DFS Alerts
Kristaps Porzingis (load management) listed out Saturday
Porzingis has been listed out in the Mavericks media notes and will not play in Saturday’s second leg of a back-to-back set against the Memphis Grizzlies due to load management for his surgically repaired knee. Head coach Rick Carlisle has been all over the place with his starting lineups this season, but Maxi Kleber figures to draw the start alongside Dwight Powell in the frontcourt, though it remains to be seen how much of a bump in playing time he sees since he’s already logged at least 30 minutes in four of his seven games this season. It should come as no surprise that Luka Doncic is the other main beneficiary from Porzingis’ absence, as he owns a 35.9% usage rate and a 56.1% assist rate (+8.4%) with an average of 1.77 FanDuel and 1.93 DraftKings points per minute in a 76.0 minutes sample size with Porzingis off the court.
As reported by: Brad Townsend via Twitter
Lonzo Ball (adductor) out Saturday
Ball has officially been ruled of Saturday’s second leg of a back-to-back set against the Charlotte Hornets due to a strained right adductor that began hampering him during the third quarter of Monday’s loss. There’s yet to be any confirmation from the Pelicans or head coach Alvin Gentry on who will replace Ball in the starting lineup, but Jrue Holiday will presumably slide over to point guard and either Josh Hart or J.J. Redick will start on the wing. Brandon Ingram has yet to see an increase in actual fantasy production with Ball off the court this season, but he does own a 31.9% usage rate and a 22.2% assist rate in a 80.0 minutes sample size thus far, indicating the potential for increased output in this scenario moving forward.
As reported by: Pelicans PR via Twitter Key Value
It’s not a whole lot of fun, but this slate lacks obvious value. The most obvious value play on the board is none other than Chandler Hutchison. Welcome to Chandler Hutchison core play night. Hutchison started the second half in the last game after Otto Porter left due to injury, and Porter has already been ruled out for tonight’s game. We do have some sample size with Hutchison as a starter, as he logged 14 starts a year ago thanks to all of Chicago’s injuries. In those games, Hutchison recorded averages of seven points, six rebounds, and one assist per contest. Throw in a few secondary stats, and we can say he averaged roughly 20 fantasy points per start in around 28 minutes per game. That is definitely not sexy, but it’s worthwhile as a sub-$4,000 option on FD/DK. The baseline for production might even be slightly higher here thanks to a matchup against a Houston team that currently ranks 2nd in the league in pace and 29th in defensive efficiency.
Massive Usage Awaits
I wrote up Russell as an elite GPP play last night, and he responded with a massive performance, delivering a 52 point, nine rebound, five assist performance on 45% usage. He also added three steals and two blocks. He is going to have all the opportunity in the world to produce with Curry sidelined, as there simply aren’t any other play-making options on this roster. Russell is going to have big games on the regular given the state of this team. I do worry somewhat about his minutes being limited with this being the second game of a back-to-back set, particularly after last night’s game went to overtime. However, assuming he’s a full go, I’ll take Russell every day of the week against what appears to be a declining Chris Paul. The usage is going to be out of this world on a nightly basis, and the DFS price tag has not adjusted to reflect this just yet.
Saturday's Top Spend
Remember that ridiculous triple-double run that Nikola Jokic went on a year ago? We could have a similar episode this year with the rising star in Dallas. Doncic has posted triple-doubles in three of his last four games, and he is averaging a 31/12/12 line in four December contests. He is chucking over 20 shot attempts per game. He even gets a bonus bump tonight if Porzingis sits. To this point of the season, CourtIQ tells us that Doncic sees a 2% usage bump and scores 64 fantasy points per 36 minutes with Porzingis off the floor.
Avery Bradley (leg) will start Friday
Bradley has officially been upgraded from questionable and will start in Friday’s matchup against the Miami Heat after missing one game due to a lower right leg contusion. His return to the starting lineup will send Kentavious Caldwell-Pope back to the bench to resume a reserve role following an uninspiring fantasy performance in 21 minutes of action in Tuesday’s win. There’s been no inclination from the Lakers or head coach Frank Vogel that Bradley will be limited, so he should resume his typical role as the starting shooting guard, though he is usually only allotted between 24-28 minutes on a nightly basis. Unsurprisingly, Bradley owns an unimpressive 15.8% usage rate and is averaging just 0.69 FanDuel and 0.69 DraftKings points per minute on the young season.
As reported by: Dave McMenamin via Twitter Shabazz Napier (hamstring) officially out Friday
Napier has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors due to a strained right hamstring that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Jordan Bell has been cleared to play despite battling a sprained right shoulder, though he is coming off of a DNP-CD in Wednesday’s loss. Napier will join Jeff Teague on the Timberwolves inactive list, Jarrett Culver should draw another start as the de facto point guard, and he was fantastic in his 30 minutes of action last time out, as he recorded a 21.1% usage rate and a 30.4% assist rate to along with 1.05 FanDuel and 1.09 DraftKings per minute in that contest.
As reported by: Chris Hine via Twitter Gary Harris (ankle) will start Friday
As expected, Harris has been deemed ready to go and will start in Friday’s matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers despite dealing with a sprained left ankle. There’s yet to be any inclination from the Nuggets or head coach Mike Malone that Harris will be limited by his aforementioned ailment, so he should presumably resume his typical role as the starting shooting guard and see his normal allotment of 32-35 minutes this evening. However, Harris has struggled out of the gate, just like many of his teammates, and is averaging just 0.67 FanDuel and 0.69 DraftKings points per minute with a mediocre 17.7% usage rate on the season.
As reported by: T.J. McBride via Twitter J.J. Redick (knee) available to play Friday
Redick has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Friday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors due to a bruised left knee. Head coach Alvin Gentry confirmed with reporters at his pregame media availability that he doesn’t expect Redick or Lonzo Ball to be subject to a minute restriction in tonight’s contest. Ball has had a relatively mediocre start to his Pelicans career, as he’s recorded just a 17.5% usage rate and is averaging 1.02 FanDuel and 1.06 DraftKings points per minute, which is largely being buoyed by a 29.6% assist rate on the season.
As reported by: Pelicans PR via Twitter Dewayne Dedmon (knee) and Harry Giles (knee) active Friday
Dedmon and Giles have both been upgraded from questionable and will be active for Friday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks, according to head coach Luke Walton, though he didn’t specify if Giles will actually crack the rotation after missing a majority of the preseason and all eight games this season due to a sore left knee. Dedmon has taken a backseat to Richaun Holmes in the center rotation of late, as he’s logged 17 or fewer minutes in four of the Kings’ previous five games. However, both he, Holmes, Nemanja Bjelica, and possibly even Harrison Barnes have a lower minute floor if Giles manages to see anywhere near meaningful minutes.
As reported by: Jason Anderson via Twitter Other tagged players: Harry Giles Justise Winslow (concussion) and Derrick Jones Jr. (hip) llisted out Friday
Winslow won’t play in Friday’s second leg of a back-to-back set against the Los Angeles Lakers due to a concussion, while Jones Jr. will also be unavailable with a strained left hip. Winslow returned from a two-game injury hiatus in Tuesday’s loss and was brutal for fantasy purposes, as he greatly underperformed his salary-based expectations in 30 minutes of action, so his absence will continue to open up a plethora of playing time on the wing for the likes of Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson this evening. Nunn leads the Heat with a 27.7% usage rate with Winslow off the court this season, so he’ll be an intriguing midrange value option for tournaments on tonight’s 11-game slate.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Derrick Jones Jr. Myles Turner (ankle) out Friday
Turner has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons due to a sprained right ankle that has now forced him to miss five straight games. Head coach Nate McMillan already confirmed that he’ll utilize the same starting lineup as he did in Wednesday’s win, which means Jakarr Sampson will start at power once again after another solid fantasy performance in 24 minutes of action in the Pacers’ previous game.
As reported by: Pat Boylan via Twitter D’Angelo Russell (ankle) will play Friday
As expected, Russell will play in Friday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves after missing the last three games due to a sprained right ankle. There have been no reports of a potential minute restriction for Russell as of yet, so he’ll presumably reclaim the starting point guard role from Ky Bowman following several commendable fantasy performances in an average of 37.2 minutes over the previous three contests. In Russell’s limited playing time with Steph Curry and Draymond Green off the court, he’s recorded a 32.7% usage rate and a 33.3% assist rate, both of which seem relatively sustainable moving forward as the point man for this depleted Warriors squad
As reported by: Kerith Burke via Twitter DeAndre Jordan (ankle) out Friday
Jordan has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers due to a sprained left ankle. Jordan has typically fallen into the 16-24 minutes range on a nightly basis, depending on the matchup, so his absence certainly raises the minute floor for Jarrett Allen as the starting center substantially. The Nets do have Nicholas Claxton and Henry Ellenson on the roster as reserve centers, but it seems unlikely either would receive significant run when Allen is off the floor considering head coach Kenny Atkinson’s propensity to go with smaller lineups in the past. Additionally, Allen has been solid when given the opportunity for more minutes, as he is averaging 0.95 FanDuel and 0.95 DraftKings points per minute on the season.
As reported by: Brian Lewis via Twitter Lonzo Ball (adductor) will play Friday
Ball confirmed with reporters at Pelicans’ shootaround that he will play in Friday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors despite dealing with a strained right adductor. There’s yet to be any inclination from the team or head coach Alvin Gentry that Ball will be limited in any way for tonight’s contest, so he’ll presumably draw the start alongside Jrue Holiday in the backcourt and see his usual 30-33 minutes of playing time. Ball has had a relatively mediocre start to his Pelicans career, as he’s recorded just a 17.5% usage rate and is averaging 1.02 FanDuel and 1.06 DraftKings points per minute, which is largely being buoyed by a 29.6% assist rate on the season.
As reported by: Daniel Sallerson via Twitter