DFS Alerts
Usage Spike For Star
I realize tagging Kawhi Leonard as a conviction play may not feel like I’m going out on a limb, but at the start of the day, he’s my top spend up option and it’s not even close. Per CourtIQ, Paul George is out once again and Leonard sees a 37% usage rate and averages 1.63 fantasy points per minute. The 2.3% usage bump Kawhi gets is huge, and Leonard enters this game in good form having scored 64 fantasy points now in three straight games. Depending on what site you’re on Damian Lillard is actually more expensive than Leonard given his recent hot streak, but I can’t justify paying his price tag with C.J. McCollum expected back tonight and Trevor Ariza giving this Portland offense some additional thump. If I’m paying up for a star, it’s Kawhi.
Steven Adams (ankle) will play Saturday
Adams has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Saturday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves after missing two games due to a sprained left ankle, while Danilo Gallinari and Nerlens Noel were already ruled out for tonight’s second leg of a back-to-back set. In Adams’ absence, Noel ended up receiving the start at the center position in Friday’s win, but he exited midway through the fourth quarter and was relatively disappointing from a fantasy perspective in 25 minutes of action. With Terrance Ferguson and Abdel Nader also still sidelined, Darius Bazley and Luguentz Dort will likely start at the forward positions in tonight’s contest, but both aren’t stellar fantasy producers and have a volatile minute floor on a game-to-game basis. Chris Paul has easily benefitted the most with Gallinari and the other injured Thunder off the court, as he owns a 24.5% usage rate, a 43.0% assist rate, and is averaging 1.52 DraftKings and 1.53 FanDuel points per minute in a 161.0 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Dane Moore via Twitter
Andre Drummond (lip) will play Saturday
As expected, Drummond will play in Saturday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets after missing two games due to a lip laceration, while Bruce Brown has been cleared to play and Reggie Jackson and Tony Snell have been ruled out on the second leg of a back-to-back set. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Drummond or Brown, so Brown will presumably start alongside Derrick Rose in the backcourt in place of Jackson, who had been stellar in his first two games back from a lengthy injury layoff and logged 23 minutes in Friday’s win. Other than Brown and Svi Mykhailiuk’s projected increased playing time with the starting lineup, Derrick Rose has been the clear beneficiary with Jackson, Snell, and all the injured Pistons off the court, as he owns a 32.6% usage rate, 46.8% assist rate, and is averaging 1.34 DraftKings and 1.31 FanDuel points per minute in a 375.5 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Keith Langlois via Twitter DeAndre Jordan (finger) out Saturday; Nicolas Claxton (shoulder) available to play
Jordan has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons due to a right dislocated middle finger that has now forced him to miss two games, while Claxton is available to play after missing one game with a left shoulder contusion. With Jordan and Claxton unavailable, head coach Kenny Atkinson was forced to go ultra-small at the center position when Jarrett Allen was off the court in Thursday’s loss, and both Wilson Chandler and Rodions Kurucs spent time at the five in the aforementioned contest. Allen is likely priced appropriately for his expected minute workload in tonight’s contest, but he’s shown the necessary upside for all daily fantasy formats in this spot before, and he has a 18.7% rebound rate and is averaging 1.08 DraftKings and 1.11 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: Alex Schiffer via Twitter Other tagged players: Nic Claxton Danilo Gallinari (thumb) and Nerlens Noel (face) listed out Saturday; Steven Adams (ankle) questionable
Gallinari and Noel are listed out on the latest Thunder injury report and won’t play in Saturday’s second leg of a back-to-back set against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to their respective ailments, while Adams is questionable with a sprained left ankle that has already forced him to miss two consecutive games. In Adams’ absence, Noel ended up receiving the start at the center position in Friday’s win, but he exited midway through the fourth quarter and was relatively disappointing from a fantasy perspective in 25 minutes of action. With Terrance Ferguson and Abdel Nader also still sidelined, Darius Bazley and Luguentz Dort will likely start at the forward positions in tonight’s contest, but both aren’t stellar fantasy producers and have a volatile minute floor on a game-to-game basis. Chris Paul has easily benefitted the most with Gallinari and the other injured Thunder off the court, as he owns a 24.5% usage rate, a 43.0% assist rate, and is averaging 1.52 DraftKings and 1.53 FanDuel points per minute in a 161.0 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Steve McGehee via Twitter Other tagged players: Nerlens Noel, Steven Adams Reggie Jackson (back) and Tony Snell (illness) listed out Saturday
Jackson and Snell are listed out on the latest Pistons injury report and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets due to their respective ailments, while Andre Drummond is probable and Bruce Brown will be available to play after missing two games with a sprained right thumb. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Brown, so he’ll presumably start alongside Derrick Rose in the backcourt in place of Jackson, who had been stellar in his first two games back from a lengthy injury layoff and logged 23 minutes in Friday’s win. Other than Brown and Svi Mykhailiuk’s projected increased playing time with the starting lineup, Derrick Rose has been the clear beneficiary with Jackson, Snell, and all the injured Pistons off the court, as he owns a 32.6% usage rate, 46.8% assist rate, and is averaging 1.34 DraftKings and 1.31 FanDuel points per minute in a 375.5 minutes sample size.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Tony Snell Andre Drummond (lip) listed probable Saturday; Bruce Brown (illness) listed available
Drummond has been listed as probable on the latest Pistons injury report for Saturday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets after missing two games due to a lip laceration, while Brown has been cleared to play and Reggie Jackson and Tony Snell have been ruled out on the second leg of a back-to-back set. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Brown, so he’ll presumably start alongside Derrick Rose in the backcourt in place of Jackson, who had been stellar in his first two games back from a lengthy injury layoff and logged 23 minutes in Friday’s win. Other than Brown and Svi Mykhailiuk’s projected increased playing time with the starting lineup, Derrick Rose has been the clear beneficiary with Jackson, Snell, and all the injured Pistons off the court, as he owns a 32.6% usage rate, 46.8% assist rate, and is averaging 1.34 DraftKings and 1.31 FanDuel points per minute in a 375.5 minutes sample size.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Bruce Brown Usage Spike
Per CourtIQ when Joel Embiid and Josh Richardson are off the court, Tobias Harris sees a 27% usage rate and averages 1.2 fantasy points per minute. Vegas has this Lakers/76ers game staying close and I like the idea of playing one of Harris or Ben Simmons as a bring back for tournament teams that have a Lakers player on the other side for some positive correlation. I also love Simmons’ upside for GPPs but he’s priced significantly higher, so Harris is a fine option as we’ve seen him have 40-50 fantasy point upside during this stretch without Embiid.
Expanded Role Coming
With Lauri Markkanen, Wendell Carter Jr. and Daniel Gafford all out, the Bulls have no choice but to turn to the likes of Thaddeus Young, Cristiano Felicio and Luke Kornet. Young played 29 minutes last night while Felicio played 25 and Kornet played 17. This is a sad situation but the bottom line is Chicago will have no choice but to give Young minutes until Carter returns simply out of necessity. I like the price tag on Young across the industry as he lets you fit in a stud like LeBron without sacrificing too much floor and upside.
Josh Hart (ankle) and J.J. Redick (hamstring) available to play Friday
As expected, Hart and Redick will be available to play in Friday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets despite dealing with their respective ailments, while Kenrich Williams remains sidelined with lower back soreness and is still without a timetable for a return. Redick and Hart moved to the bench to assume reserve roles with Zion Williamson making his NBA debut in Wednesday’s loss, but they each logged fewer than 26 minutes with the Pelicans at basically full strength for the first time in several weeks. As for Williamson, he put together a spectacular six-minute stretch to begin the fourth quarter, but he otherwise was only able to play in short four-minute bursts and totaled just 18 minutes in the contest. Head coach Alvin Gentry already confirmed with reporters at his pregame presser that Williamson will be limited to a similar minute workload this evening, essentially removing him from consideration for all daily fantasy formats.
As reported by: Pelicans PR via Twitter Other tagged players: J.J. Redick Gary Harris (adductor) and Michael Porter Jr. (back) active Friday
Harris and Porter Jr. have officially been upgraded from questionable and are active for Friday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans after missing the previous game, while Paul Millsap, Jamal Murray, and Mason Plumlee all remain sidelined with their respective ailments. There haven’t been any reports of potential minute restrictions for Harris and Porter, and the return of Harris will send Monte Morris back to the bench to resume a reserve role following a couple of solid, but uninspiring, fantasy performances over the last five contests. This will allow Will Barton to officially take over the point guard responsibilities in the starting unit, and he’s seen his assist rate jump to 24.2% with Murray unavailable. Other than Barton’s increased usage, Harris has benefitted the most with Murray and Millsap off the court, as he owns a 21.2% usage rate and is averaging 0.95 DraftKings and .98 FanDuel points per minute in a 129.9 minutes sample size.
As reported by: the Denver Nuggets via Twitter Other tagged players: Michael Porter Jr. Patrick Beverley (groin) officially out Friday
As expected, Beverley won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Miami Heat due to a sore right groin that has now forced him to miss two games, while Paul George will miss an eighth straight game with a strained left hamstring. With Beverley sidelined for Wednesday’s loss, Lou Williams ended up receiving the start alongside Landry Shamet in the backcourt, but he was rather unspectacular from a fantasy perspective in just under 35 minutes of action. Kawhi Leonard was also sidelined for this contest, so his return to the starting lineup will send Terance Mann back to the bench following an irrelevant 15-minute spot start for the rookie forward. Given the nature of the Clippers rotation, Williams spends plenty of time on the court without Beverley and George, and he’s been phenomenal in these minutes, as he owns a 31.2% usage rate, 34.0% assist rate, and is averaging 1.30 DraftKings and 1.22 FanDuel points per minute in a 593.5 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Andrew Greif via Twitter Steven Adams (ankle) out Friday
Adams has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks due to a sprained left ankle that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Terrance Ferguson is still away from the team and Abdel Nader remains sidelined with a sprained left ankle. In Adams’ absence, Nerlens Noel received the start at the center position and was relatively solid from a fantasy perspective in just under 30 minutes of action in Wednesday’s win. Prior to that contest, Noel had played fewer than 22 minutes in the two games since returning from a lengthy injury layoff, but he is still easily the preferred target for all daily fantasy formats over Mike Muscala, as he has a 15.3% rebound rate, 6.8% block rate, and is averaging 1.13 DraftKings and 1.22 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: Brady Trantham via Twitter Tony Snell (illness) listed out Friday
Despite not being listed on the injury report, Snell is listed out on the Pistons media notes and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies due to an illness, while Andre Drummond and Bruce Brown were already ruled out with their respective ailments. The absences of Brown and Frazier in Wednesday’s blowout win immediately thrust Reggie Jackson into the backup point guard role behind Derrick Rose in his first game back from an extended injury layoff, and he was phenomenal for fantasy purposes in just 19 minutes of action, but head coach Dwane Casey already confirmed to reporters that Jackson will have a similar minute restriction in tonight’s contest. Other than Thon Maker and Christian Wood’s increased playing time, Derrick Rose has been the clear beneficiary with Drummond, Brown, and all the injured Pistons off the court, as he owns a 34.9% usage rate, 54.5% assist rate, and is averaging 1.48 DraftKings and 1.44 FanDuel points per minute in a 218.1 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Johnny Kane via Twitter Andre Drummond (lip) and Bruce Brown (illness) out Friday; Tim Frazier (illness) available
Drummond and Brown have officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies due to their respective ailments, while Tim Frazier will be available to play after missing one game with an illness. The absences of Brown and Frazier in Wednesday’s blowout win immediately thrust Reggie Jackson into the backup point guard role behind Derrick Rose in his first game back from an extended injury layoff, and he was phenomenal for fantasy purposes in just 19 minutes of action, but head coach Dwane Casey already confirmed to reporters that Jackson will have a similar minute restriction in tonight’s contest. Other than Thon Maker and Christian Wood’s increased playing time, Derrick Rose has been the clear beneficiary with Drummond, Brown, and all the injured Pistons off the court, as he owns a 34.9% usage rate, 54.5% assist rate, and is averaging 1.48 DraftKings and 1.44 FanDuel points per minute in a 218.1 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Keith Langlois via Twitter Other tagged players: Bruce Brown, Tim Frazier