DFS Alerts
Paul Millsap (quad) active Wednesday
Millsap is officially active and will start in Wednesday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic after missing two games due to a strained right quad. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Millsap, so he’ll presumably be able to handle his usual minute allotment in the low-20s in tonight’s contest, but it will send Jerami Grant back to the bench to resume a reserve role following a couple of serviceable fantasy performances in an average of 29.2 minutes over this span. Millsap had a rather sluggish start to the season, but he’s picked up recently and is currently averaging 0.98 DraftKings and 0.98 FanDuel points per minute on the year, making him a viable tournament target at his price tag across the industry.
As reported by: Nick Kosmider via Twitter
Jarrett Culver (illness) out Wednesday
Culver is a late addition to the Timberwolves’ injury report won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans due to an illness, while Karl-Anthony Towns was already ruled out with a sprained left knee. Head coach Ryan Saunders didn’t disclose who would replace Towns in the starting lineup, but in the two games Towns was suspended earlier in the season, Gorgui Dieng ended up starting at the center position and was phenomenal for fantasy purposes in an average of 20.5 minutes over that span. Without Towns, there’s obviously a plethora of usage and production to go around in the first unit, and Andrew Wiggins leads the way with a 30.5% usage rate while Robert Covington is averaging a whopping 1.45 DraftKings and 1.42 FanDuel points per minute in 68.7 minutes sample size with Towns, Culver, and Jake Layman off the court this season.
As reported by: Jon Krawczynski via Twitter J.J. Redick (groin) will play Wednesday
As expected, Redick has been upgraded from probable and will play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves after missing one game due to a sore groin, while Lonzo Ball will be a game-time decision with a right hip contusion. In Redick’s absence, Ball ended up receiving the starting nod alongside Jrue Holiday in the backcourt and was serviceable from a fantasy perspective in 35 minutes of action in Tuesday’s overtime loss. Nickeil Alexander-Walker managed to log some minutes on the court with Holiday in yesterday’s contest, totaling 23 minutes, but as long as Redick doesn’t have any limitations, it’d be difficult to project him for more playing time even if Ball is ruled out closer to tipoff.
As reported by: Daniel Sallerson via Twitter Derrick Jones Jr. (migraine) active Wednesday
Jones Jr. missed shootaround but will be active for Wednesday’s matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers despite dealing with a migraine, while Justise Winslow and Goran Dragic remain sidelined with their respective ailments. Jones has played at least 26 minutes in each of the Heat’s previous six games, so if he’s limited, there would certainly be a decent amount playing time at the forward positions for Miami’s already depleted rotation. This would more than likely lead to a more stable minute floor for Kelly Olynyk, who’s playing time has been more sporadic with the emergence of Jones and Bam Adebayo in recent weeks. Olynyk isn’t a high usage player, but he is averaging 0.87 DraftKings and 0.84 FanDuel points per minute on the season.
As reported by: the Miami Heat via Twitter Karl-Anthony Towns (knee) out Wednesday
Head coach Ryan Saunders confirmed with reporters that Towns won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans due to a sprained left knee. Saunders didn’t disclose who would replace Towns in the starting lineup, but in the two games Towns was suspended earlier in the season, Gorgui Dieng ended up starting at the center position and was phenomenal for fantasy purposes in an average of 20.5 minutes over that span. Without Towns, there’s obviously a plethora of usage and production to go around in the first unit, and Andrew Wiggins leads the way with a 30.5% usage rate while Robert Covington is averaging a whopping 1.45 DraftKings and 1.42 FanDuel points per minute in 68.7 minutes sample size with Towns, Jarrett Culver, and Jake Layman off the court this season.
As reported by: Jon Krawczynski via Twitter Fred VanVleet (knee) listed out Wednesday
As expected, VanVleet has been ruled out of Wednesday’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons due to a right knee contusion that has now forced him to miss five games. With VanVleet officially unable to suit up, Norman Powell should receive the starting nod at the shooting guard position once again, and he has consistently approached or exceeded the 30-minute mark as a starter when either VanVleet or Kyle Lowry are sidelined this season. Powell will continue to be in consideration for tournaments at that minute floor, and he’s been solid for fantasy purposes thus far, averaging 0.88 DraftKings and 0.86 FanDuel points per minute on the year thus far.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Andre Drummond (eye) and Blake Griffin (knee) will play Wednesday
Drummond and Griffin have both been upgraded from questionable and will play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors after missing the previous game due to their respective ailments. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for either player, but they will presumably start, which will send Markieff Morris and Thon Maker back to the bench to resume reserve roles and possibly out of the rotation entirely in Maker’s case. Maker was in constant foul trouble in Monday’s loss and was limited to just 19 minutes of action, but Morris and Christian Wood were each allocated at least 28 minutes, a significantly greater amount than they can be expected to play in tonight’s contest if Drummond and Griffin aren’t limited by their aforementioned ailments
As reported by: Keith Langlois via Twitter Other tagged players: Blake Griffin Kevin Porter Jr. (shoulder) will play Wednesday
Head coach John Beilein confirmed with reporters that Porter Jr. is good to go and will play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets despite dealing with a sore shoulder. Beilein didn’t disclose if Porter would be subject to a minute restriction, so he’ll presumably be able to handle his usual allotment of minutes, which has consistently fallen in the low to mid-20s on a consistent basis of late.
As reported by: James Rapien via Twitter Top Point Per Dollar Play
The Wizards are simply running out of interior bodies with Bryant, Hachimura, and Wagner ALL injured at this stage. Bertans has been a pleasant surprise for the Wizards this year, and he could be looking at 36-38 minutes in this game if the contest stays competitive. He should be in line for a healthy dose of shot attempts and is too cheap given the expected role.
Lonzo Ball (hip) questionable Wednesday; J.J. Redick (groin) probable
Ball has been listed as questionable on the Pelicans’ injury report for Wednesday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to a right hip contusion, while Redick is probable with a sore groin and is likely to return from a one-game absence. In Redick’s absence, Ball ended up receiving the starting nod alongside Jrue Holiday in the backcourt and was serviceable from a fantasy perspective in 35 minutes of action in Tuesday’s overtime loss. Nickeil Alexander-Walker managed to log some minutes on the court with Holiday in yesterday’s contest, totaling 23 minutes, but as long as Redick doesn’t have any setbacks, it’d be difficult to project him for more playing time if Ball is ruled out closer to tipoff.
As reported by: Pelicans PR via Twitter Other tagged players: J.J. Redick Gordon Hayward (foot) out Wednesday
Hayward is a new addition to the Celtics’ injury report and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks due to a sore left foot, while Marcus Smart and Semi Ojeleye remain sidelined with their respective ailments. Head coach Brad Stevens hasn’t disclosed who will replace Hayward in the starting lineup, but the last time Hayward and Smart were unavailable for the same game, Grant Williams ended up receiving the start at power forward but was limited to just 18 minutes of action after being replaced by Semi Ojeleye to begin the second half. However, Kemba Walker has been the clear beneficiary with both Hayward and Smart off the court, as he owns a 37.6% usage, a 35.0% assist rate, and is averaging 1.65 DraftKings and 1.52 FanDuel points per minute in a 149.5 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Gary Washburn via Twitter Derrick Jones Jr. (migraine) questionable Wednesday
Jones Jr. missed shootaround and has been downgraded to questionable for Wednesday’s matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers due to a migraine, while Justise Winslow and Goran Dragic remain sidelined with their respective ailments. Jones has played at least 26 minutes in each of the Heat’s previous six games, so if he’s unable to suit up, there would certainly be a plethora of available playing time at the forward positions for Miami’s already depleted rotation. This would more than likely lead to a more stable minute floor for Kelly Olynyk, who’s playing time has been more sporadic with the emergence of Jones and Bam Adebayo in recent weeks. Olynyk isn’t a high usage player, but he is averaging 0.87 DraftKings and 0.84 FanDuel points per minute on the season.
As reported by: Ira Winderman via Twitter Risk/Reward GPP Appeal
The Pelicans played without J.J. Redick last night, and both Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart played massive minutes in an overtime loss to the Nets. Ball remains priced at affordable levels across the DFS industry, and he might get more involved tonight. He posted a serviceable line yesterday despite the fact that Holiday chucked 28 shot attempts. The Pelicans/Wolves game has a massive Vegas total and is definitely one we want to target on this slate, and Ball is a nice way to get affordable GPP exposure to the contest.
Elite Upside Given the Circumstances
Luka Doncic remains sidelined for Dallas, and that is going to give Porzingis plenty of opportunity to produce. The CourtIQ numbers pop with Doncic off the floor, as Porzingis gets a massive usage bump and scores around 12 additional fantasy points per 36 minutes without Doncic. He had a 26/12/4 game on Monday and should be in line for another big game. Hopefully ownership is lower thanks to a tough matchup against Boston, but I’ll take his usage under these cirumstances in any matchup.
High Total Should Yield Fantasy Points
Troy Brown is still priced in the low range despite being a very productive player this season. Over the last 4 games, Brown has averaged 13 points, 5.25 rebounds, 3.75 assists and 1.5 steals per game in his 30+ minutes of court time. Brown has a solid floor at this price tag in a good matchup with the Chicago Bulls, in a game that features the 2nd-highest total (231) on the slate.
