DFS Alerts
Patrick Beverley (calf) officially out Sunday
As expected, Beverley has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks due to a lingering left calf strain that also forced him to miss several of the seeding games during this restart in the Orlando bubble. Beverley was limited to just 20 minutes in Game 1, but that was thought to be mostly because of foul trouble since didn’t seem to be hindered by the injured calf too much. However, with Beverley unable to suit up, Landry Shamet should remain in the starting lineup after a solid fantasy performance in 27 minutes of action in Game 3, but make no mistake, Reggie Jackson and Lou Williams still stand to benefit the with him sidelined, though Williams has already logged at least 31 minutes two of the first three games of this series, leaving little room for an increase in his workload this afternoon.
As reported by: Jovan Buha via Twitter
Unicorn sighting Sunday?
There is always a case to play Porzingis in any situation, but as a Conviction Play, he is contingent on Luka Doncic missing Sunday’s game. Across 662 minutes without Doncic on the court this season, Porzingis is averaging 1.5 FDP per minute with a 3.9% usage bump up to 30.8%. Those are elite numbers for a $9,000 player. If Luka is out, do not hesitate to lock in The Unicorn. If Porzingis and the Dallas supporting cast can keep this game close, there is great smash potential here. Today we’re thankful for #LateSwap across the industry!
Potentially Big Minutes For A Low Price
Honestly, who really knows what Brett Brown is going to do, but if last game was any indication he’s going to continue on with an extremely tightened guard rotation. Brown’s tightened rotation in game three resulted in Shake Milton playing the most minutes (38) he’s played in the bubble. Even though Shake isn’t the most efficient fantasy producer, it will be tough for him to not exceed value on his low price tags if he approaches high-30’s minutes once again.
Lagging Price Tag
I never thought I would be writing up Mike Conley as a slate’s top overall play in the playoffs in the year 2020 but here we are. The reality is that while the site’s have done a good job adjusting player pricing throughout the first round, Conley’s price tag is lagging just a bit after missing the first two games due to the birth of his child. I am not expecting some sort of monster performance out of Conley but he’s one of the more attractive point-per-dollar options on the slate and somebody I keep finding myself playing in the majority of my lineups.
A Better Day Is On The Way
TLC disappointed as a core play the other day, but I am willing to go back to the well – pending the Dallas news. Playing TLC the other day was the right process. Did it work out in Game 3? No. However, that was wholly because TLC managed to shoot a woeful 3-for-18 from the field, including 2-for-11 from three point range. The minutes were there. The usage was there. He even had three assists! You can certainly replace TLC with Curry and/or Hardaway should Doncic be out for Dallas, and we will know that news in advance of Brooklyn’s game tipping off. In any event, I would expect a better game from the Brooklyn wings today with the team on the brink of playoff elimination.
Backs Against The Wall
It is a tough call for the top overall play of the day, but for now I will stick with the Philadelphia big man. Embiid owns a massive 36.7% usage rate with Ben Simmons off the floor this season, and he scores around 1.60 fantasy points per minute in those scenarios. Over 36 minutes of court time, that would put him at around 58 fantasy points. In the first three games of this series, Embiid has scored 53, 54, and 52 fantasy points (DK scoring). He has a great combination of floor and safety, and the minutes should be very secure in this game. If Philadelphia wants any hope of salvaging something out of this year’s playoffs, Embiid needs to have a huge game today.
Rajon Rondo (back) scratched Saturday
Despite originally being deemed active by head coach Frank Vogel at his pregame Zoom conference, Rondo has been scratched from the Lakers’ active roster and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers due to back spasms, Rondo suffered a fractured hand in the early stages of the Orlando restart and has yet to play in any game thus far in the bubble. This obviously makes his absence irrelevant to Vogel’s rotation, and one or both of J.R. Smith and Dion Waiters should remain in ancillary roles off the bench for at least one additional game.
As reported by: Jamie Hudson via Twitter Rajon Rondo (hand) active Saturday
Head coach Frank Vogel confirmed with reporters during his pregame Zoom conference that Rondo has will be active for Saturday’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers after previously being listed as questionable with a fractured hand he suffered in the early stages of the Orlando restart. However, Vogel didn’t disclose if Rondo would actually play in tonight’s contest, but if he does see the court, Alex Caruso and potentially J.R. Smith figure to see a reduction in minutes with the second unit moving forward.
As reported by: Dave McMenamin via Twitter Jae Crowder (ankle) will start Saturday; Derrick Jones Jr. (ankle) available to play
Crowder and Jones Jr. have officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Saturday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers despite dealing with their respective ailments. Crowder will remain in the starting lineup for yet another game, but he still hasn’t eclipsed the 25-minute mark in either Game 1 or Game 2 as the Heat’s 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 afternoon’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 26 minutes through the first two games of this first-round playoff series.
As reported by: Ira Winderman via Twitter Other tagged players: Derrick Jones Jr. Aaron Gordon (hamstring) and Michael Carter-Williams (foot) out Saturday
The Magic announced that Gordon and Carter-Williams’ statuses have been downgraded and both have been ruled out of Saturday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks due to their respective ailments that have now forced them to miss the first three games of the playoffs. Gordon was also sidelined during Orlando’s final four seeding games, and in his absence, Gary Clark joined the starting lineup at power forward but was inconsistent for daily fantasy purposes despite averaging nearly 28 minutes during that span. Clark has been serviceable for daily fantasy purposes through these first two contests, but he 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: Orlando Magic PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Michael Carter-Williams Patrick Beverley (calf) officially out Friday
As expected, Beverley has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks due to a lingering left calf strain that also forced him to miss several of the seeding games during this restart in the Orlando bubble. Beverley was limited to just 20 minutes in Game 1, but that was thought to be mostly because of foul trouble since didn’t seem to be hindered by the injured calf too much. With Beverley unable to suit up, Landry Shamet should remain in larger role with the second unit, but make no mistake, Reggie Jackson and Lou Williams figure to benefit the most with him sidelined, though Williams has already logged at least 31 minutes in each of the series’ first two games, leaving little room for an increase in his workload this evening.
As reported by: Jovan Buha via Twitter Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (knee) out Friday
Hollis-Jefferson has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets due to swelling in his left knee. Head coach Nick Nurse had mentioned during his pregame Zoom conference the possibility of Hollis-Jefferson being held out of today’s contest as a precaution, but he did specify that the team didn’t have any concerns that the knee would be a long-term issue. Either way, Hollis-Jefferson’s absence from the rotation won’t have too much of an impact since he hasn’t eclipsed the 11-minute mark in either of the Raptors’ first two playoff games, and that playing time should either be absorbed by players in the primary rotation or possible Chris Boucher may see some sparse run with the second unit.
As reported by: Josh Lewenberg via Twitter Rajon Rondo (hand) inactive Thursday
Rondo was listed as questionable on the initial Lakers’ injury report, but he’ll remain inactive and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers as he continues to recover from a fractured hand he sustained early in the Orlando restarts during a team practice. This will allow Alex Caruso to continue handling nearly all of the playmaking responsibilities when LeBron James is off the court, though he did spend plenty of time on the court with him as well by logging a total of 29 minutes in the Lakers’ Game 1 loss. Caruso was absolutely brutal for daily fantasy purposes in that contest, but he is still an intriguing bounce-back candidate on a slate that is lacking any sure-fire value or tournament punt options.
As reported by: Tania Ganguli via Twitter Aaron Gordon (hamstring) and Michael Carter-Williams (foot) out Thursday
The Magic announced that Gordon and Carter-Williams’ statuses have been downgraded and both have been ruled out of Thursday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks due to their respective ailments that have now forced them to miss the first two games of the playoffs. Gordon was also sidelined during Orlando’s final four seeding games, and in his absence, Gary Clark joined the starting lineup at power forward but was inconsistent for daily fantasy purposes despite averaging nearly 28 minutes during that span. Clark was productive in the Magic’s Game 1 win, but he 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: Orlando Magic PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Michael Carter-Williams Lu Dort (knee) will play Thursday
Dort has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Thursday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets after missing Game 1 due to a sprained left knee. In his absence, Terrance Ferguson ended up receiving the starting nod alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and was largely irrelevant in daily fantasy formats during his 16 minutes of action. Ferguson was apart of the committee that spent time trying to defend James Harden in the previous contest, but now that Dort has been cleared to play, Ferguson will more than likely be relegated back towards the end of head coach Billy Donovan’s rotation and be a strong candidate to pick up a DNP-CD this afternoon.
As reported by: Brent Zwerneman via Twtiiter