DFS Alerts
Edmond Sumner (knee) available to play Saturday
Sumner has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Saturday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks after missing one game due to a sore right knee. The Pacers are still without Malcolm Brogdon, so the return of Sumner will alleviate some depth issues at the wing positions and should allow Jeremy Lamb and T.J. Warren to play slightly fewer minutes than the 37 they logged in Thursday’s loss. Sumner won’t see enough playing time to become a viable daily fantasy option himself, but his presence in the rotation is enough to remove T.J. McConnell from consideration since head coach Nate McMillan won’t be forced to play as many lineups with McConnell and Aaron Holiday together in the backcourt.
As reported by: Tony East via Twitter
John Collins (back), Jabari Parker (illness), and Cam Reddish (wrist) out Saturday
As expected, Collins and Parker won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers due to their respective ailments, while Reddish will also be unavailable because of a sprained right wrist. Collins exited early in the third quarter of Friday’s loss, and he was replaced by Alex Len, who went on to record over 17 of his 22 total minutes in the second half of that contest, possibly indicating he could be a significant beneficiary of Collins and Parker’s absences even with Bruno Fernando and Damian Jones starting in the frontcourt this evening. This would open up a significant amount of usage in both the first in second units, and unsurprisingly, Len, De’Andre Hunter, and Kevin Huerter have benefitted the most with Collins and Parker off the floor, as they each own a minimum of a +1.2% increase in usage rate and average at least +0.10 more fantasy points per minute over their normal season-long statistics.
As reported by: Brad Rowland via Twitter Other tagged players: Jabari Parker, Cam Reddish Back To The Well
It’s the same drill as yesterday with Kemba Walker out. I’m expecting Marcus Smart to be popular after his explosion yesterday and I love him for cash games, but Gordon Hayward is someone I love in GPPs. Per CourtIQ, all of Hayward, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum average over one fantasy point per minute when Kemba is out, making them all fine plays. I’ll take the discount on Hayward and hope he’s the one coming through.
Cam Reddish (wrist) downgraded to questionable Saturday
Reddish has been added to the Hawks’ injury report and is now questionable for Saturday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers due to a sprained right wrist, while John Collins and Jabari Parker remain doubtful with their respective ailments. Collins exited early in the third quarter of Friday’s loss, and he was replaced by Alex Len, who went on to record over 17 of his 22 total minutes in the second half of that contest, possibly indicating he could be a significant beneficiary of Collins and Parker’s likely absences even if Bruno Fernando ends up starting at center this evening. This would open up a significant amount of usage in both the first in second units, and unsurprisingly, Len, De’Andre Hunter, and Kevin Huerter have benefitted the most with Collins and Parker off the floor, as they each own a minimum of a +1.2% increase in usage rate and average at least +0.10 more fantasy points per minute over their normal season-long statistics.
As reported by: Chris Kirschner via Twitter Caris LeVert (thumb) and Garrett Temple (knee) available to play Saturday
As expected, LeVert will be available to play in Saturday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors after missing nearly two months recovering from right thumb surgery, while Temple is also set to return from a one-game absence because of a right knee contusion. With Temple sidelined, Rodions Kurucs ended up receiving the start at one of the forward positions, and he was relatively serviceable for fantasy purposes despite logging just under 18 minutes in Thursday’s loss. Head coach Kenny Atkinson called LeVert a “full-go” before later clarifying to reporters at his pregame media availability that LeVert will have a minute restriction in his first game back from an extended layoff. There’s been no confirmation if LeVert will start or come off the bench, but Atkinson did say that he would handle the point guard duties when Spencer Dinwiddie is off the court in addition to is usual role on the wing.
As reported by: Brian Lewis via Twitter Other tagged players: Garrett Temple Jae Crowder (ankle) available to play Saturday
Crowder has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Saturday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers despite dealing with a sore left ankle. This is the second straight game Crowder has been cleared to play through the aforementioned ailment, but he didn’t show any ill effects in Thursday’s loss, putting together a stellar fantasy performance in 31 minutes of action. Crowder contributes enough statistics in all aspects of his game and is inexpensive enough across the daily fantasy industry to be considered in tournament formats on most nights, and he continues to average 0.82 DraftKings and 0.79 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR via Twitter Paul George (hamstring) officially out Saturday
As expected, George won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies due to left hamstring tightness he began experiencing during Thursday’s win, though head coach Doc Rivers didn’t rule out the possibility of both George and Patrick Beverley returning for tomorrow’s second leg of a back-to-back set. George exited the previous contest mid-way through the second quarter, and he ended up being replaced by Rodney McGruder to begin the second half, who went on to log nearly eight minutes in one rotation prior to garbage time. McGruder will surely see an uptick in playing time but there are still numerous lineup combinations Rivers can call upon to compensate for George’s absence. Unsurprisingly, Kawhi Leonard, Lou Williams, and Montrezl Harrell have benefitted the most with George off the floor, as they each own a minimum of a +3.1% increase in usage rate and are averaging at least +0.17 more fantasy points per minute over their normal season-long statistics.
As reported by: Jovan Buha via Twitter Kemba Walker (illness) out Saturday
Walker didn’t travel with the team to Chicago and has officially been ruled out of Saturday’s matchup against the Bulls due to an illness that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. In his absence, Marcus Smart will more than likely receive another start at point guard following his stellar fantasy performance in just under 36 minutes of action in Friday’s win, while Brad Wanamaker absorbed 23 minutes as the third guard off the bench. Unsurprisingly, Smart and Jayson Tatum have been the players that have benefitted the most with Walker off the court this season, as they each own a minimum of a +3.7% increase in usage rate and are averaging at least +0.13 more fantasy points per minute over their normal season-long statistics.
As reported by: Adam Himmelsbach via Twitter John Collins (back) and Jabari Parker (illness) doubtful Saturday; Allen Crabbe (knee) probable
Collins and Parker have officially been listed as doubtful for Saturday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers due to their respective ailments, while Crabbe is probable with a sore left knee. Collins exited early in the third quarter of Friday’s loss, and he was replaced by Alex Len, who went on to record over 17 of his 22 total minutes in the second half of that contest, likely indicating he could be a significant beneficiary of Collins and Parker’s probable absences even if Bruno Fernando ends up starting at center this evening. This would open up a significant amount of usage in both the first in second units, and unsurprisingly, Len, De’Andre Hunter, and Kevin Huerter have benefitted the most with Collins and Parker off the floor, as they each own a minimum of a +1.2% increase in usage rate and average at least +0.10 more fantasy points per minute over their normal season-long statistics.
As reported by: Chris Kirschner via Twitter Other tagged players: Jabari Parker, Allen Crabbe Kevin Porter Jr. (personal) out Saturday
Porter Jr. has been added to the Cavaliers’ injury report and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to personal reasons, while Larry Nance Jr. was already ruled out and is expected to miss one-to-two weeks with a sore left knee. Porter has logged at least 23 minutes off the bench in eight of Cleveland’s previous nine games, so there will certainly be a plethora of playing time available at the forward positions in the second unit with both he and Nance unavailable this evening. Theoretically, with the lack of depth at the forward spots, Cedi Osman should be in line for a sizable workload in tonight’s contest, and in the five games since Jordan Clarkson was traded to Utah, both he and Collin Sexton have benefitted the most with Porter and Nance off the floor, as Osman has seen his usage rate spike to 21.8% and Sexton has increased his fantasy production to 1.01 DraftKings and 0.98 FanDuel points per minute.
As reported by: Chris Fedor via Twitter Value Option Against Woeful Defense
Aaron Holiday is going to draw the start and is a solid option, but I like T.J. McConnell as a pivot at a cheaper price tag if you need some salary savings. On a slate with a ton of stars like Luka, Giannis and Drummond all in smash spots, and clear value in guys like Derrick White with Dejounte Murray out, we may need to get creative tonight and I can see McConnell as a route for that. The Hawks rank as a bottom-three defense and while McConnell isn’t likely to see more than minutes in the low-to-mid 20s, that may be enough for him to exceed his salary tag. Vegas is also predicting this game to be somewhat close and competitive despite the fact the Hawks are on the backend of a back-to-back and lost John Collins to an injury early in the game, leaving his status for tonight up in the air.
Potential Bounceback Spot
Burks burned us all last game when he played just 22 minutes and finished with 12 fantasy points in a disappointing performance against the Timverwolves. Golden State remains without D’Angelo Russell, making it likely we see Burks start at point guard once again. Ky Bowman is always a risk to take Burks’ minutes but with Burks on the trading block and Vegas having this game with a 3.5 point spread, this could be a solid spot for Burks to bounceback if he can get the minutes. I think it’s sneaky for tournaments given the large slate and the recency bias against Burks.
An Elite Top End Option
On a points per dollar basis, I’ll take Drummond as my starting point tonight. He’s significantly cheaper than both Doncic and Antetokounmpo, and both of the aforementioned two players have some blowout risk with their teams sitting as double digit home favorites. Drummond owns a massive rebounding rate with Griffin and Morris off the floor this season, and he has been a double-double machine. Throw in a matchup against a poor defensive team in the Warriors, and you have a nice top-end option.
Elfrid Payton (personal) will start Friday; Dennis Smith Jr. (oblique) remains out
Payton has officially been upgraded from questionable and will start in Friday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns after missing shootaround due to a personal matter, while Smith Jr. will miss a fourth straight game with a strained left oblique. Even though head coach Mike Miller confirmed Payton would start, Frank Ntilikina began to eat into some of his playing time last time out, and he even closed the fourth quarter ahead of Payton en route to a solid fantasy performance in 23 minutes of action. However, if Payton does see his playing time climb back over the 30-minute mark, he’ll continue to be a viable tournament option in daily fantasy formats on a nightly basis, as he an 18.0% usage rate, a 33.3% assist rate, and is averaging 1.02 DraftKings and 1.03 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: Steve Popper via Twitter Other tagged players: Dennis Smith Jr. Ricky Rubio (hip) will play Friday
As expected, Rubio will play in Friday’s matchup against the New York Knicks despite dealing with a sore left hip, while Frank Kaminsky was already ruled out with a sore right knee that’s now forced him to miss two consecutive games. Kaminsky ended up being a DNP-CD in Monday’s win, but it remains unclear if that was a result of his ailing knee or if he’s no longer in the rotation with Deandre Ayton working his way back to full strength and was essentially splitting the center minutes with Aron Baynes prior to logging 32 minutes in Wednesday’s loss. Without Kaminsky soaking up available playing time at power forward, Mikal Bridges has been allocated at least 25 minutes off the bench the last two games, and even though he averages just 0.77 DraftKings and 0.80 FanDuel points per minute on the season, he becomes a viable punt option for tournament formats on tonight’s six-game slate if he’s able to approach the 30-minute mark again this evening.
As reported by: Duane Rankin via Twitter