
Nikola Vucevic will not play tomorrow against the Raptors. It’s unclear who will get the start in his place, but it’ll likely be either Dewayne Dedmon or Aaron Gordon depending on how the Magic want to match-up. Dedmon seems to make more sense given the 3-guard lineup the Magic use to start games, and he would be a viable GPP punt at minimum price. Gordon is the higher upside option of the two, and he’s also a worthy target in tournaments. Tobias Harris, Victor Oladipo and Evan Fournier should all play big minutes in an effort to anchor the offense.
As reported by: @MagicInsider on Twitter