DFS Alerts
LaMarcus Aldridge (thumb) will play Saturday
Aldridge has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Saturday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets after missing two games due to a sprained right thumb. In his absence, Jakob Poeltl received the starting nod at the center position in both contests, but he had a wide range in playing time and logged as little as 22 and as many as 36 minutes over this span There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Aldridge, so he’ll presumably be able to handle his usual minute workload this evening, which will send Poeltl back to the bench to resume his accustomed backup center role. Aldridge is priced appropriately across daily fantasy sites, but he is still in consideration for tournament formats since he still has a 23.4% usage rate and is averaging 1.11 DraftKings and 1.13 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: Raul Dominguez via Twitter
Bruno Fernando (calf) officially out Saturday
As expected, Fernando has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks due to a strained left calf that has now forced him to miss three games, while De’Andre Hunter was already ruled out with a sprained left ankle. Pierce went with an oversized frontcourt with Hunter sliding over to small forward in Thursday’s win, so in Hunter’s absence, Cam Reddish will more than likely rejoin the starting lineup, though he still managed to see 30 minutes of action off the bench last time out. There’s not really an actionable sample size with all the injured Hawks off the court, but Vince Carter could be an intriguing tournament target after logging 24 minutes off the bench in his last appearance, and he is averaging a respectable 0.81 DraftKings and 0.80 FanDuel points per minute without Hunter and Jabari Parker on the floor this season.
As reported by: Sarah K. Spencer via Twitter De'Andre Hunter (ankle) officially out Saturday; Bruno Fernando (calf) doubtful
As expected, Hunter has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks due to a sprained left ankle, while Fernando is now doubtful with a strained left calf that has already forced him to miss two games. Pierce went with an oversized frontcourt with Hunter sliding over to small forward in Thursday’s win, so in Hunter’s absence, Cam Reddish will more than likely rejoin the starting lineup, though he still managed to see 30 minutes of action off the bench last time out. There’s not really an actionable sample size with all the injured Hawks off the court, but Vince Carter could be an intriguing tournament target after logging 24 minutes off the bench in his last appearance, and he is averaging a respectable 0.81 DraftKings and 0.80 FanDuel points per minute without Hunter and Jabari Parker on the floor this season.
As reported by: Brad Rowland via Twitter Other tagged players: Bruno Fernando Rui Hachimura (groin) out Saturday; Garrison Mathews (ankle) available
Hachimura has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets due to a groin injury that has kept him sidelined since mid-December, while Garrison Mathew will be available to play after originally being listed out on the Wizards injury report because of a G-League assignment. In Hachimura’s absence, head coach Scott Brooks has rotated between starting Isaac Bonga, Gary Payton II, and most recently Thomas Bryant at his final two starting lineup positions depending on the matchup and the availability of the players on his active roster. Even if Bryant comes off the bench, he’s seen his playing time ramp up in recent games, logging at least 23 minutes in each of the previous two contests, and he is still averaging a respectable 1.06 DraftKings and 1.04 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: the Washington Wizards via Twitter Other tagged players: Garrison Mathews Center With Ownership Too Low For His Upside
Whiteside being the 5th highest projected owned center on tonights slate is criminal. Whiteside has been playing phenomenally as of late and his DFS price tags are not catching up to him. Despite the matchup against the Jazz, Whiteside is a great tournament play at sub-15% ownership tonight.
Stud In A Low Owned Spot
Despite the matchup against the Nets, Bradley Beal’s current ownership projections on both DK and FD are below 15%. Beal has been on a tear as of late and his current rates of 32% usage, 30% AST%, 14% REB% and 1.25 FPPM have been strong and steady. Beal is always good for minutes in the mid-to-high 30s in close games, putting him in. a great spot tonight against the Nets.
Veteran In Elite Matchup
Kevin Love finds himself in a very nice matchup at a very affordable price. Going up against the Warriors tonight, Love’s 25% usage and 1.15 FPPM should be plenty to pay off his price tags on all sites.
Kevon Looney (abdominal) listed available Saturday
As expected, Looney has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Saturday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers after missing 18 games due to left abdominal soreness. Head coach Steve Kerr already confirmed that Looney will come off the bench and be limited to a maximum of 20 minutes of action following an extended injury layoff. However, Looney has played more than 14 minutes just twice this entire season, so it seems extremely unlikely, he’ll have a noteworthy role in the second unit this evening. His presence still does slightly lower the minute floors of Omari Spellman, Eric Paschall, and Marquese Chriss for tonight’s nine-game slate, but they have volatile minutes projections on a night-to-night basis even when Looney was inactive.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Reggie Bullock (illness) available to play Saturday
Bullock has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Saturday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers despite battling an illness, while Frank Ntilikina was already out with a sore groin. The Knicks are also slated to be without RJ Barrett and Elfrid Payton, who will serve a one-game suspension, so Dennis Smith Jr. is the overwhelming candidate to receive the starting nod and absorb a large portion of the available point guard minutes, though some combination of Kadeem Allen and Allonzo Trier should serve as the backups in backcourt in some capacity this evening. Interim head coach Mike Miller tends to have Smith on a short leash, but Smith has the opportunity to be an elite value option on tonight’s nine-game slate, as he owns a 23.6% usage rate, a 32.6% assist rate, and is averaging 0.93 DraftKings and 0.88 FanDuel points per minute with Ntilikina, Barrett, and Payton off the court this season.
As reported by: Chris Iseman via Twitter Kendrick Nunn (Achilles) will start Saturday
Kendrick Nunn (Achilles) will start Saturday
As reported by: Ira Winderman via Twitter Kawhi Leonard (back) will play Saturday
Leonard has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Saturday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves after being a late scratch due to lower back tightness in Thursday’s loss, while Derrick Walton Jr. will also be available off the bench following his original questionable destination on the Clippers’ injury report with a right elbow contusion. In Leonard’s absence, Maurice Harkless remained in the starting lineup at power forward but was limited to just 24 minutes with Paul George available for the first time in the previous nine games. George recorded just over 19 minutes in his return, and head coach Doc Rivers confirmed with reporters at his pregame presser that George will still have a similar minute restriction in this afternoon’s contest. George will be a tough player to target, even on a single-game slate, but Leonard still leads the Clippers with a 34.7% usage rate and is averaging 1.52 DraftKings and 1.50 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: Tomer Azarly via Twitter De’Andre Hunter (ankle) doubtful Saturday; Bruno Fernando (calf) probable
Hunter is still technically listed as questionable on the Hawks’ injury report, but head coach Lloyd Pierce called him “highly doubtful” to play in Saturday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks due to a sprained left ankle, while Bruno Fernando is now probable after missing two games with a strained left calf. Pierce went with an oversized frontcourt with Hunter sliding over to small forward in Thursday’s win, so in his absence, Cam Reddish will more than likely rejoin the starting lineup, though he still managed to see 30 minutes of action off the bench last time out. There’s not really an actionable sample size with all the injured Hawks off the court, but Vince Carter could be an intriguing tournament target after logging 24 minutes off the bench in his last appearance, and he is averaging a respectable 0.81 DraftKings and 0.80 FanDuel points per minute without Hunter and Jabari Parker on the floor this season.
As reported by: Chris Kirschner via Twitter Other tagged players: Bruno Fernando Kristaps Porzingis (rest) listed out Saturday
Porzingis has been listed out on the Mavericks’ game notes and won’t play in Saturday’s second leg of a back-to-back against the Atlanta Hawks due to rest purposes, while Luka Doncic remains sidelined with a sprained right ankle and will miss at least four more games following tonight’s contest. In Doncic’s absence, J.J. Barea ended up receiving the starting nod at point guard and logged just under 21 minutes of action, but head coach Rick Carlisle essentially evenly distributed the remaining guard minutes with Jalen Brunson, Delon Wright, and Seth Curry all recording between 20-25 minutes in Friday’s loss as well. There hasn’t been any indication on whether Willie Cauley-Stein or Maxi Kleber will draw the start at center in tonight’s contest, but Kleber looks to be the preferred option of the two either way, as he has a 14.6% rebound rate and is averaging 1.04 DraftKings and 1.05 FanDuel points per minute with Porzingis, Doncic, and Dwight Powell off the court this season.
As reported by: Mark Followill via Twitter Missing Bodies Lead To Increased Usage
With Kemba Waker and Enes Kanter out, CourtIQ shows Jayson Tatum averages 1.3 fantasy points per minute with a +5% usage bump. He was on a minutes restriction last game so that is a slight concern, but assuming he gets his normal workload, the offense should flow through him. I don’t mind taking shots on his teammates like Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward or Marcus Smart in GPPs, but Tatum is the one I have my eyes set on given the data.
Kevon Looney (abdominal) expected to play Saturday
Looney is still technically listed as questionable, but head coach Steve Kerr disclosed to reporters at shootaround that he expects Looney to play in Saturday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers after missing 18 games due to left abdominal soreness. Kerr also confirmed that Looney will come off the bench and be limited to a maximum of 20 minutes if he receives the final clearance from the Warriors’ medical staff to play in tonight’s contest. However, Looney has played more than 14 minutes just twice this entire season, so it seems extremely unlikely, he’ll have a noteworthy role in the second unit this evening. His presence still does slightly lower the minute floors of Omari Spellman, Eric Paschall, and Marquese Chriss for tonight’s nine-game slate, but they have volatile minutes projections on a night-to-night basis even when Looney was inactive.
As reported by: Anthony Slater via Twitter