DFS Alerts
Top Value of the day
Grading out as one of the top values of the day, I love McLemore here in this matchup. People have a bad taste in their mouth from his time in Sacramento but McLemore fits in so well with this offense and this game environment against the Hawks, is a dream spot. We saw him do well earlier in the year and the price went up. It’s back down and it will increase soon so buy him while you can.
Brook Lopez (back) and Sterling Brown (shoulder) listed out Saturday
Lopez and Brown have been listed out on the Bucks’ injury report for Saturday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets, while Giannis Antetokounmpo, Eric Bledsoe, and George are all listed as probable with their respective ailments as well. This is the first game Lopez has missed this season, so there hasn’t been preexisting evidence on how head coach Mike Budenholzer will deploy his rotation in Lopez’s absence, but Robin Lopez figures to step into the starting lineup in place of his brother for tonight’s contest. However, it’d be ill-advised to expect Robin to just step directly into Brooks’ vacated role of 26-32 minutes, and his fantasy viability likely depends on how often this game goes small, as both teams are unafraid to play without a traditional center on the floor. If that’s the case, Ersan Ilyasova or D.J. Wilson could be in line for extended workloads this evening.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Sterling Brown
Giannis Antetokounmp (back), Eric Bledsoe (knee), and George Hill listed probable Saturday
Antetokounmpo, Bledsoe, and Hill are all listed as probable on the Bucks’ injury report for Saturday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets, while Brook Lopez and Sterling Brown are listed out due to their respective ailments. This is the first game Lopez has missed this season, so there hasn’t been preexisting evidence on how head coach Mike Budenholzer will deploy his rotation in Lopez’s absence, but Robin Lopez figures to step into the starting lineup in place of his brother for tonight’s contest. However, it’d be ill-advised to expect Robin to just step directly into Brooks’ vacated role of 26-32 minutes, and his fantasy viability likely depends on how often this game goes small, as both teams are unafraid to play without a traditional center on the floor. If that’s the case, Ersan Ilyasova or D.J. Wilson could be in line for extended workloads this evening.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Eric Bledsoe, George Hill Cam Reddish (wrist) listed questionable Saturday
Reddish has once again been listed as questionable on the Hawks’ injury report for Saturday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets due to sprained left wrist. Even though he’s carried an injury designation in three straight contests, Reddish continues to be cleared to play and start alongside Trae Young in the backcourt. However, he saw his lowest minute total of the season in Friday’s overtime loss, and DeAndre’ Bembry logged a whopping 41 minutes off the bench and was phenomenal for fantasy purposes relative to his price tag across the industry. If that trend holds, Bembry is underpriced for his current role in the Hawks rotation since he is averaging 0.82 DraftKings and 0.84 FanDuel points per minute thus far on the year.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Josh Richardson (hamstring) doubtful Saturday; Kyle O'Quinn (calf) questionable
Richardson is listed as doubtful on the Sixers’ injury report for Saturday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers due to a tight right hamstring that’s already forced him to miss one game, while O’Quinn is questionable with a strained left calf. However, O’Quinn’s availability becomes irrelevant with Joel Embiid slated to play in his second back-to-back of the season and Al Horford returning from a one-game absence for rest purposes. This means one of Matisse Thybulle or Furkan Korkmaz will be relegated back to the bench with Horford available, and Thybulle appears to be the likely candidate since Korkmaz managed to outproduce him in 31 minutes as a starter in Friday’s win.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Kyle O'Quinn Cody Zeller (hip) probable Saturday
Zeller is listed as probable on the Hornets’ injury report for Saturday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks due to a left hip contusion that has already forced him to miss two games. With Zeller sidelined, Bismack Biyombo has managed to log 34 minutes as the starting center in each of the previous two contests, and he has been exceptional for fantasy performances, which has limited Willy Hernangomez to just six minutes of action in a reserve role over this span. As seen by his stellar play in Friday’s win, P.J. Washington has been the primary beneficiary with Zeller off the court this season, as he owns a 22.5% usage rate and is averaging 1.13 DraftKings and 1.14 FanDuel points per minute in a 257.7 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR via Twitter Massive Minutes Expected
I’m tagging Tucker as a conviction play not because I’m expecting huge fantasy output. Rather, I’m expecting him to see massive minutes tonight with Clint Capela and Danuel House out, and that’s valuable to me on this short slate. It’s an elite game environment against a Hawks team coming off an overtime game last night. If you look at the Game Flow Tracker from last game, you’ll also see the Rockets barely used centers Tyson Chandler and Isaiah Hartenstein, and instead rolled out Tucker as their small-ball center while Gary Clark took Tucker’s forward spot. I can see a route for Tucker to play 36+ minutes tonight if this game stays competitive.
Top Option On A Short Slate
On this slate, I don’t see how you start your lineups with anyone other than James Harden. If you look at DK/FDRAFT scoring, Harden has topped 50 fantasy points in TWELVE straight games. If you look at FD/YAHOO scoring, he has been under 50 fantasy points in just one of those twelve games. The Rockets are likely going to be without Capela and House tonight, and their game has a 236 total with Houston owning an implied team total of 125 points. Start with Harden and build from there.
News-Based Core Option
The Sixers have been utilizing this strategy on back-to-back sets often this year where Horford rests in one game and Embiid rests in the other. Since Horford rested on Friday, it stands to reason that Embiid will sit tonight. I have scoured Twitter with no luck as to confirmation at this stage, but hopefully we get it well in advance of roster lock. Assuming Embiid does not play tonight, Horford becomes a priority option. If we run a CourtIQ query with Embiid off the floor, we see that Horford sees a 4.6% bump in usage and scores around seven additional fantasy points per 36 minutes. That is a healthy bump in production, and it brings Horford’s production levels to around 1.25 – 1.30 fantasy points per minute on the floor. That would bump his fantasy point projection into the 40’s, and it would make Horford a key piece given the short slate and his mid-range price tag, even though this isn’t necessarily the most ideal matchup against the Pacers. The good news is that the Pacers did play an overtime game last night, so there could be some fatigue factor for the opponent.
Tomas Satoransky (toe) will start Friday
Even though Satoransky was previously downgraded to questionable, he will start in Friday’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers despite dealing with sprained left toe, while Chandler Hutchison will be unavailable because of a sprained right shoulder. There has yet to be any reports of a potential minute restriction for Satoransky, so he’ll presumably see his typical minute allotment as the Bulls starting point guard. Shaq Harrison will more than likely draw the start on the wing once again, and he’ll be an intriguing option for daily fantasy formats if he can get the playing time, as he owns a 18.8% usage rate, 21.4% assist rate, and is averaging 1.00 DraftKings and 0.99 FanDuel points per minute with Hutchison and Otto Porter Jr. off the court this season.
As reported by: K.C. Johnson via Twitter Cam Reddish (wrist) will start Friday
As expected, Reddish will start in Friday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers despite dealing with a sprained left wrist. DeAndre Bembry received the starting nod alongside Trae Young in the backcourt in each of the games Reddish was sidelined last week, and he was phenomenal from a fantasy perspective in an average of 33.1 minutes over this span. Reddish has been a bit more consistent with Kevin Huerter and John Collins sidelined, and he is averaging 0.69 DraftKings and 0.68 FanDuel points per minute to go along with an 18.8% usage rate in a 275.5 minutes sample size. However, there are now many more mouths to feed at the wing positions with Allen Crabbe and Evan Turner continue to work themselves back to full strength following lengthy injury layoffs earlier in the season.
As reported by: the Atlanta Hawks via Twitter Kyle Anderson (heel) available to play Friday
As expected, Anderson has been cleared and will be available to play in Friday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz after missing one game due to sore right heel. Anderson was unavailable for Wednesday’s loss, which enabled Grayson Allen, Solomon Hill, Brandon Clarke to all see at least 18 minutes in the second unit, but Allen and Marko Guduric appear to be the likeliest candidates to lose playing time with Anderson officially available this evening. Anderson remains an unexciting option for daily fantasy formats, but he could be a viable salary saver if he’s able to see minutes in the mid-20s since he is averaging 0.94 DraftKings and 0.92 FanDuel points per minute on the year.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR via Twitter Jimmy Butler (illness) will start Friday
As expected, Butler will start in Friday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors after missing one game due to an illness. Head coach Erik Spoelstra didn’t mention any possible minute restrictions for Butler in his return, so he should displace Goran Dragic from the starting lineup following his disappointing fantasy performance in 34 minutes of action in Wednesday’s loss, Justise Winslow returned from a three-week absence stemming from concussion symptoms in that contest, and he somehow managed to log 34 minutes despite Spoelstra stating that’d he ease back into the rotation prior to the game, making it likely Winslow rejoins the starting lineup in the near future, even though he’ll come off the bench this evening.
As reported by: Ira Winderman via Twitter Aron Baynes (hip) will be limited to around 20 minutes Friday
As expected, Baynes will play in Friday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks after missing five games due to a strained right hip flexor, while Ricky Rubio will also be good to go despite continuing to nurse an ailing back. Head coach Monty Williams confirmed during his pregame media availability that Baynes will be limited to around 20 minutes in his first game back, but he will still start at the center position, which will send Frank Kaminsky back to the bench to resume a reserve role.
As reported by: Kellan Olson via Twitter Ed Davis (leg) will play Friday
As expected, Davis will play in Friday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies after missing four weeks due to a fractured left fibula. There have yet to be any reports on whether Davis will be subject to a minute restriction in his first game back, but he’ll more than likely resume his usual backup center role behind Rudy Gobert this evening. Prior to his injury, Davis has been consistently seeing minutes in the low-teens since head coach Quin Snyder likes to utilize Jeff Green as a small-ball five for extended stretches depending on game flow and individual matchups.
As reported by: Andy Larsen via Twitter