37 mins agoAtlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray (back) will play against the Celtics. The lower back soreness is nothing new, so he wasn't expected to sit this one out, considering Atlanta is trying to remain in the Play-In conversation. The 27-year-old has been on a roll, averaging 25.8 points, 9.2 assists, and 2.3 steals in March, making him an ideal DFS option for all contests.Source: Bally Sports Hawks
38 mins agoBoston Celtics forward/center Xavier Tillman Sr. (knee) will play on Thursday against Atlanta. He wasn't available when these clubs met on Monday night because of knee swelling and was questionable heading into this one. But he's averaged just 3.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in 11 games with the Celtics, so his presence won't mean much to DFS managers, even with Al Horford (toe) sidelined.Source: NBA Injury Report
46 mins agoBoston Celtics forward Al Horford (toe) won't play in Thursday's rematch against the Hawks. He continues to be bothered by a toe sprain. However, the 37-year-old logged 36 minutes in Monday's loss to Atlanta, so it's surprising he's unavailable. Fortunately, the C's will get back Jrue Holiday (shoulder) from a five-game absence. But without Horford on the floor, Sam Hauser, averaging 12.6 points and 5.0 rebounds in 10 starts this season, remains a viable fantasy asset.Source: Boston Celtics
51 mins agoBoston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday (shoulder) will play on Thursday against the Hawks. The 33-year-old has been sidelined for the last five games because of an AC joint sprain and was listed as questionable for the rematch versus Atlanta. However, he's good to go and won't have any restrictions, which is certainly good news for fantasy managers. Sam Hauser, who has averaged 12.6 points and 5.0 rebounds in 10 starts this year, will head back to the bench. Yet, with Al Horford (toe) out, Hauser could remain involved enough to warrant DFS consideration.Source: NBA Injury Report
4 hours agoChicago Bulls guards Alex Caruso (ankle) and Ayo Dosunmu (illness) are probable for Friday's tilt against the Brooklyn Nets. Caruso continues to deal with a sprained left ankle, and Dosunmu is managing an upper respiratory illness, but they are likely to suit up for the Bulls on Friday. Both guards are offering top-50 value in nine-category leagues over the past two weeks of action, with Caruso notching double scoring figures as well as multiple triples and steals in six of his past seven showings and Dosunmu averaging 22.3 points, 5.3 assists, 1.2 swipes, and 2.7 triples across his last six games. They will both be worth deploying against a Nets squad permitting the most three-pointers (3.6) to opposing point guards this season.Source: NBA.com
4 hours agoCleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (ankle) is probable for Friday's contest versus the Philadelphia 76ers. Despite a sprained right ankle, Garland is expected to play on Friday. The 24-year-old All-Star guard has helped pick up the slack in Donovan Mitchell's (knee, nose) absence, supplying 19.1 points, 7.0 dimes, 3.3 rebounds, 0.9 steals, and 3.3 three-pointers covering his latest 15 appearances but is hurting nine-category fantasy managers with 3.0 turnovers per contest over this period. If Mitchell returns to Cleveland's lineup against the Sixers, Garland could witness a rise in efficiency and a drop in giveaways with less usage on his plate.Source: Evan Dammarell - FearTheSword.com
4 hours agoCleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (knee, nose) is listed as questionable for Friday's game versus the Philadelphia 76ers. The upgrade coincides with a report on Wednesday from The Athletic's Shams Charania that Mitchell was targeting a return on Friday from a six-game absence with a knee injury and nasal fracture. Even so, the two-way superstar's status could ultimately come down to a game-time decision based on pregame warmups. Point forward Caris LeVert's run as a primary ball handler for the Cavs could be nearing a close, averaging 11.8 points, 7.8 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 threes, and 1.4 steals through his last 12 games (seven starts). He should remain held in all fantasy leagues until Mitchell is officially cleared, though.Source: Evan Dammarell - FearTheSword.com
6 hours agoMiami Heat forward Duncan Robinson (back) has been ruled out for Friday's meeting with the Portland Trail Blazers. Left facet syndrome will cost Robinson a fifth game in a row, with the catch-and-shoot wing's next chance to return coming in Sunday's clash with the Washington Wizards. 2022 first-rounder Nikola Jovic has seen the most noticeable increase in playing time during Robinson's absence, logging 25.4 minutes per contest over his past four games (all starts) with averages of 10.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 2.5 threes. He's a barely-there streamer during the fantasy semifinals against a Portland squad yielding the fifth-fewest treys per game (11.7).Source: Miami Heat on X
6 hours agoMiami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (illness) is probable for Friday's tilt versus the Portland Trail Blazers. Butler was expected to play through his illness in Tuesday's win over the Cleveland Cavaliers before being surprisingly ruled out, but the Miami Herald's Anthony Chiang also reports the 34-year-old two-way superstar was a limited participant in Thursday's practice. Over 13 games since the All-Star Break, Butler is collecting a strong 21.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.9 three-pointers per contest. His return for the Heat would send first-round rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. to Miami's bench, and Butler would be a must-start season-long fantasy option in a soft matchup with the 19-54 Blazers on Friday.Source: Anthony Chiang - Miami Herald
6 hours agoAtlanta Hawks center Onyeka Okongwu (toe) has been ruled out for Thursday's contest against the Boston Celtics. Sidelined for a fourth straight game with a sprained left big toe, the 23-year-old paint presence looks to return in Saturday's matchup versus the Milwaukee Bucks. Starting center Clint Capela has posted three consecutive double-doubles in Okongwu's absence, while backup big man Bruno Fernando has received more run from Atlanta's second unit. Fernando is averaging 15.0 points on 76.0% shooting from the field, 6.0 boards, and 2.0 combined steals plus blocks in 21.9 minutes over his last three outings for the 33-39 Hawks, but he'll take on a Celtics team allowing the third-fewest FanDuel points to opposing centers.Source: Brad Rowland - Locked On Podcast Network
6 hours agoAtlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray (back) is questionable for Thursday's game against the Boston Celtics. Murray was iffy for Wednesday's win over the Portland Trail Blazers with lower back soreness, and his status remains up in air on the second night of Atlanta's back-to-back. Bogdan Bogdanovic would play more as a point forward if the star guard sits out on Thursday, while 2020 second-rounder Vit Krejci would handle the bulk of the ball-handling duties in this case. Krejci has started the last five games for the Hawks and averaged 10.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 2.0 three-pointers in 31.9 minutes, but Boston ranks first in the Eastern Conference in opponent field-goal percentage (45.4%).Source: Brad Rowland - Locked On Podcast Network
9 hours agoBrooklyn Nets forward Keita Bates-Diop (shin) will be out for the rest of the year, the team has announced. He has undergone a procedure to address a stress fracture in his right tibia and will need to recover for a month before resuming on-court activities. The Nets finish their regular-season schedule on April 14 against Philadelphia. Bates-Diop has averaged only a handful of minutes across 14 appearances with the Nets since being acquired from Phoenix in February. He missed a second straight game on Wednesday versus Washington.Source: Reuters
9 hours agoNew Orleans Pelicans guard Dyson Daniels (knee) will be out for a 21st straight game on Thursday versus Milwaukee, but he could be back in the lineup soon after playing in the G League. Daniels, who underwent meniscus surgery in February, had 22 points across 24 minutes in the Birmingham Squadron's 115-99 loss to the Oklahoma City Blue on Wednesday. The versatile guard has averaged 5.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.4 steals during his sophomore season with the Pelicans. His next chance to make a return to the NBA stage comes on Saturday versus Boston.Source: NBA Injury Report
10 hours agoCharlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball (ankle) will miss the rest of the season, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The talented playmaker has been on the shelf for 29 games already and will remain out for the final couple of weeks. After playing only 36 games last season, Ball will be forced to settle with just 22 outings in 2023-24 as he continues to have awful luck with injuries. Ball notched 23.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 1.8 steals whilst in the lineup. Vasilije Micic and Tre Mann have taken over the Hornets' backcourt lately and should remain strong fantasy options for the rest of the way.Source: Adrian Wojnarowski
10 hours agoNew Orleans Pelicans point guard Jose Alvarado (hip) has been tagged as questionable for Thursday's game against Milwaukee. He had to exit Tuesday's clash with OKC due to a hip problem, and the same ailment might keep him off the court entirely on Thursday. Alvarado's potential absence could help Jordan Hawkins re-emerge in the rotation. The rookie is a good three-point threat but doesn't offer much else to fantasy managers.Source: NBA Injury Report