DFS Alerts
Favorite High Priced Spend On DraftKings
If you are playing on a site where positions don’t matter (cough, DraftKings, cough, cough) then Giannis is the guy you should be prioritizing as your high dollar spend. With Russell Westbrook expected back for the Rockets, Harden’s usage will take a hit (his usage rate increased 7% during the regular season when RWB was off the court) and I don’t have a whole lot of interest in trying to predict which Laker studs turn it is to have a good fantasy performance. There’s a chance the Bucks win in a blowout but Antetokounmpo’s rotation should still make him a safe bet for ~30 minutes which is enough to make him my preferred option. On FanDuel you can very easily make the argument that Anthony Davis is the preferred spend as PF is a much weaker position than SF.
Core Play On FanDuel (PF Stinks!)
Perhaps even more so than the PG position, the PF position is REALLY lacking strong options on Saturday’s 3-game slate. As a result we are left with Anthony Davis and a bunch of bums. Jeff Green has been outplaying Robert Covington this series but it was a promising sign to see RoCo back playing mid-30’s minutes in their last game. At a similar price point I think you need to side with the starter here but Green is a fine PF2 alternative if you can’t find the extra $200 to spend.
Price + Positional Scarcity
Let me preface this blurb by saying I don’t feel anymore comfortable tagging Markelle Fultz as a core play than you will feel actually rostering him. However, the reality is he is a guy that frequently finds himself into optimal lineup construction due to positional scarcity. This is especially true on FanDuel where we are forced to roster two PG options which is a bit of a daunting task with Damian Lillard OUT and Russell Westbrook (quad) just returning from injury. There are ways around rostering Fultz on DraftKings but he does make for one of the better mid-tier point-per-dollar options.
NBA players have voted to resume the season, but Thursday's three playoff games have been postponed
NBA players agreed to continue playing this postseason during a meeting this morning, but they want to find new and improved ways to make social justice statements within the platform that the Orlando bubble provides. Players expect games to resume by this weekend at the latest, which means the three playoff games that were originally scheduled for today will be postponed to a later date.
As reported by: Adrian Wojnarowski via Twitter
George Hill (undisclosed) inactive Wednesday
Hill was never listed on the Bucks’ injury report, but he’s been included on the inactive list that is provided to media members prior to tipoff, and he won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic due to a presently unknown reason. Hill was one of the more outspoken NBA players about the latest racial injustice incident that occurred in the Bucks’ home state of Wisconsin, so it would seem that is the reason behind his unavailability for today’s contest. In his absence, Donte DiVincenzo will likely take on a more prominent role in the second unit and will serve as the backup point guard behind Eric Bledsoe this afternoon. Additionally, Frank Mason has been listed on the active roster in Hill’s place, but he’s unlikely to see the court in any competitive game script.
As reported by: Jake Chapman via Twitter Aaron Gordon (hamstring) out Wednesday
The Magic announced that Gordon has been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks due to a strained hamstring that’s now forced him to miss the first five games of the playoffs, while Michael Carter-Williams also remains sidelined with a foot injury. Gordon was also unavailable during Orlando’s final four seeding games, and in his absence, Gary Clark has joined the starting lineup at power forward but has been inconsistent for daily fantasy purposes despite logging at least 27 minutes in each of the Magic’s previous four contests. Clearly, Clark remains a volatile daily fantasy option with Terrence Ross, D.J. Augustin, and Khem Birch all capable of receiving extended run off the bench if head coach Steve Clifford chooses to do so.
As reported by: Josh Robbins via Twitter Russell Westbrook (quad) upgraded to questionable Wednesday
Despite originally being listed out on the Rockets’ injury report, Westbrook has officially been upgraded to questionable for Wednesday’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder after missing the previous six games due to a strained quad. Westbrook will test out his ailing quad in pregame warmups before a final decision is made on his status for tonight’s contest, but if he’s cleared to return, it’d be unlikely that he would be subject to a minute restriction since the Rockets tend to hold their players out until they’re ready to handle a full allotment of minutes. If Westbrook is able to suit up, Danuel House Jr. would likely be relegated to a reserve role, while Ben McLemore would almost certainly find himself out of the regular rotation entirely.
As reported by: Jonathan Feigen via Twitter Luka Doncic (ankle), Dorian Finney-Smith (hip), and Trey Burke (ankle) available to play Tuesday
The Mavericks announced that Doncic, Finney-Smith, and Burke will all be available to play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers despite dealing with their respective ailments, while Kristaps Prozingis was previously ruled out due to a sore right knee that also forced him to be a late scratch from the starting lineup in Sunday’s win. In his absence, Burke ended up receiving the start alongside Doncic in the backcourt as head coach Rick Carlisle opted to go small with Maxi Kleber manning the center position. Burke may not come close to the massive 37-minute total he accumulated in Game 4, but he’ll still be firmly in play for daily fantasy formats on tonight’s slate, especially if Dorian Finney-Smith is limited in any way, which could also bring Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Boban Marjanovic into consideration at their low price tags across the industry.
As reported by: Mavs PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Dorian Finney-Smith, Trey Burke Gary Harris (hip) out Tuesday
Harris has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz due to a strained left hip muscle that has forced him to be sidelined for the entirety of the Nuggets’ time in the Orlando bubble. This was the first time Harris had been listed as anything better than doubtful, so there was definitely some optimism that he might have been able to play in tonight’s contest. However, now that he’s unavailable, Monte Morris and Jerami Grant will likely remain in the starting lineup at their respective positions, which keeps them both firmly in play for daily fantasy formats after they each logged at least 35 minutes in Sunday’s loss.
As reported by: the Denver Nuggets via Twitter Kristaps Porzingis (knee) listed out Tuesday
According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, the Mavericks have officially listed Porzingis out for Tuesday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers due to a sore right knee that also forced him to be a late scratch from the starting lineup in Sunday’s win. In his absence, Trey Burke ended up receiving the start alongside Luka Doncic in the backcourt as head coach Rick Carlisle opted to go small with Maxi Kleber manning the center position. Burke may not come close to the massive 37-minute total he accumulated in Game 4, but he’ll still be firmly in play for daily fantasy formats on tonight’s slate, especially if Dorian Finney-Smith is ruled out closer to tipoff, which would also bring Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Boban Marjanovic, and possible Justin Jackson into consideration at their low price tags across the industry.
As reported by: Marc Stein via Twitter Dorian Finney-Smith (hip) listed questionable Tuesday
The Mavericks have added Finney-Smith to the injury report, and he is listed as questionable for Tuesday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers due to a strained left hip and sore right hip, while Kristaps Porzingis remains questionable because of a sore right knee that forced him to be a late scratch from Sunday’s win. Luka Doncic and Trey Burke are also still listed as probable with their respective ailments, but if Porzingis and Finney-Smith are unable to give it a go, the Mavericks could find themselves extremely thin in the frontcourt which could lead to expanded roles for the likes of Justin Jackson, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Boban Marjanovic regardless if they start or come off the bench this evening.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Jae Crowder (ankle) will start Monday; Andre Iguodala (hip) and Derrick Jones Jr. (ankle) active
Crowder has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Monday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers despite continuing to deal with a sprained ankle. Crowder will remain in the starting lineup for yet another game, but he still hasn’t eclipsed the 28-minute mark in any of the Heat’s first three games of this first-round playoff series as the starting power forward. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Crowder, so he should be expected to see a similar workload in this evening’s contest. As for Jones, he’s had a much less significant role in head coach Erik Spoelstra’s rotation and has totaled just over 35 minutes through over this span whereas, Iguodala has essentially taken on a sixth-man role and is averaging similar playing time to Crowder thus far in the playoffs.
As reported by: Anthony Chiang via Twitter Other tagged players: Andre Iguodala, Derrick Jones Jr. Aaron Gordon (hamstring) out Monday
The Magic announced that Gordon has been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks due to a strained hamstring that’s now forced him to miss the first four games of the playoffs, while Michael Carter-Williams also remains sidelined with a foot injury. Gordon was also unavailable during Orlando’s final four seeding games, and in his absence, Gary Clark has joined the starting lineup at power forward but has been inconsistent for daily fantasy purposes despite logging at least 28 minutes in each of the Magic’s previous three contests. Clearly, Clark remains a volatile daily fantasy option with Terrence Ross, D.J. Augustin, and Khem Birch all capable of receiving extended run off the bench if head coach Steve Clifford chooses to do so.
Kristaps Porzingis (knee) a late scratch Sunday
Despite previously being announced in the Mavericks’ starting lineup, Porzingis is now a last-minute scratch and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers due to a sore right knee. The Mavericks had been listing Porzingis as probable over the last few games with a lingering heel issue, but this is apparently a new injury for the big man and is serious enough to keep him sidelined with Dallas trailing the Clippers 2-1 in their first-round playoff series. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Luka Doncic, who is battling a sprained ankle, so as of now, it appears the Mavericks are willing to let him see his usual allotment of minutes, though it still remains to be seen if Doncic can be his usual, impactful, efficient self while playing the aforementioned bum ankle.
As reported by: Tim MacMahon via Twitter Luka Doncic (ankle) will play Sunday
Doncic has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Sunday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers despite dealing with a sprained ankle that he sustained during the second half of Friday’s loss. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Doncic, so as of now, it appears the Mavericks are willing to let him see his usual allotment of minutes, though it still remains to be seen if Doncic can be his usual, impactful, efficient self while playing the aforementioned bum ankle.
As reported by: Shams Charania via Twitter