DFS Alerts
Andrew Wiggins (personal) out Saturday
Wiggins has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play n Saturday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets due to a personal matter that has now forced him to miss two games, while Teague and Bell remain probable, and Shabazz Napier is listed with his customary doubtful status. With Wiggins unavailable for Friday’s loss, Jarret Culver ended up drawing the start alongside Teague in the backcourt, and he was serviceable for fantasy purposes in 30 minutes of action. There is not a plentiful sample size among the regular starters with Wiggins off the court, but in that limited time, both Teague and Karl-Anthony Towns have seen a +3.7% or greater increase in usage rate while averaging at least +0.31 more DraftKings and FanDuel points per minute over their season-long numbers.
As reported by: Timberwolves PR via Twitter
Malcolm Brogdon (back) and T.J. McConnell (groin) out Saturday; Myles Turner (ankle) will start
Brogdon and McConnell have both officially been downgraded to out and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks, while Turner was surprisingly upgraded from doubtful and will start at center in tonight’s contest. His return will send JaKarr Sampson back to the bench after logging 17 minutes in each of his previous two starts at power forward. There were initially reports that Naz Mitrou-Long would start alongside Aaron Holiday, but they’ve been contradicted but several other Pacers beat writers in the time that’s elapsed since. Either way, Indiana essentially has Mitrou-Long, Aaron Holiday, and Justin Holiday to absorb all of the available backcourt minutes this evening.
As reported by: Scott Agness via Twitter Other tagged players: T.J. McConnell, Myles Turner Andrew Wiggins (personal) questionable Saturday; Jeff Teague (illness) and Jordan Bell (shoulder) probable
Wiggins has officially been listed on the Timberwolves injury report as questionable for Saturday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets due to a personal matter that has already forced him to miss one game, while Teague and Bell are probable, and Shabazz Napier is listed with his now customary doubtful status. With Wiggins unavailable for Friday’s loss, Jarret Culver ended up drawing the start alongside Teague in the backcourt, and he was serviceable for fantasy purposes in 30 minutes of action. There is not a plentiful sample size among the regular starters with Wiggins off the court, but in that limited time, both Teague and Karl-Anthony Towns have seen a +3.7% or greater increase in usage rate while averaging at least +0.31 more DraftKings and FanDuel points per minute over their season-long numbers.
As reported by: Timberwolves PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Jeff Teague, Jordan Bell, Shabazz Napier Danuel House Jr. (back) and Clint Capela (concussion) out Saturday
House Jr. has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to a bruised back that’s now forced him to miss three games, while Capela will join Russell Westbrook on the inactive list, as expected, for tonight’s second leg of a back-to-back set. With Westbrook unavailable, Ben McLemore will remain in the starting lineup, and Austin Rivers will step into House’s place to start alongside James Harden in the backcourt, and both he and McLemore managed to log at least 30 minutes in Friday’s win even with Westbrook active. It should come as no surprise that there is little sample size with all of the aforementioned Rockets off the court together, but in that limited time, Harden owns a massive 48.0% usage rate that seems relatively sustainable given the state of the Houston roster.
As reported by: Dane Moore via Twitter Other tagged players: Clint Capela Brandon Ingram (knee) downgraded to questionable Saturday
Ingram is officially listed as questionable for Saturday’s matchup against the Miami Heat due to a sore right knee that’s already forced him to miss two games, while Lonzo Ball, J.J Redick, and Jahlil Okafor will all be unavailable because of their respective ailments. Redick absorbed 34 minutes in Thursday’s win, so if Ingram is also unable to suit up, the Pelicans will be even more shorthanded than they were in that contest when Gentry was forced to utilize a relatively tight nine-man rotation. It’d be interesting to see if Gentry was willing to give Josh Gray or Zylan Cheatham any run in this aforementioned situation, but more than likely, he would just condense his rotation to eight players if Ingram remains sidelined this evening.
As reported by: Pelicans PR via Twitter Lonzo Ball (adductor), JJ Redick (toe), and Jahlil Okafor (ankle) out Saturday
Ball, Redick, and Okafor have all been downgraded to out for Saturday’s matchup against the Miami Heat due to their respective ailments, while Brandon Ingram is now questionable with a sore right knee that’s already forced him to miss two games. Redick absorbed 34 minutes in Thursday’s win, so if Ingram is also unable to suit up, the Pelicans will be even more shorthanded than they were in that contest when Gentry was forced to utilize a relatively tight nine-man rotation. It’d be interesting to see if Gentry was willing to give Josh Gray or Zylan Cheatham any run in this aforementioned situation, but more than likely, he would just condense his rotation to eight players if Ingram remains sidelined this evening.
As reported by: Pelicans PR via Twitter Other tagged players: J.J. Redick, Jahlil Okafor Kyrie Irving (shoulder) out Saturday
Irving has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls due to right shoulder impingement. Head coach Kenny Atkinson has yet to speak to the media, but Spencer Dinwiddie will more than likely replace Irving in the starting lineup in tonight’s contest, though he’s unlikely to see a significant increase in playing time considering Caris LeVert has already been sidelined for several games, which should allow the wing players like Garrett Temple, Dzanan Musa, and Davis Nwaba to soak up the available minutes. Dinwiddie has only logged 59.5 minutes without Irving and LeVert on the court, but in that time, he has a massive 45.5% usage rate, 54.5% assist rate, and is averaging 1.28 DraftKings and 1.13 FanDuel points per minute.
As reported by: Malika Andrews via Twitter Malcolm Brogdon (back) and Myles Turner (ankle) doubtful Saturday; T.J. McConnell (groin) questionable
Brogdon and Turner have been listed as doubtful for Saturday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks, while McConnell is questionable with a sore groin. The Pacers are already without Jeremy Lamb and Edmond Sumner, which will leave McConnell, if he’s cleared to play, Aaron Holiday, and Justin Holiday to absorb all of the available backcourt minutes, likely giving all three pretty substantial minute floors in tonight’s contest. On top of that, Aaron Holiday owns a 27.2% usage rate and is averaging 1.08 DraftKings and 1.03 FanDuel points per minute in a 80.6 minutes sample size with Brogdon, Turner, and Lamb off the court thus far this season.
As reported by: the Indiana Pacers via Twitter Other tagged players: Myles Turner, T.J. McConnell Jimmy Butler (illness) and Goran Dragic (illness) questionable Saturday
Butler and Dragic have both been downgraded to questionable for Saturday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans due to an illness. The Heat is already without Justise Winslow and Derrick Jones Jr., so they’d be extremely thin at the point guard and wing positions if Butler and Dragic are unable to suit up this evening. The last time Butler and Winslow were unavailable, Tyler Herro ended up receiving the starting nod alongside Duncan Robinson, and he’s already secured a role in the mid-20s in terms of minutes off the bench even when Miami is at full strength. There is almost no sample size with Dragic, Butler, and Winslow off the court together this season, but with the latter two sidelined, Kendrick Nunn owns a 32.1% usage rate and is averaging 1.17 DraftKings and 1.14 FanDuel points per minute.
As reported by: Anthony Chiang via Twitter Other tagged players: Goran Dragic Dwayne Bacon (knee) and Nicolas Batum (finger) probable Saturday
Bacon has been listed on the Hornets’ injury report as probable for Saturday’s matchup against the New York Knicks after missing two games due to a sore right knee, while Batum is now probable to return from a fractured left middle finger he sustained in the season opener. With Devonte’ Graham and Terry Rozier absorbing most of the available playing time in the backcourt, Bacon has seen his minutes decrease over his last several games, so he’ll more than likely resume a secondary reserve role off the bench if he’s cleared to play this evening. As for Batum, his role on this Hornets squad is still to be determined, but considering the full-on youth movement thus far in the young season, it’d be surprising if he siphoned any meaningful playing time from Bacon, Graham, Miles Bridges, or Malik Monk on the wing.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Nicolas Batum Start Your Lineups Here
James Harden has not seen his production slip this year despite the presence of Russell Westbrook. Houston is playing at a faster pace, they are scoring at potentially record clips, and their offense is humming. The big difference is that tonight they will be without Westbrook, who is resting. They will also be without Clint Capela and Eric Gordon, both of whom are injured. Danuel House is 50/50 to suit up. Who else is going to score for the Rockets? P.J. Tucker? You get the point. This team should be absolutely carried by James Harden tonight. Expect him to play massive minutes, especially since they lost on Friday. This should be a high scoring game between the Rockets and Wolves, and I don’t expect anyone on Minnesota to be able to slow Harden down. There’s an absurd floor and a massive ceiling, and I don’t see how you start your cash games with anyone other than Harden this evening.
Too Cheap If The Starting PG Is Out
Holiday is listed as a core play because it appears as though Malcolm Brogdon won’t be able to play tonight. Brogdon left Friday’s game early due to a back injury, and Nate McMillan said he is “in question” for tonight. I would be shocked if the notoriously conservative Pacers even think about allowing their star player to suit up on the second leg of a back-to-back set. This will allow Holiday to move to the point guard spot at times and share ball-handling duties with T.J. McConnell. If we run a CourtIQ query with Brogdon off the floor, we see that Holiday suddenly sports a 27% usage rate and scores 37 fantasy points per 36 minutes of court time. That is now over a fantasy point per minute. We can expect him to see somewhere in the 32-36 minute range tonight, and he could flirt with 40 fantasy points. The price tag is far too cheap on every site given that potential, and that makes Holiday a core value for me on this slate.
Take Advantage of Salaries
The DFS salary tags for the Heat tonight are head-scratching. FanDuel and Yahoo have appropriately priced up Jimmy Butler, but he remains FAR too cheap on DK/FDRAFT. Similarly, Kendrick Nunn remains FAR too cheap on FD/YAHOO. That makes my job easy. Both Butler and Nunn should be locked into 32-36 minute roles as long as the game stays competitive, and both have thrived for the Heat of late. Both own healthy usage rates, with Butler scoring 46 fantasy points per 36 minutes and Nunn scoring 34 fantasy points per 36 minutes sans Winslow. Those numbers reflect all games and all situations. We can safely expect a baseline bump thanks to the matchup against the up tempo, defensively challenged Pelicans. That should take Butler closer to 50 fantasy points per 36 minutes and Nunn close to 40 fantasy points per 36 minutes. They grade out as elite point per dollar plays on the sites that I have them tagged, and we simply can’t ignore the upside at these salaries. Fire ‘em up.
Trevor Ariza (groin) out Friday; Dewayne Dedmon (knee) will play
Ariza has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers due to a sore right groin, while head coach Luke Walton confirmed that Dedmon will play despite dealing with a sprained right knee. Ariza was limited to just four minutes in Tuesday’s win before exiting with the aforementioned injury, which led to Walton shrinking his rotation and enabled six players to record at least 31 minutes, most notably Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nemanja Bjelica considering their inconsistent playing time from night-to-night. Bogdanovic has been the clear beneficiary thus far with De’Aaron Fox sidelined, as he owns a 30.4% usage rate, 35.4% assist rate, and is averaging 1.26 DraftKings and 1.20 FanDuel points per minute with him off the court.
As reported by: James Ham via Twitter Other tagged players: Dewayne Dedmon Daniel Theis (finger) will start Friday; Robert Williams (ankle) available to play
As expected, Theis and Williams will be available to play in Friday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors after missing one game with their respective injuries. In their absences, Enes Kanter will be replaced in the starting lineup in favor Theis, but he was relatively solid from a fantasy perspective in 25 minutes of action. It’ll be interesting to see how head coach Brad Stevens decides to distribute the available center minutes with all three big men active for just the second time all season, but it appears more likely to be a timeshare than one player seeing a majority of the playing time, making Theis, Williams, and Kanter easy to avoid in all formats this evening.
As reported by: Jay King via Twitter Other tagged players: Robert Williams III