DFS Alerts
Dennis Schroder (personal) out Monday
Schroder has been forced to leave the Orlando bubble to tend to a personal matter, so he has effectively been ruled out and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets, joining fellow teammate Terrance Ferguson, who is dealing with a right lower leg contusion, on the inactive list for today’s contest. During his pregame media availability via Zoom, head coach Billy Donovan confirmed that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will assume an even larger role in running the offense with the second unit, which is excellent news for his viability in daily fantasy formats since he has 34.6% usage rate and is averaging 1.35 DraftKings and 1.27 FanDuel points per minute when both Schroder and Chris Paul are off the court this season.
As reported by: Brady Trantham via Twitter
Terrance Ferguson (leg) listed out Monday
Ferguson is a late addition to the Thunder’s injury report and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to right lower leg contusion. However, his absence won’t have any effect on the remaining members of the Thunder’s wing rotation since he was nearly a DNP-CD before logging four minutes of garbage time run in Saturday’s blowout win. It can be expected for Dennis Schroder, Hamidou Diallo, and Andre Roberson to continue handling nearly all of the available reserve minutes at the shooting guard and small forward positions, respectively.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Marco Belinelli (foot) and Bryn Forbes (quad) remain out Monday
As expected, the Spurs formally announced that both Belinelli and Forbes will remain sidelined and won’t be available to play in Monday’s matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers due to their respective ailments. There’s yet to be any confirmation from head coach Gregg Popovich on the playing status of his veteran players on the second leg of a back-to-back set, but assuming they’ll suit up, Derrick White, Lonnie Walker IV, and Keldon Johnson should continue absorbing a majority the available minutes at the small forward and shooting positions moving forward.
As reported by: Evan Closky via Twitter Other tagged players: Bryn Forbes Two Guards From Highest Projected Point Total Game Top Conviction Plays
Memphis allows the 10th most opponent points per game in the NBA and New Orleans allows the 4th most, so it’s no surprise the matchup of these teams has the highest point total on the slate at 236.5. I’ll take two of the players who should have the ball in their hands the most – Jrue Holiday and Ja Morant – from this game and hope that both teams push the pace beyond even beyond their seasonal averages. Jrue Holiday is a better value on FanDuel at $7,600 than on DraftKings at $8,700, but he’s in play for tournaments on any site with the high projected point total of the game, and I’d be comfortable using Ja Morant in any format on any site today.
Other tagged players: Ja Morant
Marco Belinelli (foot) officially out Sunday
As expected, Belinelli has been downgraded from doubtful and won’t be available to play in Sunday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies due to a sprained foot he sustained in the Spurs’ restart opener on Friday evening. The Spurs will also still be without Bryn Forbes in the backcourt rotation, but head coach Gregg Popovich did confirm during his pregame media availability that Patty Mills will play off the bench after being out of the previous game unknown reasons. However, it’s not exactly clear how many minutes Mills will be allotted or is able to play in his Orlando bubble debut, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him just slot right into the role that Belinelli had in Friday’s win prior to his exit early in the third quarter.
As reported by: Paul Garcia via Twitter Jamal Crawford (conditioning) out Sunday
The Nets upgraded Crawford to questionable on their initial injury report, so he may be nearing his Nets debut, but he won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards as he continues to ramp up his conditioning after not playing in any NBA games this season. His absence won’t have any impact on the Brooklyn rotation in today’s contest, but when he’s cleared, there may be fewer backcourt minutes available for players like Chris Chiozza and Tyler Johnson moving forward.
As reported by: Tim Bontemps via Twitter Allen in another great spot on Sunday
Allen started off scorching hot on Friday, but didn’t have the finish fantasy owners were looking for. His DK price of $5,600 is much friendlier than on FD, and it might be time to go back to Brooklyn’s big man on Sunday. I expect Allen to see 30+ minutes if the game is competitive against the Wizards — and it should be, according to Vegas. Four of BK’s starters, including Allen, got pulled at the same time after only about two minutes of run in the fourth quarter against Orlando due to the blowout. Allen played in 13 games this season with at least 30 minutes of action, with an average of 36.6 DKP, scoring over 35 in 7 of those contests. It seems like the Wizards want to give Thomas Bryant a ton of run, as he saw 34 minutes against Phoenix. That’s great for his own offensive upside purposes, but he also comes with the baggage of a 117.5 defensive rating, which ranks just about dead last in the league among active players. Both centers in this game have a chance to crush.
Green light for White
There’s no way to avoid some chalk on Sunday’s slate, but let’s look at White as an intriguing GPP play. He torched the Kings on Friday and I don’t believe it was by chance. Including Friday’s contest, White played a total of 30 minutes in only four games this season. During the other three occurrences, LaMarcus Aldridge, Brynn Forbes and Marco Belinelli played in all of them, while Dejounte Murray appeared in two of the three. White still slapped together DKP totals of 28.3, 27 and 47.3 with no usage rate above 20 in any of them. Guess what? On Sunday, as of 10:30 ET, the only active player of that bunch will again be Murray. White’s usage rate of 27.7% was over 7% higher than any of those other appearances. Now he gets the Grizzlies, who run a top-10 pace in the league. Sign me up.
Solid Mid-Range Option
LeVert didn’t meet expectations on Friday, but a matchup against a slower paced Orlando team combined with a blowout were the main culprits. However, the usage was still there, and he managed to scrape together 30 fantasy points. That is almost certainly a floor for him with all of Brooklyn’s current absences. Today, things should get much better. LeVert gets a significantly more favorable matchup against a Wizards team that is abysmal defensively and is missing some key pieces. Washington ranks just 28th in the league in defensive efficiency rating, which means that LeVert should be able to cash in on his opportunities in this game. When you combine a 30+ minute role with a 33-36% usage rate and a favorable matchup, you get all the makings of a huge game. Don’t be surprised if LeVert drops 60+ fantasy points today. He meets every definition of a core play for this depleted Nets squad.
The Price Tag is Just Too Cheap
Lonnie Walker was $3,800 on FanDuel on Friday. They have moved him up by $600. Lonnie Walker was $3,200 on DraftKings on Friday. They have moved him up by $300. Lonnie Walker remains priced at $10 on Yahoo. That’s simply not enough of a bump. The Spurs are missing both Patty Mills and Bryn Forbes right now, and Walker is going to get as many minutes as he can handle with those injuries. He played 32 minutes against the Kings with a 16/3/4 line, and that feels like a floor with that kind of playing time. DeRozan is going to dominate the usage, but we don’t need Walker to post a 30% usage rate to be viable at $4,400 on FD and $3,500 on DK. He fills a punt value need. Also, let’s not forget that a 2020 matchup against Memphis is not the same as what it was in prior years. They rank 7th in the league in pace this year after ranking dead last a year ago — with their games featuring around ten additional possessions per game this year. That helps aid Walker’s floor, and using him will allow you to fit an extra star player into your lineups. Punt away.
Thriving In A Healthy Role
On a points per dollar basis, you can make an argument that Jaren Jackson is one of the top overall plays on this slate. Jackson is going to get all the run he can handle down the stretch of the season with Memphis clinging to their playoff lives. Teams that need to win carry extra fantasy value, and Memphis fits that bill. Jackson was fantastic on Friday with 33 actual points and FIFTEEN three point attempts. He went over 50 fantasy points despite not adding much in terms of peripheral stats in that game. His price barely moved higher for this slate (up from $4,900 to $5,200 on DK and up to $5,900 on FD). This might be the last chance to buy low. Memphis has little trustworthy frontcourt depth on the bench outside of Brandon Clarke, meaning that Jackson will be allowed to roll on a nightly basis. Foul trouble is a minor concern with him, but that is baked into the fact that he is simply far too cheap right now. He should thrive against the San Antonio frontcourt.
Sunday's Top Play
Antetokounmpo played 32 minutes against the Celtics in the first game back from the COVID break, and he ho-hummed his way to yet another fantastic line with 36 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, a steal, and a block. That came in a less than ideal matchup. Now, he gets to face a Houston squad that allowed ONE HUNDRED FORTY NINE points on Friday. Giannis towers over this Houston team and should be able to essentially do whatever he wants. He posted a triple-double in the first regular season meeting between these teams. His hyper efficiency allows him to score nearly two fantasy points per minute, and the usage rate is through the roof. That two fantasy point per minute mark might be the floor in such a favorable matchup. There’s no way around it for me – the matchup makes Giannis the clear #1 choice in optimal builds today.
Mike Scott (knee) and Glenn Robinson III (hip) out Saturday
Scott was a late addition to the Sixers’ injury report and has officially been ruled out of Saturday’s restart opener against the Indiana Pacers due to a sore right knee, while Robinson will be unavailable, as expected, with a left hip pointer he sustained during the team’s final scrimmage. Neither Scott nor Robinson projected to play a major role in the Sixers’ rotation for the eight seeding games, but their absence may allow Raul Neto join the fray for backcourt minutes, while Furkan Korkmaz, Matisse Thybulle, and Alec Burks possess higher ceilings on their potential playing time this evening.
As reported by: Kyle Neubeck via Twitter Other tagged players: Glenn Robinson III Malcolm Brogdon (neck) out Saturday
Brogdon has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Saturday’s restart opener against the Philadelphia 76ers due to a cervical strain, while Victor Oladipo has finally confirmed his decision to take part in the resumption of the NBA season but, according to head coach Nate McMillan, will be limited to between 28-30 minutes in tonight’s contest. With Oladipo on a minute restriction and Brogdon sidelined, Aaron Holiday will receive the starting nod at the point guard position and instantly becomes one of the top value options on tonight’s daily fantasy slates. Myles Turner has a tough individual matchup with Joel Embiid, but he, Holiday, and T.J. Warren all own at least a +4.8% increase in usage rate and are averaging a minimum of +0.16 more fantasy points per minute over their normal season-long numbers with Brogdon and Domantas Sabonis off the court, notably increasing the trio’s projected daily fantasy output this evening.
As reported by: J. Michael via Twitter Other tagged players: Aaron Holiday Victor Oladipo (injury management) will play between 28-30 minutes Saturday
Oladipo has finally confirmed his decision to take part in the resumption of the NBA season and will play in Saturday’s restart opener against the Philadelphia 76ers but, according to head coach Nate McMillan, will be limited to between 28-30 minutes in tonight’s contest. With Oladipo on a minute restriction and Malcolm Brogdon sidelined with a cervical strain, Aaron Holiday will receive the starting nod at the point guard position and instantly becomes one of the top value options on tonight’s daily fantasy slates. Myles Turner has a tough individual matchup with Joel Embiid, but he, Holiday, and T.J. Warren all own at least a +4.8% increase in usage rate and are averaging a minimum of +0.16 more fantasy points per minute over their normal season-long numbers with Brogdon and Domantas Sabonis off the court, notably increasing the trio’s projected daily fantasy output this evening.
As reported by: J. Michael via Twitter