DFS Alerts
PG Value
One of the better PG value plays of the day over on DraftKings. It’s such a cheap price for a ball handler which also helps you get in all the studs. Over on FanDuel Holiday > TJ is easy for me. On DraftKings Holiday is priced up and it’s more of a conversation. These savings might be able to get in an extra stud to make your lineups look really nice.
Josh Richardson (hip) available to play Saturday; Furkan Korkmaz (ankle) ruled out
Richardson will officially be available to play in Saturday’s matchup against the Miami Heat after missing two games due to right hip flexor tightness, while Korkmaz will sit as a precaution on the second leg of a back-to-back set because of a sprained left ankle. There are no other players listed on the Sixers’ injury report, so their starting lineup will be back to full strength with Joel Embiid slated to play in his first back-to-back of the season following his phenomenal fantasy performance in just 28 minutes of action in Friday’s win. Korkmaz ended up seeing 34 minutes in last night’s contest, so the Sixers rotation should look relatively similar with Richardson returning to fill those vacated minutes on the wing this evening.
As reported by: Kyle Neubeck via Twitter Other tagged players: Furkan Korkmaz
Hassan Whiteside (hip) out Saturday
Whiteside has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to right hip tendinosis that’s now forced him to miss two games, while Damian Lillard remains probable but will be a game-time decision with back spasms. With Whiteside unavailable for Thursday’s loss, Anthony Tolliver ended receiving the start at center and logged 31 minutes of action compared to the 28 minutes Skal Labissiere managed to record off the bench. Labissiere figures land in a similar minute range in tonight’s contest, but he projects as more of a FanDuel specific option considering his price on DraftKings, even though he is currently averaging 1.04 DraftKings and 1.06 FanDuel points per minute on the season.
As reported by: Jason Quick via Twitter Smash Spot If Game Stays Close
Yes, I do worry that this is the back-end of a B2B for the Pistons. And yes, I do worry about the matchup against Brook Lopez, who can hang out at the 3-point line and force Drummond away from the paint. These two takes played last year in the playoffs and without Blake Griffin, the Pistons were swept like a broom. There are rumblings that Blake Griffin will also sit out this game, which is a bit scary as that’s going to hurt Detroit’s chances of keeping this game close. If Griffin sits, CourtIQ shows Drummond owns a 26.3% usage rate and averages 1.47 fantasy points per minute. If this game stays close and Drummond gets all the minutes he can handle (he only played 28 minutes last night), he should pay off his price tag.
Huge Minutes In Pace-Up Spot
I want exposure to this TOR/ATL game in all formats, as both teams rank among the Top 13 in pace, and ATL ranks among the bottom-four in defensive rating. With Serge Ibaka doubtful and Kyle Lowry out, we should continue to see a fairly condensed rotation if this game stays close. Fred VanVleet is averaging 37.6 this season and has been hard for the Raptors to take off the court. He’s 2nd in the NBA in minutes per game only behind Damian Lillard, which tells you how hard they are pushing him. I obviously love this spot for Pascal Siakam, and I think O.G. Anunoby is in a sneaky good spot as well, but VanVleet offers a solid floor with massive ceiling at his affordable price tag across the industry.
Discount Point Guards
I’ve tagged T.J. McConnell as a conviction play on DraftKings/FantasyDraft/Yahoo and Aaron Holiday on FanDuel. My thinking is this – Malcolm Brogdon is still out, and while Jeremy Lamb is returning for the Pacers today, the team is still without a true point guard. I fully expect Holiday and McConnell to split point guard duties, and at their prices on their respective sites, they are still too cheap. This slate is starved for value beginning the day, and I have no problems being overweight on them where they are cheap as they both still have plenty of upside at their prices.
Discount Point Guards
I’ve tagged T.J. McConnell as a conviction play on DraftKings/FantasyDraft/Yahoo and Aaron Holiday on FanDuel. My thinking is this – Malcolm Brogdon is still out, and while Jeremy Lamb is returning for the Pacers today, the team is still without a true point guard. I fully expect Holiday and McConnell to split point guard duties, and at their prices on their respective sites, they are still too cheap. This slate is starved for value beginning the day, and I have no problems being overweight on them where they are cheap as they both still have plenty of upside at their prices.
Danuel House Jr. (shoulder) out Friday
As expected, House Jr. won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers due to a sore left shoulder. House exited early in the third quarter of Wednesday’s loss with the aforementioned injury, and Ben McLemore ended up replacing him en route to logging 11 second-half minutes. Head coach Mike D’Antoni already confirmed that McLemore will start at small forward in tonight’s contest, setting him a viable punt option in tournament formats on the late slates considering he is averaging a respectable 0.74 DraftKings and 0.70 FanDuel points per minute thus far on the season.
As reported by: Jonathan Feigen via Twitter Nerlens Noel (illness) out Friday
Noel is a late scratch from the Thunder’s active roster and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers due to an illness. Noel has actually been seeing some decent run off the bench of late, as he’s logged at least 21 minutes in four of the previous five games, which should theoretically give Steven Adams a higher minute floor this evening. Meanwhile, with Hamidou Diallo set to return from a three-game absence, Terrance Ferguson is highly unlikely to be a viable fantasy option on a 10-game slate, even at his bargain salary, since he owns a minuscule 8.7% usage rate and is averaging just 0.46 DraftKings and 0.45 FanDuel points per minute on the season.
As reported by: Erik Horne via Twitter Bogdan Bogdanovic (hamstring) out Friday
Bogdanovic has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets due to left hamstring tightness, while Cory Joseph was cleared to play despite dealing with a bruised left heel. There has yet to be any report of a potential minute restriction for Joseph, so he’ll more than likely be a full-go barring an in-game setback after logging a massive 39 minutes in Tuesday’s win. With Bogdanovic unavailable, Buddy Hield appears to be the best player to target in daily fantasy formats since he owns a 31.8% usage rate and is averaging 1.09 DraftKings and 1.05 FanDuel points per minute in a 60.9 minutes sample size with Bogdanovic, De’Aaron Fox, and Marvin Bagley off the court this season.
As reported by: James Ham via Twitter Seth Curry (illness) out Friday
Curry has been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to an illness that’s now forced him to miss two games. Curry had started alongside Luka Doncic in the backcourt for five consecutive games prior to his ailment and averaged 25.8 minutes per game over that span, so there will continue to be a significant amount of wing minutes available in head coach Rick Carlisle’s rotation this evening. Carlisle can be sporadic with his minute distribution on a game-to-game basis, but Tim Hardaway Jr, Delon Wright, and Jalen Brunson appear to be the logical candidates to absorb the available two-guard minutes even if Hardaway Jr. receives the start once again after logging 22 minutes in Wednesday’s blowout win.
As reported by: Tim MacMahon via Twitter Cory Joseph (heel) will play Friday
Joseph has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Friday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets despite dealing with a bruised left heel, while Bogdan Bogdanovic remains questionable and will be a game-time decision because of left hamstring tightness. There has yet to be any report of a potential minute restriction for Joseph, so he’ll more than likely be a full-go barring an in-game setback after logging a massive 39 minutes in Tuesday’s win. If Bogdanovic is ruled out closer to tipoff, Buddy Hield appears to be the best player to target in daily fantasy formats since he owns a 31.8% usage rate and is averaging 1.09 DraftKings and 1.05 FanDuel points per minute in a 60.9 minutes sample size with Bogdanovic, De’Aaron Fox, and Marvin Bagley off the court this season.
As reported by: Jason Jones via Twitter Hamidou Diallo (knee) available to play Friday
Diallo has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Friday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers after missing three games due to a sprained left knee. Over this span, Terrance Ferguson logged at least 31 minutes in all three contests, a feat he had accomplished just once prior to Diallo being sidelined with an injury, while Abdel Nader and Deonte Burton both assumed minimal roles off the bench to absorb leftover minutes at the wing position. Even at a cheap salary and potentially elevated minutes, Ferguson won’t be a viable fantasy option on a 10-game slate since he owns a minuscule 8.7% usage rate and is averaging just 0.46 DraftKings and 0.45 FanDuel points per minute on the season.
As reported by: Madysson Morris via Twitter Trey Burke (ankle, knee) available to play Friday
Burke has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Friday’s matchup against the San Antonio Spurs despite dealing with a sore left ankle and knee. There has yet to be any confirmation from the head coach Brett Brown on who will replace Josh Richardson in the starting lineup, but Furkan Korkmaz logged just 17 minutes before being pulled in the third quarter in favor of Burke and Shake Milton, both of whom were rather productive with their limited opportunity. Since Richardson is typically always on the floor with Joel Embiid, the main beneficiary with Richardson off the court has actually been Al Horford, as he owns a 21.4% usage rate and is averaging 1.26 DraftKings and 1.29 FanDuel points per minute in a 129.1 minutes sample size this season.
As reported by: Serena Winters via Twitter Josh Richardson (hip) out Friday
Richardson has been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the San Antonio Spurs due to right hip flexor tightness that’s now forced him to miss two games. There has yet to be any confirmation from the head coach Brett Brown on who will replace Richardson in the starting lineup, but Furkan Korkmaz logged just 17 minutes before being pulled in the third quarter in favor of Shake Milton and Trey Burke, both of whom were rather productive with their limited opportunity. Since Richardson is typically always on the floor with Joel Embiid, the main beneficiary with Richardson off the court has actually been Al Horford, as he owns a 21.4% usage rate and is averaging 1.26 DraftKings and 1.29 FanDuel points per minute in a 129.1 minutes sample size this season.
As reported by: Shams Charania via Twitter