Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) in the second half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016, in Denver. The Warriors won 125-101. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
The Warriors are dropping like flies and could use a little luck of the Irish, but it doesn't stop there. There's enough injury news floating around out there for tonight's 10 game set of contests to fill a pot of gold. DFSR has you covered with all of your news and updates for Saturday night!
Before you dive in, don't forget to check out our NBA lineup projection system's top picks of the day here.
Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our NBA optimizer, our NFL Optimizer, and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below.
First time with NBA or NFL? Be sure to read our free NBA and NFL Ebooks on building lineups, general strategy and more. We've got you completely covered.
Durant was ruled out of last night's game before undergoing an MRI that confirmed a rib fracture that will lead to him missing at least two weeks. He joins Steph Curry and Klay Thompson on the shelf with an ankle and Thumb injury respectively. Omri Casspi would have benefitted the most from KD's absence, but he then rolled his ankle last night against the Kings and left the game in the second quarter. We are waiting on word on the severity of his injury, and how it impacts his status for tonight. If Casspi is ruled out Andre Iguodala becomes a fantastic play against a weak Phoenix defense. If Casspi plays then consider him everywhere.
Dunn sprained his toe against Memphis on Thursday and will be held out tonight as a precaution. He will be joined on the bench by Lauri Markkanen who is sitting out his third straight with back spasms. This leaves Chicago without two starters as they prepare to host LeBron and the Cavs while Zach LaVine and Noah Vonleh are each questionable. Look for Cameron Payne to draw the likely start at the point for Chicago while Bobby Portis could be looking at big minutes if Vonleh joins Markkanen on the bench.
Although the Cavs don't think the issue is serious, they are resting Larry Nance Jr. for a second game as he deals with back spasms. He'll be joined in street clothes by Rodney Hood and Kyle Korver. Jeff Green is the likely candidate to continue starting in Nance's spot, and we spotlighted him in our picks article, while George Hill, Jordan Clarkson, and J.R. Smith all split the time vacated by Hood and Korver in the backcourt.
Lee will miss tonight's game for a funeral of a family member. Expect Frank Ntilikina to fill the vacated starters role for as long as Lee remains out but don't expect much as in his last three starts Ntilikina did nearly enough to pay value in about 30 minutes on average.
Harris injured his knee on Thursday in a win against the Pistons, and though originally listed as soreness, it is now being classified as a sprain and the Nuggets have ruled him out for tonight's game against the Grizzlies. Will Barton and Jamal Murray each stand to pick up added value with Harris sitting this one out.
Crabbe has been dealing with the illness for a few days now, so his status for tonight should be considered doubtful for tonight's game against Dallas. In addition to Crabbe being sidelined, Dante Cunningham was forced to leave last night's game early with a left eye contusion after just six minutes and has been ruled out tonight. If both are both unavailable tonight that could lead to expanded usage for Caris LeVert and Joe Harris.
Booker has a sprained hand which he attempted to play through on Thursday night in Utah but clearly the issue was bothering him as he struggled to reach a 12/5/2 line in 34 minutes. If the issue is resolved, and Booker feels fine to play the Warriors tonight, he's in an excellent spot. I strongly considered adding him to the picks column for today, but he he will likely be a true game-time decision in one of the last games of the night, so the situation isn't worth considering except on the later slates. If Booker sits, expect to see more of Josh Jackson in an expanded role tonight.
Turner tweaked his ankle against the Raptors on Thursday night and will try it out during shootaround before a decision is made on his availability tonight against the Wizards. The Pacers are already without Domantas Sabonis who missed Thursday's game and has already been ruled out for tonight with his own ankle injury which could lead to a thin Pacers interior adding value to the likes of Al Jefferson and Trevor Booker.
Rubio bruised his knee Thursday against the Suns and will be re-evaluated at some point today before a decision is made on his status for this evening's game against Sacramento. Donovan Mitchell will likely become the primary ballhandler for the Jazz if he is ruled out with Dante Exum seeing an increased role as well. (Update: Rubio will play)
Tyreke Evans returned from a lengthy absence Thursday, and Harrison and Chalmers who have missed eight and six games respectively are each nearing a return which will provide much-needed relief to the Memphis perimeter, while deeply cutting the value of guys like Ben Mclemore, and Wayne Selden. This whole situation is best just left alone from a daily fantasy perspective with plenty of other options available at the one and two.
Opponent - PHO
Proj Pts FD - 28.77 DK - 30.14
Our first player showing up everywhere in our NBA lineup optimizer was spotlighted in our picks article. Though the price has jumped rather quickly, Nick Young is still a cheap option at the two guard as he continues to fill in for the Warriors who are struggling to put a full squad on the court while Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant among others deal with a myriad of assorted ailments. Swaggy P has started two games for the Warriors now seeing an average of 34 minutes per game. He was much more impressive against the Lakers, being stifled by the Kings last night in a game that got away from the Warriors at the end. Young sees his usage jump from 17.1% on a full strength Warriors team, to 27.5% when Steph, Klay, and KD are out of the picture. This game featured two of the four fastest teams in the NBA by pace factor and has a 215 projected total and a mere three-point spread. It should be a shootout that goes down to the wire and Young should make for a fantastic play in all formats with a solid 25 FP floor against a weak Phoenix defense that could very well be without Devin Booker.
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 22.97 DK - 23.7
In the picks article I spotlight Young and James Harden, citing both as the only two options I could see considering at the two tonight. Our lineup optimizer, however, is loving Jordan Clarkson tonight against the Bulls and it's easy to see why. Clarkson has played 14 games for the Cavaliers now and has been locked into a fairly steady 20-25 minute rotation with the second unit while generally posting 20-30FPPG. As we have established, Cleveland is thin in the backcourt tonight, with Rodney Hood and Kyle Korver both ruled out for tonight's contest allowing Clarkson and J.R. Smith to each pick up a couple of extra shots. The Cavaliers are 6.5 point favorites in this game which sports a 225 O/U which means there should be plenty of opportunity for Clarkson, who like Young is priced below where he should be based on the opportunity tonight's matchup presents.
image sources
Week 12 DraftKings and FanDuel cash game NFL plays.
DraftKings and FanDuel Week 11 cash game NFL plays
Week 10 NFL cash game picks for DraftKings and FanDuel
Daily Fantasy DraftKings and FanDuel NBA Picks & Projections Playing NBA DFS Nightly? Join one…
Week 9 NFL DFS plays for DraftKings and FanDuel
Packed slate of NBA action on FanDuel and DraftKings