DFS Alerts
Patrick McCaw (illness) listed out Sunday
As expected, McCaw has been downgraded from doubtful on the latest Raptors injury report and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers due to an illness that has now forced him to miss two games, while Norman Powell and Marc Gasol remain sidelined with their respective ailments, the latter still being a ways away from a return to game action. McCaw has largely been in a reserve role and playing anywhere between mid-teens and low-20s minutes off the bench of late, which means that his vacated playing time should be absorbed mostly by the starters and Terence Davis, whereas Matt Thomas is a candidate to step into the rotation to absorb a minimal role in the second unit as well. Davis isn’t exactly priced down on daily fantasy sites, but he could be a viable tournament option on a six-game slate since he is averaging 1.07 DraftKings and 1.00 FanDuel points per minute with McCaw, Powell, and Gasol off the court this season.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report
Allen Crabbe (personal) out Sunday
Crabbe is a late addition to the Timberwolves’ injury report and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets due to personal reasons, while D’Angelo Russell was already ruled out as part of a rest management plan and joins Karl-Anthony Towns on the inactive list for tonight’s contest. In Russell’s absence, Jordan McLaughlin will receive the starting nod at the point guard position and should have a realistic route to a heavy minute workload with James Johnson expected to handle the second unit point guard responsibilities this evening. The last time Russell was unavailable and the Timberwolves were shorthanded, McLaughlin logged 37 minutes of action and was phenomenal for fantasy purposes, which makes him an elite option for all daily fantasy formats on a six-game slate since he has a solid 29.7% assist rate and is averaging 0.92 DraftKings and 0.92 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: Timberwolves PR via Twitter Victor Oladipo (back) and Edmond Sumner (hip) out Sunday
As expected, Oladipo has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors due to a sore lower back, while Edmond Sumner will also unavailable after originally being listed as questionable with a sore left hip. However, Sumner has been out of the regular rotation for quite some time, so his availability means essentially nothing to the remaining backcourt members. In Oladipo’s absence, Jeremy Lamb will more than likely step into the starting lineup at the shooting guard position, and he saw his playing time decline to just under 23 minutes off the bench with Oladipo free of a minute restriction in Friday’s win. Ever since Oladipo made his season debut at the end of January, the main beneficiaries with off the court have been Lamb and Domantas Sabonis, as they each own a minimum of a +2.0% increase in usage rate and are averaging at least +0.08 more fantasy points per minute over their normal season-long numbers.
As reported by: the Indiana Pacers via Twitter Other tagged players: Edmond Sumner Top Priority Spend
There are a handful of clear cut plays for Sunday’s main slate but Whiteside is the player I find myself with the most exposure to across the industry largely due to positional scarcity. Due to injury, Sunday’s slate only has a few strong high-priced options with Whiteside leading the way. On sites where you are able to play multiple Center eligible players it is reasonable to pair Whiteside with Nikola Jokic but on FanDuel Whiteside offers a significant discount and is clearly the better point-per-dollar option.
Massive Usage Awaits
Value is the name of the game here. No active player for Minnesota is priced above $5,200 on FanDuel or $5,800 on DraftKings. Sure, it’s a tough matchup on the road in Denver in a game where the Wolves are two touchdown underdogs, but SOMEBODY has to score some points for this team. I’ll start with Beasley, who is clearly loving life as a primary player on his new team. He also has the REVENGE narrative going strong tonight against a team that barely gave him much of an opportunity. Over the last four games, Beasley has played minutes in the mid-30’s while averaging 19 shot attempts and around 37 fantasy points per game. His price tag has not adjusted for this current role, and let’s not forget that the production in those games came with Russell active. Given Russell’s absence tonight, Beasley should be even more involved in the offense. I don’t see how you can ignore him tonight.
The Obvious Value Spot
The Warriors are going through a transition right now, with D’Angelo Russell gone, Willie Cauley-Stein gone, Stephen Curry still out, and other injuries hampering the roster. Draymond Green is going to sit tonight, while Marquese Chriss is also questionable. That leaves the team very thin on the interior for this fantasy-friendly matchup against the Pelicans. Paschall has been around 0.90 fantasy points per minute with Green and Russell off the floor this season, and he should be looking at around 32 minutes tonight. That puts his baselne projection at somewhere close to 30 fantasy points, even without factoring in the plus matchup. Throw in his dirt cheap price tag, and he is the obvious value on this slate.
Back To Health
It was encouraging to see Will Barton return last game from his knee injury and play 32 minutes, which is right around his season average. He looked good too, finishing with a full 16/9/5 line. Barton’s return pushed Torrey Craig back to the bench where he played just 16 minutes, while Michael Porter Jr. also returned but played just 8 minutes. Yes, there are some blowout concerns here against the woeful Timberwolves who will be without KAT and D’Angelo Russell, but Barton was price $1,000 more just a few weeks ago so we’re getting him at a nice discount. He’s someone I’m willing to take shots on in GPPs if he can continue rolling and this game somehow stays competitive.
Rookie In Prime Spot
I listed White as my favorite tournament play yesterday in the Expert Survey, and he came through with a massive 33/3/2/1 steal line over 34 minutes. The bottom line is that the Bulls are destroyed right now by injuries, and with this being the back end of a back-to-back, I see no reason why they’ve scale back the workload of a young rookie like White as they embrace the youth movement. White gets a prime spot here against a Wizards team that’s 5th in pace and dead last in the NBA in defensive rating. Even with his price starting the rise, I still see upside in his price tag.
Injuries Creating Opportunities For Young Stud
With D’Angelo Russell ruled out, I’m hoping we see Jordan McLaughlin draw the start and get solid minutes here. It’s a lost season for the Wolves with Russell out and KAT possibly done for the season. McLaughlin hasn’t seen big minutes this season which is a concern, but when he has played, he’s averaged nearly a fantasy point per minute. From a point-per-dollar perspective, McLaughlin stands out as one of the better values on this slate (assuming he does start and gets starter minutes). If we can get word he’s a confirmed starter, I like his floor in cash games and like his ceiling in tournaments.
Eric Gordon (leg) will play Saturday
Gordon has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Saturday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz after missing three games due to a lower left leg contusion. There haven’t been any reports of a specific minute restriction for Gordon, but head coach Mike D’Antoni did confirm with reporters at his pregame media availability that Gordon will come off the bench in his first game back, possibly signaling that D’Antoni and the training staff plan to ease him back into action. In his absence, Danuel House Jr. and Robert Covington have remained in the starting lineup at the forward positions, and Covington was phenomenal for fantasy purposes in just over 27 minutes of action in Thursday’s blowout win, whereas House saw his playing time slightly reduced in the first half with Jeff Green and DeMarre Carroll each making their Rocket debuts. Clearly, Covington appears to have the more secure minute floor of the two, and he has averaged 1.05 DraftKings and 1.07 FanDuel points per minute since being traded to Houston prior to the deadline.
As reported by: Jonathan Feigen via Twitter Seth Curry (knee) will start Saturday
Curry has officially been upgraded from questionable and will start in Saturday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks despite dealing with a sore right knee, while Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis, and Willie Cauley-Stein were already ruled out for various reasons. Cauley-Stein has logged fewer than five minutes in each of his last two appearances and was even a DNP-CD in Friday’s win, so his absence won’t have any impact on the remaining members of the frontcourt rotation. However, with Doncic and Porzingis unavailable, Jalen Brunson and Maxi Kleber become the leading candidates to join the starting lineup at their respective positions, whereas Boban Marjanovic may be relied upon to absorb the backup center minutes in tonight’s contest. Curry, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Tim Hardaway Jr. all see at least a +4.5% increase in usage rate with Doncic and Porzingis off the court, but Finney-Smith and Kleber have been the most productive in these opportunities, as they average at least +0.18 more fantasy points per minute over their normal season-long numbers.
As reported by: the Dallas Mavericks via Twitter Injuries Paving Way For Guard
With Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro out we should see Goran Dragic take more responsibilities in this Heat offense. Per CourtIQ, Dragic has seen a team-high 27.8% usage rate in these situations, although that was without Jae Crowder and Andre Iguodala on the team. Given the elite matchup against a Cavs team that struggles against opposing guards, the fair price tag and the Heat losing their highest usage player, I like Dragic in all formats tonight.
Jimmy Butler (personal) out Saturday
Butler is a late addition to the Heat’s injury report and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to personal reasons, while Tyler Herro and Meyers Leonard remain sidelined with their respective ailments and are still without a firm timetable for a return to actual game action. In Butler’s absence, Derrick Jones Jr. appears to be the likeliest candidate to rejoin the starting lineup following a brief one-game hiatus off the bench in favor of Jae Crowder, who figures to be the Heat’s starting power forward from here on out. Head coach Erik Spoelstra typically prefers to keep Goran Dragic in a sixth-man role off the bench, but he, Jones, and Bam Adebayo unsurprisingly benefit the most with Butler, Herro, and Leonard off the court this season, as they each own a minimum of a +2.0% increase in usage rate and are averaging at least +0.09 more fantasy points per minute over their normal season-long averages.
As reported by: Ira Winderman via Twitter Luka Doncic (ankle), Kristaps Porzingis (rest), and Willie Cauley-Stein (foot) listed out Saturday
Doncic, Porzingis, and Cauley-Stein have all been listed out on the latest Mavericks’ injury report and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks due to various reasons, while Seth Curry is listed as questionable with a sore right knee. Cauley-Stein has logged fewer than five minutes in each of his last two appearances and was even a DNP-CD in Friday’s win, so his absence won’t have any impact on the remaining members of the frontcourt rotation. However, with Doncic and Porzingis unavailable, Jalen Brunson and Maxi Kleber become the leading candidates to join the starting lineup at their respective positions, whereas Boban Marjanovic may be relied upon to absorb the backup center minutes in tonight’s contest. Curry, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Tim Hardaway Jr. all see at least a +4.5% increase in usage rate with Doncic and Porzingis off the court, but Finney-Smith and Kleber have been the most productive in these opportunities, as they average at least +0.18 more fantasy points per minute over their normal season-long numbers.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Kristaps Porzingis, Willie Cauley-Stein Kevin Love (Achilles) and Alfonzo McKinnie (foot) listed out Saturday
Love has been listed out on the lastest Cavaliers’ injury report and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Miami Heat due to right Achilles soreness, while McKinnie will also be unavailable because of plantar fasciitis in his left foot. McKinnie was a DNP-CD and Love was limited to just under 23 minutes in Friday’s win, so there won’t be as much playing time available at the forward positions as one might think, but Larry Nance Jr. should receive the starting nod at the power forward position and was phenomenal for fantasy purposes in 35 minutes of action the last time Love was sidelined right before the All-Star break. Nance isn’t exactly priced at a discount on daily fantasy sites, but he’ll still be in consideration for tournament formats, at the very least, since he as a 15.7% rebound rate and is averaging 0.92 DraftKings and 0.91 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: Chris Fedor via Twitter Other tagged players: Alfonzo McKinnie